Good evening, readers! I hope you're having a great weekend, so far. I have returned with a new update, and it's going to get a bit intense at some points. Let's just say, there will be some literal twists before the end of this chapter. With that said, I won't ramble on anymore, so please enjoy!


Kara watched as Wildfire drummed her fingers on the table, Brooks glancing between them silently. Wildfire swore under her breath as she tried to pull something up on her phone, Kara shifting a bit in her seat. A moment later, she seemed to have found what she was looking for, her gaze flickering up to look at Kara. "Remember how I said that those Phoenix girls can't protect you like I can?"

"Wildfire... look. I don't know exactly what you have against them, and I'm not holding it against you, but-"

"Answer my question." She said, her expression hardening.

"Yeah. I remember that. But Wildfire-"

"I'm going to show you something. You're not going to like it. But people are going to keep coming after you in this place. It was the same on Virgo Island. I guess that's why we've fit in so well despite coming from a different world." She turned the phone, sliding it across the table. "Play it."

Kara took it, pressing the play button. On the screen, which was filming the hallway from what seemed to be behind a corner, she saw Candace. She crossed her arms as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Kara pursed her lip curiously, but her expression changed when someone else approached.

"Took you long enough to get here." She said, flipping her short hair out of her face.

"You got the money?" Dan asked her.

"Can you talk a little louder so the whole damn world can hear you?" She dug into her pocket, shoving several bills in his hand. "Now get out of here."

"You won't tell her, will you?" He asked.

"Who cares? You really are a dipshit. I could care less about those Holders too, they're a pair of fairy queens. All I want is for Kara to suffer like the little bitch she is. When bad stuff keeps happening to all her shitty friends, they're going to start pointing the finger at her."

As Kara watched the audio recording, the color drained from her face, slowly looking up. "He did that on purpose. She paid him to make it look like Viktor tripped from being distracted."

Wildfire nodded, taking her phone back. "Listen to me. You cannot tell anyone you know about this. But you've got to make a choice here. You can stick with me, and the shit will stop, or you can keep hanging out with those pansies and lose the boy you like."

Kara ran a hand through her hair. "I don't want them to keep going after Viktor." She tightened her lips. "Quite frankly, I want to beat the piss out of BOTH of them-"

"You cannot tell anyone you know about this." Wildfire hissed. "So... do we understand each other?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah." She sat back. "Yeah, I do."

"Good." Wildfire smirked. "Here. Give me your phone." She took it, putting her number on it. "We'll keep in touch. And don't worry... I'll keep that psycho at bay. She won't be hurting Viktor again."

Brooks glanced over, grimacing. "Wildfire, it's HIM."

"What are you-" Wildfire growled in annoyance when she saw Chase was making his way over to them. "Kara, you can deal with him. I'll text you." She said, she and Brooks grabbing their things and heading out of the room. Kara turned, Chase slowing to a stop.

"Hey. They're not messing with you, are they?" He asked warily.

Kara shook her head. "No." She sighed. "Chase, I... I have a lot to think about. I should head home." She was about to walk past him when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Kara, come on... can't you tell me what's going on?" He frowned, turning her to face him. "I'm worried about you. Ambrosia's worried about you." He looked down, noticing Kara's hand. He took it into his own, and he kept a firm grip when she tried to pull away. "Please, let me see it."

"No. Let go of my hand, Chase." Kara said, glancing to the side.

"I'm not going to judge you or anything. I just want to help." He said.

"You wouldn't understand." She replied.

"Look... it's not like-... you're not a bad person..." He said, trying to roll her sleeve up. She yanked her hand out of his grip, stepping back.

"I said no, Chase!" She exclaimed, furrowing her brows as she covered up her arm. "It's not what you think, so stop trying to-" Before either of them could react, Chase was suddenly pinned against the wall, Kara widening her eyes in shock.

"Did he try to hurt you?" Francis asked, his eyes burning as he looked Chase up and down before shoving him back. "So, you like doing that sort of thing, you little-"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute! Francis, let him go-!" Kara exclaimed. "He wasn't trying to hurt me, it was a misunderstanding." Francis glanced between them before allowing Chase to tear away from him. He was beyond angry, shooting Kara a look before storming off. Francis watched silently as she tried to follow after him. "Chase." Kara called as she followed him. "Chase, you need to understand something. I-"

"No, YOU need to understand something." He jabbed a finger at her. "I'm not super smart, but I'm not dumb either. I thought you were different."

"I AM different, Chase. That's the problem." Kara frowned. "I promise, one day I will explain the marks on my arm, but-"

"Save it. I already know no one trusts me, I guess you're just another no one." He said, turning to storm off with frustration. Kara stared at the ground, adjusting her back pack on her shoulder as her heart sank.


Kara felt as if she were in a haze, her feet shuffling as she made her way down the road. As she did, she didn't realize who was nearby, having to call her name to gain her attention. She stopped, shaking her head as she looked over. "Oh, hey Arsenik." She replied, making her way over to him.

"Good afternoon. You seem quite distracted, is everything alright?" He tilted his head.

"Yeah, um... what's up?" She tried to change the subject.

"I'm actually glad I ran into you. Viktor and I began to work on our collaboration project. We've decided on what we are looking for as for as the artistic aspect goes... do you have some time to spare?" He asked.

"Oh... yeah, of course." Kara's expression lit up a bit.

Viktor was sitting on the couch, reading a book. He looked up when the door opened, straightening up when Arsenik and Kara entered.

"Ah, Kara. How are you?" He smiled. Kara returned the smile, but there was a bitter sweetness to it.

It was because of her that he was sitting there, his knee wrapped up, hurting.

She had caused this pain.

"I'm fine." She replied, wandering over to sit next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, much better. Ambrosia stopped by again to tend to my knee." Viktor said, and Kara's smile faded.

"She did?" Again, she had not told her. "I'm glad she's taking good care of you."

"Indeed, I'm quite lucky." He chuckled. "And now I have the pleasure of working on this project with you. I've seen some of your work. You're quite creative."

"You think so?" Kara asked. "Most people could care less about my creativity."

"They will." He reassured. The way he spoke, she couldn't help but want to believe him.

Arsenik came back into the room with some snacks and some plan sheets, giving them to Kara to look over. As he did, she rose her brows, cracking a smile. "This... is seriously awesome."

"Thank you... and it will be because of your help." Arsenik smiled. "This is somewhat of a description of a design we are looking for... can you manage it?"

"Are you kidding? I cannot wait to get started on this now." Kara beamed. "You guys are freaking geniuses."

Arsenik chuckled. "You give us too much credit. Did you want to get started on some assignments while you're here? We can begin working on this once we get supplies."

"Sure... I'm sure it sucks that Viktor's been cooped up here all day." Kara said, glancing over at him.

Later on, as they read a textbook together, Viktor glanced over as he could hear some music leaking from within her headphones. "Kara?"

"Yeah?" She answered.

"May I... hear what you're listening to? I'm quite curious." He said.

"Sure. Music helps me concentrate sometimes." She smiled, taking her headphones and placing it on Viktor, letting him listen for a bit.

"This woman's voice is enchanting... yet, her words are quite somber." Viktor said.

"Yeah, I like her voice too." Kara replied. He handed her headphones back, looking at her as she placed them back on her head. When she did, her arm sleeve drooped a bit, and his lips parted as he inhaled a bit sharply.

"Kara...?" He cleared his throat as she glanced over, sitting up a bit more. "Do you, um... cook for yourself?"

She rose a brow, smirking. "Uh, kind of...? Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um... I could ask Arsenik for a salve..." Viktor bit his lip, Kara's smile fading as she glanced down. Her spine tensed, yanking her sleeve up.

"I'm fine." She said, glancing to the side.

"Oh... do forgive me, I didn't mean to infringe, um... I do hope I haven't made you uncomfortable." Viktor twiddled his fingers, Kara looking back at him.

"It's not that..." She shut her eyes for a moment, her brow wrinkling. "It's just- no one would understand."

Viktor glanced at her warily. "Kara-... is someone harming you? You didn't... inflict this upon yourself... did you?"

"No. I didn't do this to myself. No one did this." Kara replied.

"So... it was an accident, then?" Viktor asked. Kara tensed up when he gently took her hand, drawing her sleeve up.

"No... I- you wouldn't... understand." Kara looked away.

Just then, Arsenik halted as he came into the room, noticing the pair. He wandered over, Kara tensing up more as Arsenik frowned.

This had to be her worst nightmare.

"Kara, how did you obtain this injury?" Arsenik asked.

"It's- I'm fine, really. You guys don't need to worry about it." Her heart finally steadied when she was able to draw her arm back, hugging herself. "It's um... getting late. I should start heading home. Not allowed to stay out too long after dark."

"Ah, that makes sense." Arsenik said. "Would you like me to walk you home, Kara?"

"I'll be okay. Thank you, Arsenik. I'll let you guys know when I get some supplies together, okay?"

"Of course." He nodded. Kara looked over at Viktor, who wasn't concealing his concern as effectively as Arsenik.

"Hey. Don't worry about me." She forced a smile. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"You're very kind, Kara. Please... let me know if there's something wrong. I would never refuse you if you needed help." Viktor said.

"That means a lot. Thank you, Viktor." Kara said, bidding them goodbye as she saw herself out. As she did, Arsenik's polite smile faded a bit, replaced with a hint of worry. Kara sighed, drawing her hood over her head as she headed towards home. As she turned the street corner, she stopped when she saw someone on the other side of the road heading in the opposite direction. She slowed to a stop, her mouth hanging open for a moment before she looked around, crossing the empty street and following her. "Hey." She sighed with frustration when she got no reply. "Ambrosia, I know you hear me." When she still received no response, Kara sped up her pace. "Ambrosia, what the hell is your problem?! You're keeping things from me, ignoring me, I'm not playing this game anymore!" At this, she stopped, Kara coming to a stop as well. "Can you tell me what the hell is going on?"

Ambrosia glanced over her shoulder a bit. "I'm sorry, Kara... I know you like him. Viktor. I just can't help myself."

Kara's eyes widened, shaking her head. "Are you serious?! You-" She ran a hand through her hair.

"I am. You should know by now that if I take him from you, I'm one step closer to getting what I need."

Kara stopped, staring at her warily. "I don't know what that means. What could you possibly gain from doing that?"

"Don't you see? That's when people are the most frightened; when they don't know what to make of something. When they don't understand. That's why I need you. And until you see it... until YOU understand that... you're going to continue to be subjected to terror."

"Ambrosia, I have no idea what-" Kara was cut off when the girl's head spun around, a sickening crack sound piercing the air as Kara witnessed a sight straight out of something akin to the Exorcist. Pupils like trembling pin pricks stared back as her, an abnormally wide grin making her heart race. Any shred of Ambrosia's usual gentle demeanor and sweet smile were all but gone. Kara choked out a gasp, scrambling back as she tried to break into a run. She heard more cracks, the horrifying Ambrosia moving jaggedly as she took on a crab walk sort of movement, skittering after her at an inhuman speed. Kara felt herself fall forward, pinned down as gnarled fingers wrapped around her throat to choke her. She tried to wrestle her off, her hands digging into the monstrosity's forearms as she attempted to pry her hands away. As the world became more and more blurred, she suddenly felt a great pressure lifted, her eyes snapping open as she gasped for air. She flew up into a seated position, trembling as she tried to take in her surroundings. The sky was a splash of vibrant colors, the sun descending into dusk. When she noticed Ambrosia was knelt beside her, she scrambled back.

"Kara, it's alright, please... don't be afraid." Ambrosia said calmly, appearing to be like herself. She gently helped Kara to her feet, the pair standing on the sidewalk. She went to move some hair out of Kara's face, but Kara backed away from her hand. "There's no need to be nervous, you're alright now. Here, let me-"

"Alright?!" Kara exclaimed. "You think I'm alright?!" Her back pack slipped off her shoulder a bit. "Y- You know, for you, your cousins, everyone else, life goes on! Yeah, and I'm stuck here! Stuck in the same... recurring shit!" She took her back pack, hurling it to the side as Ambrosia looked on with a frown."D- Do you have any idea what it's like? Every time I turn around, I'm in some kind of new horror story!" She continued to stare at Ambrosia warily, a part of her skeptical of whether or not this was real.

"Just take a deep breath... you are still very tense. I'm not sure what it is you think you saw, but... you are safe now. There is nothing to fear." Ambrosia said, to which Kara scoffed.

"She's right. Wildfire. I know exactly what you're doing, Ambrosia. I don't know why, I never do, but eventually, everyone turns their back on me. So go. Go, and enjoy your time with Viktor. In fact, you have my blessing to be his girlfriend if you want. It's stupid, all of this. Me trying to... be a part of something, of someone, it's stupid. Because every day, I'm face to face with the truth again." Kara went over to hoist her back pack off the ground, Ambrosia's lip beginning to tremble. "Just... keep being perfect, Ambrosia. I'll just keep enduring this living hell day after day." As Kara began to storm off, a lump in her throat, she halted when Ambrosia stopped her.

"I wish I was perfect." She said barely above a whisper. "But I'm not. I've... made many mistakes. Sometimes, people I care about are hurt... and I don't quite understand why, but I feel as if I'm the cause somehow." She looked up. "Wildfire... is one of those people. I do wish she could see that I care about her. She and I were best friends, you see. But... then suddenly, she did not wish to spend time with me anymore. My life felt quite empty without her in it, despite still having the love of my cousins and others." As she spoke, Kara looked at her from the side, listening intently. "I do not wish for the same to happen between us, Kara. Please... can we not come to some understanding?"

At this, Kara slowly turned to face her fully, taking a step closer. The formerly vibrant sky began to fade into deep blues and violets, the sun hiding behind the vast tree trunks of the woods beyond as it barely lingered, as if entranced by the scene which had unfolded. For what seemed like an eternity, silence was all that was spoken between them, before Kara took Ambrosia's hand. At this, Ambrosia looked up, smiling lightly. Kara did not return her smile, her lips parting to take in a slow breath as her other hand extended, rolling Ambrosia's sleeve up. She stared as she could see, even in the low light, the confirmation of her suspicion.

Scars.

She slowly looked back up, letting go of her hand before reaching over, rolling up her own sleeve. Her left wrist was covered in what looked like bruises shaped like finger prints- but there was something different about it- almost as if it was like a charred mark etched into smooth wood. Ambrosia looked up after seeing this, her breath caught in her throat.

"You tell me your story, Ambrosia... and I'll tell you mine." Kara said.


Did you see what I meant by "literal twists?" You can relax for now, the night terrors are held at bay... for now. So, for those of you who know Ambrosia's background from Beauty and the War, you know why she has the scars. But will Kara finally reveal her secret? Will she and Chase reconcile? Find out more in the next chapter! Don't worry, there will be more lighthearted moments throughout this story before we begin to take a nosedive- thank you to those who have read, and stay tuned for the next update!