Hints of Eliza X Ezra in this chapter! Be prepared for some feels too! :)

Elise woke up to the sound of slight shuffling from outside, and she bounced out of bed eagerly, peering through her glass windows. She searched through the menacing endless abyss of darkness that stretched before her. There wasn't a single tree in sight, and a lonely wind howled in melancholy.

She tiptoed out of the house and put on her shoes. The shuffling was growing louder, and she heard a soft whimper. Was someone out there?

With her heart racing, she sped down the stairs, leaving a streak of blue laser trailing behind her like neon ribbons, and she propelled herself in the air and into the treehouse. She found nobody so far.

She heard a soft sniff, and her heart almost flew to her throat.

"Who's there?" she whispered worriedly, holding out her fists just in case. It can't be Eva and Elaine, because both of them were fast asleep. Could it be an animal? Perhaps it was a real bird? Wait birds don't whimper like that…

"Hello?" Elise called out again, a bit softer.

She saw a pair of legs peeking out from behind the cabinets, and she gasped. She inched back, her trembling hands clutching on to her chest. Her heart thumped rapidly, and she slowly approached, her breaths becoming shuddered and unstable. She scooted a bit forward, and noticed that the pair of legs looked a bit masculine… like a guy! What's a guy doing here?!

"Hey!" Elise cried, and the boy yelped in surprise, the book in his hands flinging in the air. He scrambled out of the shadows, but the book fell on his face and he fell flat on the floor. His sapphire blue eyes were too familiar, and there was only one person with that kind of messy blonde hair.

"Ezra? What the heck are you doing in my treehouse?" Elise demanded frantically.

"N-no, I'm sorry!" Ezra stammered, shielding his face meekly with his arms. "I-I was just reading!"

"What are you doing in my treehouse?" Elise questioned again, planting her hands on her hips. "Get out or I'll scream for Eva and Elaine!"

"N-no, it isn't what it looks like!" Ezra pleaded, crawling towards her. His foot slipped away from the surface of the shiny wooden surface and he stumbled forward and fell again. "I just needed a place to stay… m-my brothers kicked me out!"

Elise's face softened a bit, and her heart was enthralled by an overwhelming stab of sympathy. Sure, he was the bad guy in this situation, but why would his brothers kick him out? Just in case, she still held her fists out.

"Why would they kick you out?" Elise asked suspiciously, scratching her chin after uncurling her fingers from a clenched fist.

"Well… I was acting like a moron again," Ezra explained quietly, fiddling with his fingers and biting his bottom lip nervously. "And they told me to sleep outside."

"Really…?" Elise asked softly. Ezra nodded wordlessly, and sighed, closing his eyes.

"So I've been here all night… I-I like your books, are these yours?" Ezra questioned, a cautious look darting across his face, as he reached for one of the books on the floor. His eyes never pulled away from Elise's face, as if worried she would hurt him.

Well for now, Elise is going to let this slip, but if he does do harm to her little sanctuary or her sisters, he was going to have to eat cockroaches forever…. Elise was terrible at planning out sinister punishments, but it was still gross, right?

Maybe she could ask Elaine for ideas on that one. She once threw a boy in a trashcan because he was bullying her… and she made him eat the trash in it. Of course she got detention for a whole week. And this only happened during the sixth grade...

"Yeah… why?" Elise wondered, pouting her lip and raising a thin brow. Ezra managed an awkward laugh and his gaze swept to the floor, as his hand tousled his own hair.

"I kind of… like them," he commented, his eyes shifting back to Elise. Elise smiled to this.

"You mean you like fairytales too?" Elise asked, a hint of hope gleaming in her big bright eyes.

It felt so weird to be talking to a villain about fairytales.

"Yeah… I like this book," Ezra said. "Look here." He picked up the red book that was discarded on the floor next to him, and he held it up. Elise's eyes lit up. Her heart swelled. Wow… she wasn't the only one.

"I like that book too!" Elise pointed out, unable to hide her smile now.

Ezra smiled to himself and opened up one of the pages.

Elise swallowed hard, and dared to sit down next to him and peer over his right shoulder. Her heart was pounding inside her, as if it was going to explode any minute. It felt so weird to have someone she despises sitting next to her… however, she was beginning to get used to him already.

"Look at this story- it's about a guy who ventured out into the unknown and saved his brothers from the clutches of an evil hag," Ezra explained, pointing to the chapter. Elise nodded casually, and the two sat there in complete silence, reading at their own pace.

As Elise progressed through the story, she found her heart lurching out unhappily to discover that the protagonist of the story was a bit of the underdog among his two other brothers. Elise felt her smile fade away, and she sank a bit lower.

In a way… she could put the puzzle pieces of her life together, and it would match the story of the boy's life. Elise always felt so...isolated and different at times. She was always dubbed as the stereotypical dumb blonde who can't do anything. She would get occasional sneers from her classmates at certain times.

Unlike Elaine, who was the popular, outgoing and athletic girl in the trio, Elise would be on the bleachers, timidly shrinking in the corner and munching on popcorn while Eva would cheer at the top of her lungs for Elaine.

Eva, on the other hand, was the cute, nerdy girl of the group that everyone adored. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and once her mind is set on a goal, she will do anything to achieve it. And of course, she can be a bit of a loudmouth.

Elise just can't feel that vibe for her to come out of her shell. It was like her safety sphere, her sanctuary, to just do what she feels most comfortable in. It would feel weird talking to new people, and she often stuttered and looked away from people. Is that… bad?

"Wow… I can relate to the guy so much. My brothers always make fun of me. It's like I'm INVISIBLE to them," Ezra spoke up, glancing over at Elise.

Ezra was feeling isolated too? That was a shocker.

"Well, I don't feel invisible from my sisters…. but I get the feeling that I'm too… different," Elise added on.

"Really? That's crazy. I was always considered as the dumb one." The two shared a brief laugh and their smiles and light-hearted humor faded, and it was time to rotate their attention back to reality- the flaws that exist within them.

So it looks like the two really do have something in common after all, and aren't just opponents to each other. Elise smiled in realization, and she felt a new friendship blossom…

"Well I'm a dummy too!" Elise giggled. "They think that because of my hair color. But I don't think it's true…"

"Me neither. Eh, I guess that's what brothers do. Hey Elise… can I ask you something?" Ezra questioned, and Elise glanced up from the floor, and realized that his eyes had a pleading look to them, as if begging to be heard.

Before Ezra opened his mouth, his phone buzzed and he exhaled impatiently.

"Ugh, it's Eli," he grumbled, answering it. "Hello?"

"Hey bro, where are you? Come back inside," Eli's slightly muted voice blared out from the speakers. "You can't stay out there forever."

"I thought you wanted me to sleep outside," Ezra grumbled bitterly, rolling his eyes.

"No you idiot, we said STAY outside. Now come on before Dr. Carl comes in and kicks our butts for not being in bed."

"Ok fine!" Ezra sighed angrily and hung up. "Well…. I gotta go."

"Back home?" Elise asked, pouting her lip.

"Sadly."

"Well… I guess I'll see you then." Ezra managed a slow wave, and he flew out of sight, leaving behind a trail of blue laser which was his legacy… the evidence to show that he was here…. and Elise found a new reading buddy. She smiled to herself. Finally…. just finally…. she doesn't have have to endure the loneliness that she sometimes feels when she's in here.

Her only real friends were her sisters and Daniel, but Daniel was a bit closer to Eva, so he didn't exactly count. But she felt proud of herself regardless. Smiling, she flew back to bed, and fell back to sleep, with happy thoughts dancing around her mind.

Ooh I think I smell a bit of a romance between the two blondies! Do you guys think they will become a couple? Yes? No? Maybe? Don't be shy- comments and questions are more than welcome :3