Cydney stared at the piece of paper on her palms.

"We are chilling in Phoenix, Arizona, right now. We're still waiting for you. ;)

xoxo, Sy."

After a few seconds, the note disappeared into thin air, just like all the previous messages the Witches had sent her over the past few weeks.

Cydney sighed and leaned back on the bench. She was sitting in front of the apartment building that Lyn and Irene lived in. They were throwing a party right now because their team clinched a pretty high rank.

Yes, their team. Cydney had somehow joined Lyn's questing team.

A few weeks after she had broken up with Emily, Lyn had finally quit her guild. Cydney had watched the redhead spend the next few weeks working throughout the hours of the cafe while downing cups of coffee, sometimes even forgetting to eat. And so, when Lyn had asked her to join the team, she had been more than willing to help her out.

It had been months since she had joined, and Cydney was... happy. Genuinely happy.

Not just with Lyn, but with the rest of the team too. Irene was hilarious and extremely amusing to be around, and she acted as a much-needed buffer against Lyn's unintentional smotherings; Raph was a sweet guy who had infinite patience, even as Lyn kept forgetting about his dietary restrictions; and last but not least, her new best friend, Millie. Every other weekend, Millie would ask to hang out, bringing Cydney to places all around the city, and spending all their money together. For the first time in eight years, Cydney finally felt that... life was good.

Until she met the Witches in that joint commission.

Seeing her mother in Priya's crystal ball triggered all the anguish, pain, and guilt buried deep within her. Her memories of home flooded back into her: her parents, her brother, Claudia... Imran...

Life was good now, but it was arguably much better then.

And not only did the Witches remind her about life back home, but they also offered to help her get back, sending her a message every other day to tell her where to find them. She finally had an actual chance of going back home; she didn't need to struggle by herself anymore.

But the more she thought about this, the more her heart was split apart. Should she go back home, or should she stay with her new friends?

"Cinna!"

Lyn stumbled towards her, giggling like a drunk idiot.

"Lyn," Cydney called out.

Of course, whenever she was having these dilemmas, Lyn would magically appear as if the universe was trying to make her decision as difficult as possible.

And to make things even harder, the universe made Lyn trip over nothing. Cydney grabbed her before she hit the ground, and she latched onto her arms like a koala bear hanging onto its tree.

"Lyn, be careful."

"What are you doing here, Cinna?" Lyn crooned. "Come back with me!"

Lyn's face was close, much closer than usual; her breath warmed her neck, sending shivers down her abdomen, and heating up her entire body. The exhilarating sensation almost clouded the fact that her breath stank of alcohol. Almost.

"You're so drunk..." Cydney muttered, turning her face away; this smell was the reason she had left the party. "Sorry, Lyn, I'm not very good with crowds, so I'll- I'll just stay here for now..."

"What? You should've told me that! I'll chase them away for you."

Cydney could not help but chuckle. "Why would you do that? You invited them."

Shaking her head dramatically, Lyn insisted, "It doesn't matter, I don't care about them. I'll chase them all away. Come on back, Cinna, I missed you so much."

Cydney wasn't sure if she should be laughing or chiding. Her brain was fogging up with Lyn's drawling voice, teasing grin, and intoxicating warmth. Lyn flirted with her all the time, but never like this; she was being a lot more... herself, leaning forward so much, pulling Cydney so close.

She mustered a trembling sigh. "You really shouldn't say things like that."

"Hm? Say things like what?"

Idiot, as if you don't know... "You know, things like... like... like 'I miss you', or- or 'I like you'... Things like that..."

"Aw, but it's the truth, Cinna. I do miss you, and I do like you, you know that! I tell you that so often!"

Her cheeks burnt. "Y- You do... but I... You really shouldn't say things like that..."

"Why not?"

"Well, b- because... because..."

Because she wanted to go home; she had always wanted to go home. She missed her family dearly, she had friends, she had a life, she had a future. But Lyn, with her sweet words, her overbearing affection, her attentive efforts, was making it so hard for her, so damn hard.

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Why did she have to fall in love with an idiot like Lyn?

"Because it makes me feel... it makes me confused..."

"Confused?" Lyn giggled. "What are you confused about, Cinnamon?"

"I- I don't know... Everything, okay?" Whether it's worth it to go home; whether I should leave you; my friendship with the team; my feelings for you. "I'm... I'm confused about everything..."

Lyn continued laughing as she cupped Cydney's face with her hands, and squished her cheeks like a soft toy. "Everything? Cinnamon Pie, how can you be confused about everything, hm? How is that even possible?"

Despite her head combusting into flames, Cydney managed to mumble, "S- Shut up... It's not... It's not funny..."

And then Lyn bent down and kissed her.

The world paused.

✿∅✿∅✿

Cydney's first kiss was with Imran.

It had been a school day. Cydney usually had daily dance practices, but on that day, their entire school had gone for a supplementary chemistry class to prepare for an exam. It had been a silver lining; they had finally been able to walk home together.

Imran had been unusually fidgety, giving one-word answers during their conversation while nervously checking his phone. When they had reached the large Tembusu tree outside the school gates, he had whispered, "Sin."

She had turned. His hands had been shaking, but he had managed to bring them to her neck.

Awkward, hesitant, and wet. It had tasted like mints as if he had prepared hours for this moment. Cydney was not sure if she had enjoyed it, but she had given him an encouraging smile, and he had smiled back.

✿∅✿∅✿

Cydney's first kiss was like Imran: careful, tentative, sweet, innocent. Her second kiss was like Lyn: the direct opposite. If Imran was the gentle currents of a pond, Lyn was the crashing waves of a tsunami. If he was the calm breeze of the afternoon, she was the fiery hurricane of the storm.

When they parted, the look on Lyn's face was a mix of shock, fear, delight, and... greed. She wanted more, way more.

And Cydney wanted her just as much.

But amidst her racing heart, she could only bring herself to say, "Lyn, you're drunk."

"Mmhm." The pair of emerald eyes bored into her, pleading, imploring, begging.

How could she ever go home like this? How could she ever leave Lyn?

As if answering her inner thoughts, Lyn dropped her hands onto Cydney's waist and pulled her in for yet another kiss.

If the previous kiss was hungry, this one was famished. Lyn's hands were firm and unmoving, like a pillar of support, securing her, rooting her body to Earth; her tongue, on the other hand, was crazed and passionate, like a whirlwind of lust, invading every part of her, drawing her soul out of her mind.

Cydney trembled; she had never felt anything like this. Her senses were saturated with fervor, thrill, and months of yearnings. This was Lyn in her rawest and truest: bold, unafraid, full of passion, energy, and... lust.

Soon, they fell onto the bench Cydney had been sitting on, with Lyn climbing on top of her, pressing their skins together, driving Cydney crazier and crazier.

How could she ever leave Lyn?

Her mind snapped back to Earth when Lyn slid her hand under her shirt. She quickly pulled away.

"D- Don't...!" No, no, not the scars, she can't ever see it—

But it was too late. Lyn felt the scars.

"What was that?" she screamed, pulling Cydney's shirt up.

"Don't look!" Cydney begged.

Yet, Lyn looked.

Her face contorted when she saw the dreaded scars. All the desire, love, and fondness vanished in an instant; the adorable puppy that had kissed her was gone. In front of Cydney was now an enraged wolf. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Who did this to you? I'll kill them!"

"Ow! Let me go, Lyn!"

"I'LL FUCKING KILL THEM, TELL ME WHO DID THIS—"

A small spark of electricity exploded in their hands, snapping Lyn from her frenzy. Her face fell.

"Oh, shit," she mumbled, "shit, shit, shit... C- Cinna, I—"

Cydney wriggled herself free and gave Lyn a hard slap on the face.

"You idiot!" she screamed, before sprinting away.

She ran and ran, as fast as her legs could bring her, as much as her lungs could take. When she stopped, her tears were still flowing relentlessly.

This was it; Lyn thought she was a monster. The expression on Lyn's face—that momentary look of pure disgust—etched into her mind. She recognized that look. It was the same face she had whenever she looked at herself in the mirror, whenever she saw these horrible, ugly scars the Masked Ninja had given her.

Her tears splattered on the ground like the pouring rain of her heart. She was going to stay. She was going to stay for Lyn, for the woman who wanted her, for the woman whom she wanted. But what if Lyn didn't want her anymore?

"Cyd?"

Cydney spun around to a worried Millie.

"Oh no, what happened, Cyd?"

"N- Nothing... Sorry..."

"No, tell me everything!" Millie squatted down as well. "Who made you cry? I'll beat them up for you! Or better yet, I'll get Lyn to beat them up!"

Cydney shook her head. She tried to explain, but her throat was too clogged up with her tears.

Millie frowned as she handed her a handkerchief. "Don't worry, take your time, Cyd. I'll stay here with you all night until you feel better, okay?"

Cydney pushed out an appreciative smile. She was so used to crying by herself, but this world was definitely becoming kinder to her. Maybe she should stay. If not for Lyn, but for her other friends.

Maybe she could stay in this world.

✿∅✿∅✿

No, she could not stay in this world.

She was a liability, an outsider, a criminal. The truth serum pulsating in her veins made this abundantly clear.

There was no more dilemma. She had to leave this world, she had to leave her friends.

As she buttoned her pants, she glanced at Lyn, before quickly turning away. Just one look was enough for her heart to crumble like crushed pastries. Clenching her jaw, she walked towards the door.

Sybil was leaning against the door frame, her smile as serene as the night. The three other team members were slumped on the sofa in the living room, sleeping as soundly as Lyn. Sybil's subjugation magic was as powerful as ever, it seemed.

"She has quite a nice apartment." Sybil's grey eyes twinkled as she peered into the room. "I hope she gave you a decent enough farewell."

A lump formed in Cydney's throat. Lyn had given her a more than decent farewell; she had given her everything, like always.

Her eyes drifted back to the bed. Lyn's auburn hair sprawled over the pillow and her bare shoulders. Despite being under Sybil's spell, her brows were still furrowed, as if she somehow knew that something was wrong.

Cydney gulped. Lyn had given her a night to remember; perhaps, she should also give her something to remember. Hesitantly, she took out her phone and laid it on the bedside table.

"What's the plan if I follow you?" She turned to Sybil. "I don't want to take any lives."

"Neither do I," Sybil assured her. "I have a couple of ideas, but I would need your full cooperation."

"What exactly do I need to do?"

"To become a Witch like us." Sybil arched her eyebrow. "We can teach you how to harness magic to your full potential. I can turn you into a powerful, one-person army, a true force to be reckoned with. What do you think?"

"And then?"

"And then, I'll need you to steal treasures. Treasures that I think may help open up the portal to your world without the need to sacrifice anybody."

Cydney nodded. She was willing to do anything, as long as she could go back home without killing any more people.

"What do you want in exchange?" she asked carefully.

"Oh, nothing much, I just want to help you," Sybil said with a small smirk, "but I do want your memories."

Cydney frowned. "That's fine, I guess."

Sybil's smile widened. "Perfect. Let's get you home, Sīn-Sīn."