.Author's Note. *inhales loudly* Gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen! I'm really really really sorry for practically dropping this fic off the side of a cliff for the past several months! I've been highly distracted and I had no idea what do even write for this one! You have total right to be mad at me! *shields face in case barrage of fists come in*

I've been very caught up with my other fanfics and other things *coughWatchingDigimonXrosWars cough* so I sort of forgot to work on this. But as I worked on my Tai Chi Chasers fic, it dawned on me that maybe I should update this fic as well, so I worked double-time. I really hope it's satisfying enough for you guys... T_T

And I really tried to use my sources for this one as well. I reread Lie To Me to get some details correct, but honestly hated what I read. My writing back then really sucked; I'm sorry to those that put up with it with its horrible descriptions and bipolar characters...and Max... *shot'd*

I'm considering rewriting it, but it would take half of forever to do it, unless I just change minor things like the discombobulated dialogue and spelling mistakes and such, so please review and tell me if I should or not. It wouldn't be an immediate project, since I'm working on so many things already, but it'll stick in the back of my mind enough that I'd probably do it.

Anyway, I've also been trying to watch Dinosaur King to try to get a good feel for all the characters again. I watched three episodes last night and it was highly refreshing. Although I must say that I still can't stand Zoe's whiney voice...

With all of that said, I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I'm trying to keep all of them around the same length, plus I was sort of short of ideas. If anyone has anything they want me to add, just let me know and I'm pretty sure I'd be able to fit it in.

So now please enjoy my highly-delayed chapter 3! R&R please, my loves~!

—Chapter Three: Our Secrets

Oh God, oh God, oh God, were the words that kept echoing within my skull. I didn't know what to do, what to say. All I could do was stand there and feel like I had just lost all of my money gambling. But I knew this felt much worse—this helplessness didn't have anything in common with any emotion I had ever felt. The part that got me: I knew just who wrote it, but I just didn't know why. Amusement? Just to watch me squirm and sweat? To put me in my place?

No. Full well I knew that Seth would have something bigger in mind.

I felt Rex's arms around me, but I honestly didn't receive any comfort in the notion as I usually did. In fact, I hardly felt his touch, I didn't flinch at the fact we were in public. My gray eyes just remained placed on that paper in my hands. "He couldn't—he wouldn't—would he?" I didn't realize my voice would've cracked so much until I heard it actually do so. And it was so quiet, a quiet that I never used before. Am I actually afraid of my brother?

The thought rattled me inside and out as I churned it around inside my mind. I knew he had always intimidated me—that's why I had waited so long to demand my freedom—but fear? The idea itself seemed too unrealistic to me, so I never thought it possible until this very moment. Until now I thought I was untouchable, that he wouldn't do anything to harm me because of that little bond of blood between us, but now that strand of hope seemed to have just snapped.

An emotion that I couldn't define took over me. Something inside of me just broke. I shrugged out of Rex's light embrace, slightly crumpled the note, but couldn't throw it away. My words came out in a way that they didn't fit my lips properly as I locked solid eyes with my blond-haired boy, "We don't tell Max and Zoe. If they found out, things can only get worse." I couldn't begin to imagine what my expression looked like, but I'm sure disheveled was the biggest understatement I'd ever made.

A feeling of separation consumed the space about me. My mind was drifting off from my body and the world around me, growing more and more detached. It circled around that image of my brother, blue eyes sharp and piercing, his mouth contorted into that evil, wry smirk that had taken over his physiognomy when he'd first begun to change, a silent laugh ripping up his throat. It echoed that look on his face that took over when I had successfully snagged the D-Team's DinoHolders, when I had played my friends with pure deceit—when I had hated myself.

It was only then I ripped myself from my daze and I saw my fingers shaking, the paper crinkling in them. I tried to keep myself from looking at the words written in that oh-so familiar penmanship and forced myself to fold the letter up, concealing the script, and slid it into my pocket. A part of me wanted to just crumple it up and throw it away, but another part argued with a distinct feeling that if I did toss it out, something bad would happen. Something that made the pit in my stomach turn into a mass much larger.

I interlaced my fingers between Rex's and without making eye contact, muttered, "Let's go…" I knew he saw that I was distraught, that it was far too late to start hiding it, but what I didn't want him to see was just how distraught I was. His bright blue eyes were observant, I knew that full well, but I was praying that they weren't just as quick. And so as we began the walk back to the Taylors' house, the hand that wasn't holding his slid into my pocket and held tightly to the note, wishing for my peace to be secure and certain.

In a single moment, things turned from blissful to utterly frightening. It was almost mirroring to Seth's transformation, when he had become so obsessed with his work and far less concerned with my well-being. It was almost as though his change had occurred overnight; the Seth I could recall so well who once had so much consideration towards me twisted about to the point where he outwardly didn't care, where I had to demand attention from him. And it was all because of some dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs and a need for power.

When we returned to the Taylors', that note was the very last thing I needed on my mind. It made it so much harder to put on a smile and fake that everything wasn't falling apart. As we came through the door, Ace was quick to scamper over to greet us, but I couldn't bring myself to do much more than give the little Carnotaurus a smile. It was on usual occasion that I'd crouch down and give him a little snackie that I'd bought on the way home, but today just wasn't one of those days. Instead, I just walked past and into the next room, my mind off somewhere else.

"Riley, I got those listings you asked for." My head shot down from the clouds and focused on Mrs. Taylor. I had almost missed what she'd said, but peering down at the small packet of paper in her hands, I connected her meaning. A silence followed as I merely stared down at it. "If you're having second thoughts, you don't have to—"

I hated cutting off people, but something inside me made me do it anyway. "No, it's not that. It's just that I was thinking about something else." I tried to put on my best smile and took the papers gingerly. "Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. I'll let you know when I decide." I backed off before she could question my behavior and retreated up to my bedroom, staring down at what she'd given me but not really reading what was actually written on it.

Turning the doorknob, I let myself into the confines of my room and then closed the door behind me. Ever since I'd taken up residence at the Taylor household, I'd given them more reason for renovation. Not only was I given my own room, but the entire second floor of the house was given a chance to be changed completely from when I'd first arrived. Despite the costs, Mrs. Taylor seemed beyond excited to have some new coats of paint on the wall and new furniture replacing the old. Mr. Taylor seemed pretty psyched about doing a man's job of renovating, too—at first—but then after a while (AKA, in a matter of a few hours), it seemed like he was happier just watching a hired guy do it instead. Oh well…

Either way, I was pleased with the room I'd been given. It wasn't small, but it wasn't overly large, the walls were white, and a window was over my bed. I was also provided with a writing desk and a bookshelf that was gradually filling with books of all sorts. On my desk was a pile of journals, the textbook from Zeta Point and the journal I had bought when first arriving on the bottom of the pile. Since then I had filled several more with daily entries and random ramblings and I constantly found myself in need of another journal.

It was here, after sitting down on my bed, I actually read the packet of paper that Mrs. Taylor had given me. It was only a few days ago that I'd come to her with a request that I search for a job; I felt a growing guilt that they'd given me so much and leaving me with no way to pay them back or at least pay for some of the things I needed, and thus, voiced this conclusion that I needed to make my own income. After all, with three kids and two little dinosaurs running rampant, it's obvious that broken things are going to need replacing and hospital bills will need paying and all sorts of things. It just didn't seem at all fair to me that since I wasn't even related that they should do so much for me.

Thus, Mrs. Taylor went about searching for job openings I could qualify for. I would hardly allow that, but she insisted upon it and it seemed like all I could do was comply. She was a very resourceful person and never hesitated to go above and beyond expectation; I knew that just from the number of pages and listings that she'd provided me with. She could've easily been one of the most compassionate people I knew, and she had told me on multiple occasions when catching me using formalities, "'Missus' is for acquaintances. You can call me Aki. Or even Mom if you'd like."

After saying such things, she'd always laugh lightly, but her wording would always bring me back into reverie. I could remember faces. Countless faces, no matter who they were and how brief I set my eyes on them. It was a gift and a curse. It made my knack for remembering loved ones, but at the same time, it brought me back into those bittersweet images of my parents. I could recall every curve of their faces, every fleck of color in their eyes, and while bringing me back to a gentle, serene time, it also pulled me back into those images of where we were pulled apart.

My eyes scanned about the writing on all of the pages. Some of the jobs listed were different positions for the same business, but overall there was a vast amount of things I could've chose from. I had absolutely no work experience to my name and so this was one thing I had to start from square one at. A part of me just didn't want be in the fast food business—since that was just stereotypical—and another just didn't want to work at all.

"Oi…" I dropped myself back onto the mattress and let the papers fall beside me. My eyes locked onto the ceiling and just stared up at it blankly for no particular purpose. "I need something ideal…something not so menial as all of these half-rate jobs…" I threw my fists down beside me and let out a really whiney sound that I was used to hearing from Zoe. That girl was rubbing off on me far too much for comfort. "Why's it suck so much to be inexperienced!?"

In a single instant, my frustration took a turn, causing me to let out an exasperated sigh. Because that's not the real issue here… A frown took over my face and as soon as I just barely parted my lips, a groan decided it wanted to escape. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, what I even could do. Was I supposed to sit around and wait for something horrible to happen? Was Seth expecting me to go back to Zeta Point and put everything to an end? But if neither of those things, then what?

"He can't be just toying with me…he doesn't do that…" I sputtered, sliding the note from my pocket, but not daring to look at it for fear that I'd lose myself within the words it beheld. My fingers curled around it, crushing it within my grasp. "What is he doing? And what does he want with me…?"

It was a clear night when the sun fell below the horizon. Even in the midst of the city, the lights were only a slight glow within the darkness. Sure, I couldn't see stars, but it was clear and warm. Perfect to go out, I decided as I opened up my bedroom window and climbed out onto the roof. Out of all the places that were available to my exploration, this was my favorite by far. It was a place where I could clear my head and sort through all of my thoughts without interruption. This was my secret haven.

I crawled over to the window next to it and tapped on it with closed knuckle. Inviting a small smile to my face, I looked in and then proceeded to lay down on the shingles with my head resting upon my hands. My eyes gazed up into the dark sky, searching for something beyond the atmosphere but knowing that I won't find it. Despite the lost cause, my face refused to turn away from the heavens, my being still relying on one little shred of hope.

My ears caught the sound of the window previously tapped on sliding open. I didn't have to move a millimeter to know he was going to join me and I didn't have to see him with my eyes to know just how his hair shone in the city lights of night or how his crystalline eyes flashed despite the hour. My mind had him memorized, his face forever emblazoned within, even to the point where it felt I had known him much longer than in reality, but at times, I doubted this when my mind flashed back to those first moments we were introduced, those moments where recognition took over to the point where I had questioned, "Have we met before?"

I could feel his being close to mine, feel his warmth. And in a single moment, I knew that he could read all my thoughts like an open book. His voice displayed confidence and an unalterable optimism that I was used to seeing in Max, rather than him, but still his signature level-headedness was tightly interweaved. "Whatever he has planned, we can take it on."

We… That word held so much meaning; probably more meaning than he intended. I hated being powerless. I hated being the one waiting at home as my friends went off to face dinosaurs and risked themselves. I hated not being able to do a single thing to stand up against the Alpha Gang, despite once being a part of it. My jaws tightened as I choked out my interpretation, "You mean you're gonna solve the problem for me. You know as well as I do I'm totally useless. I have no way to stand up to my brother, even if he wasn't armed with a dinosaur arsenal…" I felt my eyes narrow as the past flashed before them. "You saw firsthand how he used me—he didn't give me a dinosaur; he didn't ever intend for me to fight. It's as if he anticipated that I'd turn from him and he just did this to keep me weak…"

I felt his hand touch up against mine, but I curled my fingers into a fist. He said nothing of my act of distancing, instead responding to my words after a moment's deliberation, "I know you, and you're anything but weak. You could take him by yourself if you wanted to." I saw him giving me a smile when I glanced over as he said this. I suddenly knew that he wasn't just trying to lift my spirits. "I just don't want you to keep this all inside and go about it alone."

As his hand slid over the top of my fist and held securely, I closed my eyes and curved the corners of my mouth upward. "Rex, I do believe that's the most encouraging thing you've ever said."