Reed went about the rest of the week as if everything was fine. But on Friday night, he very calmly spoke as he walked next to Melanie.
"I need your help." He stated.
She made no eye contact, continuing to walk. "With what?"
"Someone's following me...watching me." He explained. "And whoever it is left me a very...disconcerting message."
"What message?" She questioned.
He handed her the photo. "I found this in my locker the day after I told Crimson."
She saw it. "I take it this means something personal?"
Reed nodded. "Very personal...and it makes me worried about who's following me."
"Lucky for you, I can confirm that it's not your imagination." Melanie said. "Someone has been following you...someone fast."
"Can you help me catch them?" Reed questioned.
Melanie grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."
The two kept discussing, looking as if they were casually conversing as they walked, before finally heading to bed. The next day, Reed awoke with the plan still firmly in his mind. He got dressed, and headed out, flying down to the city. He began walking through back-alleys as Melanie had instructed. That was, until he heard Violet Cross igniting. He instantly turned, drawing Schultz and heading in the direction of the sound. Up on the rooftops, he saw Melanie in a sword fight with a winged girl wearing a White Fang mask. The girl, maybe a year younger than him and Melanie, was dressed in black, and wielded two blades, a katana in one hand and wakizashi in the other. As soon as Reed entered the fray, her head snapped over to him.
"If you wanted to talk, you should have just asked." She spat.
He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you following me?"
She glanced at Melanie for a moment. "Let's take this somewhere more private."
She dashed forward, slashing at Reed. He blocked each successive strike, but was pushed back with each one. All of a sudden, she pivoted around Reed, pulling him in a headlock. There was a feeling of gut-wrenching cold, and he was surrounded in darkness. Then, he was thrown out onto grass, gasping for air. The girl sat next to him.
"Takes a while to get used to." She said. "The first time I did it, my lungs were still filled with ash and smoke. I nearly suffocated, and not a single person stopped to help me."
Reed finally caught his breath, looking up at her. "Who...are you?"
"Wow, I know it's been a while, but you can't even guess? Do you really have no clue? Come on, you can't be that stupid, all the clues are right in front of you." She said.
He slid back a bit, looking her up and down. "Take off your mask."
She shrugged, doing so. "Not sure you'd recognize my face after all this time, but I'll humor you."
As soon as the mask came off, Reed did recognize her face. "Lizzie...but...how is that...I...I saw you, I watched..."
"Oh please." She scolded. "You didn't find it suspicious that a body was never found?"
Reed's face was...complete shock...not knowing how to respond. "Lizzie, I..."
"Save it." She said. "You already replaced me...we're done here."
Reed got to his feet. "Lizzie, please-"
But she was gone...melted into the shadows where she'd sat...and Reed was alone.