Trust was a sucker’s game. Cassidy Grey thought she had learned this lesson a long time ago, but she was getting an unexpected and unwelcome refresher.

“I thought we were dating?” Cassidy asked, probably a little louder than she intended. Despite the situation, thankfully Leo at least picked a nearly empty park to break her heart.

“I’m not sure why,” he responded with a drawn-out sigh, “personally, I thought we were just two people hanging out and having fun.”

Her stomach in knots and the dreaded tingling sensation beginning in the back of her skull, Cassidy focused her attention on plucking some peeling green paint from the park bench before answering. She took a deep breath and told herself that if she avoided his eyes maybe she would be able to get through this like a normal person.

“Leo,” she was almost surprised at how steady she sounded, “We spent the last few months going out together, flirting even. Talking about past relationships. That’s what people do on dates... right?” She risked a glance at his face, hoping for a different response.

“Oh, well I’m not really looking to label anything,” he told her with a crooked smile. That same smile was something she originally saw as playful and inviting, but now left her feeling small and weak. “I mean you’re pretty cool and all and we had some fun,” he continued without missing a beat, “but you’re not really my type, you know? I mean, I appreciate your help with my chem exam and all, I don’t think I would have passed without you, but I finally got this girl to agree to go on a date and I don’t want to miss the opportunity,” he said, patting her on the shoulder. “You understand, right?”

Cassidy nodded numbly, still trying to figure out where she went wrong, what signs she could have possibly misinterpreted to have quite so badly misunderstood where they stood. The tingling at the back of her head had been progressing steadily during his little speech, the sensation of pins and needles growing like a swarm of ants invading her skull. But as long as she kept her mind working on the why, she would be able to keep herself distracted. Maybe even avoid what she knew was coming.

Leo stretched and stood up from the park bench. “Alright, well I better head out. But hey, you’re gonna' be happier now that we cleared the air, not like we would have ever worked out anyway. I mean, I get why you prefer not going to parties and stuff since your parents died. Really, I totally get it, but it happened forever ago. Just, you know, move on and live a little. Maybe call me again when you actually want to party, not just sit around and talk.” He chuckled awkwardly, then opened his smart-ring display and dialed a number while Cassidy stared at him dumbly, not quite believing what she just heard. He gave her a half-distracted wave, then turned and walked away while talking into his phone, “Hey girl, ready to have some fun?”

In less than ten seconds, Cassidy knew she had already been forgotten.

That was the last straw. Her efforts to keep herself distracted completely fell apart. The tingling at the back of her head spiked, and she bared her teeth in a silent snarl. Standing up to follow him, she tunnel-visioned on the base of his skull, thoughts of a violent impact making her heart race. Her foot took a single step in Leo’s direction. Before she knew it, she had already caught up to him.

Leo must have sensed her behind him because he turned around just in time for her fist to connect with his nose instead of the back of his skull, and he jerked his head back with a startled curse

“What da hell, Cathiddy?” he yelled, clutching his face with both hands.

The sharp pain in her hand overcame the tingling sensation like a splash of cold water, snapping her out of the destructive haze she was in. The urge to hurt Leo drained out of her, and guilt rapidly filled the void in its place. It wasn’t so much that she regretted the punch, rather she felt guilt over the fact that she had lost control again. That primal urge completely ignored the consequences of what Cassidy would have to live through after it was finished. Had Leo not turned around when he did, she would probably need a trip to the hospital right now to treat a broken hand.

Those unfortunate lapses had been a part of Cassidy for a long time, although she had to admit Leo had given those impulses more fuel to burn than most. The tingling sensation in the back of her head faded to the point where the immediate danger had passed. She was once more in complete control of herself.

“It’s not broken, Leo,” she told him, suddenly feeling very tired, “just go home and put some ice on it, the swelling will go down soon. Enjoy your party.” The tingling hadn’t completely vanished however, so before he could say anything else to make her lose control, she turned around and walked away leaving him sputtering behind her.

The next couple of hours were spent in a welcome cloud of distraction so that she wouldn’t have to think about her abrupt loss of control. Alternating between wondering how she could have been so blind, to hating herself for being so oblivious, the world around her faded into a blur and she lost herself in the simple act of walking aimlessly.

After what felt like an eternity, she eventually started coming back to her senses and realized she was now walking down familiar streets. She opened her smart-ring interface, noting that she had spent the better part of an hour roaming the city streets of Ottawa while lost in a cycle of moping and self-pity. At least she was close to home.

Ten minutes later she was back at her apartment building and stepping out of the elevator on the fifth-floor, but felt like she had been wandering for days. Her feet felt like lead as she dragged them over the worn carpet of the hall. When she eventually reached her apartment door, she was ready to collapse and spend the rest of the day crying in bed. And it was only noon.

She raised her hand to unlock the door with her smart-ring, but her eyes locked onto the small innocuous loop of modern technology. It reminded her of Leo’s instant dismissal of her presence while he chatted up another girl.

That thought chased away the exhaustion she felt only moments ago, like someone had hooked her heart up to a car battery. The sensation swept through her entire body, flushing all feelings of self-pity away. Her hands clenched into knotted fists, and she focused on the door. Cassidy knew she was moments away from releasing that rage, but just punching the door wasn’t enough. She wanted to pound it to the ground, reduce it to splinters, annihilate it. All while picturing Leo’s stupid face.

Her knuckles wavered in the air as her emotions warred with her common sense. She took yet another long, slow breath, then settled on waving her smart-ring above the doorknob to unlock it. Thankfully the tingling in the back of her skull hadn’t made a resurgence, otherwise she’d have very little to say in the matter. The anger remained, but as satisfying as it would be to break the door down, she needed to remain in control of herself.

Once inside, she slammed the door shut behind her, causing the pictures on the walls to shake. One fell to the floor and shattered, the now broken frame holding a picture of a young man with mousy brown hair, a slight build, and an infectious smile.

Seeing the broken picture, a fresh wave of guilt chased most of her anger away. Now she just felt childish for letting her anger get better of her, even for that small action of simply slamming the door. She dropped to her knees, heedless of the broken glass and picked up the broken frame. Twisting the plastic parts angrily in her hands, she couldn’t believe she had put herself in this position to begin with and made a silent vow never to make that mistake again.

The same mousy haired young man that was in the picture stuck his head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush still dangling from his lips. He immediately saw Cassidy kneeling amongst broken glass while mangling a picture of him in her hands.

“Am I in trouble or something CG?” he asked her, confusion clearly visible on his face.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, shaking her head to dispel the mental image of Leo, “no, not you Rowan. I’m just working through some stuff. Leo just… well, I won’t be seeing him anymore.” Saying Leo’s name brought with it a fresh surge of humiliation, so her next words came out in a rush to cover it up. “I came inside angry and broke the picture by accident and–”

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Rowan held his hands up to stop her. “Say no more, let’s go drown your sorrows.”

Cassidy perked up a tiny bit at that. “Coffee?”

He nodded and smiled around the toothbrush, “With absolutely unhealthy amounts of sugar.”

An invisible weight immediately lifted from her chest and she jumped to her feet. “Well then get your ass in gear already, we leave in five.”

Rowan stuck his tongue out at her in response. “I’m eighteen now remember? You’re not the only official adult in the room anymore, that means you can’t tell me what to do.”

Cassidy made as if to throw the picture frame at him and he ducked back into the bathroom with a yelp. She smiled ruefully and went to get a broom to clean up her mess while Rowan finished getting ready. They might not be related by blood, but he was the one person she could always count on, that was what made him family.

Just as she finished dumping the broken glass in the trash, Rowan raced out of the apartment ahead of her then waited for her at the elevators tapping his foot in mock impatience. “Let’s go CG. Always waiting on you.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

They followed a familiar path; one they had walked dozens of times already since moving in together a month ago. In no time, they were sitting outside their favorite local coffeehouse.

“That can’t be healthy,” Rowan announced while eyeing the monstrosity in front of her, a very large mug of specialty coffee with whipped cream and golden sugar running down the sides, “the amount of caffeine and sugar in that thing is going to keep me up all night just from looking at it.”

“It’s medicinal.” Cassidy told him taking a noisy sip, then wiping a bit of stray whipped cream off her nose before favoring him with a satisfied smile, “See, already making me feel better.”

“Well, at least you’re easy to please,” he said while pushing a few stray brown hairs out of his eyes and back under a tattered gray baseball cap and nursing his own small cup of black coffee. “So, you want to tell me what happened?”

Cassidy’s smile vanished as her thoughts drifted back to Leo. “Men suck.”

“Thanks.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Fine, not you. You’re a towering example of manhood. A lone monolith of virtue amongst the swampy crawlies that are your brethren. Happy?”

The familiar infectious grin stretched his lips and he winked. “I can accept that.”

Cassidy took a moment to collect her thoughts by taking another sip of her drink, then smacked her mug down onto the table a little harder than intended. “I just don’t get it, I mean I thought we were dating.”

“Ah,” he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, “it’s this conversation.”

That wasn’t quite the reaction from Rowan she was expecting, but she plowed ahead with her recap of her encounter with Leo anyway. “He told me we were never actually dating, as if it was all in my head.” She was also tempted to add that she should have known better than to make herself vulnerable, but she didn’t want to hear another lecture on how letting other people get close wasn’t a bad thing.

“Hmm, you don’t say,” Rowan mumbled as his smart-ring chimed, catching his attention. He flicked his fingers, causing the holographic display to appear in the palm of his hand.

Cassidy’s eyes narrowed as she watched him read something on his screen and she fidgeted with her own smart-ring. Having literally all the information in the world at your fingertips was hard to ignore sometimes, but Rowan could have at least waited until she finished complaining before browsing the internet. Supressing an annoyed grunt, she continued her story despite his obvious distraction.

“I wouldn’t be half as mad at him if he hadn’t dragged my parents into it. He implied that their deaths are stopping me from living my life.”

This got Rowan’s attention, and he tore his eyes away from his display. “Wow, plot twist.”

A confused look crossed her face. “How is that a plot twist?” she asked.

“It’s like a video-game, follow a predictable story and then throw in a twist that no one expects to throw them off their game. I knew he was going to break your heart, but him using your parents as an excuse, well, that’s a plot twist.”

“He– wait... what?” she asked, almost dropping her coffee, “you knew he was going to break up with me?”

“I thought you guys weren’t actually going out, according to him,” Rowan turned his attention back to the holo-display in his hand, “and yeah, I told you that weeks ago.”

Cassidy frowned. “I… okay, I vaguely remember you saying something like that. But…”

“But?” He drew out the question, but his eyes were still glued to his smart-ring display.

Jaw clenching ever so slightly at his tone, she reminded herself she wasn’t angry with Rowan. Even if this was his not-so-subtle way of saying ‘I told you so’. She took yet another deep breath, making a mental note that she had been doing that a lot today, and let it out slowly before muttering, “I ignored you.”

He nodded, still not looking up at her. “Other than the comment on your parents, everything happened like I expected. You can’t fool me though. You’re pissed off at him, but underneath you’re just relieved you didn’t do something stupid in a fit of rage, right?”

Cassidy grimaced. “Well…”

A look of concern crossed Rowan’s face as he finally tore his gaze away from his screen to look up at her. “You didn’t lose control, did you?”

“Only a little,” she answered hastily, “and his nose isn’t even broken.”

The look of concern changed to one of relief and he chuckled, “If that’s the worst he went through, then he’s lucky.”

“Great,” she muttered, “I’m a mean-spirited, borderline mental-case, and he’s lucky I didn’t crack his skull open.”

“Nah, you’ve just had more to be angry about than most and turned suppression into an art-form. When you’re ready to deal with that anger, you will.” He returned his attention to his smart-ring.

Cassidy was grateful that Rowan simply accepted that she lost control again, but she couldn’t help but wonder what he found so fascinating. “Okay, speaking of ignoring, what the hell are you reading?” she asked.

He looked up from the holographic projection in his hand and smiled at her. “I just turned eighteen last night, what else do you think I’m reading?”

“Athanasia again? Oh my god, you’re such a nerd.”

“Geek. Geeks obsess over pop culture. Nerds obsess over stuff like chemistry and then spend the next two months bragging that they didn’t get a single question wrong on their final.”

Cassidy flashed her teeth at him before sticking her tongue out. “You’re just jealous of my perfect score.”

“Nerd.”

“Geek.” She fired back.

Rowan chuckled, “Absolutely,” he then flicked his display into tablet mode, making the display three times as large and showing her the article he was reading, “and Athanasia is worth geeking out. You get to live in a fantasy world with magic and monsters, not to mention being immortal.”

She drained the rest of her coffee before responding. “I’ve heard this all this before, Rowan. I mean, I enjoy games as much as the next person, but I don’t believe the hype.”

“CG, that hurts,” he held his hand over his heart and adopted a pained expression, “do you know how hard I’ve worked at planning my career around this game?”

“Don’t kid yourself. You’ve only been talking about it for the past five years straight.” His face turned red and he opened his mouth to respond but she didn’t give him the chance. Holding up three fingers in front of his face, she began counting off of them. “One, you’ve spent years studying game design on your own time. Two, you mapped out all your college classes for the next few years around said game design. And three, you’ve extensively researched Trinios hiring practices to be prepared to apply when you graduate. Was there anything else?” she asked, batting her eyelids at him as his face fell.

“Yeah, but remember Trinios–”

“–give employees free lifetime access to Athanasia,” she cut him off again, “making the so-called immortality in the game the greatest employee perk of all time. Yeah, I remember.”

Rowan pouted. “I take it back, you are mean.”

Cassidy laughed, but her amusement faded when she looked in his eyes. There was a shadow of something in there that told her something was off with her foster-brother.

“You know I’m just giving you a hard time, right?” she asked him. “I fully support your totally normal and not at all weird obsession with that game.”

He dropped the fake pout and his face turned serious. He spent the next few seconds studying her intently until he eventually reached out and took her hands in his. “Look, CG, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now, but I wasn’t sure if I should. I think maybe you need to hear what I have to say, but it might be hard to wrap your head around it. Just bear with me, okay?”

She snorted in amusement. “After my morning, I don’t think I anything you have to tell me could mess me up anymore. Hit me.”

His brown eyes pierced hers unblinkingly and he said nothing for several breaths. It got to the point where Cassidy started to become genuinely nervous at what he wanted to tell her. She had never seen him this hesitant before.

When he eventually opened his mouth to speak, she felt her entire body tense up in aprehension.

“I think,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper, “your parents are still alive.”