I stepped outside the diner and immediately put my phone to my ear.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I snapped. “I called you a million times.”

The caller exhaled. “I know. I was busy with… stuff.”

“I- you know what, fuck this, and fuck you. I’ve literally got a bullet through my leg because of you, and maybe put my sister in danger.”

“What? How-”

“Just shut up and come grab her. We’re at the Bliss Diner, around the northern road entrance to Bronwynn Forest. And the next time you ask me for another one of your stupid favours-”

“I can’t.”

I paused, gritting my teeth. “Can’t what?”

“I can’t come grab her.”

“...”

“There’s nothing I can do about it. Sophia was running around and-"

“You, of all people, don’t get to talk to me about Sophia.” I took a deep breath, trying to think clearly. “Can I just bring her to the front gate of the Prentice’s and be done with this shit?”

“The Demons are monitoring the mansion right now,” the caller explained. “They were expecting her to head over there from the get go. If you send her over now, you’ll either walk into a trap, or they’ll try to kidnap her from the mansion by force.”

“Are you stupid? That’d be a death wish. There’s no way they’d do that. Or that they even could.”

“Jin Ikari is that kind of man,” the caller said. “His anger towards Isla aside, it’s a matter of pride for him, too. He won’t let a traitor go easily, especially his own daughter.”

I bit my lip. “So what am I doing, then?”

“Just- hide her somewhere for one night,” the caller said. “I can figure out what to do in the morning.”

“Oh, right, that shouldn’t be a problem for me at all,” I said sarcastically. “You know what? I’m going home. You wanna leave Isla on her own for the night, that’s up to you. But it’s not my problem if she’s gone missing in the morning.”

“I still have your file,” the caller threatened.

“And I know exactly where to go if it ever sees the light of day,” I retorted. “Enough’s enough. If you don’t want a repeat of what happened last year, you’ll throw that file in the trash.”

“...You know what? You’re not going to leave her,” the caller guessed, trying another angle of attack. “I know you, Michael. You wouldn’t let Sophia’s best friend die just because you wanted to be petty. Think about how much it’d hurt her. Even if you don’t care about the file, or Isla herself, you still care about Sophia, in the end.”

A year ago, I would have agreed with everything he was saying.

There was a time that I would’ve done anything for her, like an absolute lovestruck idiot. If she told me to jump, I’d ask how high. If she told me to run, I’d say how far. But that was before the incident happened. Before she broke her promise to me and cut me out of her life for good. Even if it wasn’t completely her fault, and even if I wished things could be different, I needed to get my head out of the past.

Thank god. You’re finally learning to not be a fucking pushover!

Kiss my ass.

Hm… don’t think I’m flexible enough.

“I still care about her,” I admitted. “And I don’t think that’ll ever change. But Sophia and I are done. You made sure of that. So do me a ‘favour,’ and go fuck yourself.”

Before he could reply, I hung up, stuck the phone in my pocket, and took a deep breath. When I exhaled, I felt good- better than I had in weeks, to be honest. Which was funny, because I was severely sleep deprived, bruised all over, and had a hole in my leg.

What’re you gonna tell the girl?

Isla? Well…

I glanced through the window and saw Mrs. Bliss talking to her as she set down a coffee and pancakes at my seat. Realizing the potential implications, I rushed inside.

After Isla ordered a burger, fries, and milkshake, we sat in the booth while Mrs. Bliss went behind the counter, very carefully not looking at us. Eventually, she brought the food and sat it down in front of Isla as I was stirring sugar into my coffee.

“Why is your leg bandaged so much?” she asked, frowning.

“Biking accident,” I lied. “I fell while on one of Bronwynn’s trails.”

Mrs. Bliss crossed her arms. “Hm. Not like it’s the first time you’ve come in here with all sorts of random injuries. I keep telling you to be more careful.” Her eyes widened, as if an idea had just struck her. “Oh! Right, Adrien told me to tell you to come in to the workshop whenever you can. There was something new he was working on… something about a wizard?” The waitress sighed, shaking her head. “Seriously, I can never understand what is going in that boy’s head.”

“I’ll go in as soon as I can,” I promised. “Just… make sure he tells security I’m coming this time?”

Mrs. Bliss nodded. “I’ll try my best, but you know how he is. You two enjoy your meal.”

As she walked off, Isla looked at me with eyebrows raised. “You’re a very good liar.”

I shrugged nonchalantly as I took another bite of my pancakes. “Lying isn’t exactly a difficult thing to do.”

“It isn’t,” she agreed. “Especially when you’ve had a lot of practice.”

“And you think I have?”

“I know you have. Which really doesn’t make it easy for me to trust you.”

“Like I said earlier, you don’t have to trust me, and I’d never expect you to,” I reminded her. “Actually, you won’t even have to talk to me soon enough. I’m going home after this.”

Isla paused, her burger inches away from her mouth, then took a big chomp out of it. After swallowing, she looked at me with a mixed expression. “I guess that means you accomplished what you were supposed to do, which was?...”

“Bring you somewhere safe,” I told her. “Then call my… employer, and they’d come pick you up.”

Isla looked at me suspiciously. “...Your employer?”

Briefly, I weighed the decision of telling her who sent me, then decided she wouldn’t believe me, anyway. So I told her his name.

“...”

Sipping coffee, I glanced at the clock on the wall, which read, 11:01. I was surprised that Mom hadn’t called me yet, but she was definitely going to give me an earful whenever I managed to get back home.

“...You’re not lying.”

Surprised, I looked back at Isla. “Wait, you actually believe me?” I had totally expected her to get mad and ask me to tell her the actual truth, then we’d bicker for a while, and then I’d have to go home.

“I…” She frowned, conflicted. “It doesn’t make any goddamn sense, not at all, but… I can tell you’re not lying, as much as it hurts my brain. But why would he…”

I thought for a second. “Wanna play a game?”

Isla’s conflicted frown turned into a confused one. “Uh, what?”

“Two truths, one lie,” I said. “First to two correct guesses wins. The winner gets one question that they can answer truthfully.”

Isla pondered for a moment. “No weird questions.”

“Weird questions meaning?”

“Nothing gross.”

I snorted in laughter. “Which means?”

Isla reddened. “Just- fucking go, asshole.”

“Okay, well…” I raised a finger for each point. “One, I’ve got a younger sibling. Two, I usually sleep five hours a night. And three, I taught myself how to fight.”

Three. I’m the one who can actually fight here. You just sit back and watch.

Isla glared at me, the flames in her eyes growing. “They’re literally all truths.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Is that your final answer?”

“...Okay, two. It’s probably like six hours or something stupid like that.”

I made an incorrect buzzer noise, forming an X with my two index fingers. “It’s number one. I’ve currently got a baby sister and a baby brother.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Wha- that’s bullshit!” Isla snapped. “That’s not a lie!”

Oh… I see what you’re doing. You’re testing the limits of her lie-detecting.

Took you a while to figure that out, huh?

“I’ve got a younger sibling technically implies I’ve only got one,” I reasoned.

“Technically,” Isla muttered, dabbing a fry in ketchup. “Right. Also, what do you mean you’ve currently got one? Are you… expecting another sibling?”

“Oh, fuck that,” I joked. “Two is rough enough already.” I gestured towards her. “Alright, you’re up.”

“Hm…” Isla took a moment to think as I got back to devouring my pancakes. “Okay, I’ve got it. One, I’ve been friends with Sophia for three years.” True. “Two, I’m a decent singer.” Also true, though it seemed to me like she was downplaying it. “Three, I’m right handed.”

When she spoke that last line, her nose grew- like, literally grew. The tip was two inches further out from where it was before. I nearly spat out my coffee from the ridiculous sight. Apparently my subconscious was thinking about fairytales.

Trying not to laugh, I said, “Are you serious? Obviously, three.”

“How-”

“When you were getting ready to fight in the alleyway, you had a southpaw boxing stance,” I reminded her. “Doesn’t make much sense unless you fight primarily with your left. You thought I’d think that was true because you grabbed your burger with your right hand first.”

She glared at me, and I took a mental note- sore loser. The words in visible white text hovered just above her head.

“Okay, smartass,” she growled. “Your turn.”

“I don’t have a middle name,” I began. “I’ve been on a date before. And I hate dogs.”

“Two,” Isla guessed. “Sophia told me you’ve basically always been a loner.”

I made an incorrect buzzer sound. “They’re all truths.”

So if you present her with multiple truths, she can’t figure out for sure that they’re all true. She can only tell for sure if there’s a lie or not.

“So we’re just cheating now, huh?” Isla fumed. “Fuck this, I’m not playing anymore.”

“So I win, then?” I provoked.

Determined, she put down her fries and sat up straight, which made her nose look even bigger than it already was.

I took another mental note, which popped up to the right of her head. Easily baited.

“Really strong scents make me nauseous,” Isla listed. “I hate gossip. And… my mother abandoned me when I was little.”

The statement made me do a double take. Isla tried to nonchalantly take a bite out of her burger, but the flames in her eyes were roaring, making me tense up. Her nose didn’t grow.

“Why… would you tell me that?” I asked.

She didn’t look at me. “Your answer?”

I stared at her while thinking. “...Three.”

“Dammit,” she muttered. “I completely thought I had that one.”

“That was just a guess,” I admitted. “The first two just seemed to make sense based on your personality. The third is also true, but it wasn’t just your mother, was it?”

“Yeah. My older brother.” Isla shook her head, swallowing her last fry. “Sorry, I, uh, made this really depressing, forget it. Ask your question.”

“It’s alright, I’ll save it for another time.” I checked the clock again- 11:05. “I should really be getting going.” I stood up in the booth.

“No, just-” Isla exhaled. “Ask the question now, or I’m not gonna answer you later.”

“Okay, well…” I eased myself back down, wincing as I put pressure on my injured thigh. “This whole thing- you getting chased by the Demons. I don’t know how it happened, and honestly, I don’t really care. But what I don’t get is why you didn’t just run to Sophia as soon as things got bad. I mean, she’s the daughter of the most powerful people in the city. Her mansion’s like a fortress.” I gulped down the last of my pancakes. “Heading straight there would have been the easiest and safest option- well, of course if you managed to get inside without getting caught. But I’m sure you could have figured it out at the time. Or at the very least, you could have gotten some other kind of help.”

Isla went silent.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t think of that,” I said.

“Of course I thought of that,” Isla replied tartly. “I’m not an idiot. But clearly, you are. Why the hell would I put my best friend in danger?”

“So you don’t… die?” I countered dryly. “Dunno, seems like a pretty good idea to me. I’m sure she would prefer her best friend to not be found limp in a roadside ditch.”

“You don’t care about her as much as I thought, huh?” Isla retorted. Flames started to ripple off of her, her nose back to normal size as it scrunched up. “Now that I think about it, not sure why I thought otherwise. If you actually cared about her, you would have given up on her and not shoved her boyfriend down a flight of fucking stairs because you were pathetically, pathetically jealous.”

The whole restaurant went silent. The few patrons that were around stared awkwardly at their food, their own conversations cut short. Mrs. Bliss looked at us, concerned, from behind the counter, debating whether she should intervene.

Damn. I don’t know how, but you really set her off, huh?

I sighed heavily, and stood up. “Alright, yeah, I’m going home.”

Isla’s flames died, and she gritted her teeth. “Wait. Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean all that.”

“I’m sure you didn’t.” I began to walk towards the entrance. “Good luck, Isla.”

Her hand lunged forwards, grabbing the sleeve of my sweater. “Wait. Just- wait.”

“For?” I said plainly, my face blank. “Because you’re completely right, Isla. I’m an idiot, and an asshole, and I don’t care about anyone. So what am I waiting for? You and I aren’t friends. Hell, today is basically the first time we’ve talked. You’d clearly be better off on your own than with someone like me, and I can’t seem to think of a reason I should stay here with you.”

Isla opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She didn’t know what to say. Instead, she looked at me pleadingly, desperately, but I yanked my arm away.

“Have a good night.” I started towards the exit.

And immediately stopped in my tracks.

Standing just by the exit stood a woman, facing me with her arms crossed, wearing a biker jacket, ripped jeans, and leather boots. Her ears were heavily pierced, and she had a single silver stud on her nostril. Her light brown eyes stared straight at me, her dark hair just reaching her shoulders. Danger symbols began floating around her, but I didn’t need hallucinations to tell me that she was pissed.

“And exactly where have you been this whole time?” The woman asked as she walked over, her head tilted slightly in one direction.

“Great,” I grumbled. “As if I wasn’t already having a shitty day.”

Isla turned around in her seat to look at her. “You… know her?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” I said. “She’s the person who’s going to kill me for being out past curfew.”

“Correct.” Mom turned to smile at Isla, extending a hand. “Nice to meet you, Isla. I’m Michael’s mom- Dr. Sara Collins.”

Isla’s eyes widened as they awkwardly shook hands. “How do you know my-”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Mom looked at me. “Are you telling me you’ve been on a date this whole time, which is why you weren’t answering any of my texts?”

I glanced over at Mrs. Bliss, who immediately looked away, signifying I’d clearly been betrayed.

“First of all, not a date,” I clarified. “Second of all, if you really wanted me home, you would have called me.”

“I was busy,” Mom said. She glanced at my leg wound and Isla’s face wounds. “But clearly, so were you two, so I’m going to postpone your execution for now. We’re going back to the house, now. Your sister and brother haven’t eaten anything because of you.”

“That’s your fault, not mine.”

“Really, now?” Mom’s expression turned icy. “I’m sure you can explain exactly why in the car. Let’s go.”

“Um… bye, I guess,” Isla murmured. “Sorry for the trouble. And for-”

“What? You’re coming too,” Mom said. “You can stay over for the night.”

We both looked at her in utter disbelief.

“Mom, uh…” I didn’t know where to begin. “I’m not sure if Isla can, uh…”

“Y-yeah!” Isla agreed, a little too enthusiastically. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you guys, and, uh… well…”

“It’s fine,” Mom said, giving me a knowing look. “She’s staying with us tonight, but only for tonight. We’ll figure out where to go from there tomorrow.” She glanced towards Isla. “Of course, only if you’re comfortable with it, but… I’ve got a deep dish of lasagna cooking in the oven at home. It’d be your loss.”

Isla looked confused, but I saw her shoulders relax from their tense state, as if she’d shed a weight off of them. Meanwhile, my shoulders were still tensed up.

“You can’t actually be serious,” I complained.

“Oh, I am,” Mom confirmed. “And since you’re bitching, Isla can sleep in your room, while you sleep on the couch.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Mom just raised an eyebrow, daring me to say more. Exasperated, I decided it would be best to give up.

“Well?” Mom looked to Isla, her eyebrow still raised. “Do you want to stay over?”

“Y-yes,” she stammered. “I’d love that. Absolutely. One hundred percent.”

“Good.” Mom smiled. “Let me know if you have any allergies or anything you don’t like.”

The car ride back was awkward. I was still miffed about what Isla had said back in the restaurant, and she could tell. She kept glancing at me anxiously, not sure if she should bring it up. I was surprised she cared so much about what I thought of her. Or maybe she just felt bad for taking it too far and wanted to apologize. Either way, we sat in silence for most of the car ride, besides the odd question or so from my mom every once in a while.

We pulled up in front of our house- a normal, medium sized house in a suburban neighbourhood just north of the edge of Bronwynn Forest. A police cruiser sat outside the house next to ours- the Forth family.

I stared at the vehicle, concerned. “Is that-”

“Not who you think it is,” Mom interjected. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”

Isla looked a little pale. “I-I don’t think I should be here. If they see me-”

“It’s okay,” Mom soothed. “Just go inside quickly and you’ll be fine.”

We parked in the driveway and Mom instructed me to take Isla inside while she went into the Forth house- for what at this hour, I had no clue, but I had a gnawing feeling that it was something serious.

“Come on,” I said to Isla.

We rushed up the porch steps. Hanging from the porch roof was a few planters with various flowers. I reached into one of them, digging around for the spare key, and yanked it out, shaking off the dirt.

Isla looked at me incredulously, as if she couldn’t believe I’d shown her such a major security flaw.

I shrugged nonchalantly as I limped towards the front door. “Locks only keep the honest people out, anyway.”

As I stuck the key in the lock and turned, the door unlocking with a click!, time seemed to slow down. Goosebumps ran up my arm as I sensed it- a malicious presence behind the front door, waiting for me to open it.

The handle of the door turned.

Get back!

The door opened, and the blade of a knife lunged for my throat.