A/N: Woohoo, I'm actually posting a few chapters in one sitting! Is that a miracle or what?

Chapter 5 - The New Ally.

One week later, in California...

"Finally." I sigh, breathing in the city air. "This is a place to get lost in." Kara breathes. "But we aren't out of the woods yet. We need to find, or make, a place to stay." I say numbly.

"I might know a place, actually." Kara says hesitantly. I raise my brow, and she continues. "You see, I wasn't entirely alone at home. I don't have my phone anymore, but I used to talk with a couple people online, and I know roughly where to look for them, and how to get their attention." She confesses.

"You only bring this up now? I'm not mad, I'm frankly overjoyed we have an idea of where to start. But the problem is finding them, yeah?" I ask lightly. She laughs softly, and hums, trying to recall.

"I think it's a little north of here. But it should be easy. Make ourselves obvious, maybe even send off flares near them." She suggests. I grin at that, starting to think of things we can do. "I can do that. But north of here is far out of the city. Not much of a place to hide, is it?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yeah, but I think hiding in plain sight works as good as anything, right?" She proposes. I shrug, and my mind starts whirring. We started walking north, and eventually, we found a valley with a small community there. Maybe two dozen buildings, and it seemed obvious to me that this was the place.

"So this is it, then?" I ask. She stays silent, her head moving slightly as she scans the area. "Nevermind making ourselves obvious. I recognize that house, I think. I say we just knock, give her a heart attack." She laughs, pointing in the direction of a few houses.

As we approach the house, I continue looking around, seeing people roaming, leaving the store with a bag or two, kids playing around, and I couldn't help but relax, quickly finding myself genuinely smiling, a rarity since the first attack.

Before I knew it, we were there, and Kara was knocking on their door. A muffled "One second!" was heard through the door, and the door opened for me to disheveled teen girl. She gasps, and wraps Kara in a hug.

The new girl had fairly tan skin, with black, bushy hair, all the while layered in a strange combination of a hoodie underneath a shirt, with a strange sort of dress on top of it. It was a mix of a dress and a tank top.

"Karolyn! I was so worried! I thought you were hurt! Oh my god, what happened?" She gushes, before she finally notices me. "Oh. You." She frowns. "What about me? Do I know you?" I say, frowning back. I pushed aside the fact that she knew Kara's real name, because honestly, I kinda expected it.

"You've been on the news. And we used to be classmates before I moved here with my family." The girl answers hesitantly. I groan out, which alone probably shows how irritating this is getting. "Seriously? I've been on the fucking news. Of course. I didn't make this trip for nothing, really. I needed to get away from the public, so we were gonna hide in plain sight, though I guess I can't do that, now I know there's a manhunt for me. Though I still don't know who you are, I suppose it's a pleasure to see you again." I say shortly.

"Haze, it's okay. I can explain, and whatever he's on the news for can be explained, too. Just let us in and I promise I can shed some light on it." Kara pleads. The girl, Haze's, face softens. "Only because I trust you, Kara." She says, sighing softly.

Next thing I know, me and Kara are sitting side by side on the girl's, her name now clarified as Hazel, couch and Hazel is sitting in a rocking chair across from us. "Anything I can get you two? A drink, or food?" Hazel asks, though I could tell it was just pleasantries. "If you have anything caffeinated, that'll do for me." I grunt.

I'm sipping on a Pepsi now, and Kara is gulping down an energy drink as Hazel looks over us. "Hazel. From my Art class? All those years ago?" I clarify, having only really known one Hazel. She nods, and I bark out a laugh. "What's so funny?" She says, arching a brow.

"Just found it funny that we reunited when there's a hunt for my head now." I muse. "I suppose I can see the humor in that. But that brings me to my question. What the fuck is going on? What connection do you two have? Why is Cyrus being charged with murder, theft, terrorism, and some top secret crime?" Hazel asks.

"What's going on? That's a very complicated question." Kara answers quickly. "So start from the best place. The beginning." Hazel replies. "Cliche." I quip, as Kara turns to me, clearly rather curious about the circumstances as well. I sigh, and recount the tale.

By the time it ended, there were definitely more questions than answers. I'd proven my powers by lifting my Pepsi can through the air, making it circle the room before it comes back to my hands. Kara was surprised about the whole thing about my life now being a game. But I think the most surprising thing came from Hazel.

"If it's a game, wouldn't you have a party system? So that way, we both get solid proof, we know you did it in self-defense, and we can actually help?" In truth, I'd lightly considered it when I saw my Echo title, which I kept out of the story. What would happen if they knew I could manipulate them, you know?

"I'll be honest, I considered that idea, but it wasn't the time to test, you know? But now we have time. So… System? Party invite Kara and Hazel." I called out. The two of them flinched as the notifications appeared in front of them, and I grinned as I saw them click "Yes."

"Ding!" "Uhm, Cy? What was that notification just now?" Kara asked. I quickly gave it a glance and dismissed it, paling slightly.

Influence Gained: Kara! 50/100

Influence Gained: Hazel! 15/100

"Ah, it's just a notification indicating that y'all joined the party." I lie easily, equipping the Echo title in hopes they won't continue, with the extra Charisma. "System? Hide my status, titles, and notifications from party members." I mentally command, and I receive a faint "Ping!" in response, indicating that it succeeded.

Kara shrugs, accepting it, while Hazel narrows her eyes, a little more skeptical, but moving on. I glance at the tags above their heads for the first time properly, and notice something odd about both of them.

Kara, Human.

Level 12.

Trainee.

Hazel, Human.

Level 7.

Potential Trainee.

Their titles, Trainee and Potential Trainee, mystified me slightly, and it only surprised me further when I looked at Kara's stats.

Visible Name: Kara

Species: Human

Class: Scout

Title: Trainee

Health: 100/100

FP: 0/10

Level: 12

Str: 21

Con: 24

Dex: 28

Int: 30

Wis: 12

Cha: 18

First, her level and stats were incredible, though I hadn't exactly checked mine, or leveled myself up in a while. But the real thing that bothered me was that she has FP, too. "Uhm, Kara? Check your stats? I haven't leveled myself up in a while, but apparently you leveled up automatically, and not to mention you have FP, too? I thought that was exclusive to me?" I ask, internally freaking out.

"What if that's part of the Echo title? The major allies around me start to gain some of my power, but act as vassals for me, the higher their influence is, maybe?" I think to myself. "But why is it 0? Why is the maximum value so low, too?" Kara wonders aloud.

I shake my head. "I dunno. But we'll figure that out. I'll teach you when we do. Having someone like you being able to use the Force as well is excellent." I say, a faint smile on my face, and a strange feeling building in my gut, though I just ignored it.

Hazel, all the while, is looking over her stats, which were subpar at best, aside from Int and Wis, being a solid 20 and 22 respectively. "So, Hazel. What do you think about us staying with you?" I ask, putting the conversation back on track.

"I don't mind. I'm not overly fond of the government, either. So you're safe here with me. Besides, who am I to refuse Kara a place to stay, considering the past few years for her, and the past week and a half for you two?" She finally decides, after a few minutes of silence.

My face brightens considerably, and Kara hugs Hazel tightly, for her to reciprocate. "Thanks, Hazel. I know we didn't talk much before all this, and you probably weren't all too fond of me, judging by your reaction when you saw me again. If there's any way to repay you, consider it done." I promised. "Ding!"

Hazel smiles, stroking Kara's hair a little, and a question bubbles up. "What's the relationship between you two? You seem a little familiar with each other." I find myself asking suddenly. Hazel raises a brow, seemingly surprised a little by the question, though she answers nonetheless. "We're like family to each other. I was essentially her mother, since her mother was shitty to her." She responds, her eyes saying "We're talking about this later." I sigh, but nod.

After a few moments of silence, Hazel just hugging and stroking Kara's hair, and me sitting awkwardly with an empty Pepsi, I finally decided to speak again. "Should we settle in, with sleeping arrangements and all, or should that wait?" I ask. "It's only 11 AM. When was the last time you two slept?" Hazel asks back, frowning as she notices the bags in my eyes, and that they're bloodshot.

"Ah, Kara sleeps about a normal amount every night. 6-7 hours, usually." I respond, in a sloppy attempt at avoiding giving an answer about myself. "What about you?" She asks again. I sigh, but just decide to answer truthfully. "I haven't slept in four days. I heard someone during the night, and I got paranoid. I've just been shoplifting caffeine and keeping full-night watches." I admit.

"Up the stairs, the door on the immediate left. It's an open room. But excuse if Kara bunks with me for a while. I'd like to be around my daughter as much as possible. She gets… y'know." Hazel says, eyes softening with a "Ding!" sounding again.

Influence Gained: Hazel! 60/100

My jaw drops internally at the huge leap there. "You must really love her. I'm glad to see someone cares about her as much as I do." I say softly, as Kara starts to snore softly in Hazel's arms. "I'm glad she found you, Cyrus. You may be a mystery, and while I might not one hundred percent approve of you yet, you certainly just earned a lot of it by protecting her like you have. She matters a lot to you, too, and it shows." She responds.

"It's just nice to have a friend when you're so alone, you know?" I ask rhetorically, as I step away to my new room. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I pass out for the first time in a while.