~~Hello good people, I'm back with a new chapter.
I do not own anything from My Hero Academia.
Only my original characters belong to me.~~
~Evening~
It was beginning to get dark outside.
I had just walked out of the abandoned warehouse after visiting my friends.
A cool breeze brushed against my face as I walked leisurely down the empty alleyway.
There wasn't a person in sight.
The complete silence out here didn't bother me at all which was odd.
My mind has been racing since the incident with Magne.
I just couldn't get her voice out of my head.
Even though she frightened me to the point of tears, I didn't want to be mad at her.
I understood that she was only trying to protect her friends from danger.
Magne is a good person, and I intend to see that as I continue to visit with her.
I decided to shake those thoughts out of my head and continue walking back to the train station.
A text message from Dabi popped up on my phone: Hey Sioku, I apologize for everything that happened when Magne entered the room. I'll have a talk with her tonight. Enjoy the rest of your day.
I pulled out my phone and replied: Thanks Dabi.
Dabi's reassurance put my mind at ease.
I smiled in relief knowing that Dabi was still there for me, even if we are apart.
~Back at The Warehouse~
Magne reentered All for One's room with a saddened look on her face.
All for One was seated at his desk while Tomura, Dabi, and Kurogiri stood around him.
She plopped down on the sofa and sighed heavily.
The four men stared at her with concerned looks.
"Hello Magne, how did it go?" All for One said calmly.
Magne sadly looked up at him.
Her voice began to crack as she spoke. "Not so good, Sioku didn't say a single word to me as we walked. She turned away every time I looked at her."
Tears of sadness welled up in Magne's eyes, but she forced them down in order to keep her composure.
"I don't blame her," Dabi joined in.
"You made a horrible first impression," added Tomura.
"Settle down you two," said All for One.
Their responses brought a sting of regret to Magne's heart. "I feel terrible for yelling at her."
The tone in her voice sounded desperate.
"You'll have plenty of chances to make things right with her," All for One reassured.
Magne lowered her head in utter defeat.
A ball of emotion formed in her throat.
She silently wished for Sioku to return.
Dabi walked over to the sofa and sat down beside her.
He placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Magne, I've been in that same situation."
Magne lifted her head and looked at him, curiosity now crossing her features. "Really? What happened?"
"At first, I didn't understand why Sioku has been coming here. I was also hesitant to accept her. Then I asked her a few questions, and she answered them honestly. Sioku and I started getting to know each other when I sensed her concern for me."
"What was she concerned about?" asked Magne.
"She noticed my burns and was worried about the after effect of my quirk and offered to assist me if I ever use it in front of her. Sioku also reminds me of a kind and gentle person from my past," Dabi answered as he looked down at his scars.
Magne started to relax after hearing Dabi's explanation.
Dabi put his arm around her and continued softly. "Magne, Sioku really liked you. Your presence made her feel safe and secure after the bad dream she had."
Magne let out a shaky breath. "I know Dabi, that's why I feel bad about suspecting her of betraying us. I loved Sioku when I first met her. I didn't mean to hurt Sioku at all. Dabi, please help me."
Her plee caught the attention of everyone in the room.
"Don't worry Magne, Sioku will warm up to you again. I promise," Dabi reassured.
Magne perked up as a thought crossed her mind. "Hey Dabi, how did you and Sioku become friends?"
"We shared stories about our past," he answered.
"That's a good place to start," Magne replied.
Magne then turned to All for One with an apologetic look. "Master, I'm sorry for making you angry as well."
"I forgive you," he softly replied.
~In The Alleyway~
I continued walking toward the busy street lost in deep thought about my recent incidents.
However, I kept my focus on going back home.
The dogs' affection was exactly what I needed after all of these exhausting incidents.
A strange beam of light shined on me from the left, but I didn't bother to look at it.
The light was just another distraction that I didn't need.
Ignoring it, I picked up speed to get away.
Unfortunately, the light kept following me.
I tried to shake it off but to no avail.
Something was definitely wrong.
"I found you," said a deep voice echoing behind me.
The male voice sounded low and evil.
I gasped as I was instantly snapped out of my thoughts.
Chills rapidly crawled up my spine.
I stopped in my tracks as I heard the sound of loud footsteps coming slowly in my direction.
I watched carefully as a mysterious man walked toward me from behind a chain-link fence.
That beam of light was coming from a flashlight in his right hand.
This guy didn't look friendly at all.
My heart began to race with fear.
I didn't know what to expect.
"I've been searching everywhere for you, Sioku Marie. Who would have guessed you would be here of all places?" the unknown male said grimly.
At the sound of my name, I felt my legs tremble.
"This isn't good," I whispered.
However, I forced my fears down and finally spoke. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
The unknown male chuckled in amusement.
He was nowhere near intimidated by my demands.
I stood still and stared blankly at him.
The sinister man stepped closer until he was standing right in front of me.
My whole body started to shiver.
"You're just full of questions, arent you? Well, I'd be happy to answer them. My name is Kai Chisaki, also known as Overhaul. I do my research," he explained.
"What do you want with me?" I demanded.
"You'll find out soon enough," Chisaki answered.
I remained silent at that, not wanting to entertain him.
His voice sounded even more frightening up close.
I stood still as I studied the man.
Chisaki was pale with dark brown hair and gold eyes.
He had on white lace-up sneakers with tan soles, black dress pants, a belt around his waist with a long, thin buckle, a matching black dress shirt, a dark, olive green bomber jacket with a thick, purple fur collar, and a pale gray tie around his neck.
He also wore white surgical gloves on his hands and a magenta plague mask over his mouth.
My mind was suddenly flooded with flashbacks of all the surgeries I had in the past.
Chisaki reminded me of the doctor who operated on me a few times when I was little.
I could no longer hold back my fears.
The shaking in my body intensified as the dreadful memories played over and over in my head.
Sweat covered my body as I breathed heavily.
I dropped to my knees and sobbed uncontrollably.
Chisaki only seemed amused by my distress.
He grinned maliciously under his mask.
"Poor little Sioku, there's no one here to save you. You're stuck with me," he taunted.
I backed away from him with all the strength I had.
However, I was nowhere near safe.
Chisaki crept closer to me before kneeling down to my level. "You can't hide from me little girl. I already told you, there's nowhere to run."
I placed my hands over my eyes to prevent myself from looking at his mask.
Seeing his mask would only worsen my anxiety.
Chisaki laughed again before continuing. "Sioku, you remind me of my daughter. You're just as stubborn and timid as she is."
My breath caught in my throat as I gasped.
His statement sounded unreal.
"What?" This crazy creep has a daughter?" I thought.
Chisaki looked like he deserved to be locked up in prison, even though I had just met him.
I wanted to get away from him again, but I couldn't.
My body wouldn't move, no matter how desperately I wanted it to.
I was paralyzed with fear.
I remained in a sitting position, hugging my knees tightly against my chest.
It was the only source of comfort I had.
Chisaki placed one of his gloved hands on my back. "Listen up Sioku Marie, I'll give you two choices. You can either come with me like a good girl, or I can destroy you right here and now."
His threat frightened me out of my paralysis.
I tried to calm myself down by thinking about all of my friends back at the warehouse.
Unfortunately, their voices didn't ease my mind at all.
Having no knowledge of this man's quirk, I didn't know what to do.
Images of my family and friends flashed through my mind, causing me to uncover my eyes.
I just couldn't let myself die.
"So, what is your dicision?" Chisaki asked impatiently.
I lifted my head to look at him.
"I'll go with you," I answered brokenly.
I then collapsed onto the floor.
Chisaki laughed under his breath.
"Good choice my pet," he said while picking me up.
He then carried my unconscious body away.
Another man kindly led Chisaki out of the alleyway and down a busy street.
They eventually stopped in a parking lot.
He graciously opened the door to his car, and Chisaki quickly climbed inside while still holding onto me.
The car was red with blue stripes painted all over it.
Little did Chisaki know, somebody was keeping a sharp eye on him from a distance.
After climbing into the driver's seat, the man fired up his engine and drove off.
I remained unconscious on Chisaki's lap.
The car eventually stopped in the parking lot near another huge building.
Chisaki happily climed out of the car and carried me as he walked toward the entrance.
A man greeted Chisaki as he opened the door.
"Good afternoon sir, welcome back. How may I help you?" he said politely.
"Take this girl to one of my experiment rooms and restrain her. I'll be in there shortly," Chisaki demanded.
"Yes sir," the man replied as he took me from Chisaki.
The other man waved at Chisaki before carrying me down a separate hallway.
He stopped before a door at the end.
After turning the doorknob, he entered a small room.
He then laid me down on a padded table and secured heavy straps over my legs and arms.
Afterward, he quietly closed the door and left the room.
I was all alone in the dark.
A half hour later, I finally regained consciousness.
I wearily looked around the small room.
All four walls were completely white.
There were a few machines attached to the table, but I wasn't hooked up to any of them.
A sense of relief washed over me.
However, my relief was immediately cut short when a man dressed in a doctor's outfit entered the room.
I closed my eyes as soon as he approached me.
He smiled at me in amusement.
"I see that you've woken up," he said.
I just turned away at that.
"Don't be scared," he said, trying to comfort me.
His words didn't sooth me at all because I never knew or met the guy until now.
He walked over to a wooden cabinet and opened it.
After pulling out a few items, he set them neatly on a counter beside it.
The objects looked like doctors' tools to me.
I watched as the man attached a long, skinny tube to two of the small machines on each side of the table.
He then pressed a round button on the machine to my left that caused it to start beeping.
I trembled slightly under my restraints.
The man then headed toward the door.
"Chisaki will be in shortly," he said before walking out.
I closed my eyes and tried to relax.
~My House~
Kara sat on the couch in the living room.
The Tv was playing as background noise.
She looked up at the clock, and the time was 6:00.
"Sioku should have been back a half hour ago. She never comes home late," Kara said to herself.
Kara looked toward the front door and saw the two big dogs laying beside it.
She knew that they were waiting for Sioku to return.
"Melody, come down here!" she hollered.
Deku and Tsu woke up as soon as they heard a door swing open upstairs.
"I'm coming," Melody called back.
Melody hurried down the wooden staircase.
The dogs greeted her as she entered the living room.
They panted happily while whipping her with their tails.
"Get back dogs," she said.
Deku sat down beside Melody while Tsu and Jersey curled up in front of her.
"What is it Kara?" she asked concerned.
"Sioku hasn't answered my calls or responded to any of my text messages," Kara replied.
"Do you think something bad happened to Sioku on her way home?" Melody asked with panic in her voice.
"I hope not," Kara answered with a sigh.
"I'll try calling her," Melody suggested.
Kara nodded before turning back to the Tv.
Melody then made her way into the kitchen.
The three dogs followed right behind her.
"You can start making Dinner. I'll meet you in there when this episode is over," hollered Kara.
"I'm going to let the dogs out first," Melody replied.
She quickly headed toward the back door. "Come on dogs, let's go outside."
The dogs immediately rushed outside as soon as she slid the glass door open.
In the dining room, Melody pulled out her phone and called her younger sister.
To her shock, there was no answer.
The line went straight to voicemail.
Melody sighed in disappointment as she slipped the phone back into her pocket.
Back in the kitchen, Melody went to work on the dinner preparations right away.
She wanted to take her mind off of Sioku.
Kara entered the room a few minutes later.
"Did Sioku answer you?" she wondered.
"No," Melody answered sadly.
"We'll wait another hour longer," she suggested.
Melody nodded before looking out the window.
She watched the two big dogs as they playfully tackled each other in the grass.
"Sioku would've loved to see this," she thought.
Kara could see the sadness in her sister's eyes.
"Don't worry Melody, we'll find Sioku after dinner. I promise," she reassured.
"I hope she's not hurt," Melody replied.
Kara and Melody resumed their meal preparations without another word to each other.
~In The Warehouse~
An hour had passed by since Sioku left.
In All for One's room, Tomura sat on the sofa looking worried as he stared at the floor.
All for One spun his chair around and looked at him.
"Tomura, why are you down? Is something troubling you?" he asked smoothly.
"Yes Master, I haven't received a text from Sioku in a while. Sioku usually let's me know when she's home," he answered anxiously.
"She's probably busy," All for One assured.
Tomura sighed heavily and turned away.
He then stood up and began pacing back and forth.
"Please be all right Sioku," he thought.
In a seprate room, Magne and Dabi were sitting at a round table watching a news report on Tv.
One of the news reporters began telling her story. "We're coming to you live with breaking news. A teenage girl has been kidnapped by a masked villain on her way to the train station. A witness said that he had seen this unknown villain getting into a car and riding away. The car is red with blue stripes. We don't have any other details on the capture, but we do know that she is being held somewhere. Heroes are still searching everywhere for a sign of her. Hopefully they can find this young girl and bring her back home safely."
The two looked at each other in disbelief.
The news report had stunned them speechless.
They only had one person's name in mind.
Magne pressed a button on a remote to turn off the Tv.
She then turned to Dabi who sat frozen in place.
He had a look of shock mixed with terror on his face.
Dabi's heart pounded in his chest as he breathed heavily while trying to shake away the bad thoughts..
Magne could easily tell that this missing person's report had effected him greatly.
However, she didn't want to believe that Sioku had been captured by the villain.
"Hey Dabi, are you okay?" she asked concerned.
The man didn't respond to her.
He could no longer keep his composure.
Dabi jumped up from his chair as he trembled violently with fear and anger.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
He felt the heat of absolute terror burning throughout his entire body.
"That better not be Sioku! If it is, I'll set the villain on fire!" he yelled furiously.
Sensing his distress, Magne put a hand on Dabi's shoulder to try and calm him down.
She felt his body heat up quicker than it normally would.
"It's all right Dabi, try to relax. We'll find and rescue Sioku if she is captured. I promise," she reassured.
Her words didn't get through to Dabi.
He pushed Magne aside before bolting out of the room.
Magne could sense the tension growing with every second that passed.
She desperately wanted to calm her friend down.
"Hold on Dabi, I'm coming with you!" Magne called after him as she stood up.
She followed him down the long hallway.
Back in All for One's room, the three men were startled by the sound of other people running.
"What's going on?" asked Tomura confused.
"I have no idea," answered All for One.
"I'll go check it out," Kurogiri suggested.
Suddenly, the door burst open revealing a distraught Dabi with Magne right behind him.
Everyone in the room rushed over to the doorway where Dabi and Magne were standing.
They had never seen Dabi under so much stress before.
Even though Tomura didn't like Dabi very much, he still felt the man's pain.
"Dabi, what happened?" asked All for One.
The purple skinned man couldn't respond.
His thought process was being taken over by intense fear and stress.
Magne decided to step in for her friend and explain the situation. "I'm sorry Master, but Dabi and I just watched a news report on Tv. Sioku might have been captured by a masked villain."
"You've got to be joking Magne! Why do you think it was her?" shouted Tomura furiously.
"Take it easy Tomura," soothed All for One.
Tomura walked back to his sensei without another word.
"The reporter said that this girl was captured on her way to the train station. The villain also rode away with her in another person's car," Magne answered.
Tomura tensed up and began breathing heavily.
All for One placed a calming hand on Tomura's shoulder to try and sooth him.
"Did the news reporter mention the captured person's name?" asked All for One smoothly.
"No, they didn't get it. The witness couldn't ask her for some odd reason," answered Magne in exasperation.
Dabi looked at his friends, his eyes filled with pure rage and sadness. "I'm going to search for Sioku with or without you guys."
Magne immediately rushed to Dabi's side. "Wait, I'm definitely coming with you! This is my perfect opportunity to make things right with her.
Dabi started to relax after hearing Magne's offer.
He was finally able to catch his breath.
"Very well Magne, let's go. We shouldn't waste any time," Dabi replied.
"I agree, we don't know what this person could end up doing to her. She needs our help," Magne said fearfully.
Tomura stared at the floor and sighed in disappointment. "As much as I want to come and help you, I can't go anywhere right now. I need to stay and help Master out with his next move."
"I wish you both the best of luck," added Kurogiri.
"Please be very careful while rescuing her. I don't want you two to get caught and arrested by the heroes," added All for One.
"We won't let you down," replied Magne.
Dabi nodded his head in agreement.
The two put on disguises to prevent any suspicion from the other civilians.
Afterward, they headed out the door.
"Travel safely," said Kurogiri.
"We will," replied Magne.
First, Dabi and Magne split up to search the alleyway since it was huge.
Magne decided to search a large area toward the street.
She looked for people who seemed suspicious to her.
Dabi wanted to search around the warehouse in case Sioku had left any clues behind.
He pulled out his phone and called Sioku's number.
Nobody picked up the other end which made Dabi feel both disappointed and worried.
Dabi continued to call her number while walking around.
The man was beginning to lose hope.
Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound followed by a ringer not too far from him.
He decided to follow it in hopes of finding Sioku.
Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found when Dabi located the source of that ringer.
Lying on the ground was Sioku's bag.
The buzzing and ringing noises were coming from her phone inside one of the pockets.
A mix of shock and horror crossed his features as he picked up Sioku's bag.
He then strapped it over his shoulder.
His suspicions were correct after all.
That masked villain really did capture her.
"Where in the heck did she go?" he thought.
Dabi sighed heavily as he lowered his head.
His heart sank as he imagined Sioku being tortured.
A tear of despair fell from his eye.
The pain in Dabi's heart grew larger as he trembled and gripped her bag tightly.
He immediately switched to Magne's contact information and called her number.
Magne picked up almost instantly. "Hey Dabi, did you have any luck? I haven't found anything yet."
The line went silent for a minute before he spoke quietly. "Yes Magne, I found Sioku's bag lying on the floor near our hideout."
"Good work Dabi, you've done very well. Please stay where you are. I'll come to you," she replied in relief.
Dabi nodded before hanging up the phone.
He waited until Magne caught up to him before they could proceed with their mission.
Magne met Dabi by the chain-link fence.
A look of relief mixed with confusion was present on her face. "I'm glad you found Sioku's things, but how are we going to locate her?"
"I don't know where to start," Dabi answered sadly.
Magne looked down at Sioku's bag and sighed heavily. "Dabi, I'm in the same position as you are. We don't know where Sioku's captor is hiding."
They had a brief moment of silence.
Dabi perked up as a thought crossed his mind. "Hold on Magne, I have an idea. Let's find all of the abandoned buildings and search for the red car with blue stripes that was mentioned on the news."
"That might work," Magne agreed.
The two then headed across the busy street and into another huge alleyway.
They began their search for an abandoned building.
Unfortunately, there were only brick walls.
"Magne, let's go somewhere else. Looking in these alleyways is pointless," Dabi said in frustration.
"You're right, we'll have a better chance to locate this villain's hideout in the city. He can't stay hidden forever," she replied.
Without further hesitation, they crossed a busy street that led into town.
~In The Experiment Room~
I lay on the table with my eyes closed.
Those hevy straps were still secured over my body.
The faint sound of many unfamiliar voices could be heard outside the slightly cracked door.
This place was not safe at all.
Even though I had some peace and quiet, I still couldn't relax just yet.
I didn't have any family members or friends by my side.
All I could do now was pray that they will all be okay.
I was startled out of my thoughts when the door opened revealing Chisaki standing in the entrance.
My eyes grew wide with horror.
I sensed the evil aura around him again.
After grabbing his tools off of the counter, he slowly stepped toward me with a sinister grin on his face. "How is my new experimental pet doing tonight?"
I growled internally at that name.
"Shut your mouth Chisaki. I'm nobody's pet for anything," I snapped back.
Chisaki chuckled in amusement before replying in a taunting manner. "Oh really Sioku? You're pretty good at serving All for One and his pathetic little underlings."
My face heated up at that.
The fact that he had brought All for One and the rest of my friends into this ticked me off.
My anger toward Chisaki only increased.
I pulled at my restraints with as much force as possible to try and break them.
"Shut up! All for One has nothing to do with this situation!" I yelled furiously.
Sweat dripped down my face as I panted.
Chisaki laughed even harder at my failed attempt to free myself. "You'll never get away from me!"
"We'll see about that," I whispered.
His voice annoyed me to no end.
I desperately wanted to cover my ears.
Chisaki walked carefully around the table, checking my body with full concentration.
I shivered whenever one of his tools came in contact with my skin.
His presence made me feel uncomfortable.
I closed my eyes again and sighed heavily in defeat.
"You look very healthy," he complemented.
I turned away in response.
There was no way I would ever talk to him.
I silently prayed for somebody to come and save me from this horrible man.
After examining my body, Chisaki leaned close to my left ear, and I almost couldn't hold back a scream.
He was practically breathing on my face which sent chills rapidly crawling up my spine.
I trembled in fear under the straps.
"You healed All for One completely, didn't you Sioku?" Chisaki demanded in a low voice.
I trembled even more after he said that.
Dabi's whisper-like voice echoed in my head, giving me a new feeling of courage.
I kept quiet and tried to ignore him.
Giving Chisaki the details would ruin my friendship with them, and I didn't want to do that.
Chisaki glared impatiently at me. "So, you're not going to answer me? Fine, you brought this on yourself Sioku."
I tensed up in response to his threat.
This man still hasn't revealed his quirk to me.
Chisaki picked up the wire that one of his assistants had left out for him.
He then attached a large needle to the end.
Just looking at it made me feel nauseous.
My stomach tied up in knots.
I turned away and closed my eyes.
He then pressed a few buttons on the machine beside me, producing a constant beeping sound from it.
I quietly panted in fear as my heart rate increased.
My mind was racing in all directions.
Without a worning, Chisaki inserted the needle into my right arm and secured it in place with a piece of medical tape before pressing it down.
He then attached another needle to the other wire and inserted that one into my left arm.
I groaned internally at the pain.
Hearing my uncomfortable responses would only entertain the man, so I decided to hold it in.
Lastly, he flipped a switch on each machine.
I gasped in terror as I felt the blood slowly being sucked out of my veins.
The pain was becoming unbearable.
I flinched under the restraints while trying my best not to scream or cry.
The only thing I could do at the moment was think about my family and friends.
Hearing their voices in my head kept me sane.
The man turned off both machines once a small glass bottle inside each of them had been filled all the way up with my blood.
After removing both bottles from a compartment inside his machines, he set them down on a wooden table.
Afterward, he removed the needles from my arms and bandaged up the two spots.
Chisaki grinned wickedly at me as he picked up the red liquid. "I'll be back to get more blood from you later. Don't go anywhere, pet."
"I'm not your pet," I grumbled.
He just laughed before exiting the room.
A sigh of relief escaped me as soon as he closed the door behind him.
I was thankful to finally be alone again.
"Dabi, I wish you and Magne were here. Please come save me," I thought.
The blood loss was starting to get to me.
I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
~Back in Town~
Dabi and Magne were on their way to another abandoned warehouse to check it out.
They walked quietly through the dark alleyway.
Suddenly, Dabi heard a familiar voice inside his mind, breaking his train of thought entirely.
"Dabi, I wish you and Magne were here. Please come save me," the female voice said.
He stopped in his tracks and frantically looked around.
"Sioku? Sioku!" Dabi called out.
Magne put a hand on his shoulder in concern. "Are you all right? What's going on?"
"I heard Sioku's voice in my head," he answered sadly."
Magne stared directly into Dabi's eyes. "Really? What did she say to you?"
"She needs us to come save her," Dabi whispered.
"Sioku never told any of us that she can use telepathy," Magne said in confusion.
"Yeah I know, but we still need to find her. Sioku sounded helpless," Dabi replied as he tensed up.
Magne patted her friend's head in reassurance. "Don't worry Dabi, we'll bring Sioku back to a safe place."
Dabi sighed heavily in response.
They continued walking around the big sity.
~At My House~
The time was now 7:00 PM.
Kara and Melody had just finished preparing dinner for themselves in their kitchen.
Melody became more worried about her little sister every time she looked at the front door.
She faced Kara with sad eyes. "What are we going to do if Sioku doesn't come home soon?"
"I'll ask a group of pro heroes to find Sioku and bring her home. I have some friends who can help us," Kara reassured with a hopeful expression.
Melody smiled sadly in response.
After carrying their plates to the dinner table, the two girls situated themselves across from each other.
A long period of silence passed between them.
Kara suddenly got an idea.
She pulled out her phone and dialed Ariel's number.
"Who are you calling?" Melody asked curiously.
"Ariel," Kara answered.
Melody remained silent and stared out the window.
She didn't want to interrupt her sister's phone call.
The phone rang a few times before Ariel picked up the other end. "Hello?"
"Hi Ariel, is Sioku at your house?" asked Kara.
"No, I haven't seen her since we rode the bus after school. She might be at Shinso's place," Ariel answered.
"Tell Shinso that she needs to come home. Bye," Kara replied before hanging up the phone.
Kara then slipped the object back into her pocket.
Melody turned to her sister with a concerned expression. "What did Ariel say?"
"Sioku is at Shinso's house," answered Kara.
The room fell silent until Melody spoke again. "Shinso is a nice person. I met him a while ago."
"That's good, but Sioku knows better. I told her to be home by 6:00," Kara replied in frustration.
After dinner, the two girls cleaned up their mess and did their chores without another word.
Melody decided to wash the dishes before disappearing to her bedroom for the night.
Kara let the dogs inside once both the kitchen and dining room were spotless.
"Let's go," she said.
The dogs happily followed her into the living room.
They settled into comfortable spots on the couch and fell asleep almost instantly.