Sorry, this one took so long guys, I was super stressed and had to split this into two parts cause it became too long. Thanks to those who voted, or sent me messages on that poll though! It was nice reading them! Thanks christinapena 1991 for being the only follower this round!

EDIT: This used to be two parts, but I'm joining them together now for reasons! Anyway, enjoy!

The next day, I felt awful.

Not that it was a surprise. Clearly, this was becoming more and more of a habit. Whether it was from the nightmares, the training, or the attacks, the idea of a good night's sleep was almost alien to me.

It didn't help that I had to take care of my nose. Stupid, bloody Mutant—because of it, I'd broken my nose. Nel explained that, though my healing abilities would kick in before the next day, they would take a little longer since I'd been Helga when I'd gotten hurt. So, I had to keep an ice pack to my face for next to three hours. I wasn't allowed to sleep until the swelling had gone down, which was almost eleven–thirty.

And then I'd woken up at four in the morning. Not because of nightmares, but rather the guilt that sat on my chest. It was so heavy, like someone was crushing me.

"It's time for another Guardian to protect Hillwood."

Lila.

I had to tell her, today.

The notion made me sick. Not because I was against her or anything, but because it would inevitably change everything. In a few hours, I would take away the potential she had for living a normal life. Hell, I may even be taking away the potential for her to live her life. This shit wasn't easy and if she accepted my proposal, it would be us versus an army. And unless Lila's powers were related to fire, we would still be severely ill–equipped for Serec, let alone Acantha.

And with that thought, I got out of bed and ran myself a bath. I was still in a lot of pain—my nose had gone down, but my shoulder ached, I had a bruise on my cheek and yellow blotches on my knees. I welcomed the boiling water that bundled me, letting it take my mind off today's inevitabilities.

I soaked in the tub for a while until I could see the sun rising from my window. Then I got out, put my uniform on, tied up my hair, used the last of my foundation (gifted to me from my aunt for Christmas) to cover my bruises, and even plucked my eyebrows. I was left with spare time so I grabbed my bag, snuck downstairs to the kitchen and packed my lunch. Nothing special—an apple, stale crackers and a banana milk–box—but hey, it was something.

I left the house after that. The silence was getting to me, making my head spin with memories and possibilities. Wrapping my blazer tight around my body, I walked down the street for the bus stop. It was cold and I jammed my headphones in to block out the biting breeze. It didn't work—I mean, obviously—but it gave me something to distract myself with.

Another breeze hit me and I grit my teeth, mentally cursing whoever designed the school uniform. The skirt was useless against the winds, goosebumps rose on my legs like rashes. Sure, we were allowed to wear tights, but they were so thin, you may as well be wearing nothing. And the fact that boys had their thick pants to protect themselves made me simmer. If that didn't scream sexism, then I didn't know what did.

For a moment, I considered transforming. Not to go anywhere, but just to provide warmth to my legs. My fingers twitched in my pockets, brushing against the pin, but I didn't pull it out. Transforming in public wasn't exactly smart regardless if it was still dark. You never knew who wanted to go out at hours like this.

Eventually, I got to Arnold's house and a shot of disgust hit me. Not aimed at anyone, except me. Distant memories rung in my ears, and I had to quickly shake my head to remind myself that no, I wasn't there to stalk him. I was here because this was where we both caught the bus.

The house towered over me, the normally molten bricks appearing darker at this hour. It was called the sunset arms, but it never brought me a sense of sunniness. At least, not anymore. It reminded me of that girl who spent so much of her time chasing after someone she never deserved. A kid who hated the world as much as it hated her, so she did what she knew best and made it her enemy.

It was why I didn't like coming here, why I was always so late for the bus. There were too many memories, too many feelings. I just wanted to forget them all and spend as little time here as possible.

And now look at me, I realised with a sad smirk. Sitting on his steps, right outside his door.

The concrete was like ice. I wrapped my arms over my chest and jammed my hands beneath my armpits. I kept my back to the door and cast my gaze out to the trees across the road. For some reason, they had decided to build a park across from Arnold's house years ago. I could never figure out why considering how small it was; it was practically a pocket of greenery, with only a swing set and a single pink bench. I guess they built it in case any families with kids rented a room at the sunset arms.

A new song played, and I rested my head against the brick wall. It was cold against my cheek and I shut my eyes, a fogginess filling my mind. I didn't realise how tired I was or that I was falling asleep until I woke up much later to a door slamming shut.

My eyes flew open.

Everything was so hazy, I could barely register my surroundings. Rubbing my eyes, it started coming back into focus that the sky was much lighter, and the breeze thinner. My ears registered the sound of footsteps and I looked over my shoulder.

"Helga?"

It shouldn't have surprised me—it was his house. He caught the bus with me. But the sight of Arnold this early in the morning, and the gentle purr of his voice, sent my stomach into a fluttery mess. He held the door in his hand, and his foot dangled between the third and fourth steps.

Clearly, Arnold hadn't been expecting, especially not this early. His eyebrows disappeared behind the tendrils of hair that dangled over his face, and his mouth hung open. His backpack was slung over only one shoulder, looking bigger then usual.

The sight of him was enough to zap me awake. His hair was damp from the shower he must've taken and turn your mind around, Helga Pataki, do not think of him in the shower.

I noticed the school jumper he wore, a new addition I hadn't seen since winter last year. I eyed it enviously, the air feeling like needles in my skin. It wasn't as cold as before, but it was much of an improvement. The air was grey as the sun crawled over the horizon, and his jumper looked both thick and warm.

"Football head," I mumbled, then turned around. It was rude, but I didn't want him to recognise the embarrassment I felt. He'd caught me completely off guard, I'd just woken up and I probably looked awful.

There was a pause, then the footsteps descended. My heart leapt with each slow step and I quickly rubbed my mouth, hoping to wipe away any leftover, dried salvia. On more then one occasion, Nel had teased me for my drooling habits.

Arnold stopped next to me; he didn't sit, but I could feel his eyes on me.

"What are you doing here?"

I grimaced slightly. He wasn't asking it accusingly—this was Arnold, after all—but it still sent a rush of nervousness through me. I didn't know whether to chalk it up to him asking, or the answer not being easy. I couldn't exactly blurt out to him my double life and that Lila might become a part of that. The girl who not only was his close friend, but the love of his life.

"Last I checked, I catch the bus here too," I said, not turning around.

For a moment, I thought he would let this—whatever this was—go. There was a long pause, and I let out a quiet breath. Because though I loved talking with him, now was not a good time. Although there was a small swab of disappointment in my chest, which I quickly buried. Now was not the time to be all over–emotional over nothing.

But I heard him awkwardly shuffling his feet, and knew he wasn't about to let this conversation pass.

"Right, well—" he was rubbing his neck. I didn't know how I knew, but I just knew he was rubbing his neck. "—uhh, you're never this early."

There was that stupid fluttering in my chest again. Fuck, why was I forsaken with so bloody many emotions?

Again, I shrugged. "First time for everything."

That should've been it. This conversation—if you could call it that—was dryer then the Saharan desert. There was no point, nor hope, in continuing it. But then there was a noise, a rustling, from next to me, and I whirled around to find him actually sitting next to me. Well, okay, technically sitting next to me. He was on the same step as me, but it was about as far away as he could be. He was scooched on the edge, his gaze lost on the park across from us. Honestly, I wasn't' sure I was stoked he sat next to me or upset that it was so far away.

Jesus, was this how Bella Swan felt?

"Did . . ." he hesitated, stretching his fingers over his knees, and gulped. "Did you finish your errands?"

"I—" Wait. "—what?"

"You ran out yesterday," he kept his eyes on the trees and jerked his shoulders into a shrug. "I thought it was because of your errands."

Errands.

I . . . I think I faintly remembered it, but so much had happened between now and then—a realisation that was getting more and more common when it involved Arnold. I had to really think about it, throw myself back into yesterday before it all happened. I remember the mahogany table we studied at, the spaghetti Lila shoved under my nose, the cloudy skies outside the windows as I taught Arnold how to hit, and . . .

"I have errands!"

Oh.

Oh.

My face burnt, remembering when I had run into his arms. It hadn't occurred to me until now given how dire the situation had been, but I'd practically slammed my body into his. My fingers had clasped the lapels of his shirt, and when he'd looked down, his nose had brushed my head. His breath had washed down my neck, and my thighs had brushed against his knees. And when I'd looked up at him, his nose skimmed my forehead, his eyes glimmering like emeralds.

Ohhhhhhhh, boyohboyohboyOHBOY.

"Um, right—err, yeah!" I said way louder then expected. Arnold turned to me, startled, and I turned away to hide the effect he had on me. I wasn't doing a good job, but still, it was the thought that counted. "Y–Yeah, I finished them."

It was weak.

My voice was shaky and I couldn't even look at him (though, to be fair, that was a usual occurrence with Arnold). I hoped that he wouldn't ask what those errands were because if he did, I was fucked. Maybe I could blurt something out about Bob's Beepers, considering Arnold knew nothing about that. It wouldn't even matter that I knew nothing about it.

"That's good," I could feel him nodding. "Honestly, it kinda scared me."

Wait, what?

"What did?" I couldn't help asking.

"Just how quickly you ran out," he answered, and something different hit the air. It was almost warm, and I turned back around to face him. He had an earnest look on his face, his eyes settling on me, and his lips pressed together. "You—you were so scared, I've never seen you like that. You even left your stuff behind."

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I genuinely felt like I was going to make like a rock and just drop. I didn't know how to take any of this! Especially so early in the morning. I mean—criminy, the sun was barely up.

And Arnold, he was almost a mirror replication of what he had been all those weeks ago, when he had apologised for hitting me with his bag. Something in me melted and I had to squeeze my lips shut. Arnold really was a magnificent person, he couldn't help checking in on people, even if it was me. I loved talking with him, but I wished he wouldn't waste his time on me.

"Sorry," was all I could say.

Something that was like a nail to my skin. Here was Arnold, opening up and telling me that my behaviour scared him—and in his defence, I had run into him, screamed in his face, then run away—and I kept doing what I did best: push people away.

"No, don't apologise, just . . ." he trailed off, fingers drumming across his knees. "Helga, you ran out and wouldn't answer your phone and then there was that attack. I thought you got mixed up with it, it really freaked me out."

His words hung between us and all I could do was stare. My throat almost had a swollen feeling to it, which confused me at first, then I realised it was from how much I was holding back. Because I truly didn't know what to say anymore, not just to him, but to everything. My role as Blue Jay left me running all over the place, throwing around excuses, and letting people down. But there was literally nothing I could do about it, not if I didn't want more people getting hurt. And I understood that it was burden I had to carry, and it was totally worth it to save someone, but sometimes it pissed me off that I had to keep lying. That I couldn't be honest with people. I'd never hid so much of myself before, I'd never had so many secrets to carry.

"You did?" was all I could manage.

His gaze trailed up my face before settling on my eyes with a small smile. "Yeah."

Fuck, it was way too early for this.

"I, um—thanks," I grimaced. "Wait, no—not thanks, obviously not, I just meant, I—" I stopped, realising something. "Hey, stop laughing!"

Saying that only made him laugh harder and he wrapped his arms across his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut. The fact that it was my embarrassment that sent him into this state would've annoyed me had his laughter not being so fucking beautiful.

Seriously, listening to it was like listening to music that zapped electricity through my veins. The pale sun slipped over my shoulder, washing over his face and highlighting his beauty. The entire thing made me stop and stare at him. Suddenly, I didn't mind being the thing he laughed at, as long as I was making him laugh.

"Sorry, it's just . . ." he wiped away a tear and turned back to me, his face pink. ". . . were you always this flustered?"

Oh, if only he knew.

I opened my mouth to answer when a breeze rushed past us. It was like ice had washed over my skin, I brought my hands to my chest and ducked my head. The goosebumps rapidly grew, and my legs shook so much it was like I was having an exorcism.

I gritted my teeth and imagined punching my past self. Oh yes, Helga, sure, just leave behind your hoodie when you're leaving so early. Nothing could happen to make you regret that.

"Here."

Arnold's voice was closer than before and I looked up to find him a great deal closer. He was less than an arm's length away now, holding a bundle in his hand. His face was flushed from the cold and his lip was caught between his teeth and why did that look so good on him, for fuck's sake Helga, he's talking to you, pay the fuck attention—

He was wearing a shirt. I blinked, like as in, not his jumper. I looked at the bundle, slowly connecting the dots. Arnold was actually offering his jumper to me. My face felt beet red and I looked away, more then aware how good he looked in just that shirt, which was ruffled thanks to the wind. And the sight of Arnold, with his damp hair and tousled shirt, was not a bad image at all.

"What—I, no, Arnold, I can't, I—"

He smirked. "Too late."

And like that, the bundle was in my lap and he was scooting back, though not quite as far as before. I blinked, unsure of what to do but just kinda stare at the jumper, my pulse throbbing in my temples. The jumper was so warm—I hadn't even put it on, but his body heat still radiated from it—and I couldn't help threading my fingers through it. I sighed when the heat washed over my hands, melting away the brittleness from my joints. It occurred to me that hey, this thing was probably covered in his smell, and never mind, moving on Helga, you freak—

I turned back to him. "But I—"

"It's fine honestly," he grinned, digging through his bag and pulling out his blazer. I blinked, realising how much bigger his was to mine, and looked down to the jumper in my lap. Would it be that big on me? "The boy's uniform covers more anyway."

Yeah, no kidding.

Still, I couldn't deny his logic. And it really was cold. His jumper wouldn't cover my legs, but it would infinitely feel better then what I was wearing now.

Besides, a small voice whispered, what idiot would turn down wearing Arnold's jumper?

True, very true.

So, with that in mind, I shredded my blazer and put on the knitted material. Arnold's scent invaded my senses and I paused to take it in. Cherry blossom—it must've been the flavour of his conditioner, it was amazing. I just wanted to stay here, but I was aware how much of a weirdo that would make me. So, I shoved my arms through and pulled the jumper over my head.

I sighed again, now that it was on. My legs were still cold, but the warmth that radiated Arnold's jumper was such a relief. The sleeves fell over my fingers and I had to bunch them up at my arms. It brought a smile to my face, for some reason the fact that it was so big made me happy.

The sun's rays were climbing up the sky, washing over the side of my face. It wasn't warm like this jumper, instead it was pale and grey. I pulled my hair from the collar, letting it fall down my shoulders, and turned back to Arnold.

He had a strange look on his face, and his eyes lingered on something on my face. Blushing, I touched my cheek, but couldn't feel anything, so I swiped it and hope that whatever it was had come off.

"Thank you, Arnold," I told him with a small smile.

He blinked like he'd been pulled from his thoughts and looked down. His hand ran through his hair, sliding down his neck, and his eyes fell to his feet before darting back to me.

"No worries, Helga."

I pretty much was on air after that. I barely registered how much time we spent waiting for that bus. Arnold told me stories, about his friends, his pets, the tales behind some of his favourite picture. He asked me questions, but I made sure to them back around to him. I honestly loved hearing his voice, seeing the excitement he exuded when he talked about the things he was passionate about. Looking into his eyes, I found myself drowning in those green pools, and I was helpless to stop it.

It all became a blur—a wonderfully, beautiful blur that left me floating. I was so happy that even the sight of Gerald, leaning against the bus window and waiting for his best friend, didn't deter my feelings.

Arnold left me with a small grin before sitting with his friend, and I found myself a space in the back. Propping my feet on the seat and pulling my legs to my chest, I rested my chin on my knees, failing to fight my smile. There was so much happening in my life, so much chaos tearing me from the inside, but whenever Arnold was there, the weight would cease to exist.

And that was how Lila found me, curled in a ball and watching Arnold with a big, dorky grin. She took one look at my jumper, Arnold then my face and quickly put the dots together.

"Helga Geraldine Pataki, how did you end up in that boy's jumper?" she beamed, plopping down next to me. "And if it doesn't involve either of you confessing your love for each other, I'll—"

"Oh my god, chill, would ya?" I slammed my palm over her mouth, whipping my gaze around. Thankfully, no one seemed to care for our conversation and Arnold was much too far to hear us. Turning back to Lila, I rolled my eyes when she waggled her eyebrows at me. "No, nothing happened. He ju—it was just—look, he just leant me his jumper cause I left without my hoodie, okay? Nothing romantic, and—hey, when did you learn my middle name?"

Beneath my hand, Lila stared disbelievingly at me.

I sighed, it was the truth, but Lila had it set in her mind that I was lying. She, for whatever reason, thought Arnold and I were either secretly dating or in love. My chest tightened at the latter one. Not because I believed her, but because I knew she was wrong. There was nothing between us; I may have been in love with him, but Arnold wasn't with me.

So I changed the subject, asked why she'd done her hair like that. That being another one of her French braids, only instead of falling down her back, it wound around into an elaborate bun at the nape of her neck.

"So it wouldn't get in my way for the dissection," she shrugged, then frowned when she noticed my own hair. "Why haven't you done something with your hair?"

"Because I don't do my hair, Lila."

She didn't immediately respond, mostly just scrunched her face with a contemplative look. Her eyes swept over me with a small frown before she offered to tie it back. I kindly told her to mind her own, crossed my arms, and turned to the front.

"Oh, come onnnn now, Helga," she pressed with a smile, wiggling her brows. "A little change might get a certain someone's attention."

"No, Lila."

She was offering it mostly for class, but throwing Arnold into the argument was a low blow. I turned away, expecting that to be the end of it, but this was Lila we were talking about. She took it as a challenge and spent the rest of the ride pestering me to let her fix my hair. I looked around the bus, searching for literally any other seat, but it was packed today. So I was stuck with this annoying redhead, who took way too much delight in my annoyance.

By the time we made it to school, I was well and truly out of all patience and told her fine, whatever, just shut up already. And from the way she reacted, you honestly would have thought I had just told her we had won the lottery. Though, it was more than likely because she won an argument rather then the fact that she got to 'fix' my hair. And I use that term lightly, there was nothing wrong with my hair.

The doors had barely opened when she yanked me from my seat and pulled me down the aisle. She moved so fast, we were the first ones out of our seats. Arnold and Gerald, still standing, were both left blinking when we dashed past them.

"Lila!" Arnold called seconds before we left. "Where're yo—"

"Can'tstopgirlsstuff, see you in class, Arnold!" was the response he got back.

We only had a few minutes before our class began, so Lila pulled me into the closest girl's toilets. She informed me we didn't have the time for a French braid—a tragedy, honestly—so instead she tugged my hair into a Dutch braid. It was extremely tight, and I whirled around to yell at her but caught my reflection in the mirror.

I actually looked . . . nice.

I mean, yeah okay, it was nothing in comparison to Lila, who had features elegant to knock Barbie away, but I still looked . . . wow. I was so used to seeing my hair tied in those ponytails, it was flabbergasting seeing something like this. And it definitely helped that I had plucked my brows this morning, so I looked more put together then I actually was.

I turned back to Lila, who smirked with a very told you so attitude. I snorted, rolling my eyes, but couldn't fight the growing smile.

We both went to class after that, meeting the boys when we entered the class. My heart stopped in my chest when I noticed Arnold's eyes lingering on me. His gaze went from my face, to my hair, then back to my face again. My cheeks were burning, and I couldn't help slipping a hand down my strands.

Lila smirked, dragging me to their tables, but a dilemma soon occurred to each of us. The desks were two–seaters and normally, Arnold and Lila sat together. And because both boys had arrived here before us, they had taken their usual seats. The only spare seat was next to Gerald and neither of us were having that. Rolling his eyes, Arnold gave up his seat to go with his best friend instead. Frowning, Lila opened her mouth, but I quickly thanked him and plopped into his spot.

Lila pouted, but I fixed her with a hard look. I knew her game—I knew she was about to suggest (and I use that word lightly) that Arnold stay back while she sit with Gerald, and I was most certainly not having it today of all days.

Because today was . . .

Clamping my lips together, I stopped that thought as soon as it came. No, not now, I wasn't going to think about it. I was here, surrounded with people, and we were all safe. There was no need to bring myself down with thoughts like that . . .

"Helga?" I turned back to Lila, who slightly frowned at me. Even the boys had stopped their conversation to look over her shoulder at me. "Are you alright?"

No.

No, I wasn't alright, but . . . what could I say? How could I say? I could maybe drag Lila away now, ask if she could come with me to the bathroom and confess everything to her. I got rid of that thought as soon as it flashed through my mind. No, that was stupid, we were at school, we still had our assignment today. It really wasn't the time. My throat ached from keeping so much to myself, but I swallowed to dislodge it, and did what I did best: push people away.

Push them away and hide.

"Yeah," I forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

By the third period, we were in the lab, dressed in large white coats and ugly latex gloves. The sleeves were long, I had to roll the up several times so they wouldn't get in the way. Well, okay, Lila rolled them up. Something that had amused her to no end, considering the entire time she couldn't keep a straight face. It irritated me because she was one of the lucky few who managed to snag one of the smaller sizes. Yes, it was justified considering her miniscule size, but it was annoying nonetheless.

Belmonte stood at the front with her hands behind her back, instructing us on what we were supposed to do. Lila's gaze was on our teacher, all traces of amusement gone as she nodded obediently.

I rolled my eyes and looked around, my eyes settling on Nadine. The dark-skinned girl had tied her braids into a large bun at the top of her head, and a bright pink sweatband was wrapped around her forehead. She stood behind her bench, next to Stinky. I had wanted to get a bench near her, but Lila and I had showed up later, so we stood on the right side near the door, while Nadine was on the opposite side, two rows from the back.

She appeared bored, crossing her arms and glimpsing around the classroom. It didn't surprise me, Nadine was a major science whiz without much work, she was even in one of Phoebe's geek sessions. This was probably something she could do in her sleep.

Stinky on the other hand seemed skittish; he fiddled with his sleeves, which were a few inches too short, and glanced between Belmonte and the page of notes between them.

I bit my lip, looking from theirs to our own notes. It was lacking compare to Nadine's, which itself wasn't so bad considering how easy this was for her, except we hadn't even finished ours together. I had run out yesterday so I hadn't actually read it until now. I trusted Lila had likely finished it off, but it still made me nervous.

"You alright?"

I paused, looking back to Lila, who watched me with mild concern.

"Yeah?" I whispered back with a puzzled frown. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She glanced at Belmonte, checking to see if we were in the clear, before turning back to me. "You've been ever so strange today. I thought you might be sick or otherwise uncomfortable."

She wasn't completely wrong. Ever since Algebra, I had been actingstrange, because I felt strange. By the end of the day, I was supposed to open up about my biggest secret. The idea made my organs sour. It had become my number one rule to never reveal myself to anyone, I'd seen countless movies on it. Depending on who they surrounded themselves with a superhero's identity could either endanger others or set themselves up for a lifetime of blackmail.

Not, of course, that I thought Lila was about to blackmail me when she found out. It was just a hard ball to spit out, you know? It wasn't something you just casually brought up in conversation. How would that even go? 'Oh, hi Lila, how're you feeling about the dissection today? That's great. Oh, me? Well, I'm doing pretty good aside from the fact that my nose hurts, I barely got any sleep and, oh yeah! I was kept up last night thinking about how I'm a superhero, you could be a superhero, and we're literally all that stands in the way of a total annihilation of our planet. We should do lunch!'

Yeah, I didn't think so.

I turned back to the front of the class, staring at the space above Belmonte's head, and muttered from the corner of my mouth, "Yeah, I'm fine."

From my peripherals, I could see Lila narrowing her eyes at this. Not in a 'I'm pissed at you for dismissing me, I was just asking' way, but rather in a 'I'm kinda worried, but I'm not sure how to get through to you' kinda way. It was the same way she reacted before, when I had brushed off her concern with a fake smile. Mrs. Brown had walked in after that and class had begun, and though we didn't speak for the rest of the class, I knew Lila had been watching me. It was a trait she shared with Arnold; they both possessed stares that felt like they saw more then they were sharing. It always put me on edge.

Thankfully, Lila turned back to Belmonte to hear the last of her lecture. I tried paying attention but found myself looking over my shoulder. Savannah stood behind her bench in the back corner, two rows behind Nadine.

Annoyance hit me, she was completely alone. The space next to her, the one Biker Patty should've been occupying, was empty. Savannah's notes were written in purple ink and looked almost as thorough as Nadine's. Her gloved hands wrapped nervously around each other, her weight shifting, and she kept glancing between Belmonte and the door.

It made something swell inside me, something that bled with every hopeless glance she threw to the door. Savannah and I weren't close, but the fact that Patty had even bothered to show up just pissed me off.

I snapped from my thought when Belmonte finished her speech and went around the room placing frogs on the silver pans. Lila was put off, unable to look away from its dead eyes, but I was more concerned with the tools we had to use. This had seemed less complicated in my head.

"Are you alright?" Lila asked again, turning away from the amphibian. "You look troubled regarding this dissection."

"No, I'm fine," I said, waving off her concern. "I should be asking you that—you're the vegetarian."

A frown curved her lips and she looked back down to the frog, grimacing.

"Okay class," Belmonte announced before Lila could respond. "Please pick up your scalpels and begin."

I nodded, picking up the instrument before Lila could. "I've got it, Lila."

She nodded and silently watched as I skimmed through the notes before making any cuts. Her notes may have been brief, but they painted a good idea of what we had to do. So when I was finished, I turned back to her. "You mind if I start?"

Her eyes fell back to the amphibian and her jaw locked. She nodded her permission and, ignoring her discomfort, I lowered the knife to its skin. I was about to make the cut when loud cries of agony reverberated through my mind. A heaviness settled in the pit of my stomach and I clutched the sides of my head.

Criminy—not now!

A hand came down on my shoulder and the scalpel was gently pulled from my hand.

"Helga?" I heard Lila ask. "Are you—"

"I—I have to go to the bathroom"

She blinked and stepped back, her mouth opening with the beginning of something when I quickly stripped off my coat and gloves. It had already been quiet, so eyes quickly swivelled in our direction. Looking up, I noticed Belmonte's concerned look, and quickly turned and dashed out the door.

Guilt sank in my chest as I sprinted down the hallway for the closest bathroom. Lila was already uncomfortable with this dissection. The fact that I had pretty much ditched her to do the cutting herself made me feel awful.

I barrelled into the bathroom and checked each of the stalls for any other girls. No one seemed to be in here and the screams were getting louder. Grinding my teeth together, I covered one ear with my hand and the other with my shoulder, pulling out my pin with my free hand.

Hopefully this wouldn't be too long.

"What. Is. That?"

Even though the words were directed at Nel, who sat at my ankles, my gaze never left it's focus point up ahead of us. She'd been slightly annoyed when we met up, considering I had left before she had even woken up, but had shoved that away considering why we were both here. Currently, we stood side–by–side (well, as side–by–side as you could with a cat), with my back pasted against one of the trees surrounded the park. There were four dark benches surrounding each direction of the fountain, in perfect spots to catch the sunlight.

It was one of the smaller ones in the city, so much so that it didn't even have a name. At it's centre was a fountain, which had two wide basins, and a tall spout that spat a thick jet of water into the air. The fountain was surrounded with white skinny trees that stood close by one another, almost equal width apart.

"To be quite frank with you," Nel peered around my ankles, a blatantly disgusted look on her face. "I . . . don't quite know."

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Turning back over my shoulder, my cheek pressed against the bark as I leaned around to watch the Mutant. Today, it was certainly not a looker. Granted, none of them were, but this one even less so. To put it bluntly, it looked like an upside down blob of green jelly, or more accurately a giant glob of snot. Standing—or however you could describe it—in front of the fountain, it's two slimy tentacles were wrapped around a fatigued–looking woman in a rose–printed shirt.

I almost gag as the slime soaked through her clothes, turning the fabric darker. One tentacle was beneath the back of her hand, her unconscious face inches from the Mutant's. The yellow mist that slipped from her mouth was guzzled down into the Mutant's large, lumbering mouth.

"And that's my cue—catch ya later, Nel," I told her, leaping from my spot behind the tree. We were a fair way's away from the fountain, so the Mutant didn't notice my movements. Pale sunlight weaved through the skeleton–like branches that each reached for the silver sky. The branches were much too weak for my wires, I'd be own my own for a bit.

Nel frowned. "Don't forget about Lil—"

"Can't talk now, Nel—busy!"

I jolted into a run, twisting between each of the trees until I was close enough to throw my wires at one of the benches. I chose the west–standing one, it was rested beneath a thicker–looking tree behind the Mutant. Pointing my wrist, I let the wire dart and hook into the bench, and quickly pulled myself onto the surface.

"Hey, you!"

The Mutant looked up and I balked—it had one giant bulbous eye in the middle of its face. It didn't have a pupil, giving it a clouded appearance. Its mouth was still open, sucking away the girl's energy, but it turned into a frown.

"I'm Blue Jay, Defender of—OH FUCK!"

Before I could even finish, the Mutant snarled and flung the woman into the air. I screamed and threw myself up the tree next to the bench. My vision was murky—there was a lot of browns and white—as I hurtled up the twisted trunk. Leaves swiped across my face and when I reached the top, I kicked myself from the branches and dived into the air.

The wind was like thunder and slammed into my face. My stomach crashed into my heart, and my body fell into a superman pose as I flew forward. Everything rushed by in a blur until a warm weight landed perfectly in my arms. There was a dreamy sigh, and I opened my eyes—I hadn't even realised they'd shut—to a sharp–looking face covered in freckles.

"Blue Jay . . ." the woman sighed, wounding her arms around my neck.

I was stunned and could only stare back as she took in my face with an odd smile. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and I suddenly felt like an old cartoon—a dashing hero who had just saved the princess. But then her smile disappeared, and a ghostly paleness spread across her face as she peered down. A grim realisation hit me, and my eyes followed hers.

I gulped.

Time hadn't slowed down. Instead, gravity showed up like a cruel, heartless bitch, embracing us with long, jagged teeth. Because now we were both plunging towards the ground—fast.

My stomach shot into my throat, hitting the back of my teeth. The woman wrapped her arms around me so tightly that I couldn't breathe. A scream echoed in my ears—hers—and the wind cut across the both of us.

I jammed my eyes shut and things started losing focus. There was a violent rush of air, stronger than before, that turned my insides into mush. I had no idea how long we were left plummeting, but it didn't escape my notice that the woman had fallen from my arms.

Then—and only then—did it occur to me that I could use a forcefield to save us. My brain lit up—yes, of course! That's it! I just needed to—

My thoughts came to a brutal stop when I slammed—no, bellyflopped—onto the grass with a thud that echoed in my bones. The air was thoroughly beaten from my stomach, so much that it felt like a shrivelled back, and all I could do was hack so very, very pathetically.

Oh, fuck.

My stomach was hurting. I was hurting—all over. That much I was sure about. A plume of dirt rained over me, landing all over my face and back. I hacked more when it caught in my throat but couldn't bring myself to brush it off. I couldn't, I was hurting all over. Sure, there weren't any broken bones (thank God for my durability), but bruises on the other hand—

Something heavy plunged into the small of my back with an unbelievable force. There was a sharp sound—one that convinced me that my spine had actually snapped in half—and a pained squeak came from my lips.

"My hero," the heavy object I could identify as that woman sang dreamily.

"M–My—" I groaned, weakly looking over my shoulder at her. She smiled down at me (like a schoolgirl approaching her bigshot jock boyfriend) with that same rosy blush. She sat on the back of my waist, legs on either side of my hips, and her face was cradled in her hands. "My back."

The air thoroughly knocked from me, I let my face hit the ground, and wheezed. Eyes closed, I heard the rumbles coming from the Mutant's direction. Again, I groaned—for fuck's sake, I still had to deal with that stupid motherfucker.

The woman noticed my pain and quickly hopped off my back. She turned redder as she offered me her hand, but I was thoroughly wrung dry of any patience. Coughing once more, I grabbed her hand and yanked myself to my feet. She staggered slightly, and I turned my attention to my uniform, which was riddled with dirt. I dusted myself off but it was useless, grey patches and streaks stubbornly married my black uniform. So ultimately, I was left very unhappy.

There was a large rustle from behind and I rolled my eyes, looking up. "Oh, what is it no—AHHHHH!"

I hadn't even finished my damn sentence when the Mutant ripped one of the park benches from the ground and lobbed it in my direction. I yelped, feeling the woman behind step closer with fright, and threw up both my hands.

Heat danced across my palms and a shimmering mass wrapped around the both of us. The bench slammed against my barrier with a force that rattled my bones. The wood burst around the barrier and the woman yelped, folding her hands to her chest and stepping backwards.

She looked around, tracing the walls up and down with fascination, and stretched out her hand to touch it when it suddenly vanished. She whirled around in my direction and opened her mouth when I cut her off.

"Get to safety!" I barked, then slung out a wire that flew across the bench and hooked itself onto the fountain's spout. The Mutant growled, whirling back around, and flicked its gaze from the cable to me.

Rushing over the discarded wood, I kicked off from the ground and let the wire sharply swing me around. The wind slammed into my face, chilling my skin until it turned red, and my vision was overtaken with pale blurs. Blinking against the water, I swung out my legs and felt my foot collide with the Mutant.

There was a disgusting squelching sound that made my eyes pop open. My insides twisted when instead of knocking the Mutant back, my foot merely sunk into its gooey skin. It was the grossest thing I had ever experienced in my life. It was like I'd shoved my foot deep into a huge bucket of jelly.

"EwewewewewewEWEWEW!"

Slime was pouring down this thing like a fucking waterfall and gushed all over my leg. I tried yanking my foot out, but the Mutant clasped its oozing hands over my thigh. I grimaced and was about to tell it to get the hell off me, slimeo, when it flung me over its shoulder.

The force was so strong that the wire jerked from the fountain and snapped back into my wrist. My hair flapped over my eyes and I flew forward until my head smacked into something solid. The object collapsed beneath my weight and we both hit the floor with a loud thud.

Pain rushed through my body, and I slid my hands over the grass. Pushing against the ground, I lifted my face and spat out the dirt and pebbles from my mouth. An itchiness spread across my nose from the irritation, and I sat up to scratch it.

"Stupid—" I ground out, itching my skin. "Stupid fucking—"

A low groan sounded from behind me.

Looking over my shoulder, I realised that the thing I had crashed into had actually been a person. They were flat on their stomach, their face pressed into the grass.

"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!" I squeaked, then hopped to my feet to help them up. They—well, she if the school uniform was anything to go by—accepted the hand I offered. "Are you oka—Biker Patty?!"

My heart exploded in my chest when I found myself staring into the intimidating face of Patricia Smith—the scariest person at Hillwood High. Hell, maybe even Hillwood in general, and that included the Mutants.

She had dirty blonde hair scrapped back into its usual half up, half down style. The ponytail at the top of her head was held in place with a small blue bow, which clashed horribly with the crimson school uniform. Instead of the blazer, she wore a large motorcycle jacket (which admittedly was pretty cool–looking).

She looked up from dusting her arms, narrowing her grey eyes. "What?"

"Um, I mean Patri—I MEAN Patty!" I cried, throwing up my hands. If there was one thing Biker Patty hated more than anything, it was being called by her actual name.

That wasn't an exaggeration, by the way. I heard that the last person who had done it ended up in the hospital. Nadine told me it was from a crowbar to the noggin, but Phoebe believed it was something far simpler like a few kicks to the ribs. Either way, the person—I think it was a guy—had spent several weeks in the hospital before straight up leaving Hillwood. Not that I could blame him, I would've left the country if I pissed this girl off.

I scanned her for any odd shapes in her clothing. Her hands were empty, but I wasn't taking any chances. Patty was 100% likely to carry weapons with her at all times (not that she really needed them, she was so tall already). I eyed her sleeves, trying to discern whether the shapes were large enough to suggest she was carrying another crowbar.

Her hands moved up, and a tiny squeak escaped my mouth. She stopped and turned back to me curiously. Blood rushed to my face when I realised that she'd only been meaning to scratch her face. The grass had left behind red marks, it looked like someone had played naughts and crosses on her face.

Her eyes dropped to my hands and her brows snapped together. I followed her gaze, realising that I'd been holding them up like I was in the middle of a shootout. Sheepishly, I forced a smile which felt tight and shakily lowered them to my sides.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, placing her fists on her hips.

Oh, fuck Blue Jay, how do you know her?

"Um," my mind was blank, which I tried hiding by laughing to ease the tension. "I know things?"

She rose a brow, looking down at me—yes down, I wasn't kidding when I said she was tall—like I'd just sprouted a pair of butterfly wings. The smile felt a lot harder to carry, the edges were slipping into a grimace. Sweat poured down my neck as her eyes trailed down my face and stopped at a certain point. Her jaw clenched, her lips pressing to the side. I furrowed my brow and looked down at my hands; they were clenched at my sides into shaking fists.

I raised my gaze back to her but she was glaring at her shoes with such an intensity that I was surprised they didn't burst into flames.

My chest tightened and at first, I thought it was with fear and seized up, ready for her to go all Biker Patty on me. But then I recognised something about her stance—the way she seemed to fold into herself. Her shoulders slumped forward, and her arms crossed tightly over her chest, so much that her jacket bulged over her arms. Her hands gripped her elbows so tightly they turned white and I spotted tiny tremors running over her skin.

A soft breeze rolled over us, sweeping her hair across her face. The long strands covered her mouth so I could only see her eyes. Her face was tense, but her eyes, now stripped and naked, made me pause. Those grey orbs revealed a storm, one that rolled through me with familiarity.

And then I got it.

I recognised that look, it was one I used to wear on my own face, before I had become Blue Jay—before I had something to fight for. It was from a time where my heart had been hollow and dejection curled around my shoulders like weights. Phoebe was a ghost in my life; she was there, but not really there.

Silence had echoed in my ears, like a constant white noise that wouldn't shut up. People chatted around me, and I stood alone. It was like a forcefield was stretched over my skin because anywhere I went, people steered clear of me. They saw an ugly girl with a permanent scowl on her face, fists like smouldering embers and ready to slam into someone's teeth. But what they didn't see was the throbbing in her chest, the swirling darkness that howled like a storm behind her eyes.

I remembered the last time I'd seen that exact look in Patty's eyes reflecting back at me from the Sundae Saloon windows. Rain had guzzled down the glass in waves and cold air slid like breath across my skin. But still, there was a bittersweet warmth nestled in my chest as I wrapped my pink fingers around my milkshake. I had come there so I would be surrounded by voices, so that I would feel a part of something.

My stomach had twisted so tightly I could barely swallow my drink. I didn't know what had set me off so much, nothing out of the ordinary had happened that day. Maybe I had just gotten so exhausted, maybe everything had come crushing down on me and I'd realised how lonely I was. How I had trapped myself in my own prison cell and thrown away the key, wrapped myself in a fort of glass; I could look, could listen, but never touch and certainly never talk.

But there, at the Sundae Saloon, I was among the noises, the smells, the occasional glances and the chatter of the baristas. I gave my mind a little of what it craved. I allowed myself to think I was surrounded, that they were there for me, that I had someone to talk to.

I suddenly snapped back to the present when Patty's eyes darted to something over my shoulder. Chills rose on my neck and I spun around in time to catch the long, white tree hurtling for us. I yelped and snapped my hand up; the tree smashed into the wall that flashed around us. There was a rustling noise, as the leaves struck one another, and the tree rolled off and crashed into the ground. The force was massive and sent me staggering backwards until I knocked into Patty.

Immediately, I sprung away from her and whirled around. Her mouth twisted to the side, her eyes dark from my sudden movements, and a surprising amount of guilt crashed into me. I didn't think I'd ever find myself relating to Biker Patty, but it was a hard feeling to shake off. If my intuition was right, I understood where she was coming from, and regardless of how I felt about a person, I wouldn't wish that loneliness on anyone.

Sheepishly, I rubbed the back of my neck and tried laughing it off, but my throat was thick with salvia that refused to let anything through.

"Say shouldn't you be in school?" I asked, mostly hoping to distract her. Although I didn't think the question was that unwarranted, we did have an assignment after all.

"Shouldn't you be fighting that thing?" she instantly rebutted, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow. "Besides, how do you know I even go to school?"

I gulped noticing just how much taller she was then me. Blue Jay was a superpowered being, but somehow Biker Patty managed to tower over me and I had to snap my head back just to meet her eyes.

"Um, uniform," I shrugged.

She paused, her eyes flicking down to her clothes, which I used as an opportunity to finish this fight. Turning back around, I threw out my wire which cracked back into the fountain. The pull was instantaneous, and I rushed forward, tears springing into my eyes. The Mutant's singular eye narrowed in a clouded glare when it found my hurtling form. Gritting my teeth, I swung out my legs which sizzled with a thin sheet of blue.

Splat!

My foot smacked into its eye, sending disgusting ripples through my stomach. Some of the slime exploded from the back of its head, splattering onto the ground. My mind raced, noting that unlike its side, the eyes actually took the hit.

The Mutant swiped at me, but I dodged then swivelled to the side and out of its reach. I threw out both my hands and a small sphere bubbled inside the Mutant's body. Its sliminess was so thick that it blocked the shimmering blue sheen. The Mutant glanced down at the sphere in its stomach, which started to grow bigger and bigger.

It roared and scrambled in my direction, flailing its tendrils. Letting the breath slide between my teeth, I threw all the power rushing through me into that ball. The Mutant stopped, its clouded gaze locking with mine, then there was a loud flash that erupted from its body. The forcefield burst with a loud pop! that sent a rush of green goo soaring. I wasn't fast enough to move but turned around and covered my head before it crashed onto me.

"EW!"

Nausea curled in my stomach and clawed up my throat. The slime soaked warm through the back of my uniform, oozing down my neck, and a fat glob drippled down my braid. The smell made me gag and I shook myself like a dog, which thankfully sent most of it flying.

I shoved back my disgust, and cast my gaze left to right until I found what I was looking for. There—underneath the branches of a small bush—was the Mutant's clouded eye. It was a weird sight, watching the eyeball flop around like it was a fish out of water. It swivelled around wildly, like it was searching for something.

Shrugging, I pulled out my knife, shaking my arm once more, and sent the blade flying. The ringing in my ears was warm like honey and the knife buried itself into the eyeball. And because it was so small, the explosion wasn't large, or even medium. It managed to slap around some branches, but other then that it was completely harmless.

Turning around, I found Patty right where I left her. She had hidden herself behind one of the trees to avoid getting hit with the slime. I wrinkled my nose, wishing I had thought of that.

The knife snapped back into my hand and I shoved it into my boot. Throwing out my wrist, I shot my wire into the tree next to her and zipped by her side in the blink of an eye. The rush of air that followed knocked her hair from her shoulders, making her look up.

"Okay, I'm done," I announced, holding my hand out for her. "Let's go."

She studied my hand, her mouth curling to the side, and slowly trailed her gaze up my arm and to my face. Her eyes narrowed and she slowly stood up from her position against the tree.

Fear raced through me as I strained my neck to keep my gaze levelled with hers. I tried squashing it, concentrating it into a ball and chomping down on it. It's okay, everything was fine, I was Blue Jay, she couldn't hurt me here, I had powers, I was fine god damnit.

"What?" she asked lowly.

"I'm giving you a lift back to school," I forced out, fighting to keep my voice even.

"Don't bother."

I raised my eyebrows when she turned around and picked up the school bag I hadn't noticed until now. She slung it over her right shoulder, stuffed her hands into her pocket, and didn't spare me another look as she made to walk away.

"Why? Don't you have the assignment today?" I quickly blurted out, and stiffened when Patty stopped, snapping her head back in my direction. I stepped back and planted my fists back onto my hips, and added, "Er—from what I heard, of course. I overheard you had a partner, Savannah, right? Why're you leaving her to do all the work?"

It was a risky move, but I couldn't help myself. Savannah had been so defeated today in class, and I couldn't blame her for it. Regardless who it was that was assigned as my partner, I would hope that they wouldn't just abandon me to do all the work.

"Why do you care?"

I couldn't ignore the emphasis she placed on 'you'. Nor the way her nose had wrinkled. Not that I could really blame her, I hadn't exactly treated her the fairest. Here I was, Blue Jay, the girl who had sworn herself to protect everybody, and I could barely look her in the eye. I treated her exactly how everyone else had treated her—how they had treated me. I'd looked at her with fear, which I still felt, but I was still working under my oath, I should at least treat her equally.

"Cause it's pretty scummy to let one person do all the work," I said truthfully. "That's not what being a team is about."

She rolled her eyes. "Like you'd know about being a team."

Okay, that felt like a punch to the gut. Criminy, it was like fate was trying to rub it in my face.

"You're right, I wouldn't know about teamwork," I admitted, watching carefully for her reaction. Her face remained tense, but her eyes widened a slight fraction. "But I know about having to do the work on your own and trust me, it's not the greatest feeling."

It felt odd talking to Biker Patty like this. I mean, this was the girl who had cracked a guy's skull with her phone. According to the rumours anyway. But still, I felt like I should at least try to convince her. For Savannah's sake.

Patty was quiet, watching me like I was a puzzle piece she couldn't fit anywhere. There was a guarded look in her eye, and eventually her lips curled back into a scowl.

I sighed and held out my hand again. "Just come, alright? Even if you don't know what you're doing, you can at least support her. She's a good kid, Patty."

The leather squeaked as her fingers squeezed around her biceps. Her face remained guarded, and I held her gaze a few more seconds before sighing. I was about to turn around when her hand slapped around my wrist. I stopped and glanced up into her grey eyes which swirled with something I couldn't identify.

"Fine," she decided in a heavy voice. "But I'm only going because passing would mean no flying."

It was faint, but I saw something light up in her eyes when she mentioned that last point. The edges of my mouth tugged up, because even though it was small, I felt like maybe I was getting through to her. Or at least getting closer to seeing the girl behind the leather jacket—the one that hopefully wouldn't beat me up if I said the wrong thing.

I pointed my wrist to the right and launched my wire into one of the taller buildings that skirted around the park. Patty looked in that direction, her mouth slightly dropping. She traced her eyes over the wire that was pulled tight above her head. Clearing my throat, I raised my eyebrows when she turned back around and awkwardly held out my arm.

She seemed confused at first, frowning at me until it dawned on her and her mouth formed into an 'O' shape. Nodding, she stepped forward and maneuvered her arms over my neck, while I wrapped mine around her waist. It was an awkward arrangement, considering she was taller than me, but I somehow managed.

"Hold on, spider monkey," I told her cheekily.

"Did you just—"

The wire suddenly jerked and send us shooting into the sky like bullets. A grin spread over my face as the wind whipped my skin and tousled my hair. I'd been using these wires to travel for almost a week, but I still hadn't completely gotten used to them. The feeling of flying, it was just so magnificent, it was indescribable. It sent a magical rush that danced beneath my skin, filling my mind with stars.

Granted, it was tricker then usual with Patty's large frame in my arms. I tossed my wire again and again, swinging to the next structure. My heart leapt into my throat every half–second we weren't attached to something, but I didn't allow that to deter me.

I was surprised when I didn't hear anything from Patty's end. She didn't seem like the screaming type, but something was better than nothing. I turned slightly in her direction and felt my jaw drop—Patty was smiling.

I had to blink a couple of times to make sure that hit on the head hadn't knocked the sanity from my eyes. But sure enough, that smile remained. It revealed each of her straight teeth and crinkled the edges of her eyes. She looked like she was sticking her head out a car window, her cheeks were pink and her hair rushed past her ears. It was a look I'd never thought I'd witnessed on her—hell, I was surprised she knew how to smile.

"So, Patty," I found myself saying over the spiralling winds, and she turned in my direction. "If you weren't planning on going in today, why wear the uniform?"

I'd been hoping to make some conversation, to get to know the girl behind the scary face. But the reaction had the opposite effect; her smile shrank and a dark expression passed over her face. She lowered her chin, turning away from me.

"Dunno," she murmured. "Was gonna, but . . . didn't, I guess."

I chose not to say anything after that. It was obvious I'd overstepped my boundaries, although I couldn't help wondering what it was about that question that had upset her.

The silence made the travelling feel longer then what it was, but we eventually got back to the school. I flipped over the interlinked fence that circled the roof and slid to a stop. The wire snapped back into my wrist and I unwound my arm from Patty, letting her climb back to her feet. She blinked, looking around the roof with bewilderment, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Good luck, kid," I told her, shooting my wire back into the fence. I turned to leave but stopped and looked over my shoulder with a small smile. "Oh, and don't worry—you'll do great."

She paused when my words hit her, turning back to face me. She clamped her mouth shut but her eyes seemed slightly softer, and she buried her hands into her jacket. I didn't know exactly what was racing through her mind, but it almost seemed like she was coming to a somewhat approving conclusion.

"Thanks, Blue Jay," she murmured, nodding. She didn't smile, but there was a sense of warmth behind her words.

I gave her one last nod before turning around and kicking off. Her eyes sank into my back as I dragged myself up the chained fence.

I flipped over the barbed–wire loops and leapt into the air. I sailed around the corner where I knew I was out of her sight, then swung for the window I had left opened. Thankfully, no one had come by and slipped it shut, so I was free to flip through to the other side. I slid to a stop across the bathroom tiles, then muttered the words that encased me in a surge of light.

The magic danced across my skin and I shut my eyes, spreading out my arms. Creaks echoed in my ears as my bones shrank and my clothes melted back into m school uniform. The knitted sleeves fell back over my hands and I opened my eyes again.

Helga's face blinked at me from the mirrors, her hair still in place. The spinning sensation hit me and I leaned against the counter to catch my breath. Propping my hands on the edge of the sink, I allowed myself a few moments to suck in the much needed air.

You'd think after three weeks of this, I'd be used to this part. But no, each and every time when I transformed, Blue Jay's strength barrelled through me. The raw power that burned in my chest when I was her, it was so strong, it felt like sunshine was spilling from my skin. But when I went back to being Helga, the sudden shift threw me off. The sunshine would vanish, and I would have to go back to holding myself up with my own two feet. It was like getting off a rollercoaster, I was left dizzy and needing a moment to adjust. Blue Jay was my drug while Helga was my reality.

My braid fell over my shoulder, hanging underneath my chin. I slipped a pale hand to my chest, unfastening the pin from my jumper, and propping it back into my pocket. Come on, Helga, you've still got that assignment you have to do.

I groaned, not wanting to move, but stood up straight and rolled my shoulders back. Right, I'd left Lila to work on our assignment by herself, again. It'd been out of my control, but she didn't know that. I swiped the sweat beading on my forehead then headed for the door. But the moment I stepped outside, a large force smacked into me and almost knocked me to the floor, had it not been for the rough hand that wrapped around my elbows.

Blinking at the hand, my eyes trailed up the leather–covered arm to Patty's scowling face. She peered down at me, looking like she had just smelt something bad.

"Watch it, Pataki!" she barked and roughly shoved me aside. I stumbled back, my head bumping against the wall, and threw up my hands defensively. She rolled her eyes, digging her fists into her jacket, and marched down the hallway.

I felt my jaw drop as I watched her disappear around the corner without so much as sparing me another glance. It was like someone had just beat me around the head because what the fuck. I had just dropped her off and given her an encouraging statement. Yes, neither she knew had been me, but that was totally besides the point. I had thought that maybe it was a giant misconception we all had, that maybe she was a little like me and projected an image that wasn't completely accurate. But that? No 'secretly not mean' person would do that. No, that was an 'actually mean' person thing to do.

I closed my mouth when it dawned on me that we were headed in the same direction. I hurried down the hall and kept my distance when I rounded the corner and she popped back into vision. She didn't look at me, but there was a spike in her shoulders. Our footsteps echoed from the walls and she kept her gaze straight ahead, which I was completely fine with.

Eventually, the door with its lame posters came into my sight, which she yanked open and slammed shut in my face. Anger coursed through me and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from yelling at her. Regardless if I was secretly Blue Jay, I didn't want to go starting fights with Biker Patty.

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed onto the handle and wrenched the door open. Eyes snapped over to me from Patty's figure, and the silence hit me full force. I blushed, ducking my head and heading for my own bench.

"Sorry, Lila," I quickly told her before she could say anything. "Didn't mean to ditch."

She looked up, her face pressed with concern, but didn't say anything until the stares lessened and people turned back to their work.

"Are you alright?" she whispered.

I opened my mouth to answer her when Belmonte approached us. "You okay, Helga?" she asked, raising her tiny eyebrows. "You've been gone for half an hour."

That was it? It felt so much longer than that.

"Uh, yeah, I . . ." I forced a shrug. "I think the chemical smell just made me nauseous."

"Por dios," she muttered with a sigh. "Do you wish to go to the nurse's office?"

"No, I should be fine."

Truthfully, I just wanted to get started so I could make up on the time I'd already lost. Belmonte's eyes swept over me, checking for any signs of queasiness, before she pressed her magenta–coated lips together.

"Alright," she said with a nod. "Just let me know if you feel sick again."

I nodded, even though I had no intention of actually doing that. I'd already skipped out on too much time, I wasn't about to skip the last fifteen minutes. She left after that, observing a pair of nervous – looking students who stiffened under her gaze, and I turned back to Lila.

"Alright, let's cont—" I almost choked when I found my nose almost touching Lila's. Apparently, she had forgotten that I liked my personal space (or straight up ignored it), because she was leaning in so close that I almost smacked into her. Her forehead puckered, her eyebrows pushing together, and her mouth twisted to the side.

"What took you so long?" she demanded.

"T–There was a line," I mentally cursed myself for stuttering. But I couldn't help it, Lila's eyes were intense. They freaked me out, it felt like she was looking through me and listing every one of my secrets. Wrinkling my nose, I shoved my lab coat back on then snapped on the latex gloves. When I looked back at her, she stared at me with such scepticism that I felt the need to quickly add, "Seriously! Biker Patty was even there."

She rose an eyebrow, clearly not buying everything I was selling, but gave a slow nod and looked over my shoulder. "Yes, she just came in."

I followed her gaze to Savannah's corner; the poor girl looked close to fainting. Her face resembled a sweaty ghost and her eyes were as wide as plates as she tried explaining what it was they needed to do. And Patty looked absolutely lost as she nodded along to Savannah's words and read the notes with a puzzled frown.

"Yeah," I murmured, nodding to nothing in particular. "It is weird."

I could feel Lila staring back at me, so I cleared my throat and turned back to her. "So, what'd I missed?"

Lila quickly explained what it was she managed to do while I'd been gone and I decided to take over from there. We worked side by side to finish the dissection with the small amount of time we had left. But from the corner of my eyes, I recognised Lila studying me. A small flush of panic rushed through me, which I ignored so I wouldn't mess up the cut. It was one of those moments that I knew Lila was seeing more then she was letting on. Or that she was trying to figure something out that wasn't adding up. I tried reminding myself that it didn't matter, I would be telling her later today anyway, but it was still really nerve–wracking.

Neither of us spoke until the ball rung. And the entire time, the air was thick with tension, unsaid words weighed between us. It slightly dissolved when class ended; everyone around us were quick to pack up their stuff and dash out the door. They quickly jumped out of the way however when Patty barrelled down the aisle.

"Did you mind working on the write up after school?" Lila asked as we hung up our lab coats on the hooks near the door.

"Sure," I nodded, not wanting to upset her. Something wasn't right and I didn't know if it was because she was mad that I'd left her.

"How about we work in the library then?"

Again, I nodded.

The hallways were packed as students rushed to catch up with their friends, striding for the cafeteria. Bodies of crimson swallowed us, phones flashing like stars, and I swallowed, kneading a sore point in my neck. I was still slightly wracked with pain from everything, I hoped that my makeup at least was still on my face.

Lila and I strode side by side without saying much—which was driving me crazy—when Savannah popped up and flung herself into Lila's arms. The weight knocked Lila into m shoulder, and we both exchanged curious looks then turned to the girl in her arms.

"Something the matter, Savannah?" she asked politely.

"That—" without looking up, she pointed in the direction we had come from. "—was the scariest period of my life."

Lila arched an eyebrow. "The assignment?"

"No, Biker Patty."

Lila chuckled, and I snorted in agreement. A weight hung in my chest that rung with guilt, but I ignored it. Sure, maybe there was something more to Patty, but it's not like she hadn't earnt that nickname. Hell, I hadn't even gotten a nickname.

"Do you know why she decided to show up?" Lila asked her gently.

"No," Savannah pulled away and folded her arms. I smirked with amusement at the contemplative look on her face. She looked like she had come from a Nancy Drew movie. "She just turned up and began working—well, trying too. I was so sure she wouldn't though."

"I mean, we are juniors," I pointed out. "She would've had to start pulling her weight at some point."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true," she agreed with a shrug. "How'd you guys go? Saw you sneaking off, Pataki. You okay?"

"Yeah, just felt a little wheezy from the smell," I lied easily. The more I repeated it, the more believable it felt. Although I could feel Lila staring at me with disapprovement.

Savannah nodded, oblivious to the tension, and we continued to the cafeteria. We were chatting about mindless stuff, mostly about the assignment and who we thought would pass, but our conversation came to a halt when we walked through the doors. The cafeteria was buzzing with excitement; people ran around to meet with their friends, shoving their phones into each other's face with wides grins. Everyone was shouting over each other, I couldn't tell what it was they were talking about, but I had a sneaking suspicion.

"Um," I looked left to right, then back to the girls who stared in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Hey guys!" An exhilarated voice said from behind us, and we turned around to a gangly–looking brunette, who looked like she had just finished running a marathon. Her freckled face was patchy with red splotches, she shakily raised her phone screen in our direction.

"Did–did–you—" her eyes were wide as she struggle to force out the words against her panting. "Did you hear the news?!"

Cautiously, I stepped back with my hands slightly raised, while Savannah answered, "Um, no?"

"It's—it's—"

"Sheena, breathe," Eugene Horowitz suddenly appeared from behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He flashed an apologetic look at us until he noticed me. His mouth dropped and bewilderment rippled across his face.

I shuffled my weight awkwardly and turned back to Sheena, who resembled a pink balloon. She tried doing what Eugene said—you know, breathing—but they came out very shallow and rapid. Some of the colour returned to her face, but her eyes were still tight and wild.

"Right—anyways, it was Blue Jay—" the biggest grin stretched over face as she waved her phone around. Savannah slightly smiled, amused by her antics, while Lila narrowed her eyes. Peering closer, I realised that Sheena had paused in the middle of a news report, there was a freeze form of Blue Jay standing on the park bench. "She kicked the butt of another monster thing while we were in class!"

My heart lurched when Lila snatched the phone from Sheena's hand. Sheena smiled, unbothered by it, as Lila and Savannah both watched the news report together. Every muscle in me was tight, but I couldn't tear my gaze away from Sheena.

"Fan?" I asked, crossing my arms.

It was like I hadn't spoken; Sheena's eyes didn't leave her phone, she silently watched the footage upside down, and her chest rapidly pumped up and down as her breaths got shallower. I genuinely couldn't tell if she ignored me, or if she was just so excited she hadn't even heard my question.

So, Eugene nodded for her, looking like a worn out Dad. Studying him, it was abundantly clear that he was the Yin to Sheena's Yang.

"When did this happen, Sheena?" Lila asked when the video ended. Savannah smiled and handed the phone back to her friend, while Lila folded her arms.

The grin stretched to Sheena's ears. "It was—it was—" she broke off with an excited squeal. Some people sent us dirty looks, which she remained oblivious to. Eugene sent them apologetic looks, the red rising in his cheeks, before turning back around to answer Lila's question.

"It was twenty–five minutes ago," he said.

Frowning, Lila's eyes slid back in my direction. "Helga, weren't you—"

"My, oh my!" I grabbed the phone from Sheena's hands, fast–forwarding to a specific part before flashing her the screen. "Is that Blue Jay blocking a tree with her powers?! My, how epic!"

I didn't think it would actually work, but I apparently had underestimated Sheena's passion. She pretty much yanked the phone back and held it underneath her nose to catch the last few seconds. Her eyes bulged, and she rewound it again.

Eugene and Savannah popped their heads over her shoulders, watching the footage curiously. I released a breath I hadn't been aware of, but my gaze fell back to Lila, who hadn't fallen for the trick. If anything, it seemed to have made her suspicious, if her scrutinising gaze was anything to go by.

She opened her mouth to speak—

"You're kidding, right?"

—when another voice cut in.

Frowning, Lila looked over my shoulder and I followed, turning around to a face surprised me.

Rhonda Wellington Lloyd stared back, her lips curved into a smirk, as she regarded me with a sense of snobbishness. She was perched on the surface of her table, her leg over her knee, and surrounded by her friends who looked between her and me with surprise. I couldn't blame them, since when did Rhonda bother herself with us?

"Um," I glanced at Lila, who shrugged in response, then turned back to her. "No?"

Her dark gaze bore into mine, her lips twitched, and she brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Simpleton," she murmured.

I felt my hands squeezing into fists. Okay, listen—I knew what she was after. Hell, I'm sure everyone knew what she was after. Nearby conversations hushed as eyes swivelled in our direction, and even Sheena paused her video to look up. Because you see, Rhonda was an extremely opinionated person. She would fight tooth and nail just to prove herself right. And ordinarily, I didn't want attention cast onto me, fighting the school's Queen Bee was a recipe for disaster. I didn't want to fall for her petty little games because really, it wasn't a big deal.

Buuuuut the thing is Rhonda plays the bitch card so well. Seriously, I don't think she credited herself enough for how good of a bitch she makes. Anytime she looks down at me in the hallways, laughs at me in class, or gossips loudly in P.E. so I would overhear her, I just wanted to punch her damn lights out. And considering the training I'd been taking, I felt pretty good about my chances of walking out looking a lot better than her.

Lila threw me a warning glance, one that told me to stay back, then turned to the cheerleader. "What are you talking about, Rhonda?" she asked, her voice light and polite, but her face guarded.

The fact that Rhonda's eyes lit up reaffirmed my belief that she was looking for a debate. It didn't shock me though, she hadn't exactly been subtle about her thoughts about Blue Jay.

"That 'epic' use of her powers was nothing but a colossal waste of money," she said with a smirk, which disappeared when all she received were blank stares. Groaning, she rubbed her temple with a manicured hand and added, "Did you see the state she left that park in? It looks like a tornado hit it!"

Sheena and Savannah gasped with horror and slapped their arms around Eugene, who rolled his eyes. But they had been so loud that a silence rippled across the cafeteria and suddenly, we were the centre of attention. Lila groaned, covering her face, as Sheena and Savannah both stared at Rhonda like she'd murdered someone. And Rhonda, the bitch she was, rose her nose with a smirk, bathing in the attention she received.

Now normally, it would seriously, seriously bother me to be the centre of everyone's attention. But Rhonda pissed me off so much that I couldn't even look away from her.

"Criminy, are you serious?" I said, propping my fists onto my hips. Lila looked at me again, but I didn't care at this point. "If it wasn't for her, a messed up park would be the least of our worries."

Rhonda scoffed, rolling her eyes. "God, it's not like I'm saying she's useless."

"Then enlighten me," I said, tilting my head. "What are you saying?"

"That her superheroing isn't cheap," she stressed, pushing up from her table and striding for me. Her friends traded panicked looks, but they were left in her dust as she marched forward. "Am I the only one who remembers that warehouse she blew up last week? Or the roads that were torn up? Someone has to clean up that mess and where you think that money is coming from? Our taxes, buzos!"

She stopped in front of me, and I was hit with the aroma of roses. It radiated from her entire being and rolled off in waves from her covered skin.

She raised her chin, peering down her slim nose at me. Not just because she thought she was better, but because Rhonda was genuinely tall. I had to roll back my head just to meet her glare, while she practically curled over me. And despite standing beneath her, an objectively unflattering angle, she still managed to look beautiful—not in a classic way like Lila, more in a movie star kinda way.

Her hair was dark and glossy, sliding down the sides of her face and resting neatly above her shoulders. She had done her makeup fiercely, it reminded me of a lion. Her eyebrows were sharply arched, and the shadows beneath her cheeks made the bones pop. A thick, black line cut over her eyelids, giving her a cat–like appearance, and looking closely, I noticed the faint gold shimmers beneath. And her lips were painted with a dark shade of pink.

"All this over some trampled flowers?" I heard Eugene mutter. Rhonda's eyes flashed, and she sharply looked in his direction. He squeaked and scrambled from his friend's grasps, ducking his head behind Sheena's shoulder. Blinking, Sheena sheepishly smiled at Rhonda, who rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's the money you're concerned with," I said, crossing my arms.

"Yes, because apparently I'm the only one who vaguely understands money," Rhonda said, tracing her eyes up and down my form, and wrinkling her nose. "Shockingly."

Oh, she did not.

"God, you're such a princess!" I snapped at her, making her raise her eyebrows slightly. "You can't just appreciate someone else's efforts without finding something to complain about!"

"Me, a princess?" an appalled look crossed her face. "Well, you're just a big meathead!"

"A what?!"

Lila sensed where this was going and quickly stepped in, grabbing my shoulders. "Come on, Helga, let's go," she said, shooting Rhonda a pointed look. "It's not worth it."

Rhonda arched an eyebrow, looking especially offended by how Lila referred to her. I, on the other hand, felt like steam was pouring from my nose. I knew that I wasn't the best at what I did, but I was trying my best. I had dedicated any time I could to training, to becoming a better fighter so worse things wouldn't happen. A mammoth–like weight had lodged into my shoulders for close to a month now. Because like Nel said, I was the only thing standing in the way of an all–out apocalypse. And here Rhonda was, complaining about the fucking buildings. Sure, she had a point, I was leaving behind a mess that, up until now, I hadn't given a second thought about. But I would rather do that then let it happen to a person.

I caught the look Lila was giving me; she lowered her chin, her eyes pointed and pleading. Somehow, I understood what she was telling me—she got my point, but this wouldn't help anyone.

Initially, I wanted to tell her to just shove off all ready; Rhonda had been a bitch for years, and now I finally had the power to hold my own in a fight. But I couldn't ignore her silent argument—fighting Rhonda wouldn't help anyone. It would just get us both detentions and possible suspensions, which Rhonda could afford to pay her way out of. The anger was thickly coursing through me, but I had to walk away.

Forcing my fists to my sides, I breathed and nodded at Lila. Her face softened and she wrapped a hand around my wrist, gently pulling me away. Rhonda scoffed when we turned from her, but I didn't spare her another glance. Not because she wasn't worth my time, but because I didn't want her to see my embarrassment.

People continued to stare as we crept to our table. My stomach curled into tight cramps, because though Eugene, Savannah and Sheena followed closely behind, it was me they were so fixed on. We picked our way across the cafeteria, moving around the standing students. The entire time, I kept my eyes down and counted to one–hundred until they turned back to their conversations. It grew from awkward whisper back to fully–grown chatters, lessening the weight piling on my back.

When I looked up, I realised that Lila was dragging me to her table—Arnold's table. It was pretty empty, most of their members were here with us, but both Gerald and Arnold sat next to each other. Their bags were shoved underneath the table, and their trays were mostly untouched. Although I'd pin that more on their interest on what just happened than them not being hungry. Especially when Gerald was concerned.

As I examined the table, Arnold looked up and met my gaze. My heart leapt in my chest and for a moment, all I could do was stare back. His eyes whipped between Rhonda and I, who had sat back down with her friends, before settling onto my jumper. My cheeks burnt; it had been three periods now, maybe I should give it back to him. It wasn't like it was cold anymore, the sun was shinning outside now. But . . . I still really liked it.

Lila peered at me from over her shoulder, a smirk on her face. It was like she could read my mind because when she opened her mouth and said, "If Arnold wanted back his jumper, he would ask, Helga. Don't stress."

I scowled at her and chose not to respond to that. Although a douse of happiness did swell up inside me, something I would never admit.

"What was that about?" Arnold asked, his eyebrows shooting up when we finally reached the table.

"Nothing," Lila said with an innocent smile, taking a seat next to Gerald. Arnold looked slightly crestfallen that she hadn't sat with him, but he covered it with a smile when Sheena took the seat.

"Just Rhonda being a major bitch," I said, choosing not to sit yet.

Gerald actually laughed at that.

"Helga!" Lila exclaimed, morally affronted.

"Well, she is."

Confused, Arnold looked between us and asked what exactly happened. And that launched Lila and Eugene in a dramatic, epic retelling that rivalled the melodrama in a Shakespearian play. Arnold and Gerald both listened, nodding with interest, and I plopped into a spare seat. I didn't realise until Lila raised her eyebrows that I had chosen the spot on Arnold's other side.

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine, and smiled. "You're still wearing my jumper."

I panicked, ice flooding my veins, and for a minute imagined kicking Lila for saying he wouldn't be bothered that I was still wearing his stuff.

"I—uhh, yeah," I said weakly, "D–did you want it, or . . ."

He chuckled, amused. "Nah, it's fine. Just surprised me, is all. It's still pretty warm out."

I sighed with relief, the alarm flooding from my shoulders. Okay, I take back what I said about Lila, my bad. "Yeah, I, uh, just get cold pretty easily," I lied.

He smiled, and butterflies came to life in my stomach. I couldn't help smiling back, because he was just so pretty and wonderful god damnit it, was there anything this beautiful human couldn't do.

But then we both realised that Lila's voice had seemed to stop, and both looked back. I blushed, they were all staring at us, apparently finding interest in our tame conversation. But the minute we turned to them, they jumped like kids being caught stealing, and turned back to their conversations, repeating them extra loud as if to convince us they were real. Arnold rose his eyebrows, giving me a smile and a confused shrug, before turning back to Lila, eager to catch the last of her retelling.

I didn't even bother looking for Lila's reaction. Pulling the milk–box from my bag, I turned away to look over the cafeteria. Stabbing the straw into the box, I gulped down the sugary goodness. The room was trickled with laughing faces hands stretching over one another to flash sheets of homework no one understood. It was like the news of Blue Jay had been erased, leaving us all to talk about, well, normal things.

My gaze locked with a pair of heavily–lined eyes.

Now that everything had settled, Rhonda was back with her friends, where they continued their tirade of gossiping or whatever they talked about. I expected her to look away, but who was I kidding—this was Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. Instead, her lips curved with amusement and she raised her chin, like she was welcoming a challenge.

She didn't look away, which made me feel like I couldn't look away. Lowering my chin, I glowered back at her, and we stayed like this for a while. Eventually one of her friends asked her something, flashing her a paper that was probably her homework. Rhonda briefly turned to her friend, then back to me. I was about to smirk victoriously at her—cause I won—but she flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned away from me.

Anger punched through me and my fingers crunched around my milk–box. Did she just dismiss me?

"All this over a tree?"

Blinking, I looked back at Gerald, who was gesturing between Rhonda and I. Lila rolled her eyes while Eugene dug through his lunchbox and chatted with Savannah. Arnold and Sheena were both watching something on Sheena's phone—three guesses what—and gushing excitedly together.

"Right?" I said to Gerald. "I mean, what's her problem? Does she have to be a know–it–all about everything?"

"For once, I agree with you, Pataki," he nodded.

I—okay, wow, talk about weird.

Eugene looked up from his conversation, his interest piqued. "Curious that she even said anything at all," he declared, stroking his chin.

And to that, everyone looked up—from whatever they were doing—and, in sync, voiced their thoughts.

"What?!"

Eugene blinked, finding himself the centre of attention, and his entre face turned beet red. "Well, despite popular opinion, Rhonda mostly keeps to herself," he hurried to explain, twiddling his thumbs. "Ever since high school, she's hung out with her cheerleader friends and barely said a word to anyone beside them. It's odd that it was this that broke the silence."

There was a pause as everyone mulled over his words. Well, everyone except me. Because it was pretty black and white—Rhonda was a bitch, and that was all there was to it. I rolled my eyes when Lila and Gerald shared an acknowledging shrug and turned away, sipping my milk again.

Helga.

The unexpected, yet familiar voice made me jerk back and whip m gaze across the room. When I found her, she was glaring at me and it was like someone had released ice into my veins. Not because of her glaring—no, that was basically her face now—but because she was literally standing outside behind the glass doors.

Have you talked to h—

Yellow milk shot from my nose like a gun, firing across the table and splattering on Eugene's shirt. The liquid slapped his face, climbing to his eyelashes, and drippling down his skin. And then he let out the highest pitched squeal I had heard in my life.

"Oh, what the fuck?!" Gerald cried, and suddenly there were loud, metallic scraps as everyone shoved back their chairs and jumped to their feet.

My vision was blurry, hidden beneath the water that popped into my eyes and streamed down my face. A harsh silence fell over the cafeteria as the attention darted between Eugene, who was hyperventilating, and me, who was bent over so sharply it looked like I'd been punched. Heat pressed around my face and burnt my ears, and my throat ached. Leftover milk splattered across my lap and jumper as I hacked so intensely it was like I'd coughed up a lung.

A myriad of voices came from around me, each speaking over each other. Some I could make out—Eugene crying over his shirt, Sheena trying to calm him down, Gerald demanding what the hell happened, and the other was—

"Helga, are you okay?!"

That one was Lila.

And the only response she got was another set of coughing.

"I'll grab some napkins," she decided before dashing off.

I felt a comforting hand on my back, alternating between patting and drawing soothing circles. It actually managed to somewhat help me, and I looked up to give the person a grateful smile but stopped when I met Arnold's bright green eyes.

Oh, for fu—

"You okay, Helga?" he asked, and because he was so close his breath washed over me. It was cool and pleasant and made me pause for a moment.

Criminy, as if this situation couldn't get any worse. There was no way I could hide from him now, he was right in front of me. Literally, I could've kissed him if I wanted—not that I would, I not only had tears streaming down my red face, but traces of milk and glistening strips of snot.

If he felt any disgust over my state—and I totally wouldn't blame him for it—he didn't allow it to show. He just continued to pat my back, watching me with a look of concern. This was unlike Gerald, who gagged when he saw me, earning himself a smack around the head from Savannah. And right then and there, looking into Arnold's eyes, I decided I wanted nothing more then to drop dead.

I didn't answer him because Lila quickly came back with an armful of napkins, which she handed to Eugene and I. Scrunching mine into balls, I ran it down my jumper while Lila knelt down to dab my face. Arnold moved back to give Lila some room, but still checked me over to see if I was okay.

Which I was, by the way. Obviously. I had just done, well, that in front of him and the whole school. And now everyone was watching us—nay, me. And not only that, but I had blown all my snot onto Arnold's beautiful jumper. The rush of emotions was so strong, and the tears stopped pouring from just reflexes. Lila moved some of the hair from my face, still patting me down, and tried to catch my eye with a sympathetic look. But I couldn't lift my head to meet her or anyone's gazes. My face was sweltering from the blood boiling beneath my skin.

"Didn't know what Horowitz said was that shocking," Gerald muttered, and yelped when Arnold smacked his arm.

"My new shirt!" Eugene lamented, his head thrown back, as Sheena patted him down. But there wasn't much of a point, there was still a stain on his shirt that wasn't going anywhere until he washed it.

"Sorry—" I broke off with another round of coughs, then turned back to the windows. People were staring in our direction, so buttoning my mouth, I searched for that stupid cat. But of course, she had already left. "I–I'm gonna clean up."

Lila moved back as I climbed to my feet, keeping my gaze down, and slung my unzipped bag onto my shoulder.

She tried to follow. "Oh, well, do you—"

"No!" I jerked away from her, holding up my hands, and backed away. "No, I'm fine."

I wasn't, in any sense of the word. Milk was still running down my chest and my nose was completely stuffed with snot. I probably looked worse than that Mutant I'd fought today. A thought that fuelled my desire to get the hell out of here.

So, keeping my head down, I high–tailed it the fuck out of that cafeteria, grimacing at the giggles that came from Rhonda's table.

Tears were still running from my eyes.

I snarled, heat curling in my stomach, and swiped away at my face, before looking away from the mirror and turning back to the jumper. I had chucked my blazer to the corner of the bench so the droplets wouldn't hit it. Because for the last god knows how long I'd been running a soaked paper towel against the front of the jumper. The milk was gone, but there were still tiny pieces of snot down the front.

Gross.

Exasperated, I threw the soggy ball into the water and shoved my soapy fingers through my crimped hair. After crying for an embarrassingly long time, I had ripped the braid out so I wouldn't have to keep looking at my red face—fat load of good that did.

My heart was pounding so loudly, it was like it was coming from the walls. I tried sucking in more breaths, but it felt like someone was strangling me. My fingers were shaking, I wrapped them around the sink and hung my head over the water. It churned yellow in the sink, swirling in circles before vanishing down the drain.

"You have to tell her."

I jumped and spun around to meet Nel's unamused face. She sat in one of the open stalls, her tail flicking wildly behind her.

"Criminy," I scowled at her, clutching my heart. "Can you stop doing that? That was super embarrassing back there!"

Underestimate of the fucking century.

Nel's eyes shot to the door but fuck subtly at this point. If someone barged in and found me arguing with a purple–eyed cat, well, merry Christmas, they can go ahead and slap the crazy label onto my forehead. It's not like it was much worse than what happened before.

"These attacks," she turned back to me, speaking like I hadn't said anything, "they're getting too frequent."

I wanted to yell at her for her total disregard for my feelings—because hello, that had totally been her fault—but I knew she was right. A matter that never failed to piss me off.

Sighing, I gripped the sink behind me and lowered gaze. My hair fell in waves over my shoulder and the air felt cold against my neck.

"I know," I admitted. Because what else was there to say? I'd promised her that today would be the day. I would tell Lila everything, then I would ask if she wanted—if she could—to become a Guardian. It was too risk putting it off any longer.

"When will you tell her?"

"This afternoon," I decided, meeting Nel's determined glare. "After the assignment. I'll tell her everything."

I was a bundle of nerves after that.

A lump rose in my throat, one that made it hard to speak, and it didn't leave for the rest of the day. I kept my head down between my classes, pulling the blazer tight across my shirt, but could still feel stares lingered on my back. 'There's the girl who spat snot onto that guy', 'she's that messy chick who totally stared into the love of her life's face looking like that.' It didn't even matter that I wasn't wearing the jumper anymore, or that I had let down my hair to hide myself, I just knew they were looking at me.

And I tried ignoring it. Tried repeating to myself there was a bigger picture here, one that had nothing to do with this, but it honestly made it worse. This was humiliating, but that was downright scary. Unlike me, Lila had the option to decline what I was putting on the table. She could decide that no, fighting against these monsters, keeping it to herself, and retaining her normal life just wasn't for her. She could walk away, she at least knew that one of us would continue the fight. She could take comfort in knowing that she wasn't the only one standing in the way of mass destruction.

But me? I didn't get that option. If I had said no, I don't even know if we'd still be here right now. And I was honestly terrified to keep fighting on my own. My powers had come back, but I didn't know if they'd stay this time. And I could fight without them, but only against Mutants—if it were against Serec, it wasn't likely I'd be coming out of that again. The only reason I was still here after our first encounter was because he let me go. It had nothing to do with my abilities, or my resourceful thinking, but rather because he was simply amused.

At this point, I couldn't tell which scared me more—taking Lila's normalcy away or being left alone.

Not for the first time, I wished I didn't have to tell her right away, or that we didn't have this bloody assignment. I wanted to go back to the training room where I could take out all my frustrations on those freaky holograms.

But unfortunately, it wasn't an option. I'd already told Lila I'd be there and working on our assignment separately was just needless complicated.

So that's how I found myself here, fingers shaking, heart in my throat, and slipping through the library doors. It was a wide–spaced room inside, where the silence stretched like smoke. There were a few students sat at that tables, and behind that were the many rows of lined up books that ran to the end of the room. Some eyes flashed in my direction; gulping, I ducked my head and walked down the aisles, glimpsing at the spines that faced outwards.

The fictional section, specifically the classics. I used to come here a lot, when I didn't have no one to talk to. Romance made my chest ring with hollowness, so I often read things like Frankenstein, Dracula, Lord of the Flies or even some of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales. Stranger in a Strange Land, on the other hand, was a mistake, and that's all I'll say on the matter.

Eventually, I reached the end of the aisle, which led me to the computer section of the library. It was along the back wall, with several desks that each had an old, boxy–looking computer. Lila was sat at the third computer, a few seats away from the window along the right. The orange sun slipped through the glass, washing over her and shoving her shadow against the floorboards. She was scrolling on her phone, reading something with a faint smile, when she noticed me.

Her smile became wider, friendlier, but wavered when her eyes flickered to my hair. I tried returning her smile, but it felt crooked.

"You look well," she said with twinkling eyes, shoving aside her stuff to make room for me. I pretty much curled into myself when I sat down, keeping everything of mine relegated to my seat. She fiddled with the mouse and the computer screen flickered on, showing us the login page.

"Yeah," I mumbled, nodding. She was obviously trying to start a conversation, probably break the ice since this lunch, but I just wasn't feeling up for it.

I turned to the computer and quickly typed in my password, ignoring her slight frowning.

Time moved slower as we worked on the last of our assignment. My fingers trembled as they clacked across the old keyboard, the sound hitting my ears like heartbeats. Lila's gaze lingered on my hands, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her off, or even look up. Her book lay open in her lap, her back firm and straight against the chair, as she calmly listed off her findings in her notes. My mind scrambled to put them into formalised sentence, I kept having to hit the backspace to erase my many, many mistakes.

We were the only ones in the library when we managed to finish, aside from the librarians who were progressively checking their watches. When Lila hit send with an extra loud clack! that submitted the assignment, she quickly turned to me with a large grin and held up her palm.

"We completed it in only two and a half hours," she announced with pride. "We make a good team."

My stomach squirmed, there was that word again—team. It rung in my ears, sweeping through me like a hurricane. We'd finished the assignment, there was nothing standing in the way of my telling her. There weren't any excuses to hide behind, I somehow had to push those words out of my mouth.

"Yeah," I shakily rose my hand, meeting hers in a half–hearted high–five. "We do."

Of course, Lila wasn't an idiot, nor was she deaf, and the moment I'd stuttered, her smile had shrunken from her face. She rose an eyebrow, contemplating something, and I turned away from her to hop to my feet and pack my stuff up. Shrugging, she copied my movements, standing and stuffing her books into her bag.

"You alright, Helga?" she asked, pulling her bag onto her shoulders.

Right, here it was, Helga. No more excuses, no more hiding.

"Erm, yeah, I'm just—" I took a breath and tried again. "Did you wanna go to the Sundae Saloon? To celebrate, I mean."

She blinked, taken back with my sudden switch in topics.

"Er, sure, of course, Helga," her mouth lifted into another smile, but it was different this time. It seemed more polite then it was genuine and didn't reach her eyes. "I have a fair bit until my curfew."

A curfew. Would this even work out? Her Dad was the chief of police, could this even work out?

"cool," I nodded, despite myself, and looked away. "Well, okay, let's go."

Swinging my bag on, I turned around and strode away with my metaphorical tail between my legs. I could feel her gaze burning into my shoulders, setting my senses on fire, but oddly she wasn't following. I frowned, about to ask why—

"Erm, Helga."

"Yes?"

"The exit is the other way."

Oh, come on.

I quickly swivelled around without looking at her, continuing in the opposite direction. She laughed when I passed her, but I chose to ignore that for my sanity.

Criminy.

"Cheers!"

Lila grinned, clinking her glass against mine. I found myself smiling back at her and nodded, "Cheers."

Simultaneously, we threw our heads back and chugged our milkshakes. My eyes shut as the wonderfully sugar–filled, cavity inducing sweetness slid over my tongue and sloshed down my throat. My stomach inhaled it with such delight, and I suddenly remembered just how empty it had been until now.

Finishing at the same time, we slammed our glasses back onto the table with an echoing thud. Milky residue rested over our cupid bows, sending Lila into a cackling fit. I paused, wiping away the milkstache, and noticed how different this laughter sounded. It usually rang like a ball, so pleasant sounding it almost seemed rehearsed, and she kept it hidden behind her hand. But now, her mouth was wide open, and she had doubled over with such a wacky–sounding laughter, that even I couldn't help chuckling.

People turned in our direction, which only made us laugh harder, so much that tears were streaming down our eyes. It didn't help that pig–like snorts came from Lila's mouth. If anything, it only made it longer for us to stop and catch our breath.

Thankfully, the Saloon wasn't as crowded as it normally was. It was pretty late in the afternoon and the sun was sinking in the sky. Well, either that, or because of the increasing attacks, something I shoved to the back of my mind.

Lila and I sat at one of the front booths next to the window, which covered the front. The Saloon had a checkerboard patterned floor, and two rows red, plush booths. Behind the second row and along the back wall were marble counters with red stools where the barista's worked. Another row of red booths ran down the right wall, and next to the last one was the jukebox, which despite appearances, was actually hooked to one of the phones of the baristas. Currently, it was playing a 90's sounding song, one that Lila claimed to have heard in a TV show.

Oh, my life
Is changing everyday
In every possible way

It was so odd being here. It struck me with a feeling that was a mx between satisfaction and a dash of awareness. The last time I'd been here, I'd given up. I had been standing there—my eyes darted to the spot in the window beneath the font—watch a world I would never been apart of. I had watched Phoebe get swept into a world that no longer involved me, one that held certainty for her future. Those promises we once had made to each other—of becoming like fireworks—they lit up in burning flames and fell to my feet like dying embers.

And oh, my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I never thought I would be here again. I never thought I'd be sitting in my favourite booth—third from the door, in front of the window to catch the light—and drinking my favourite milkshake with a friend.

I know I felt like this before
But now I'm feeling it even more

I blinked, musing on that realisation—friend. It was so odd thinking of Lila like that. It wasn't long ago when I'd considered her an enemy, a rival for Arnold's affections. It was still weird to admit, but I couldn't deny it anymore. Lila had forced herself into my life, with her stubbornness and surprisingly teasing nature.

I still remembered when we had ordered our milkshakes, not more then ten minutes ago. I'd ordered my usual—a tall chocolate with extra whipped cream—and moved aside to let her make own her order. I'd caught her eyes glimmering with something but hadn't thought anything of it until she ordered a banana milkshake. She'd worded innocently, but it was definitely a jab, aiming to get a rise from me. Which she did, by the way. The moment she said the words, I'd turned into a spluttering mess, which left the waiter eyeing me like I was from the looney bin.

My eyebrows rose, a bubble of air rising up my throat, and I suddenly released a burp. Lila blinked in surprise, the smile slipping from her lips. I blushed and lowered my face, clamping my mouth shut. Oh, criminy—nice Helga, way to show the most poised girl in Hillwood how gross you are.

"Um, sorry," I muttered, folding back into my seat. I didn't get a response, which surprised me. I expected her to be repulsed, but quiet on the other hand . . .

I raised my head and was surprised when, instead of a look of mortification, Lila simply rose a brow with a smirk. Then she opened her mouth and out came one of the mightiest belches I'd heard (discounting anything that came from Bob, of course). Customers around us paused in their conversations to look at us again, this time with disgust.

Lila patted her chest and feigned a sheepish–looking smile. "Excuse me," she added dryly.

I stared at her for a moment before grinning, impressed. "Nice."

"Eh," she gave a half–shrug, her smile becoming genuine. "I try."

Well, so much for being poised.

My smile twitched, the laughter rising. Okay, so maybe I didn't know Lila like I used to claim. I had only seen her as a fancy Nancy, one so perfect that she never had to struggle with anything in her life. But there was a lot about her that surprised me—like her bizarre obsession with anime, or her fixation on my relationship with Arnold, or even the . . .

I paused, the smile falling.

. . . the willingness to keep fighting.

My gaze fell to my hands on the table, looking like pale, sweltering sticks. Or the way she picked things up quickly and used them to her advantage. I fiddled with my blazer sleeves, pulling them over my fingers to ease the nervous flurry that rushed through me.

"Can you believe we're free now?" Lila suddenly asked.

I looked up, recognising something different about her eyes. They weren't bubbly anymore and an aura of caution hovered over her face. She was doing that thing again, when she knew more then she let on and wanted to figure me out like a riddle.

"No more meet ups that almost seem to kill us," she added with a small laugh. It was supposed to cheer me up from whatever mood I seemed to be in, but it only sent a biting feeling through me. She faked another laugh which I tried returning, but it sounded like someone had stuffed their fist down my throat.

"Yeah . . . that's—it's good," I said, rubbing my neck.

"It's quite an unfortunate amount of luck we seem to have, isn't it?"

Oh, you have no idea, Lila.

"Yeah . . ." I swallowed thickly, which did nothing to ease my nerves.

A frown grew in place of her smile and Lila leaned over the table. Her hands darted across the surface, about to take mine, but she thought better of it. Instead, she rested hers a hair's length from mine.

"Is everything alright, Helga?" she asked, her voice low.

"Yeah, of course—erm, why wouldn't it be?"

She didn't say anything, but her gaze turned more doubtful with each word. I moved my hands from hers, placing them on my lap beneath the table, and squeezed my eyes shut. She remained quiet as I pulled in a breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it through my nose. My heart was racing, but some of the tension slipped from my shoulders, and I opened my eyes.

"Okay, um—you're right. Something's up, I, uh—" it occurred to me that coming here, where it was public, may not have been very smart. "Lila, I have to tell you something . . . secret, and important."

Her eyes lit up. "Does it involve a certain you–know–who?"

"Wha—" I blinked, then groaned with realisation. "No, Lila, it has nothing to do with him."

I didn't even want to think about him after today. I still had to figure out how to give him his jumper back without letting him see my face. The thought doused me with mortification, which I kicked to the corners of my mind. The apprehension was already enough to choke on, I didn't need shame on top of that.

The smile froze, and Lila's eyes slid across my face, taking in my every move before she sank back into her seat. Her face was unreadable, and she folded her hands across the table like a proper lady.

"What is it?" she asked slowly, raising her chin.

I breathed.

It was now or never, Helga.

"Lila—" I hesitated, and Lila narrowed her eyes. "Lila, I'm—"

A tiny whistle made the hairs on my neck stand.

My hands shot across the table and grabbed onto Lila's shoulders. Her eyes widened, her mouth opening, as I jerked us both over the side of the table, our glasses smashing onto the surface. The window seemed to detonate as something large shot through the glass. The object fired over our heads and Lila cried out in surprise, which soon was engulfed by the other customer's screams. I twisted my body so I hit the floor first and Lila's head landed on my shoulder.

Her hair had fallen from her bun, and the braids splattered onto the floor. Her wide eyes turned in the direction the object had hurtled. Lifting my head, I propped myself on my shoulders and looked over my shoulder, following her line of sight. I found myself staring at a fire hydrant, which seemed to have been ripped straight from the pavement outside. It had flown over both the rows of boots and smashed into the counters, where dust raised into the air from the impact.

The barista's had managed to jump out of the way, as well as a couple who were plastered on the floor, who looked around with alarm.

A snarling caught my attention.

I felt Lila turning to me, and slowly rose to my knees to cast my gaze over the table. It was covered in glass shards that looked like a layer of glittering diamonds. Sunlight poured through the jagged window edges and behind the plate of glass, on the road, were five inhumanely large, snarling bodies.

Tires screeched as cars swivelled around to avoid the creatures, which each bore large, furry fists. Their bodies were covered in thick carpets of fur, with large snouts and long, sharp antlers.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I muttered.

"Helga?" Lila sat up and peered over the table. Her eyes swept past the glass shards and landed on the hulking figures. She gasped, covering her mouth with horror. "Holy sh—"

"You have to get out of here!" I looped my hand under her elbow and yanked her to her feet. Her wide eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth, but I cut her off. "You have to leave—now!"

"But Hel—"

"Go!" I shoved her in the direction of the front door, which was flooded as people, customers and barista's alike, rushed to get the hell out of here. "I'll check if anyone needs help!"

I didn't spare her another glance and spun on my heels to rush for the bathroom. My heart was throbbing in my throat, I couldn't believe this shit was happening—now of all times. I slammed my body against the door and rushed in, realising that no one else was in here.

Exhaling a long breath, I pulled out my pin.

Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long.

The Sundae Saloon was one shop in a street that was typically swarmed with people, tired from a long day. It was lined with colourful stores that advertised flashy meals for low, low prices. So, this time of day made it really popular with teenagers and younger adults who didn't have the money to splurge yet.

But the street came to a dead–end, where one of the largest skyscrapers in the city stood. It was like a beacon of light from the way the sun's fiery rays rebounded from its windows. And with the light behind the, shadows fell over the Mutants like cloaks which, with their antlers, made them look demonic.

Thankfully, most of them had caught any victims since people were quick to jump into their cars and nope the fuck out of here. But I recognised that two of the Mutants had managed to snag themselves victims.

One of them—a boy, wearing a red hoodie—was grasped in the Mutant's large hands, the tips of his converses grazing the pavement. The Mutant's mouth was wide, drawing in the boy's energy like he was a can of coca cola. His eyes had slipped shut and his head was lolling back against the Mutant's fingers, which allowed the Mutant to breathe in more of his energy.

And the second victim was a man, on the ground and propped up on his elbows. He was dressed in a dress shirt and worn jeans, and his hand was splayed against the car door. His petrified eyes struck the Mutant, who loomed over him like a predator.

I decided to go for him first and sent a flying orb that flew over the man's head and wrapped around the Mutant. It growled, looking around at the barrier that encased it, and the man turned over his shoulder to gasp when he saw me.

My lips clamped shut and I kept my gaze directed on the Mutant. Snapping out my hands, I pushed against the wave of power and sent the barrier flying. The Mutant howled as it was reeled backwards, slamming into a streetlight and collapsing in a heap.

The other three Mutant's heads swung in my direction, growling when they saw me, but I looked at the man on the ground. His mouth had dropped with surprise, eyes trailing up and down my form as if to discern whether this was real or not. I nudged my chin in a random direction, alerting him that now was the time to escape. He snapped his mouth shut and nodded, scrambling to his feet and yanking open his car door. He dived in, starting his car with a roar, and shot off like a rocket. The Mutants lunged for the hunk of metal, but he evaded them and disappeared down the road.

The breeze kissed my skin, and I slid my eyes back to the Mutant with the boy in its hands. It was so occupied with stealing the boy's life force that it hadn't even noticed me. Frowning, I leapt onto the roof of a snazzy–looking car.

"Hey, asshole!"

Two sizzling orbs shot like bullets for the Mutant. It looked up and with a yelp, let go of the man to cover its face with its arms. The orbs slammed into its body, throwing it back, and dissolving in a shower of blue sparks. I fired my wires before the boy's head could slam against the ground and the hooks latched onto his clothing.

I pulled him into my arms and lowered to my knees so I could check his face for any injuries. Now that I was close, I realised that he was my age, maybe a little older. Noting the lack of discolouration, I realised he wasn't injured, but simply unconscious from the draining.

I shifted his weight in my arms, propping his head against my shoulder, and looked up at the snarling monsters. The sunlight washed over my shoulders, casting my shadow across the road and giving me an appearance bigger than I was.

"I'm Blue Jay, Defender of—" I cut off with a yelp when one of the Mutants lobbed a trashcan in my direction. I jumped from the car and scrambled out of the way. The trashcan hurtled with a blinding speed into the car and a cracked echoed when the metal smacked into the glass. Thankfully, I landed a safe distance away from the collusion, but I could tell that that damage wasn't cheap.

I growled and reeled around to the Mutant that had thrown it. A cloudy puff shot from its nostrils and it folded its arms like it was a freaky–deaky bodyguard. The confidence it exuded—like it didn't believe I could do shit against it—only served to piss me off.

A sudden movement from my peripherals caught my attention. I looked over to a couple—a young pair of women—on the other side of the street, hurrying to get into their car. One of the women, dressed in a pink shirt with a red ponytail, was digging through her handbag for her keys. And the other, a dark–skinned woman with short hair, bounced on her toes beside her, hissing for her to hurry up.

Shifting the boy's body so he was wrapped more firmly in my arms, I shot out a wire and swung over to them. Both the women jumped and looked up, their faces dropping with shock when they saw it was me.

"Please, take him to the hospital," I said with an apologetic smile before pushing the boy into the dark–skinned woman's arms. She looked down at his face, her mouth closing, before turning back to me again. Fear was stretched across her face, but she firmly nodded her compliance.

I smiled gratefully at them before turning back around. I heard a frantic jingle of keys before I tossed my wire and flew back across the street. I landed a fair way's away from each of the Mutants and kept my silence until I heard the car rolling away.

"Anyways, as I was saying—" I jammed my fists onto my hips, rising my chin. "—I am Blue J—ahhhhh!"

I let out a strangled scream and barely managed to twist around the fist the suddenly came my way. The Mutant's vicious gaze met mine and the air fled from my body. Spinning around, I struck out my fist, sending a wire soaring for the tops of one of the surrounding buildings. A fist grazed my back when I stepped forward and kicked myself into the air.

The wind stung my face, burning my eyes, and whipped my braid over my shoulder. The sunlight that bounce from the skyscraper was too bright, I couldn't see anything. Clacking my teeth together, I threw out my legs, clicking my ankles together, so I could direct my weight.

Shifting my legs to the right, I felt myself swinging back around. The sun shone from behind me, I could see again and recognised the alarm rising in the Mutant that had attacked me. I smirked, flying forward, and slammed my feet into its nose.

The impact sent it backwards and crashing into another Mutant. The pair fell like dominos and I swung around to land nimbly in a crouched position. The sun washed over my back and I threw my hand up to let the wire snap back into my wrist.

I breathed, my braid curling over my shoulder, and tried again. "Alright, now—I am Blue Jay, Defender of Earth and Guardian of—"

Suddenly, a large hand wrapped around my bicep and a gush of hot air hit me. I shivered, turning to a pair of predatorial eyes. The Mutant towered over me, more then double my size, and I had to strain my neck just to meet its gaze. The Mutant's breath washed over me again—hot and gross—and ruffled my hair.

I gulped, finding myself utterly powerless. "Um, hi?"

And then it opened its mouth and let out the loudest, most terrifying roar I had ever hear in my life. Its hot, stinky breath slammed into me, and the boom of its growl pulsed from all around me. I was about to jam my fists into my ears when the Mutant swung me over its shoulders.

The air spiralled in my ears and my head bashed into something that rung with a metallic echo. Over the pain that exploded in my skull, I felt my body falling until I smacked into something squishy and warm. It folded around me, a plastic squeaking invading my ears, and a gross stench loitered over me.

My eyes popped open and I looked around. Bile rose in my throat and my stomach knotted when I realised that I'd landed in a fucking dumpster. The walls were dark and loomed over me, and scrunched pieces of trash and plastic bottles dug into my sides.

I was much too stunned to feel any pain and quickly scrambled to get the hell out of here. My vision was spinning as I struggled to my feet, but I was not letting that keep me down. I could feel a warm wetness soaking my shoulders, and another one exploding between my fingers when I latched onto something squishy. I grimaced, well aware the wetness was not my blood.

Gripping the edges, I heaved myself up the steel walls, but when I peered over, I was greeted with a sight that made my blood boil. The Mutants—the bad guys—were laughing at me. Not the 'mildly amused slightly chuckling' kinda laughing but the 'bent over, stomach wrapped in my arms, I'm crying' kinda laughing.

Growling, I pressed my forearms on the edge to balance my weight and opened my mouth to re–attempt my speech—

Plop!

—when a banana peel landed on my head.

"Oh, forget it!" I cried, flinging my arms around and tossing away the slimy peel. Who needed a stupid introduction anyway?

My actions made the Mutants howl louder, and I was about ready to climb out of here to give them a piece of my mind when a shadow fell over me. Looking up, I shrieked when a giant bird soared in the sk. The raging sun thundered from behind it, casting its body in sharp, dark shadows. At first, I thought that maybe—maybe—it was just an abnormally large bird–freak, but then I noticed the demonic way its eyes flashed against its silhouette.

"Are you fucking serious?!"

Another Mutant?

It let out a squawk that spiralled in the air, almost as if saying 'yes, dummy.' To which made me want to curl into a pathetic ball and started wailing. Instead, I pulled out my knife from my boot, ignoring the squishiness beneath my feet. I was about to hurl the knife at the bird when something hot and wet knocked it from my hand. It clattered to the ground, I looked to the right to a Mutant that stood a few feet away. This one seemed to have a larger chin then the others; I was about to jump from the dumpster when a long, pink tongue darted from its mouth.

"Oh, shi—" I threw up my hand, a cackling firing from my fingers. But the tongue shot over my shoulder, looping around several times, before pulling my arms tight to my sides. An acidic burning seared my skin, and I grit my teeth together to hold back the cries. "Let go, you—"

My stomach shot into my throat when the ground left my feet. I screamed, finding myself hanging upside down in the air, my braid slapping my chin. That stupid Mutant was holding me up with its stupid tongue so that I would be defenceless.

Over the frantic pounding in my ears, I heard a growl come from the Mutant's throat. The burning came in waves that left me withering and kicking my legs. The tongue was pulled so tight that I couldn't move my arms. But my fingers could slightly wiggle and my mind flashed—maybe that was enough.

My fingers were wet and pink, aching from being bound. Shutting my eyes, I let the memories of that power slide down my arms. It was like heated waterfalls were gliding underneath my skin, stopping at my hands, and swelling into pools of warmth. I was ready to push those pulsing orbs from my fingers when a really strange feeling hit me.

It was like I had been struck with lightning; for a moment, I was doused in a blistering heat so intense that my eyes snapped open. It was a brilliant shock that made my heart jolt in my ears and sweat pour down my skin. But as quickly as it came, it vanished and left me bitterly cold. The heat was snatched from my skin and an iciness crept from the back of my head to my toes.

A dizziness swirled in my mind like a fog and when I opened my eyes, it was to a cloud that fascinated and dizzied me. It swallowed my vision, smothering me with shades of yellow. It wasn't like sunshine or butterscotch, but one that reminded me of bile. The more I looked at it, the more the dizziness spread like a miasma. I tried keeping my eyes open, but my head was getting too heavy. The fogginess was anchoring my limbs down, and the next thing I was aware of, my eyes were slipping shut—

There was a sharp, slicing noise, followed with a hoarse shriek that jerked me awake. The tight bounds disappeared from around me, and soon I was falling. Everything was spinning too much, I couldn't do anything but let myself land in a heap. My head hit the ground with a crack, and something sticky snaked its way down my forehead. It slid over my mask and tangled with my eyelashes. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, the nausea firmly lodged in my psyche, when an unfamiliar voice hit me.

"Ooh, sorry there."

There was a ringing between my brows, and I slowly opened my eyes to a figure cloaked in shadows. The sunlight shone over her shoulders, she was nothing more than a silhouette. But her limbs were long and muscular, and her gloved hands were wrapped around a silver rod. It had a long blaze on the end, about the size of my forearm, with familiar–looking runes.

Her head swung in my direction, and she spun her road so quickly that the light rebounded and scattered across the floor. She swung the bladed end to the pavement and moved forward to offer a hand.

"Need some help?"

She stood over me, and the shadows fell from her, revealing her uniform. She wore a dark, high–collared jumpsuit with geometric cut–outs at the waist. But instead of baring triangles of skin, it revealed a protective layer of mesh. As the breaths rolled down her body, the mesh shimmered with a green tint. Her sleeves cut off at her elbows and a pair of black vambraces covered her forearms, forming into fingerless gloves. She had two glowing outlines on both sides of her thighs in the shapes of green ticks, and a pair of knee–high boots.

Dazed, I looked up at her face. Short, crimson hair choppily fell over her ears and down the back of her neck. Her black mask was similar to mine, moulded around her brows, eyes and nose. But even then, I could see that her eyes were a hardened shade of green that exuded fire. The throbbing pain washed away, replaced with a sharp realisation that snatched the breath from my chest.

"Lila?"

It wasn't more than a whisper, but her eyes widened, and her lips made a small 'O' shape.

"Wow, already? Am I that obvious?" For emphasis, she pointed at herself. "Is it the accent? Be honest—is it that strong?"

Truthfully, her voice was unexpected. She had such an elegant face, something I'd expect from a princess in an animated movie, but her voice had a huskiness to it. There was a slight country twang, but it wasn't that noticeable. It was mostly buried beneath the deep folds of the silky rumbling. It was the sound that Nadine would fawn over when describing her dream girl.

"Uh," I dragged the back of my fist over my forehead, mopping away the blood. "No, it's, uh, it's not the accent, I just . . . well, I—"

There was a growl, and we both sprang apart before the fist could hit us. But my head was still swimming with drowsiness and I slipped, landing on my ass. I gasped at the pain that shot through my side, battling with the dizziness holding me hostage. My body felt like bags of sand about to burst yet shook like I hadn't eaten in weeks. I had to suck in deep breaths, forgetting the world around me. Some hair had fallen from my braid and scatted across the gravel around my face. There were thuds that shook the ground, but I ignored it to drag my fist across my forehead again. The cut didn't feel too big, but it stung when I skimmed it, and more blood smudged over my hand. I wiped my eyes one more time, then pushed against the ground and forced myself to look around.

Lila had disappeared.

"What?" I mumbled with a frown. "Where'd she—"

A heated wall of air crashed over me. My braid flew over my shoulder and I swung around, catching sight of a large blur that rushed at an impossible rate. The blur was dark, but green comet tails stretched from its sides. It was running so fast, it was hard to keep up with it, that it left behind a swirling gush of wind in its wake.

The Mutant that had just attacked us, its eyes caught onto the blur rushing for it. It held up its fists, but the blur was quick and slammed its weight into the Mutant's body. The Mutant was knocked from its feet and landed with a tremendous thud.

The blur stopped, settling back into Lila's form. The cut–outs on her sides matched the ticks on her thighs, glowing an iridescent shade of green. Her eyes were dark, baring an unreadable look on her face, and she held tightly onto her rod.

The Mutant snarled and crawled to its knees. Lila snarled, something that took me by surprise, and she rammed the bladed end into the Mutant's chest. My jaw dropped as I watched one of the politest girls I knew spear a Mutant. The creature shrieked, but that faded beneath the sharp cracking noise as Lila pulled the rod from its body.

I opened my mouth to warn her about the explosion when she flipped over the Mutant's head. But as she sailed in the air, she tapped the side of her neck and a helmet whooshed over her face. She curled her body in an elaborate spin before landing in a crouched position a safe distance away.

The Mutant's body detonated in a blinding explosion, but only the gush of heated wind reached her. It rolled over her back, and she slowly raised her masked face to the Mutants charging for her.

Lila didn't move at first. I couldn't see her face, but I got the feeling it was because she was studying them. She swung her rod out and another blade came out from the other end. I balked, wondering if she knew that would happen. She then stood to her feet, the road clutched in both hands, and stretched her arms over her head. She began swinging the road in her fingers at an impossibly fast speed, reminding me of helicopter blades. A small tornado curled around her body as both blades beat the air.

The closest Mutant stopped to shield its face from the wind. Seizing her opportunity, Lila lifted her foot and slammed it into the Mutant's chest. The impact sent the Mutant flying back and colliding into one of the other Mutant's.

That left behind one standing, who merely maneuvered around the others to avoid getting hit. It ran at Lila, ducking beneath the blades, and let its huge fist fly forward. Lila ducked to the side, the tornado vanishing, and stabbed her rod into the ground. The Mutant struck again, and she swivelled out of the way before gripping onto her rod again. She kicked off the ground, swinging around like it was a pole, and swung her feet into the Mutant's face.

It collapsed, its head hitting the concrete with a thud, and she landed gracefully on her feet. She yanked the rod from the ground, her face never turning away from the Mutant. It snarled, and she responded by jamming the rod into the Mutant's windpipe. Blood spluttered over the blade and ran down the Mutant's neck.

Pressing her foot into its chest, she yanked the weapon out with a loud cracking sound. I blinked, watching as the movement sent an arc of green splattering into the air. Shifting the road into both her hands, Lila jumped over the crumbled body and bounded away in a glowing haze. She appeared in front of the remaining Mutants in half a second; they jerked to their feet when they recognised her presence.

"Her power," I found myself uttering. "It's—"

"Speed."

I jumped and looked over my shoulder, finding Nel sitting by my side. I blinked, wondering where the flying fuck she had come from, and noticed her gaze. It was full of admiration, not a hint of surprise, and her tail was wrapped around her body.

"Yes," she continued with a nod. "Surprising, isn't it?"

Nel was still looking at Lila, but I couldn't stop staring at her. The dots were slowly forming in my hazy mind. Nel must have sensed my revelation because she turned to me with bemusement.

"Nel, did you—"

A hoarse cry rang from behind us. We both turned back to Lila, who had dropped to her knees and swung her rod into one of the Mutant's thighs. Blood spurted over the face of her helmet and the Mutant howled, falling to the ground.

The remaining Mutant yowled and charged at her. She looked up, and I noticed how much the Mutant towered over her crouched form. Its mouth stretched back, and a hollering scream ripped from its teeth. Lila jerked her rod out of the earlier Mutant's thigh, before vanishing in a blur and dashing around its form.

She sped past the Mutant, close enough to touch, but was too quick to be caught. She drifted by like a dream, leaving behind a wall of air that slammed into the Mutant's chest and knocked it onto its back. The Mutant blinked, panting hard, and forced itself onto its knees. It snapped its gaze right to left when the blur circled back and swung over its head in a convoluted type of flip. There was a half–second where a glint of silver before it buried into the Mutant's skull. The green droplets shot like darts, but the blur outran them, jerking back its rod and bolting away.

And then she was in front of me again. Tapping her neck, the helmet retracted back into her uniform, revealing her panting, yet smiling face.

"Wasn't that awesome?" she asked, buzzing with giddiness. She was practically dancing on the tips of her toes, barely able to keep her hands to her sides.

"I, um—" I blinked, trading a quick, puzzled look with Nel. The cat merely shook her head in a what can you do? kinda way. "—yeah, it was pretty cool."

Lila's eyes lit up.

"Thanks," she grinned, propping her rod onto her shoulder. "Knew we'd make a good team."

Well technically, I hadn't actually done anything.

A monstrous screech in the distance snapped us both into focus. Stretching out my hand, the knife flashed back into my palm while Lila swung around her rod. The bird was no longer flying high in the sky but soaring closer and closer for the ground. And the nearer it got, the more clearly it became just how much bigger this thing was compared to us.

"Can you use one of your shields?" Lila asked, her eyes trained on the predator, and the humour gone from her voice.

"Maybe," I answered. "But not for long, I'm still drained."

Which wasn't a lie. There was a fiery, hot ache pumping in my temples, one that throbbed down to the roots of my teeth. And tremors were still running down my bones like I'd just been punched. Forcefields already took a lot of concentration, I couldn't imagine holding one up for more than a few seconds.

"How do we defeat it then?"

She raised her eyebrows expectedly, and I felt Nel turning in my direction. Frustration and panic rose inside me; even if Lila was a quick learner, I had still been fighting for longer. Lila was very skilled, but she didn't know the ropes yet. She would still be looking to me for guidance.

But how were we supposed to defeat this buzzard? It was large, it looked like its wingspan was larger than the length of a regular bus. I could throw my knife, like I'd planned to before, but there was still the risk that it would simply avoid it. The knife was fast, but not that fast. No, we'd need something faster, something heavier, that could take it down and—

Wait.

My eyes darted from Lila, to the bird, then back to Lila again. The top of her masked moved up from what I imagined was her raising her eyebrow.

I smirked.

"I've got a plan."

It was like someone had set fire to the sky; the sun poured its brilliant hot oranges and reds into the dissolving clouds like a pot of molten lava. The rays wrapped around the Mutant's body, turning it into a sleek black silhouette. Its wings were large and angled, shifted into a flat plane as it glided closer and closer for the ground.

The closer it got, the more I began realising things I hadn't before; like the long, threaded antlers that rose from its skull, or the talons sharp enough to break skin with the lightest of contact. It was coming from the right side of the street, planning to cut through the middle to get to me. My palm was flat against a streetlight, my mind still spinning, and I had shifted most of my weight against it.

The blood had long dried on my face, becoming a disgusting, crusty paste. It was mostly on my mask, but some loose strands of hair that had escaped my braids had managed to scrap some.

Nel was next to me, her form in a crouched position with her ears flat against her head. Her eyes were narrowed, never moving away from the Mutant as she counted the seconds down. Her tail was swishing angrily in the air and smacked against my calf.

My eyes briefly went to Lila, who was buried in the shadows that covered a tight alleyway. She wasn't far from us, but still hidden from the Mutant's sight. Her rod was attached to one of the ticks on her thighs, which apparently held the power to magnetically hold her weapon. The rod had returned to its dormant state, a twenty centimetre long version of itself, and the blades had both sunk back into the ends. She flashed me a thumb's up, signalling her readiness, with a grin that threatened to split her face.

Crunching my lips together, I turned back to the Mutant, watching its shadowy form descend. My heart pounded so hard that my whole body vibrated, and the silence swept over me like a breeze. I watched our opponent fly, waiting for the command to strike.

And then it did.

"Now, Helga," Nel ordered.

I nodded and threw up my hand.

Lila gushed out of her spot from the shadows and fired a single wire. It whistled through the air like a ghost, too fast for the Mutant to dodge. Before it made the hit, I threw out my fist. The sides of my head throbbed as a shifting iridescent barrier wrapped around the hook. I swung my wrists in a circular motion and the wire followed; the hook spun so fast it was almost a blur and wrapped around the Mutant's neck. The Mutant let out a gargled roar and started to flail, trying to break from its shackles.

A wave of dizziness hit me, and I stumbled back. I could feel the forcefield fizzling away and fell to my knees, breathing heavily. Nel put her paw on my knee and I looked up to her encouraging smile. A small smile tugged at my own lips and I nodded at her.

I had done my part, now it was up to Lila.

I looked up just in time to catch her leaping from the hood of a car She flew through the air like a bullet, the green glowing angrily at her sides, as she left a spiralling trail of air behind her. A shot echoed through the sky as she fired out her last wire. The grappling hook sailed in an arc that reached the top of the skyscraper, securely planting itself along the edge of the building.

Lila rushed past the Mutant's head and a jolt ran through the wires around its neck. The wire was pulled tight and whatever noise the Mutant was about to make died in its throat as it was tugged backwards. Lila landed firmly against the skyscraper, then broke into a running start. There was a tremendous boom as the Mutant's body slammed slightly below her into the skyscraper, but that didn't deter her. She left behind a glowing streak as she ran up the vertical wall like she was on even ground. It was one of the strangest, yet impressive things I'd seen in my life; between her speed and her wires, gravity had no chance of pulling her down.

And nether did the Mutant; Lila dragged it along with her, with its throat still caught in the wire. But even from here, I could see that it was cutting deeper and deeper into its neck. The edge of the building was rapidly getting closer to her—she was almost there.

And then she jumped, yanking the wire, and all the resistance disappeared. There was a sickening crack and an explosion of green that splattered along the windows. Free of all the extra weight, Lila shot into the air and tumbled onto the flat roof.

Before the wire snapped back into her wrists, the Mutant's dislodged head heaved high into the air while its body plummeted back down the building. My breath hitched, and I forced myself to my feet, whipping out my knife.

Lila's head snapped back, and she watched the Mutant's head fly above her. I saw a glimmer as she ripped the rod from her thigh, but I quickly turned my attention to the descending body. It was a large target, but it was falling too quickly, it was too risky to shoot from here.

Gnashing my teeth together, I jolted up from my position and whizzed down the street. The winds whipped my face, cooling the sweat that leaked down my temples, and my hair flapped over my shoulders. My head was spinning, the floor lurching beneath my feet, but I kept my eyes ahead and on my target.

Blinking against the black spots, I flung the knife over my shoulder. The familiar warmth glided in my ears as the blade soared for the falling body. I dug my heels into the ground to slide to a stop, but the leftover force slammed into my shoulders and sent me falling.

The colours in my vision merged and a pain exploded in my face as my cheek slammed into the pavement. I spat out pieces of gravel, but a wetness slid down the corner of my mouth. I wiped the liquid, focusing in on the small swatch of blood now on my hand. Waves of dizziness worked to keep me down, but I pushed against the pavement to heave myself up. The world was spinning but I caught half–second before my blade hit the Mutant's body. Panic set in and, unable to move, I ducked my head down and curled into a ball.

The explosion was loud, it crashed in my ears, but the distance was large enough that it didn't sweep me from my feet. The sizzling air washed over my neck, but I remained locked on the ground, tiny piece of gravel splattering across my back.

I could hear the familiar chants, the warmth that flooded my senses, and quickly sat up to catch the blade in my hand. Cold, crispy air filled my lungs and I fixed my blurry eyesight on the knife in my hands, letting everything sink in.

Had . . . had all of that just . . .

Another explosion hit the sky—this one significantly less powerful than before. I jerked my eyes to the top of the skyscraper where Lila now stood. Her face was down, her eyes squeezed shut, and she thrusted her bladed staff into the ground so she wouldn't be thrown from the roof. The explosion lit up from behind her, raining down her like a shower, and the rush of air rustled her hair.

The street became quiet, and everything began to set in. Blood leaked in the corner of my mouth, and again I wiped at the spot the gravel had managed to dig into. The fighting had ended, leaving us in an abyss, filled with a howling wind that seemed to alert Lila.

She looked up, like her name had been called, and though we stood so far apart from each other, it felt like her gaze had settled on me. She rose her chin and strode forward, twisting the staff in her hands, as she came to the edge of the building.

Remnants of smoke rose from behind her and waltzed into the air in a hazy spiral. The last of the sun's rays shot over her shoulders, and her tall stance seemed to tear the light to ribbons. Her short hair fluttered in the wind, and the iridescence glowed from her waist.

"Criminy," I breathed.

"My words exactly, Helga," I felt rather then heard Nel say as she moved closer to me. "My words exactly."

The wind was colder now.

The sun had dipped lower, until it was barely peaking from the horizon, and painted the sky in a majestic, dusty purple. Now that the adrenaline had fled my body, I was left more than vulnerable to the chilly breeze. It spun across my exposed skin, leaving behind the bristling goosebumps, and whistling in my ears. It was so strong that I hadn't bothered tying my hair up, which fluttered around me like a flag.

My feet dangled from over the rooftop. It was more than a hundred–foot drop, but oddly I wasn't scared. Not even when as Helga, a teenager with no abilities or powers. Nel sat on my lap, even less scared then me, and prevented my twirling skirt from flipping up with the wind.

I took a look at Lila; while we were sitting and calmly watching the spectacle, she stood beside us with keen interest. Some loose strands of her hair grazed her face as she watched the commotion below us. The once deserted street was filled with shuffling bodies and scraping boots. The cops had arrived moments ago and split into two groups; one to reluctantly deal with the reporters, and the other to search for civilians. A surprising amount had been ushered from the shops; apparently, they hadn't been quick enough to get to their cars, so they had waited it out as Blue Jay dealt with the monsters.

It occurred to me how familiar this scene was becoming to me—the reporters, the cops, the petrified civilians. I hadn't realised it until now, watching Lila's eyes darting from person to person, her mouth parting.

"Wow," she finally said.

"I know," I said with a nod. "It's different being on the other side, huh?"

At least, I imagined it was. I'd technically never been on that side—dying with curiosity, unable to handle not understanding what this all meant. A realisation that somewhat shocked me, no one technically knew what we were fighting against.

"It's surreal." Dazed, Lila blinked a couple more time before turning back to us with her hands on her hips. She tilted her head, turning her body away to face Nel and I, and regarded us curiously. "But—"

"It's probably best to go somewhere private," Nel suggested, looking between us carefully.

Lila slightly frowned at that. Because more then anything, she wanted to have her questions answered. Blue Jay hadn't exactly shared much information with the public about what was out there. And it was made worse since Nel, more then likely, hadn't had the time to explain even the basics to her.

But she was right. We were already at risk of someone spotting us up here—a few buildings away from the crime scene. And considering we were dressed in school uniforms that would inevitably get more attention then either of us needed. We had stayed back for one last survey but staying any longer was asking to get caught.

I nodded. "Nel's right."

Lila glanced back at me, bewilderment crossing over her face, and Nel hoped from my lap, allowing me to stand to my feet. I swiped my bag from the ground, slinging it onto my shoulders, and turned to Lila to motion for her to follow.

"C'mon, Lila, we'll answer anything you want."

Another breeze rolled over us, slicking her braids over her shoulders. She brought her hands to her chest to protect herself when her fingers skimmed across her choker. It was black, with a loopy design that weaved across her neck, and from some of the loops were tiny green jewels. She blinked, like she had remembered it was there, and a slow smile spread across her face.

She nodded, glancing back at me. "Okay, then."

We all stepped away from the edge, walking away until we were cut off from anyone's line of sight from below, then called for our transformations. One flurry of light later and we both stood as Blue Jay and . . . well, we would have to work on a name for Lila.

"I expect full answers," she said, as Nel jumped into my arms. Her tone was serious, but I noticed the light in her eyes. Her lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile, and I was thrown back to less then an hour ago, when we'd been sitting at that booth. It was crazy to think that not that long ago, we'd been laughing at milkstaches with that song playing in the background.

Oh, my life,
Is changing every day,
In every possible way.

"Oh, you'll get them," Nel nodded grimly, crawling from my arms and onto my shoulder.

Lila nodded, the smile slightly shrinking, and we both strode for the opposite side. Standing on the edge, I expected Lila to get slightly squeamish—we were more then a hundred feet up, after all—but she seemed less then bothered, and actually shot out her wire before me.

Exchanging looks, we were about to kick off when something occurred to me and I turned to Lila, who stared back with bemusement.

And oh, my dreams,
It's never quite as it seems,
Never quite as it seems.

"Oh, by the way," I grinned at her. "Welcome to the team."

Yayyy, Lila's a Guardian now! AND her power is super speed, was anyone expecting that? Ugh, I'm so excited to write them being team members now! Anyway onto the reviews!

onto the reviews:

acosta perez jose ramiro: that's spot on! Helga's a natural pessimist (though she'd probs call herself a realist XD), and Lila's almost her exact opposite, so it'll be good to mesh the two together as offical allies! Lila will definitely be adding another perspective to her role as Blue Jay! Thanks so much for your review!

curiousitykills314: you left your review for chapter nine, but I'm gonna respond to it here XD That's honestly my favourite thing about Helga, she's not one of many words, but she has A LOT of thoughts and emotions. Theres such a contrast between what she'll show, and who she is on the inside. I remember reading on TV Tropes that there's hints that Lila might be hiding how she actually feels behind a polite facade, the exact opposite of Helga, which became a HUGE source of inspiration for her character here. And I'm super sorry she doesn't transform in this chapter, it'll definitely be next though! Then we'll find out her powers XD

dvd123: I love, love, LOVE Helga's entire family, and unfortunately can't find many spots to put them, so when they're there, I try to make it as impactful as I can! So your words about her are super meaningful to me, thank you! And definitely, Helga has a bad habit of putting herself down, and always regarding herself much lower then other people! Thanks for your review, darl!

Reviews for PART TWO:

WonkoTheSaneUK: Ooh, thanks for telling me that, I don't know how I wasn't aware XD I changed it to banana, don't worry! Also, thanks so much, my dear!

acosta perez jose ramiro: Patty was certainly an interesting character, and I'm excited to explore more of her! And yes, that's Rhonda as usual, focusing more on the materialistic side of things XD thanks for the review!

DhamarFlowers1.5: aww gracias querida! ¡sí, Arnold y Helga son tan lindos! ¡y tanto él como Gerald sin duda serían guardianes interesantes! muchas gracias por tu comentario, ¡espero que hayas disfrutado este capítulo también!

Now, Question of the Day: Who do you predict will be the next Guardian? AND what power do you think they'll wield? I'm SUPER curious about your thoughts, please let me know! Also, I'm struggling with Lila's romance situation; the other Guardians, I already know who or if they'll end up with, but she's the only one I don't know about. Should I match her up with something like Arnie, or let her stay a single pringle?

Also it just occured to me that I made two Twilight references the day after Stephenie Meyer (a qween btw) announced Midnight Sun, I swear that wasn't planned, I wrote this outline literally months ago XD

Song(s) used: Dreams by The Cranberries