AN: Okay, this one's a little, almost sad and dark at the end. But it is the 13th chapter right. Okay so here it goes. You know I have to have someping HAPPEN. Like I hev to put somebody in mortal peril or something. I like putting people in mortal peril. :)

Fredy went to Cassy's house the next day. He and Cassy were sitting next to each other on the couch. Something was on the TV but neither was watching it.

"Did you talk to him," Cassy asked. FRedy nodded and Cassy grinned.

"Our diabolical plan is working," Cassy said. Fredy laughed and nodded.

"What'd you tell Cath," he asked.

"I 'implied' that she had a total thing for Warrick," Cassy said.

"Which is exactly what I told Warrick," Fredy said. Cassy rubbed her hands together.

"Oh this is so much fun. I feel so evil," Cassy said, grinning widely.

"Yeah well we have to be careful. I mean Warrick's like been thrown into a lake without being taught how to swim. He's in a new world right now," Fredy pointed out. Cassy nodded almost impatiently

"Yeah, but Cath actually isn't rushing in as fast as she can. That's gotta tell you something," Cassy said. "Besides, they're friends anyway."

"Which is gonna make it harder," Fredy stated.

They stayed in silence for a moment. "I got it," Cassy exclaimed. "When we go trick or treating, we'll, meaning you and me, will abandon those two forcing them to be alone," Cassy said with great excitement like it was the most amazing idea she ever heard.

"Why don't we just lock them in the closet," Fredy said sarcastically.

"Because that is a horribly overused and terribly cliched idea. And it's been done a million, billion times," Cassy said as though this was obvious.

"Yeah and just leaving them alone is completely original," Fredy said sarcastically.

"Well we could throw them out an airplane, having secretly tied their parachute together, or handcuff them together and hang them from a tree, or-"

"Okay, okay, we'll stick with the first one, leaving them alone," Fredy said cutting Cassy off. "Nothing involving planes, handcuffs or man-eating pigs," Fredy said.

"Where'd you get man-eating pigs from," Cassy demanded.

"Trust me Cassy, you were going to say 'man-eating pigs' next," Fredy said, staring sternly at Cassy. Cassy shook her head trying to hide the fact that 'man-eating pigs' were indeed involved in her next idea.

"You do realize that Cath and Warrick are going to get ideas when we disappear," Fredy said with a small smile.

"Like that we're secretly dating, madly in love and intending to elope and move to Europe," Cassy said quickly.

Fredy started laughing. "Yeah, like that."

"What are we all going as," Catherine asked Fredy, Cassy and Warrick. They were all sprawled out on Fredy's living room floor.

"How about litter boxes," Cassy said. "That's original." She was staring directly at Catherine.

"God Cassy. You're original okay, sorry for ever implying you weren't. But we are not going as litter boxes," Catherine said. She sighed and was once again in thought.

"Seeing as Halloween is tomorrow," Fredy said, putting great emphasis on the word 'tomorrow' " I think we should come up with something simple."

"How about hippies," Warrick put it. "Rip a pair of jeans, get a tye-dye t-shit and a peace medal. That's simple."

They were all quite for a moment. "I like it," Catherine said.

'Of course you do' Cassy thought. Fredy actually rolled his eyes but neither of them said anything. They glanced at each other though and shared a small grin.

"Hippies it is then," Cassy stated. That would be cool enough.

"Free candy here we come," Fredy said happily.

"Fredy, we'd get free candy anyway," Cassy pointed out. Fredy shrugged like this didn't really mean anything.

"We'll use the power of peace to get free candy," He said firmly. The other laughed.

"Sara," Kiley said. the two were in Sara's bedroom. Sara was lying down on her bed, her legs coming off the side. Kiley was seated next to her, playing with Sara's hair as usual.

"Hmm," Sara said. She was pretty relaxed, thinking about nothing in particular.

"Did you tell him yet," Kiley said. This question needed no elaboration or specification for they both knew what Kiley meant. She asked the same thing almost every day.

"No," Sara said. It was her customary answer. Because she hadn't told Greg yet. Kiley knew this would be her answer even before she asked the question. This conversation was a well rehearsed script.

"You really should tell him."

"I'll tell him when I'm ready."

It was the next two lines in their little play. Kiley: stern, imposing. Sara: reluctant, shy, hiding like the coward she was. And then came the normal silence following these words.

Sara knew that she probably would never tell Greg about her past, about her parents. It used to be she had reasons.

Reason 1: To protect him from the darkness and evil of the world she came from. But that was no longer a valid reason. Both Kiley and Sara knew that Sara was a hard barrier, a wall. That she held onto all that darkness and didn't let it past her.

Reason 2: Because Greg would let her go, abandon her like her mother did, when he found out the truth. This reason didn't work any longer either. Kiley knew that Greg would stay with Sara no matter what. He was a loyal guy, comparable to a puppy. He wouldn't abandon her when he found out. Nothing would make him abandon her.

Reason 3: To hide. This was her simplest reason and the only one that made sense anymore. But she was ashamed of this reason. She knew she was hiding, but she didn't know why. She wasn't even hiding from Greg, she was hiding from herself. Perhaps telling Greg the truth about her past would unleash something in Sara that she didn't want to see. This prospect frightened her and drove her to hide even further.

Greg himself was an amazement to Sara. He was something that seemed so unbelievable that he couldn't possibly be real, like an elaborate magic trick. But Greg was real. He was a real person. He was flesh and blood and warmth and kindness and joy and so many things that Sara couldn't even name. He was the spirit of something grand and amazing, he was made of the stuff stars were made of.

Sara had never met someone like him. Someone who still held their innocence. Who would do something just for the sheer joy of doing it. Someone who loved her as a friend and as something more. Someone who wasn't trying to get anything out of her, who didn't try anything except to make her laugh or smile and keep her happy. He had no other motives and that was perfect.

He did what he felt like. He had an amazing amount of exuberance and his happiness was like a germ. It was impossible to spend five minute with Greg and not smile or laugh once. He made her heart lighter and he drove some of the darkness away.

Greg was the only person on this earth Sara trusted completely. Archie was her friend and so was Nick, but Sara didn't totally trust them. She was a cautious soul and trusted almost nothing. She didn't even trust Kiley with her whole heart. Kiley was her best friend, her sister. But in the end, Kiley crawled out of the same, dark, evil, dirty place Sara did, and you can't trust anybody from there, even yourself. Sara didn't trust herself. But she trusted Greg. She knew that Greg would always be there, he would never let her self destruct, never let her die, never let her fall. He would protect her until they died.

Sara knew this and it scared her. All her life, she could trust no one, not even herself, but it was different now. Things were changing, some days faster then others. Things were shifting, Sara could see in right before her eyes. And she made no move to keep things the same. Maybe she needed some change.

Sara had never met anyone quite so comfortable in their own skin as Greg. He was who he was, never tried to change that, never tried to tell anybody different. Sara would never be that comfortable in her skin. Half the time she felt as though she woke up in the wrong body, too happy or cheerful for her own situation. Like she had every reason to be miserable. And she just felt weird or awkward, while nothing could douse Greg's light. But he was starting to rub off on her.

And for all this, Sara felt guilty about hiding something from him. She knew she could tell him, should tell him, but she wouldn't. She just wouldn't. She'd keep her secrets. She'd keep running, keep hiding. Though she knew that dark evil monster she was running from would chase her, would catch her.

Or Perhaps it already had.