Eve collapsed to the ground. Her elbows and knees scratched across the zigzagged paving stones as she fell forward, the weight of her body a ball and chain, tugging her down. The book in Caleb's hand sparkled blue like a lagoon. The mamodo's hands sputtered with concentrated energy and a brilliant, astounding shade of silver.

She was gasping and holding her chest to supply her lungs with air. Caleb did not react to her suffering or close the spell book. "I did warn you, didn't I?" He wasn't awaiting an answer so he begun to walk over to her. He paced around her shaking body before forcing her head up to look straight into Ophelia's eyes. At first, Eve saw nothing but the foul stare of a troublesome child until Caleb spoke up. "Let's play a game, shall we, Ophelia?"

Ophelia grinned. "I've always loved games!"

Eve fought to point her gaze elsewhere but Caleb's fingers moved under her eyes, widening them, overpowering her. "Cal–"

She became silent. Darkness swamped across her eyesight and then a globe of light hurtled out from under it. The scene painted itself from scratch. She knew it before she could even see the cracking paint of the walls.

"I've been calling you since yesterday," Eve said, eating from a carton of noodles. She wasn't mad but concerned, donning sweatpants and a huge sweatshirt, her hair scraped back from her face into a ponytail. Caleb came in their apartment in the same clothes he left with yesterday and a fizzy energy drink. "Where were you?"

Caleb drank straight-up from the can. "Hanging out with the guys, didn't I tell you yesterday?"

"So you hung out with guys I barely even know from yesterday to today's evening. Without giving me a moment's notice to when you'd be home?" she asked, crossing her arms.

He rested his drink on the table. "I'm back, aren't I? Calm down."

"I'm not going to calm down!" Her voice was becoming less serene. "What if something happened? Would a cop have come to my door, saying that you were dead? You're so irresponsible and you don't even realize it."

"I'd rather not stay home the rest of my life like you do–"

"I've done everything for you and you can't even tell me the truth," Eve told herself, walking out into the kitchen and shaking her head.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "What could I be lying about?"

She looked away. "You weren't out with your friends last night. I know where you were…and it wasn't with a guy."

"Are you serious? Do you think I was cheating on you?" he questioned. "Fine, I slept over a girl's house! I drank too much and fell asleep on the couch if you really need to know."

Eve sent him an empty glance. "You could've called me…"

"We live together, I'm nineteen, and I've graduated from high school. I doubt I need to."

"After everything I've done for you! You can't even spare me one phone-call? When my mother died and I was kicked out of my house, I ran to you. I dropped out of high school because my boyfriend was worried that he was 'going off the deep end.' I haven't talked to my family in months because of you! All I have is you and I can't remember the last time that you've done something for me. You have no idea how much I sacrificed to be with you!" She was out of breath by time she was done.

"I never asked you to do any of those things for me." Caleb spoke up. "If you're so unhappy, you can leave. I'm not stopping you. I never wanted a relationship. You want me to be someone that I can't. Come back and tell me when you find someone else that can deal with you because I give up."

Eve tried to approach him. "Caleb–"

"You can't depend on me anymore. I'll teach you a life lesson here. Don't ever depend on anyone because in the end, they'll only betray you. Believe that, alright?"

She never forgot it.

In reality, Eve strived for words and movement. Her sluggish gaze was heavy and grave. "I…trusted you."

Caleb turned back to Ophelia. "Shall we finish her off?"

"Wouldn't you like to play more mind games with her?" Ophelia asked, raising her hands back at Eve to ready herself for a spell. Eve became shaken as the flashback reiterated itself in her head.

He flipped a couple pages. "I like to make revenge quick and sweet. Making people suffer slowly is quite beneath me."

Ophelia pouted but agreed. "Fine…"

"Ra–"

"Get away from her!"

Sundance ran toward them, barefooted, gasping after he was in good distance of the group after concluding the stretch of his run. His face was flushed and his hands were sealed into fists, the horns that made him look like no other child were projecting out of his hair. Held between his arms was a golden spell book that he could barely hold.

Caleb was amused and closed the book. "I see Eve wasn't telling the truth after all."

Sundance ran to Eve's side and laid his book under her arm. Ophelia swooped in front of Caleb to act as his defense. The sun was setting and it heaved white-golden light across the street and the well-furnished grass.

"You're finished!" he shouted, darting toward Ophelia, fist aimed for her.

Both Ophelia and Caleb smiled. Neither of them moved.

"Relirium."

Nothing happened until Sundance's knuckles fixed on Ophelia's stomach, something triggered like a time bomb before she curtly detonated into a dangerous, spiked flower of ice. Sundance flew back against the ground, screeching in grief, icicles rooted in his fingers and burning them as if he washed them in acid. Tears glazed through his eyes in shame as he went to pluck an icicle out of his skin but didn't.

"Your bravery is remarkable," Ophelia said. "When you're stronger, child, then come face us. You seem like you'll be fun to battle in the future. Your partner may take a while to heal. She doesn't seem to endure mind games very well."

Sundance rocked his ice-ridden hand against his chest. "Go to hell."

"I'll be careful with my words if I were you," Caleb declared.

They vanished in a swirl of snowflakes. Sundance dropped to his knees and shook his head.

Sundance tripped over to Eve's side and knelt by her head, looking into her inexpressive eyes for life. She didn't appear to be awake but she was alive so that was all he could take without exhaling his relieved emotions.

Unbelievably, he pulled Eve and his book onto his back and her arms draped over his shoulders, hanging floppily like vines.

Sundance angled his head to a side and frowned confusingly.

Figuring out where she lived again would be harder than expected.

Has anyone ever listened to music that they regret having obsessed over now? When I was little, I was overly-obsessed with the Spice Girls and I'd buy these lollipops that came with stickers of them. I recently listened to 'Wannabe' and I couldn't stand through the whole song.

R&R!