Elizaveta had heard gunshots before. She had been to rumbles before, she heard screams in her neighborhood before.

She had never seen someone die.

She was moving before she realized it, running upstairs to tie up her hair. It was long and could get in the way far too easily. When she opened her door, the first thing she noticed was Lilli, curled up on the couch, fast asleep. She looked like an angel. Elizaveta tiptoed over to her dresser and got her green ribbon, tying up her hair. Before she left, she got a blanket and draped it over Lilli. Her gaze lingered on Lilli's sleeping face for a moment longer before she turned around and joined Antonio and Lovino downstairs.

The air outside was colder at night. She zipped up her jacket as she followed them to the train tracks, Lovino hanging back a few steps.

Elizaveta was already trying to figure the murder out. No one in her gang would ever kill- they didn't even have guns. Then, there was the man at the end of the street. He was closest to the train tracks. He would have seen something.

"Do you know who lives in that house?" Elizaveta gestured to it as they passed.

"I've only seen him briefly. I think his name was Hercules. Something Greek like that."

Hercules could have a gun. She doubted it, living in this neighborhood, but she could never be sure. "Let's stop by at his house after this."

Lovino stopped at the edge of the trees. "I'll wait here. I don't want to see it again."

Antonio looked concerned, but he only nodded and motioned for Elizaveta to follow him. She weaved around the trees, coming out at the edge of the tracks. There, clear as day, was the boy she saw harassing Lilli earlier.

He was laying on the tracks, red-blood turned silver-white in the moonlight, red hair brown and dull. His body lay just at the edge of the tracks on the grass.

Elizaveta swallowed hard, fighting back the nausea that rose at the sight. She had never seen a dead body before. She closed her eyes, gathering her courage. She could do this. It was just another injured person. She dealt with injured people every day. She took a deep breath and walked closer, trying to examine his wounds. She wouldn't know what bullet wounds looked like, but she could at least tell if he was killed by a knife.

Antonio stopped her, lightly touching her shoulder, before crouching down and peering at the boy. "He was definitely shot." He gestured at a dark blotch his jacket. "Once in the stomach, I think. It exits in the back here, see? Maybe elsewhere. There's a lot of blood."

Elizaveta leaned forward, trying to see what Antonio was. The boy's jacket was covered in blood, and his hair was matted with it. Just another injury. "Have you seen bullet wounds before?"

Antonio didn't respond, standing back up. He wiped his hands on his jeans as if they were dirty. "Let's get back to Lovino, and then to Hercules."

Lovino was just where they left him, though slightly more agitated. Elizaveta led the way to Hercules' house, knocking at the door. It almost immediately flew open, a disgruntled brunet leaning out and looking her over. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Hercules?"

The man narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "I am Heracles, but I don't know any Hercules. Why don't you call me Zeus next time instead?" He yawned, as if his sass had tired him. He spoke slowly, like every word was an effort.

"Alright, Zeus." Lovino crossed his arms and glared at Heracles. "You live near the train tracks. There's been a murder. You heard the gunshots."

Heracles just looked bored now. "Is that what it was?"

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Just tell us what you saw, vleeta. I don't have all day."

Heracles slowly looked up to the moon, then back at Lovino. "You don't have all day, because it's night time. Are we done? My cats need me."

"Wait." Antonio cut into the conversation. "Because you live near where the kid was shot, you could have seen something. That's why we're here. This isn't normal for this neighborhood, so we're concerned. Could you help us?"

Heracles shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not." He opened the door further, gesturing for them to come in.

Elizaveta entered, leaning against the wall. A kitten nipped at her toes, another cat was curled up on a couch, and a third Heracles had picked up and was currently rocking like a baby. "These are my little ones."

"...Okay." Elizaveta glanced around the room, trying to find anything out of place or strange. It was just as bare and shabby as her house. "What did you see?"

The cat nuzzled Heracles' cheek. He kissed its forehead. "I didn't see anything. I heard a gunshot and hid the children."

This man was eccentric, to say the least. "And after that?"

Heracles paused. "No, I did see someone. He had light hair. I think it was blond, but it almost looked white. He ran."

Gilbert was the first to come to mind- but it could never be him. He could be an annoying bastard, but he could never kill anyone. Ever. It wasn't someone in the Blackbirds.

Lovino looked up, eyes widening. "Ivan."

The leader of Winter, rumored to be ruthless and cruel. Natalia's older brother, all platinum-blond hair and cold eyes and icy smiles. His weapon of choice was an iron pipe. He constantly fought with Mathias and Lukas, the leaders of the Vikings. They could definitely have guns. Elizaveta would be surprised if they didn't.

"What could we do?" Antonio sighed. "We can't go on Winter's turf. Ivan is probably the most protected member."

"No." She wasn't sure how Natalia would take this. Elizaveta could be betraying her trust. But whoever killed that boy was out there and nothing was safe. "I have a friend, Natalia. Ivan's little sister. I could ask her about this."

Lovino snorted. "You think she'll help us when we're going to interrogate her brother?"

"We don't necessarily have to tell her that we suspect Ivan." Antonio stood. "Just tell them that we saw something involving the Vikings and wanted to ask him about it. She'll allow it then." He extended his hand to Heracles. "Thank you."

Heracles shifted the cat to his shoulder before shaking Antonio's hand. He then wordlessly opened the door.

When Elizaveta got home her father was nowhere to be seen. She sighed, taking down her hair and going upstairs. Lilli was still fast asleep. She really did look adorable in Elizaveta's oversized pajamas, and asleep, there wasn't a trace of fear on her face. Elizaveta grinned to herself, putting the ribbon on her nightstand and laying down without even changing.

She was asleep before the hit the pillow.

.

The train whistle cut into Elizaveta's dreamless sleep. She blinked her eyes open slowly, rubbing them as she sat up, checking the time. Six-thirty, just on time. She forced herself to get out of bed. "Lilli. Rise 'n shine." She yawned, grabbing her towel, looking her clothes up and down. She wouldn't have to change her jacket. It would save her time and it wasn't like anyone would notice. She took another shirt and pants off of her dresser. "Lilli." Elizaveta turned to the couch, ready to wake her up.

The couch was empty. Elizaveta wasn't prepared for the sudden disappointment that followed; she ignored it.

The blanket was neatly folded along with her pajamas, a small note on top of them. Elizaveta picked it up and unfolded it.

Elizaveta,

Thank you for all that you did last night. You are a very nice person and your food was delicious. I can't impose on you any more, though, so I'm leaving before you wake up. Thank you again.

-Lilli

Elizaveta didn't know what she felt and wasn't keen on finding out. She needed to forget Lilli. Now that she was gone, it was obvious. Lilli was rich and what happened the night before was a one-time occurrence. Elizaveta would not allow herself to feel anything more for her- they were in different worlds. Some gaps just weren't meant to be bridged.

Elizaveta opened the drawer to her nightstand and put the note inside. There was nothing wrong with keeping it, after all. She got back to getting ready for school, pushing the note and everything else with Lilli from her mind, planning out her day. She had about an hour before her shift at Rocking Johnny's started. That was enough time to get Antonio and go to Ivan. She nodded to herself, turning on the shower. That's what she would do.

Through the rest of the day, Elizaveta planned what she would ask Ivan, what she would tell Natalia, what she would do if Ivan reacted negatively. Natalia would protect her, but she wasn't sure what would happen after that. She sighed, looking around her classroom. Lukas and Mathias were both absent, leaving just Tino at their table. That was strange.

Elizaveta shook her head, trying to concentrate. Ivan might not even be the killer. They were basing everything off a vague description, but then again, they were desperate. If this person killed once, he would kill again.

She couldn't help herself from looking for Lilli throughout the day. Even if she had just met her, Elizaveta was concerned. She left in the middle of the night, injured, so soon after a murder had happened... Elizaveta cut off the thought then and there. No matter how kind Lilli seemed, they lived in different worlds. It disturbed her how many times she had to remind herself of that.

She still caught herself scanning the hallways for a familiar flash of gold or listening for a quiet laugh when she was packing up her things. Maybe it was okay for her to worry; even if Lilli could knock someone out with a punch, it was late and she was hurt. It was only human for her to worry. With that mindset, she took a deep breath and started walking toward the music section of school. That was a second home to Roderich, and wherever Roderich was, Vash would be.

Just as she expected, Roderich was standing just outside the band room with Vash. Gilbert leaned against the wall in what Elizaveta assumed he thought was a cool pose, his flute case dangling from his finger. Roderich stood completely straight, and looking at him now, Elizaveta could believe he wore a corset.

Vash looked quite a bit like his sister, with the same blond hair that hung just above his shoulders and bright green eyes.

"Eliza!" Gilbert grinned when he saw her and raised his hand in greeting, drawing the attention of Roderich and Vash.

She was about to go over to them when she saw Lilli outside of the choir hall, heard her laugh, and suddenly without thinking she turned around and ran out of the hallway. Lilli was alright, and that was good, that was wonderful, but Elizaveta couldn't stop or turn around. She was so happy when she saw Lilli, like they were friends, and that didn't make any sense. She leaned against a wall and tried to catch her breath, completely aware of the strange looks she was getting. At least she had stopped running.

Elizaveta squeezed her eyes shut and tried to even her breathing. This was completely strange, this was unlike her; she was a rational person. It didn't make sense why she reacted like that. It didn't make sense why her mind blanked or that she was nervous.

Maybe it was for the better. She and Lilli weren't meant to have met at all. What would she have even said, anyway?

"Elizaveta?"

Elizaveta straightened and turned toward the voice. Natalia stood before her, concern on her face. Elizaveta shook her head and laughed. This whole thing was ridiculous. "I just felt a little dizzy, that's all."

Natalia looked unconvinced, crossing her arms. She didn't say anything more. "You have been distracted today."

"Actually..." Elizaveta shifted uneasily. "Something happened last night."

Natalia glanced at the people nearby before leaning in. They were out of earshot and it was definitely too loud for anyone else to hear. "Tell."

Elizaveta tried to swallow but realized her throat had gone dry. The image of that boy shot dead on the tracks was still clear as day in her mind. "Someone was murdered on my turf last night."

Natalia's eyes widened in alarm. "Who?"

"We don't know. It just happened, and Lovino found the body..." She took a shaky breath. "It was bad."

Natalia's hand brushed over hers, the touch comforting. "I'm sorry."

Elizaveta tried to push the memory from her mind and mustered up a weak smile. "It's alright." She was about to change the subject and ask about talking to Ivan when she noticed something on Natalia's arm. It was knit and brightly colored- a bracelet. "Oh, that's pretty," She said, gesturing to it.

Natalia smiled. "I made it last night. Ivan helped me, and it took until eleven to finish. I kept messing up."

Ivan didn't kill the boy. Ivan was innocent. Elizaveta was shocked by how relieved she was; she didn't want to incriminate the brother of her best friend. But that made another problem arise. They didn't know who the killer was. It could be anyone, and they could murder again. It was a chilling thought.

"Elizaveta!"

Elizaveta turned at the sound of her name. Ludwig, Gilbert's brother was running toward her, note in hand. He hardly looked anything like his brother. His hair blond and neatly slicked back, his eyes deep blue. He was also taller and more muscular and incredibly modest- it was strange to think he and Gilbert were related at all.

He was followed by Lovino's younger brother, Feliciano, who had wild brown hair a shade lighter than Lovino's and amber eyes. He was almost constantly around Ludwig.

Ludwig reached her and held out a piece of scrap paper, breathless. "Someone left this in Gilbert's locker. We don't know who."

Elizaveta took the paper and unfolded it, reading the neat writing on the page.

"If you don't bring Heracles to the park by 8:00 tonight, your musician will die."

The breath was stolen out of her lungs, her vision darkened, she fell unsteadily against the lockers behind her. Roderich wasn't safe, Heracles knew something, where was Roderich, Heracles lied. Roderich wasn't safe. The note was torn out of her hands but she couldn't stop it, hands were on her shoulders, someone was telling her to breathe. She closed her eyes and focused on forcing air in and out of her lungs. It was Natalia who was telling her to calm down, it was her hands on Elizaveta's shoulders. When Elizaveta opened her eyes, she saw Natalia was the person who had taken the note, now crumpled in her hand.

"Who sent this?" Natalia's voice was calm and controlled, but Elizaveta saw her hand curl into a fist around the note.

"We don't know, but Gilbert turned really white, whiter than he normally is at least, and he ran off. I think he went to the music room, which is where Roderich normally is." Feliciano fidgeted from foot to foot, his vision darting between the two of them nervously.

Elizaveta was relieved at that. At least Roderich would have Gilbert to protect him. Gilbert wouldn't let anyone hurt the people close to him; especially not Roderich.

Natalia's hand brushed against her own. "This man is important to you, yes?"

Elizaveta had grown up with Roderich; she knew him as long as she could remember. She had loved him. "He's like a brother."

Natalia nodded with conviction, her eyes steely. "I will not let him be hurt. For you." She turned around. "I'm going to find them. Don't do anything stupid." She walked off, carrying herself with silent dignity.

Elizaveta only realized that once Natalia was gone that she had taken the note with her. It didn't matter since she remembered what it said, but it was strange. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear it and focus. She would just ask Natalia about it later. "The park. What park do you think it is?"

Ludwig gave an almost imperceptible shrug. "Maybe the one where the rumble happened?"

Elizaveta considered it. It would be well-known now, but it was a strange choice. "It's too far in the our turf. That wouldn't make sense; we could easily catch whoever sent that note."

Feliciano stared down at his hands, picking at his nails. He looked incredibly worried. "Maybe the other one. At the edge of our turf."

There was another park, half in the Viking's turf and half in theirs. Elizaveta had only been to it once or twice and it was almost always deserted. It was perfect. "You're right. That must be it."

That raised another question, though- was the blackmailer someone from the Vikings? And beside that, why would they gain from this?

Were they the murderer?

Elizaveta gathered her courage and took a deep breath. "I'm going to follow Heracles and stay hidden. I need to find out who's doing this." She felt inside her jacket pocket until her fingers hit the hilt of her switchblade, cold and reassuring. She would fight if she needed to. First, she had to go to Heracles. She checked her watch.

Half an hour to go before her shift started.

.

"You lied."

Heracles' face remained impassive. He sighed. "No, I didn't."

Elizaveta crossed her arms and glared at him. "If you didn't, why is someone after you?"

Heracles' expression still remained the same- his lack of reaction was impressive. He was slouched against the doorway lazily, his hands in his pockets, his face bored. He was the picture of indifference. "I don't know."

She let out a breath of frustration. "Then you'll have no problem going to the park with me later? Someone left a note saying they needed to see you, and it didn't seem friendly."

That inspired a reaction in Heracles. His eyes widened, but only for a moment, and only slightly. It was gone so soon Elizaveta wasn't sure she had seen it. He let out a short, angry breath, and raked a hand through his messy hair. It was the only sign of annoyance this entire time.

"I don't know." He said each word slowly through clenched teeth. "What I told you last night is the truth. I saw a boy with blond hair. He ran off after he saw me."

Elizaveta narrowed her eyes. "And that's all? You didn't recognize him? He didn't say anything?"

There was a long pause. Heracles eyes kept darting behind Elizaveta; she knew someone was moving into the vacant house across the street, but she wouldn't let herself be distracted.

Heracles finally cleared his throat and stared only at the other house. "He threatened me."

Elizaveta allowed herself to relax and took the edge of her voice. "What did he say?"

Heracles shrugged. "He would keep an eye on me. Kill if I told anyone."

Now this was getting somewhere. "Why?"

He closed his eyes and seemed to deflate, his brave front disappearing. He just looked tired. "I saw him shoot the kid. It happened twice, and then he threatened me with his gun. Then he took off." Heracles opened his eyes slowly, as if it hurt, and looked up at Elizaveta. "That's the entire truth of what happened."

For the first time, Elizaveta felt sympathy for him. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know what do say. "How old are you, Heracles?"

"Eighteen. Same as you."

He was in her school, in her grade. Why hadn't she noticed him before? "That boy is threatening us. He said that if you don't go to a park up north, he'll kill my friend." She averted her gave and tried to find a way to put it. "This doesn't concern you, I know. You don't even know my friend..." She swallowed hard. "I would be just a little bit behind you, and I have my switchblade. I wouldn't let him hurt you."

Fear was in his eyes, fear that lingered for longer than a moment. "He intends to kill me. He has a gun, Elizaveta."

Elizaveta flipped out her switchblade in a way she hoped looked confident. "And I won't let him."

Heracles looked slowly from the blade to her face. After a long moment, he gave her a tiny nod. "I'll see you later tonight."

.

Natalia wasn't at the diner during her shift, which was both strange and reassuring. If she wasn't there, she would be with Gilbert and Roderich. Elizaveta was distracted through the night, constantly glancing at the clock until six-thirty rolled around. She left as quickly as she could.

She first went to Gilbert's house to make sure that Roderich was there safely. She knocked on the door and waited.

A few minutes passed before Feliciano opened the door, face red and hair even more askew than usual. Elizaveta raised an eyebrow but said nothing about it. "Roderich is here, yes?"

Feliciano was rapidly trying to fix his hair, but at that he stopped mid-brush. "No." He simply looked confused. "Is he supposed to be?"

Elizaveta cursed and stepped back. If Roderich wasn't at Gilbert's house, he wasn't safe. The murderer could be anywhere. "Is Ludwig here?"

Ludwig cleared his throat and inched out a second later. His face was bright red and he almost seemed to be hiding. His normally neatly slicked back hair looked like it had been ruffled or had someone's hands through it; looking back at Feliciano, she could tell just what had happened. "Natalia came here not too long ago. She seemed angry. She told Gilbert and Roderich to come with her to Winter's turf- said they would be safer."

Elizaveta curled and uncurled a strand of hair around her finger, something she always did when she was thinking. Roderich should definitely be safe. With Gilbert and Natalia protecting him, no one could touch him. Natalia had promised nothing would happen to him, and so nothing would. "Did Gilbert bring his switchblade?"

Ludwig nodded and Feliciano continued speaking. "He looked really scared, too, and he was holding Roderich's hand, which is really weird because he's never done that before in front of us and he always says that he doesn't care for Roderich and that Roderich is a stuck up queen so it must've been serious." He had a special, rapid-fire way of talking that stumbled out in a continuous stream.

Elizaveta cut him off before he could say anymore. "Thank you very much, Feliciano. I'll see you tomorrow." She winked at them. "I won't interrupt you two anymore."

Feliciano gasped and Ludwig turned even redder, but Elizaveta was halfway down the street before they could say anything more.

.

Elizaveta was keeping a close eye on Heracles, following him as he reached the park. It was a bit of walk away from their neighborhood, enclosed by a forest and half a part of the forest itself. It was mostly forgotten.

Whoever sent that ransom note was either from the Vikings or was trying to make it look like they were. The park was mostly on the Vikings turf, and if they were from the Vikings, they were either stupid or impulsive. Both of those could be frightening in a murderer.

If the person who sent the note even was the murderer.

Elizaveta tried to clear her mind and focused on Heracles. He was leaning against a tree, hands in his pockets and his head back against the bark. He looked completely nonchalant; Elizaveta was honestly impressed.

She looked up to the sky, trying to judge the time. The sun had nearly and it was colder, which meant it was almost eight. Probably. She cursed under her breath, turning back to Heracles. She needed a watch.

"Elizaveta?"

She jumped, whirling around at her name. Standing there uncertainly was Lilli, leaning much more on her left leg than her right.

And suddenly, the breath was stuck in Elizaveta's throat, cold fear rushed through her veins burning hot and cold at once, she froze completely. "What are you doing here?!" She hissed, finally forcing something out.

Lilli looked taken aback. It took her a moment to respond. "I'm taking a walk. This park is near my house."

Elizaveta glanced behind her and saw someone was already talking to Heracles. Lilli was saying something else.

Her voice would be heard. Elizaveta grabbed her arm, covering her mouth and holding her close. "Shh."

She felt Lilli go ridged under her as the person looked toward them. Heracles wasn't leaning casually against the tree anymore; he was standing erect, his hands nervously balled into fists.

Elizaveta felt the air leave her lungs, like someone had punched her stomach. She couldn't look away from his blond hair or cold, cold blue eyes.

Lukas Bondevik.

Shock closed her throat and made her hands tremble. There was a long, tension-filled moment before Lukas turned back to Heracles and reached into his pocket.

Ever so slowly, a black handgun emerged, glinting in the last light of the sun.

Lilli gasped and Lukas spun around, pointing the gun toward the bushes were they hid. Elizaveta immediately flipped out her switchblade and held it in front of them. She was breathing hard and couldn't hold the knife steady, cold sweat rolling down the back of her neck.

"Don't kill him," Lilli breathed. "Please."

Lukas took another step toward them and Elizaveta saw his finger slide to the trigger. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as he took another step toward them. The bushes didn't have any leaves yet; if he got any closer, he would see them. She was moving before she knew it, she didn't have time to think, all she could to was pull Lilli back frantically until she stumbled down into a ditch. Her eyes never left the slowly approaching gun, black and dull now that the sun had set.

Elizaveta fell on a branch and it snapped and the breath was stolen from her lungs and everything was happening too fast and her heart was pounding so hard it hurt and a gunshot tore through the air.

Elizaveta was so stupid. Why did she think this was going to work? Why did she think she was strong enough? Dammit, she knew that this could be the murderer!

And Lilli was in danger, too.

Suddenly, that's all that mattered. Lilli could get killed. Lilli could die.

Elizaveta leaned forward as Lukas' footsteps grew closer and whispered as quietly as she could. "Run. Go to my house and stay there."

Lilli's eyes were wide and afraid. The poor girl was shaking. "But what about you?"

Elizaveta shook her head. "Just go." Lilli stared at her for a long moment longer before she swallowed hard, nodded and ran forward just as Lukas reached the ditch, darting out of sight before he could see her. Elizaveta looked up to him defiantly, but when she met his gaze all confidence disappeared.

It was like looking into the eyes of a snake, cold, calculating, empty. A bruise stretched across his cheekbone. He pointed the gun at her, his face uncaring, his finger on the trigger.

Elizaveta had never been more afraid in her life. She was sick with it, her head was spinning, and she couldn't get enough air. She held up her switchblade uselessly in front of her.

And then Lukas laughed. It was unlike anything she had ever heard; short, barking, almost painful. "You really think you could do anything with that?"

Elizaveta couldn't speak. Her mind was completely blank and she was mortifyingly close to tears.

"Cat got your tongue?" Lukas crouched down and placed the gun on the ground, pointed away from them. "I'm not going to kill you. Not yet."

Elizaveta couldn't look away from the gun. Finally, a word came back to her. "Why?"

Lukas shrugged. "You and I aren't so different."

That was the most preposterous thing she had ever heard. "No."

"No?" Lukas' voice and face was so devoid of emotion it was terrifying. "We both have gangs. We both go to the same school." His eyes went from blank to piercing in seconds. "We both have tendencies to love someone of same gender."

Elizaveta froze at his last words. No one was supposed to know that. She wouldn't even admit it to herself. "You killed someone."

Lukas looked down to the knife in her hands. "And you wouldn't kill me just as quickly?" His gaze slid back up to her and he smiled. "Don't deny it. I can see you're just dying to."

Lukas was right. He was right about everything he was saying, and it terrified her. "What do you want?"

He stretched casually, and Elizaveta saw her opening. "A bargain."

Before Lukas could say anything else Elizaveta was lunging at him, knife pointed at his chest. Fear was flooding all her senses, she had to kill him, she had to get somewhere safe...

She didn't know how, but in a flash Lukas was on top of her, knees pinning her sides down, gun against her head, face mere inches from hers. Anger blazed in his eyes before he grinned and laughed. Hard. Almost maniacal. He leaned forward, still half laughing, the barrel of the gun pressed even harder into her head. He cupped her cheek gently with a too-cold hand. "I told you," He whispered almost endearingly, "we aren't different at all."

Elizaveta was almost hyperventilating. She tried to keep from crying, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood. She couldn't stop tears from welling up; frustrated, angry, terrified tears.

Suddenly, Lukas almost looked concerned. He wiped away her tears with his thumb and the pressure was relieved from her head. She saw him pocket the gun.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He sounded... Regretful. He sighed. "I like you quite a bit, you know."

She was just confused now. He sounded so genuine, but his words didn't match his actions; his knees were still digging into her ribs. She didn't respond.

"So much, in fact, that I'm not going to kill you." He picked up one of her curls and rolled it between his fingers. "Aren't you special?" Lukas looked down to her again and grinned in an innocent, almost childlike way. "But this will be our little secret. You can't tell anyone. Or else your little bird dies."

He saw Lilli. She was in danger now. She tried to sit up, but Lukas was too heavy. "Don't hurt her. Please."

Lukas lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. "Then don't tell anyone. Simple as-"

He was cut off as Natalia jumped into the ditch, tackling Lukas and pinning him down, her knife to his throat. "You bastard!" A drop of blood rolled down his throat. "You goddamn bastard! I should kill you right now. I should!"

"Natalia?"

She spun around to Elizaveta. "This bastard's gang just attacked Winter and the Blackbirds at the same time. He ordered them to, and he wasn't even there! My brother was almost killed because of him!" She suddenly noticed Elizaveta's state of dishevelment and pressed the knife against Lukas' throat. "What did you do to her?"

When Lukas didn't answer, Natalia looked back up to Elizaveta, cold fury unlike anything she had ever seen before blazing in her eyes. "Go, Elizaveta. Back to your house. I will take care of this."

Elizaveta ran.

Notes-

Vleeta (pronounced vleeka) is a Greek vegetable. From what I've heard, it isn't the tastiest.