Chapter Eight


Right after Coach Freeman told them to begin their usual laps around the gym, Lux noticed Talon approach her from the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Lux," Talon said by way of greeting, and she turned to face him. She tilted her head to the side in question as they began to jog side by side, and he cleared his throat. "I was wondering... do you want to go grab some new games this afternoon?"

Her heart skipped a beat. She blinked.

He continued, his voice low. "We could... get more games. To play." He cleared his throat again. "If you want."

Lux couldn't help it—she was already smiling at his usually cool attitude reduced to this awkward demeanor, all because he was nervous about asking her to go buy games with him.

"Uh, sure," she said. And when he smile, a small and brief one, because Talon rarely let his emotions show on his face, she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Great. I'll call an Uber," he said.

She blinked. "Just the two of us?"

Talon's breath caught, and she thought she saw the beginnings of a rosy hue begin to tint his cheeks. "I hoped so. Unless you'd rather your brother drive us around."

Lux considered it. She didn't see any harm in her hanging out with Talon for the afternoon. And they did need more games; they'd already beaten most of the ones Katarina had bought, as she hadn't bought many. She didn't have any plans for this afternoon, really; she'd hoped to sort through some of the data she'd gotten on the DuCouteaus, but the data wasn't going anywhere.

"Just the two of us, then," Lux said with a smile.

Gym class passed quickly after that, as did the rest of Lux's classes. She caught up with Garen in the hallway once school had ended, to let him know about her plans with Talon for the afternoon.

"I'm going with Talon to get new video games," Lux announced.

Garen blinked, and his brow furrowed. "I'll have to stop for gas," he said, and Lux hurried to explain.

"We're going to take an Uber. So you and Kat can head home without us."

The furrow on Garen's brow deepened. "You don't want me to drive you there?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Or drive you back?"

"Pretty sure both of us can afford a ride to and from the store," Lux said.

"Are you sure?" At this point, Lux was starting to get annoyed. She knew her brother meant well, but his need to hear her confirmation for everything was getting to be a bit much.

"Positive," she replied, hoping her annoyance didn't show in her tone.

Garen shrugged. "All right. Text me or call me if you need anything."

"Will do. See you," she said, waving her brother goodbye.

"See you later," her brother replied.

Lux made her way to her locker and gathered her things. When she turned to head outside and search for Talon, she was greeted by the sight of the young man leaning against the row of lockers on the opposite wall. Having not expected to see him, she started, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Ready to go?" Talon asked, quirking an eyebrow at her reaction to spotting him.

Though her heart rate hadn't quite settled, Lux rolled her eyes at his attempt of playing nonchalant. Though he seemed calm, she could see the excitement in the way his eyes glinted. "Obviously," she said, pointing at her backpack.

The young man smirked and pushed off the wall, and the two headed for the exit.

"Good," Talon said. "Our ride's here."

Though Lux had known Talon to be the silent type from her classes with him, the two eased into an easy conversation, ranging from school drama to tv shows to their favorite games. Lux found herself genuinely laughing and smiling, and she noticed Talon doing the same.

Their trip to the store passed quickly, as they both knew which games they wanted to try, and Talon insisted on paying for them. "I have the money," he said.

Lux countered with, "So do I."

He shrugged and replied, "I want to." And that was that.

The ride home was just as jovial as the ride to the store had been, and Lux found herself leaning into Talon as she laughed so hard she almost cried. Seeing the usually stoic Talon laughing his ass off was something Lux never thought she'd see, and one she was glad for. The way his dark eyes gleamed, the way he pushed his bangs out of his eyes and smiled at her—it made her heartrate skyrocket.

Too soon, they'd arrived at the Crownguard home, and Talon offered the driver a tip before the Uber drove away. He offered her a lopsided smirk, and Lux had just enough time to think that that was kind of cute before Talon nodded towards her and spoke.

"This was fun," he said as they made their way to the front door, and Lux nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it was."

"Maybe we can do this again," Talon said, "Hang out."

Lux hesitated before answering, fiddling with her keys before turning them and opening the door. "I'd like that," she said with an honest smile.

She closed the door behind her, and the two were about to head down to the basement when a familiar and very, very unwelcome voice from the living room halted their movements.

"Luxanna, you're home late from school."

Lux's smile fell immediately into a scowl, and she narrowed her eyes. "Hello, Mother," she said sharply.


At lunch, Katerina had taken a seat next to her sister, who was still poring over the large tome of family history with a horribly disinterested expression.

"Any luck?" Kat asked as she dropped her tray of food onto the table, dumped her backpack on the ground by her feet and fell back into her chair.

Cass rolled her eyes. "I sat down less than five minutes ago and have only read one paragraph. So no, nothing, really. Unless you're curious about great uncle Jared's obsession with bears."

Kat wrinkled her nose as she poked at the meat on her tray, trying to gauge whether it was undercooked or overcooked. Could it be both? "Did you read during your free period this morning?" she asked.

Cass sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, no. Sivir decided to tell me all about her failed attempt to befriend Lulu, and how she's convinced Lulu didn't notice her because she was distracted by a squirrel."

Kat quirked an eyebrow. "Lulu... that little freshman kid who always wears purple?"

Cass nodded.

"Didn't think Sivir liked hanging out with cute little girls," Kat admitted.

"The only thing Sivir appreciates is gold. Cute little girls who are rich? Sivir likes hanging around them," Cass explained.

"Huh," Kat said as she decided to be venturous and took a bite of the mysterious meat. She made a face at the taste and decided to forego the meat in favor of the piece of bread and green beans on her tray.

Cass returned her attention to the family history, reading at a pace that made Kat wonder how many words per minute her sister could actually read. She read faster than Kat, that was for sure.

"You know, when father talked about the family history," Cass said, turning a page in the tome, "he always made it sound so glamorous. As if the DuCouteau lineage was rife with awe-inspiring deeds and admirable feats; a history to be proud of. And yes, there were many badasses in the family. But I'm currently reading about great grandfather's brother, Horus, and good god, what an idiot..." Cass grumbled. "He collected feathered hats."

Kat snorted. "He's not the only family idiot," she teased before taking a sip of her milk, earning a withering glance from her younger sister.

Cass sighed dramatically. "You're right," Cass said, "Poor Talon, the sop."

Kat nearly spat out her milk at that. She swallowed quickly, then let out a quick bark of laughter. "Where is he, anyway?" she asked.

Cass nodded to a table behind Kat, and Kat turned in time to see Talon smirking at Garen's little sister.

"Gross," Kat muttered before stabbing at her mystery meat perhaps a little harder than necessary, especially considering she had no intention of eating it.

"Following his dick. How typical of a man," Cass said, a teasing grin lighting up her eyes. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous, dear sister."

Kat scoffed. "Why would I be jealous of him? He's trying to date Lux. Bright, cheery Lux and our broody, moody Talon? What's there to be jealous of?"

"The unabashed flirting? The 'I don't care who sees me' attitude? I don't know, Kat—why don't you tell me?" Cass asked with a pointed stare.

Kat could feel her cheeks warming at the implication. "I... I am not jealous," she mumbled, stabbing at the food on her tray with renewed vigor. "Besides, I wouldn't be jealous of them flirting. I can flirt with any one. Any time. Name a person, and I can flirt with them—why does that even matter? Flirting is easy. It's fun. It's not supposed to..." she trailed off as she realized Cass had returned to the book with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "I'm not jealous," she reaffirmed with a huff.

"If you say so," Cass said in a tone that meant she didn't believe Kat.

They were silent as Kat chugged down the rest of her milk, pointedly not looking at her younger sister. Finally, after a full five minutes of silence, Kat scowled. "Why do you even think that?"

"Think you're jealous?"

"Yeah. That. I'm not."

Cass rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm not blind. I notice when you flirt with someone, whether you're open about it or not."

"I haven't been flirting with anyone," Kat protested.

"Mmhmm," Cass said. "Look, it's not my business. To be honest, I don't understand what you even find attractive in him. But if you ever want to... talk... I'm here to listen."

Kat scoffed, stabbing at her food. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at Cass. "Why are you suddenly so interested in my love life? You never cared before now."

"Dear, it's your lack of a love life that's drawing my attention," Cass said with a smirk.

"Don't 'dear' me all condescendingly," Kat grumbled, and, finally having had enough with the food on her tray, she stabbed the meat one more time before standing abruptly. "Look, Cass, I appreciate you looking out for me. But you're just imagining things," she said, an image of Garen flashing briefly through her mind as she denied having any sort of romantic feelings.

Cass shrugged before Kat wandered off to dump her tray in the trash can.

When she returned, Cass was thoroughly absorbed in her text, and so Kat decided to pass the rest of her lunch period by reading some of the books for her English project. God, she thought as she paged through to find where she had left off last, I can't believe I'm actually reading. She couldn't exactly say that she loved reading these books, but she also couldn't deny that she did appreciated seeing some of the arguments they presented, and the interesting points they made.

Not that she'd ever admit that to Garen.

The rest of the day slid by smoothly. Kat elected to continue reading instead of paying attention in Physics, and she did the same in Pre-Cal, where she usually never paid attention because she could just copy off of Ziggs, anyway. The kid was sort of a genius, but—like most smart people—he didn't know how to hide his work, so she was able to lean over her desk and copy off of his tests.

By the end of the day, Kat had finished one of her books, and was two chapters into the next one. As she walked through the hallway in the direction of her locker, she ran into Garen, who waved at her and offered her a wide smile. She quirked her eyebrow in response as he made his way towards her.

"Good afternoon, Katarina," he said.

Something about the formality rubbed her wrong, today. She knew it was just how Garen was, always sure to not step over any unnamed boundaries, but… "Kat," she corrected, sparing him a glance long enough to see his cobalt eyes widen slightly. "Call me Kat."

"Kat," he said quietly, trying out the nickname, and Kat couldn't help but shiver at the sound as his low, rich voice murmured her name. She turned to her locker, deliberately avoiding the gaze she felt boring into the back of her head.

"What's up?" she asked as she opened her locker and began stuffing her textbooks and notebooks inside it haphazardly, not caring to organize her things when she could feel goosebumps rising on the back of her neck where Garen was looking.

"Oh, right," he said, and she contained a snort at the realization that he had been distracted from earlier. "It's just going to be us, today," he continued.

Kat paused in her movements to glance at him, confusion evident in the furrow on her brow. "What do you mean, just us?" she asked.

"Lux and Talon are going to go buy video games. Lux said your brother was going to do the… the Uber app, thing," Garen said, gesturing vaguely with his hands, and Kat laughed a little.

"The 'Uber app thing,' huh?" she echoed, and watched with delight as the tips of his ears reddened.

"Yes. That," he said, scratching at the back of his neck. "And your sister told me this morning that she would be staying late to do some research in the library with her biology partner. She said to leave without her. She's also going to be using—"

"The Uber app thing," Kat finished, a smirk on her lips. She closed her locker and shifted her backpack over her shoulder.

"Yes," Garen agreed.

"So… just us," Kat remarked, echoing his words as she leaned against her locker, and Garen nodded.

"I was thinking," he went on, "that maybe, since the others are busy doing things… do you want to go do something, too?" His ears were redder than before. "We could go straight home, if you wanted, but I thought it might be, uh, more entertaining, if we… did something."

Kat laughed. "Go 'do something,' huh?" She hurried to continue, or else she knew Garen would offer some sort of unnecessary apology. "Sounds like fun. Did you have anything in mind?"

Garen cleared his throat. "There's a new gelato place that opened up around the corner. If you like gelato."

Kat had heard about the new gelato place. It was a little shop, very cute and homey, apparently—a place Kat would usually never be caught dead in. But it seemed like she was developing a weakness to Garen's earnest eyes, because she found herself nodding in acquiescence. "Sure," she said.

So Kat found herself following Garen to the car, as he talked animatedly about all of the new flavors the gelato place was trying out, and how he wanted to talk to the owner and see if he could find out the recipes. The ride there took almost no time at all, and she found herself laughing as Garen cracked a joke about one of the songs that played on the radio.

Even with all of the shit going on in the rest of her life, even with the fear of losing her father, the threat of the Black Rose, and the uncertainty that was drowning her, Kat felt at ease around Garen. Being around him was like taking a deep breath after being held underwater until her lungs burned, as if he were something she needed, something she couldn't get enough of.

And that thought could have given Kat pause; she could have taken a step back, could have turned away and forced herself to forget Garen and the way he made her heart flutter. But as they looked at the flavors of ice cream, as Garen sampled almost all of the flavors and chatted with the owner about recipes and how to prepare gelato, Kat realized that she didn't want to. She didn't want to leave this feeling, to ignore the way Garen glanced sidelong at her and smiled and her heart skipped a beat.

It was a scary feeling, one she'd never felt before. One she didn't think she could continue to attribute solely to hormones.

As Garen handed her her gelato, and they dug into the soft ice cream, Kat decided to ignore those thoughts, to just focus on the now that was them.

"I think I can make this at home," Garen said once they had finished. "The recipe sounds simple enough. It shouldn't take too long, either."

"Can you make it chocolate?" Kat asked, licking at her spoon. She didn't miss the way Garen's eyes followed her lips, and the way he swallowed.

"I think so," he replied after a moment of collecting himself.

Kat smirked, took another bite of gelato, and then licked the spoon again, this time slower, a pleasant warmth and confidence spreading through her as she noticed the way Garen's ears reddened, and the way his eyes dropped to follow her tongue.

He swallowed again and cleared his throat. "Did you manage to get some reading done for our project?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

What a way to dampen the mood, Kat thought, holding back a frown at the change of subject. It was as if he had deliberately chosen the least exciting topic, the one that would make her stop her teasing right away. Maybe he had done that deliberately…

"Yes, Mom," she grumbled.

Garen's expression immediately turned into a mix of confusion and shock. "'Mom'?" he breathed, horrified.

"It's a joke," Kat explained. At his continued look of confusion, she added, "Because you're breathing down my neck about homework? Like a mother?"

Garen blinked. "I didn't mean to… breathe down your neck." He sighed. "I suppose I might come off as overbearing, at times."

"Don't worry about it," Kat said, waving off his concerns with a hand. "You're not. Well, you can come off a bit strong—especially at the beginning of this damn project—"

"Language!" Garen said half-heartedly, knowing she wouldn't stop cursing, and she continued as if he hadn't interrupted.

"—but you've toned it down. It was a joke. Don't take it seriously." Kat scrunched up her nose in distaste. "You know, when you have to explain a joke, it's not funny, anymore."

Garen laughed slightly, a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I don't have many friends—and they don't share your aptitude and penchant for sarcasm."

Kat snorted. "Aptitude? Really, Garen?"

He nodded. "You're quite good at it. I stand by my word choice." Her cheeks flushed at his comment.

She shook her head in faux-exasperation, but she could tell by his grin that he knew she was joking. Kat finished her gelato quickly, glancing up from her cup every now and then; she couldn't be sure, but she thought she caught Garen staring a couple of times before he looked away. Once she'd finished, Garen offered to throw away their cups, but Kat waved him away as she took both of theirs.

"You paid," she said by way of explanation, and then threw away the trash.

On the way back in the car, Garen asked, "Are we still on for Friday night?"

Kat blinked before she remembered that she had agreed to go see a movie with him. And their siblings. "Yeah," she said.

"Is there any movie you want to see, in particular?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Not really," she replied. Kat hadn't been paying attention to what was in theaters, especially with everything going on. She was more concerned with surviving, with finding out where her father had been taken.

"Well, there's this new animated movie out. I think Lux would like it a lot. We haven't seen a movie together in a long time, and I was wondering if… well… if it would be all right to watch a cartoon movie."

Kat shrugged. "I don't care," she admitted. That was only a little lie—she did prefer action movies, for the most part. But cartoons were all right. "As long as it's not stupid."

Garen laughed. "It might be. It's a cartoon."

"Some cartoons are good," Kat said. "Have you seen that one Ghibli film with the princess who kills people? That's cool."

Garen's eyes had widened as he drove. "I don't know what a Ghibli is, but that sounds extremely violent!"

Kat shrugged. "Have you never seen blood and guts before?" she teased.

"I have," he defended, "it's just… real life and the media… excess violence in the media you consume is supposed to be unhealthy for you, mentally. Studies have shown—"

"Oh, come on. What's a little blood compared to—" Kat cut herself off immediately, eyes widening as she realized what she had almost said. Compared to the shit I've seen. She'd almost implied that she had seen blood and guts in real life before—that she'd killed before. Garen would be horrified to discover that she was actually a part of Noxus, that she was a trained killer—that she could kill a man without batting an eye. He would see her differently; he'd never speak with her again, if he found out the truth. And that thought left a sour taste in her mouth. "Compared to all the other shit on television," she finished lamely.

Garen sighed. "Our society is so hyper-focused on violence. It's fairly concerning, but I think that perhaps it means we're having to compensate for something, something that's missing from our lives."

"Something missing? Like what?" Kat asked.

The tips of his ears reddened, but he squared his shoulders before speaking. "I… I think our society lacks empathy. Compassion." Taking her silence as a cue for him to continue, he said, "To me, the excessive violence is a form of retaliation, a manifestation of the anger we feel towards others for not being able to empathize with one another. The anger we feel towards ourselves at not being able to connect on such a fundamental level with another person." He shook his head, a small grin lighting his lips. "That probably sounds really dumb."

Kat considered his words. "A little," she admitted, and she didn't miss the way Garen sunk a little lower in his seat. She reached out and laid a hand over his, where it rested on the gear shift. "But maybe there's some truth to that." She squeezed his hand gently, and perhaps she imagined it, but maybe his breath hitched—just like hers—at the contact, the jolt of electricity that ran up her arm, warmth spreading from his hand to hers.

He sat up straighter in response. "What do you think?" he asked, and she considered his position.

"I think humans are naturally violent," she said. "We hunt, we kill, we hurt. It's part of our nature," she reasoned, considering her next words carefully. And if she let her thoughts get personal, if she let a bit of herself slip into her words, what did it matter? "But that doesn't mean we lack compassion. We just… need reminders."

Garen hummed as he took in her opinion, and he turned into the driveway of the Crownguard mansion. Once he'd parked the car and taken the keys out of the ignition, he turned to face Kat. "Maybe we're both right, in some way," he mused.

Kat shrugged, and offered him a smirk. "How philosophical," she teased, and he chuckled.

"What can I say? I'm deeply concerned with the truth," he joked. "For instance—do you think your brother and my sister like each other?"

Kat grimaced. "Gross," she said as they exited the car. "Don't even joke about that. I don't want to think about it."

Garen chuckled. "It is a little strange to think about," he admitted. He frowned. "And… yes, a little gross, thinking that my sister might like your brother." He hummed as he considered it. "They seem so different," he said after some time.

Kat shrugged. "I try not to think about it," she replied. "Hey, what's for dinner?" she asked, changing the topic as he swung open the door and they made their way inside.

"I was thinking of making chicken cordon bleu, with some vegetables on the side." Garen said, enthusiasm coloring his words as they walked into the living room. "What sort of vegetables do you—?"

They stopped short as they entered the room and saw two people already occupying the chairs in the living room. Kat couldn't help but notice the way Garen stiffened, the light in his eyes from earlier vanishing in a second as his eyebrows drew together, and his eyes narrowed. He pressed his lips together tightly, but was silent.

It wasn't difficult to guess who these two were. The one sitting on the chair closest to Kat was a middle-aged woman, her blonde hair likely dyed to keep the gray hairs from giving away her actual age. She wore a cerulean dress, as if she were plucked straight out of some impressionist painting, and she sat with her back straight and her legs crossed at the ankles. Her eyes were a hooded green, as if she was keeping secrets darker than even the ones the DuCouteaus kept. Her lips were pressed together in much the same way Garen's were as the woman regarded Katarina with a barely contained expression of disdain. The resemblance was hardly there, outside of the shape of her face and the press of her lips, but this woman was obviously Garen's mother.

And the man who sat beside her was clearly his father. The man was older, and Kat knew he was in his mid forties, with greying hair. He sported a mustache, and his brow was wrinkled as he frowned. His blue eyes were the same startling shade as his childrens', and those eyes watched Kat with a glint that she was all too familiar with—suspicion. He wore his police uniform, decorated with various medals and awards, and as the light caught the badge on his chest, Kat became acutely aware of the fact that, if this man wanted, he could jail her and her siblings at any moment. And she was currently living under his roof.

"Garen," the woman said after a beat of silence, her gaze moving to her son. "Welcome home."

If Kat hadn't been standing beside him, she wouldn't have noticed the way the cords of his neck tightened and then relaxed, like he had forced himself to hold back a sharp retort. "I should say the same to you, Mother," Garen said in an uncharacteristically tight voice. Kat had never heard him so… on edge.

"We just returned from our vacation this morning, while you and your sister were in school," his mother said.

"And you neglected to tell us that you were coming home early," Garen said, his voice sharp and cold.

"We didn't want to disturb you or your sister in your studies," his mother said by way of explanation, as if the excuse was a valid one, a fact Kat had to force herself to keep from pointing out. His parents already rankled at her, and she was ready to bolt from the room whenever Garen did.

When his mother turned her eyes to Kat and gave her a once over, the distaste not even hidden as her upper lip curled back, Kat began to wonder if it would be worth it to throw a dagger into the woman's neck. Definitely not, she knew. But the thought settled the angry heat rising in her chest. Garen's mother smiled, a fake, sickeningly sweet one that Kat had seen too often at social functions. It was a smile that told Kat that she and Mrs. Crownguard shared the same sentiments towards one another: animosity and distaste.

"You must be Katarina DuCouteau," Mrs. Crownguard said. "When Lux told us Marcus' children would be staying with us, well, I must admit, I didn't know what to expect. But you seem like a charming young woman. I've heard lots of good things about you from your father."

Kat started, her eyes widening. "You know my father?" she asked. Her father had never mentioned the Crownguards outside of recognizing their position in law enforcement; he'd never said anything to suggest that he knew them on a personal level.

"Of course, dear," Garen's mother said, that sickening smile still plastered on her lips. "Your father worked with my husband on a few cases, and they were friends when they were younger."

"That was a long time ago," said Garen's father in a deep, rough rumble. He leaned back, draping his arm behind his wife and fixing Kat with a pointed stare. "Lux tells me that your father has gone missing."

Garen glanced at Kat, his brow furrowing slightly. Evidently, while Lux had informed her parents about Cass' concerns from the night before, she had forgotten to do the same for her brother.

"We don't know for sure," Kat said, fighting the urge to cross her arms. Body language, Cass had said, can make or break a deal; crossed arms were a surefire way to alienate whoever you were talking to, and Kat couldn't afford to lose the Crownguards' protection. "My siblings and I haven't heard from him since the break-ins, and… we're worried."

Mr. Crownguard nodded, regarding her carefully. "I'll have a team look into it. We'll need your full cooperation during our investigation. Do you understand?"

Did Kat understand that he was implying that she and her siblings would have to follow whatever orders this man gave to them? That they were under his protection, and he knew it? That, if they made one wrong move, said one wrong word, he would throw them in jail without a moment's notice? Yes, she understood. God, Cass should be the one doing the talking, now, but she was still at school doing her project—it was up to Kat, now. If she was missing something, if there was some other underlying message she just wasn't picking up on… well, she couldn't help it, now.

"I do," she replied curtly.

Garen's father regarded her cooly, then nodded. "Good." He opened his mouth to speak once more, but was interrupted by Garen.

"Father," Garen said, "Katarina and I have a school project we need to be working on. If you'll excuse us." He glanced at Kat and gestured for her to follow. Without waiting to be dismissed by his parents, Garen strode out of the room.

Kat glanced at the senior Crownguards to gauge their reaction; they had both tensed, but they said nothing.

"Excuse us," Kat said quickly, then followed Garen out of the room and up the stairs, towards his room.

His footsteps were heavy and quick. When he opened his door, she caught a glimpse of his pale face, noted the heavy press of his lips and the glower he was leveling ahead of him. She thought she had seen him angry before, at the park, when they had argued; that had nothing on this. His shoulders were tensed and set. His hands were clenched into fists, curled so tight that his knuckles were white. He held the door open so that she could enter behind him, and then he closed it with much more force than necessary.

Kat gave him some space as he ran a hand through his hair, and she glanced around his room, taking in its appearance. It was mostly sparse; the walls were bare, and his desk was clear except for a few notebooks and a Pre-Cal textbook. His bed was made, the corners of his sheets tucked in, his pillows arranged neatly. The bedside table had only an alarm clock for decoration. He had a single bookcase against the wall, which was filled mostly, upon closer inspection, with nonfiction books which varied in topic from martial arts to medieval swordfighting. She picked up a worn copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War and, figuring she had given him enough time to cool off, she turned to face him, waving the book in her hand.

"You seem to like this book," she remarked, and Garen glanced at her from where he still stood by the doorway. His shoulders dropped, and he let out a sigh as he made his way to his bed and sat on the edge, gesturing for her to take a seat, too. She dropped into the rolling chair by his desk and rolled it closer, book still in hand.

"I've read it several times," he admitted as she offered the book to him and he took it, paging through it without really looking. "It's… an engaging read."

"I thought it was boring as hell," Kat said, and he tilted his head to look at her.

"You've read it?" he asked, and Kat nodded.

"My Dad made me read it when I was a kid." At his continued stare, she hurried to supply an explanation that didn't involve 'my Dad wanted me to know how to strategize so I could sneak into buildings better and kill people.' "I… uhh… he said it would help with business… since business is a lot like a battlefiled." Wow. Real smooth. She was glad Cass wasn't here to laugh at that terrible excuse.

For some reason, Garen bought it, or maybe he just decided to let the lame excuse go. "I see," he said. He was quiet then, staring at the cover of the book in his hands, and Kat wondered what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry about… that," he said, gesturing vaguely towards the living room, where his parents were probably still sitting. "I didn't know they would be back."

Kat was quiet, then shrugged. "They seem all right," she lied.

"They aren't," Garen said curtly, and the air filled with a silence so thick, Kat could probably cut it with one of her daggers. Garen took a deep breath. "They're not good people. Don't trust them."

Kat narrowed her eyes at Garen, whose gaze was fixed on the book still in his hands. What had happened between him and his parents? She'd never seen Garen like this before; usually, he was the most trusting, kind individual, willing to believe in others no matter what. But this…

"We need their help," Kat said, careful with her words and watching Garen to see his reaction. He stiffened, but said nothing. "Our Dad is missing, Garen," she explained, frustration creeping into her voice—frustration that he continued to be silent, to not look her in the eye. Frustration that she was stuck in this situation, that she had no idea how to find her father, much less save him. "Even if I don't trust your parents, I need their help."

Garen sighed, finally looking up. "Be careful, then," he said. "They won't hesitate to stab you in the back. If your father is involved in anything shady, my father might try to peg it onto you three. He hates the DuCouteaus."

Kat blinked, taking in the new information. "Why?" she asked, confused.

Garen shrugged. "Your father and my father don't exactly get along," he said. "All I know is that it had something to do with a chess competition when they were younger."

"Is… is your dad holding a grudge against my dad because of lousy game?" Kat asked, somehow affronted by the very notion.

Garen shrugged again. "I really don't know," he admitted. "There's probably more to it. But my parents never talk about it. I only know about the chess thing because of—" he cut himself off. He seemed to consider his words, hesitant to continue, and Kat decided to change the subject. If he didn't want to divulge all of his private life, she wouldn't force him to—she could certainly sympathize. But before she could think of something to say, Garen spoke. "My father's an alcoholic," he said quietly. "Sometimes he'll say things, do things, that he wouldn't while sober. One night, he came into the house screaming, smashing things. He ruined the dining room, yelling about how he hated your father. I only overheard a bit before I went to my room."

Kat's heart constricted at the revelation. Suddenly, Garen's mannerisms made sense; his hesitation to offend, his constant attempts to be nice, to please others. His devotion to right and wrong—his determination to be good. He didn't want to be like his father; he wanted to be better. Without thinking about it, she reached out and put her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, and he put his hand over hers, and, hesitantly, their fingers intertwined, and he squeezed her hand gently.

"Don't worry about it," he said just as quietly. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, and Kat couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her arm, goosebumps left in its wake. "Just…" he said, his voice low, "be careful around my parents."

"I will," she promised, her voice breathless.

"Promise?" he asked, looking into her eyes, and her breath caught as she met those bright, clear blue eyes. Her heart was racing, as if she had just run a mile at breakneck speed.

She nodded. "Promise," she said, her voice low and breathy, and she wondered, briefly, when she had started leaning forward towards him, when he had started leaning into her. She glanced down towards his lips, then back to his eyes. She leaned closer, closing the distance between them, and her eyes began to flutter shut as she felt his breath against her lips.

A loud slam from downstairs interrupted the moment, and they both leaned back, each one pretending that nothing had happened despite the blushes on their cheeks that said otherwise. Garen ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat, and Kat tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, both making a point to avoid looking at the other.

Foosteps from the hallway offered a welcome distraction, and the door to Garen's room was thrown open, revealing a red-faced Lux.

"Did you know they'd be back today?" Lux snapped, and Kat quirked an eyebrow at the sharp tone that was so unlike the bubbly Lux she'd come to know. Talon hovered outside the door in the hallway, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. When Kat looked at him questioningly, he shrugged.

"I had no idea," Garen said, crossing his arms, "I was just as shocked as you to find them home."

Lux took a deep breath, opened her mouth to say more, and then she spotted Kat. Lux closed her mouth, frowning, and she seemed to reconsider whatever it was she had been about to say. The blonde took a deep breath, and her expression turned blank in a surprising display of control over her emotions. "We need to talk," she said, her voice level, but Kat could still hear the hint of anger coloring the blonde girl's words.

Garen hesitated, glancing at Kat. "I—" he began but Kat stood.

"It's fine. We'll go to our rooms, leave you two alone," Kat said, and Garen gave her a grateful glance. Kat nodded at Lux as she passed her, and she left the room, closing the door behind her. Talon fell into step behind her as Kat led the way to her room.

She dove onto her bed face first, letting out a heavy breath before rolling over. Talon closed the door behind them and settled onto the floor against the wall, stretching out his long legs as he shrugged his backpack off and deposited it next to him.

"That was weird," Talon mumbled, and Kat snorted.

"You're telling me." She was quiet for a few seconds, thinking over her conversation with Garen, trying her best to avoid thinking about what had happened after it. "Garen told me not to trust his parents." She bit her lip. "I don't think he likes them."

"From the way Lux glared at them, I think that's an understatement," Talon said. "I think 'hate' is the more fitting word."

Kat groaned. "Why the hell do they hate their own parents?" Honestly, before today, if anyone would have told Kat that the Crownguard children hated their parents, she would have laughed in their face and called them a liar. Lux seemed too bubbly and sweet to be able to harbor any sentiments of anger or hate towards anyone, let alone her parents. And Garen seemed like the kind of young man who would get along well with his parents. "What did they do?"

Talon shrugged. "Beats me."

"Maybe Cass knows. Or could find out," Kat mused.

"Where is she, anyway?" Talon asked.

"Biology project, apparently," Kat said with a shrug. Talon frowned.

"Mr. Ivern didn't assign any projects," he said. "Sure it's for biology?"

"You don't take biology," Kat pointed out, "how would you know?"

"I've been hanging out with Lux," Talon explained, "she has friends in biology who never shut up about the cute animals Mr. Ivern has in his room." At Kat's raised eyebrow, he continued, "They talk. A lot."

Kat sat up, leaning back on her arms. "So… Cass isn't staying after school to work on a project?" she asked. "What's she up to, then?"

Talon shrugged. "Beats me," he said for the second time that day, and Kat rolled her eyes. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it lazily towards him, and he plucked it out of the air before it hit him square in the face.

"You're useless," Kat joked, batting away the pillow after he threw it towards her.

"Guilty as charged," Talon replied, a small smile on his lips. Then his smile fell, and he looked at her seriously. "I was looking over the security tapes during class," he said.

"You watch them at school, Talon?" Kat asked, exasperated. "People could see," she cautioned.

He waved off her concerns. "I sit in the back row. Besides, all it looks like is a bunch of rooms. If anyone asks, I'll just tell them I'm watching a show on Netflix, or something."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Did you find something?" she asked.

He scratched at his chin. "Maybe," he said. "I didn't get very far. School let out right as things started to happen." He rummaged in his backpack for a bit and retrieved his laptop. He opened it and tossed the plug at her. "Plug this in, will you?" he asked as he began typing, and though Kat rolled her eyes, she complied.

"There. Look," he said, standing up and sitting on the edge of the bed, angling his laptop so they both could see the security footage he had pulled up.

A dark van pulled up on the side street—the one Kat had noticed outside the building.

"That's them," she breathed, and Talon nodded.

"Thought so," he said as he pressed play, and the footage displayed a figure hopping out of the van. Kat recognized him.

"That's the man I killed," she said, "the one running the operation." They watched as the man approached three other men on the street, handed them some cash, and then proceeded to pick the lock to enter the building. They watched as the men searched the entire building, every room, from top to bottom, and Talon switched between several cameras to track their progress. Finally, they came upon the room where the DuCouteau family had stored boxes of information, and the man said something before directing the rest of the group to begin sorting through the boxes. Here, Talon set it to fast forward, and not an hour later, Garen's blue truck pulled up outside of the building. He paused it then, since they knew what had happened afterwards.

"That black van…" Kat mumbled, and Talon rewound the footage until he could pause on a frame where the van was first visible. He began moving forward slowly, then, frame by frame.

"Let me see if I can find a plate number," Talon muttered. After several frames, he huffed, unsuccessful. The footage had been too grainy to make out a license plate easily. "I can run it through some programs, see if I can clear up the visuals," Talon grumbled, clearly dissatisfied by the quality of the tapes. "It'll take a few hours, though. At least."

Kat nodded. "Do it," she said, and Talon began pulling up some programs Kat had never heard of and running the tapes through them.

"Three hours," he said, then closed the lid of his laptop, "How annoying."

Kat threw herself back onto the bed, letting her back sink into the mattress. She glared at the ceiling as worry gnawed at her. "It's been five days since Dad was abducted," she said softly. She didn't have to say anything else. Talon knew how much danger their father was in, that he could be being tortured, or worse.

"We'll find him," he said as he deposited his laptop on the floor and began to dig around in his backpack. "Here. Look," he said, and he tossed something in Kat's direction. With her quick reflexes, she caught it from the air, and then she sat up and turned to him quizzically, the item still in hand.

"The fuck?" she asked, glancing back down at the pack of stickers he had thrown in her direction. They were stars. Goddamned stars.

"To cheer you up," he mumbled, pulling his phone from his pocket and swiping to unlock it.

"Why," Kat said, bemused, "are you carrying star stickers?" She couldn't help but smile, stupid as the gesture was. "What is this, kindergarten?"

"Saw them at the store," Talon said, "Lux thought they were cute. So I bought some for her, and for you and Cass, too."

"You bought them for us, since we just love cute things," Kat said, her eyes crinkling as her grin widened.

"You guys like cute things. Even though you pretend not to," Talon said with a shrug. "I've seen the kitten pictures on your phone."

The grin fell from her face immediately, and she sputtered, "I—I don't like kittens—"

"And the puppies," he added.

She felt her face heat up, and she stared down at the stickers in her hand. "… Have you seen their paws," she grumbled. Talon opened his mouth as if to reply, but, thankfully, Kat was saved from whatever embarrassment he was about to unleash upon her by a knock on her door.

"Katarina, it's me," said Garen's voice from the other side of the door, and Kat's heart skipped a beat. She stuffed the star stickers under her pillows and glared at Talon, who was smirking at her as she made her way to answer the door.

"Hey," she said as she swung it open and was greeted by the sight of Garen and his little sister.

"Lux and I were wondering if you want to go out for dinner tonight, instead of eating in," he said.

It was as if Garen and Lux were trying to avoid coming out and saying that they hated their parents; they said it in every way except aloud. It was obvious that they wanted to go out to eat to avoid having to share a table with their parents. Kat glanced at Talon, who nodded, before nodding herself. "We're down," she said.

Kat called Cass, who said to go without her, that she'd be home late. It was unusual for Cass to be so vague in her replies to Kat; usually, she was explicit about her intentions and activities, so that Kat wouldn't accidentally misinterpret anything. It made Kat a little worried, what with everything else that had been going on; but Cass seemed fine, really, so Kat decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Garen drove them to a small diner that wasn't too far from the Crownguard household, and they all enjoyed their meals. The conversation was mostly provided by Lux, and—surprisingly—Talon. The two spoke easily, exchanging jokes, and when Garen gave Katarina a look across the table that said, 'I told you so', she scrunched her nose as if she had eaten something nasty.

When they returned home, Garen's parents had, fortunately, gone to sleep, meaning that none of the teenagers were forced to interact with them. It was clearly a relief to Garen, whose shoulders had been tensed as they stepped inside the house until they fell when he realized his parents were already in bed.

"Tonight was fun," Garen said, smiling at the small group. "We should hang out again."

"Absolutely!" Lux said, and Talon nodded in agreement.

"The movies," Kat said. When Lux and Talon gave her a confused glance, she elaborated, "Garen wants us all to go to the movies on Friday."

Lux's eyes widened, and she turned to Garen. "To see the new Pixar movie?" she asked, excitement coloring her voice.

Garen nodded. "Yes."

With a squeal, Lux wrapped her older brother in a hug, and Talon chuckled at her antics. As Kat watched Garen's eyes soften, his arms wrapped gently around his younger sister, Kat realized something. While her heart skipped a beat and her own gaze softened, she realized that she didn't just have a stupid crush on Garen. She definitely, definitely, was falling for him. Hard. He was just so damned sweet, and charming, and funny—and seeing this soft side of him, the caring side that really only came out around his younger sister—it made her realize that she wanted to see more of him. She wanted to see him laugh so hard he cried, she wanted to see him smile until his cheeks hurt, she wanted to see him—god, how stupid was this?—wearing an apron and teaching her how to cook meals. She became acutely aware of this want, this want for Garen, and as she watched him turn his gaze to her, and saw the corners of his eyes lift as his grin widened, she felt as if her heart was going to burst.

Shit, she thought.


The grass crunched under Cassiopeia's shoes, and she held back a grimace. Her shoes were white, for goodness' sake—if she had to take out grass stains tonight after she got home, she would be very unhappy. That would take a fair amount of time, and she was already out late. She made sure to walk carefully from there on, each step calculated and precise.

She made her way across the park and saw a figure huddled under a pine tree, cloaked in shadow. A beam of moonlight fell across the figure's side, enough for Cass to catch the glint of metal as the figure shifted upon catching sight of her. Cass was familiar enough with weapons to recognize a gun, even in the darkness of the night.

"You're late," said the woman, rising to her feet in a swift motion and swiping the dirt off of her pants.

"I was… held up," Cass said. Really, she'd been late on purpose, wanting to test whether the woman in front of her would stay or not—if she was really interested in hearing Cassiopeia's proposal. She was still here—so, clearly, she was interested. Though the plan was risky, Cass hoped it would pay off and, judging by the woman's presence, she wanted to make this work, too. Even so, Cass's heartbeat pounded in her ears, and she had to force herself to remain calm, to at least keep up the appearance of being cool and composed.

"Follow me," the woman said, and she swept to the other side of the park, where a car with tinted windows pulled up to the curb. The woman opened the door and held it open for Cass.

"After you," the woman said, and Cass offered a gracious smile before sliding into the backseat. The woman slid in beside her, and shut the door. "Let's take a drive and work out the details, Miss DuCouteau."

Cass nodded as the car began to move, and she met the dark eyes of the woman in front of her. She smiled, polite and polished. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…"

The woman smiled, a tight, crisp upward curl to her lips that didn't meet her eyes. "Call me Caitlyn. I'm sure you already knew that. You've quite the impressive network, Miss DuCouteau."

Cassiopeia's smile widened. "It seems we have a lot to discuss."

Caitlyn nodded, leaned forward, and brought her chin to rest on one hand. "It certainly does. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"


A/N: Hi. Wow, uhh, sorry for how long this took. Life kind of... punched me in the face, then punched me again, and then kicked me to the ground. So this story wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind, though I did work on it occasionally. Anyway, I'm back! Updates will definitely still take time. But I should be able to get them out monthly, or at least every two months. Special thanks to Americangreek for providing some much-needed motivation, and reminders to update. I really appreciate it!

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's mostly a lot of setup. It's a little on the boring side (sorry, no action this time!), but there are some new elements being introduced here to thicken the plot and get things going, if you will. Anyway, hope y'all have a great day! Thanks for reading :)