A/N. Last time (I probably announced it on Ch. 52) I updated, 20 minutes later did I get the first review. Chapter 53, however, got me my first reviewer WITHIN 10 MINUTES. Holy...Roman Empire! You guys are like *snaps fingers* that, aren't you? Wow, I'm really happy. Thanks, you guys! ^^ You've brightened my week.

Another topic to talk about... Guess what my hairstyle is right now? It's braided loosely, on my right shoulder. ^^ Heehee, and my hair looks brown -I'm an Asian Katniss. :3 The real topic: Who's ready for the Hunger Games? I'm not! ^^ I haven't read all of book 1 yet, so I can't watch the movie (Rules Of Reading XD I took an oath). But it's funny -I already know so much from what my friends have accidentally blurted out. :) Anyways, for those seeing it this weekend (or saw it this morning), enjoy! I bet it'll be (or was) great! ^^ Peeta FTW! (Josh Hutcherson to be more specific :3)

(Lol, I wrote that above, maybe Monday night, and now my dad says we can see it tonight if there's a way for us to still get tickets [it's probably sold out, but he says he'll try]. YAAY!)

QotW: What is the first meal that Katniss and Gale eat at the beginning of the first HG book? (I also have a QotW for those who haven't read all of HG or not at all) If you were stuck on a deserted island and only had one thing with you, what would you have?

Chapter 54! Sorry there won't be any DxMSeed fluff in this one. Next chapter -yes. :) Really cheesy like last chapter (CHEESE OVERLOAD!) but that'll be posted Sunday as per usual!

Chapter 54: Phone-y Business (Hardy Har Har)

When I woke up, I felt overheated. I stretched, yawning widely. My eyes shot open went I touched something— or someone warm. I sat up quickly, looking around at my surroundings. I was definitely not at home. There was a lump next to me, a person sleeping under the covers.

My mind was racing. What happened last night? After Mr. Firay, Sage, and Ariana had disappeared into the hospital I had gone back to Sage's car… and then what? I couldn't remember. When had I fallen asleep? I looked around the room again and realized with a jolt where I was.

Mr. Firay's house. So that meant…

Gripping the comforter tightly, I whipped it off the person next to me. When I noticed it was Sage, not Mr. Firay, I shrieked, moving away from him. His eyes shot open, and he bolted up, looking around widely.

"Where's the fire?" he shouted, his messy chestnut hair everywhere, covering parts of his face.

"There is no fire!" I cried, grabbing a pillow and pulling it to my chest. "What are you doing in the same bed as me?"

Sage looked at me in confusion for a few seconds. "Daphne?"

"That's me," I snapped, feeling my face heat up. "What are you doing in my bed?"

"Actually," a new voice commented, "I do believe that's my bed."

My head snapped in the direction of the doorway, where Mr. Firay was standing. He had large, white bandages wrapped around the top of his head, and a deep blue bruise under his left eye. He raised an eyebrow at me, taking a sip from the coffee cup in his hand.

"What…?" I trailed off, unsure of what I was about to ask.

Sage bounded out of Mr. Firay's bed, hopping to his feet. "Morning, Matt!"

Mr. Firay gave Sage a hard look. "It's afternoon."

I climbed out of the bed as well, detangling myself from the sheets. Mr. Firay smirked at me as I did so. I was about to ask him what he thought was so amusing when I looked down and noticed I was still in the boxers I was in last night. Flushing in embarrassment I quickly yanked the sheet off his bed and wrapped it around me.

"Ariana and Wendell are coming with clothing for you soon," Mr. Firay informed me.

"Ariana and Wendell?"

Mr. Firay nodded. "We have a lot of explaining to do with Ariana… And we have a few other things to discuss."

"Like what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Firay ignored my question. "Want some breakfast?"

My stomach rumbled as if on cue, and I blushed again, causing Mr. Firay and Sage to chuckle.

"It's almost ready," Mr. Firay informed me.

"Then… can I take a quick shower?"

Mr. Firay nodded. "Sure. You can grab some clothing out of my dresser if you want," he informed me. "That way you won't be changing back into dirty clothes."

"Aw, you two share clothes?" Sage teased, grinning. "That's cute."

Mr. Firay jammed his elbow into Sage's side. "Shut up. Go check on the bacon."

Sage grumbled, but left the room. Mr. Firay stayed in the doorway, taking another sip from his mug.

"Um, what happened last night?"

Another amused smile appeared on Mr. Firay's face. "Well, it was around four in the morning when they finished fixing me up, and you were asleep in the car when we finally made it out, so we didn't wake you up. Ariana went home, but Sage called your mother and told her you were staying here for the night."

I had to remember to thank Sage for calling my mom. I didn't want her having a heart attack because I was missing. "Okay… So why was I in the same bed as Sage?"

Mr. Firay scowled. "I don't know. He was supposed to be sleeping on the couch."

"Oh, so he snuck in," I commented, rolling my eyes. "That's just like him. Where'd you sleep?"

"Couch in the living room," Mr. Firay told me grumpily. "I have to be careful not to let my head bump into anything."

"What did the doctors say?"

Mr. Firay shrugged. "I just needed some stitches, and I guess I have a minor concussion. No big deal. I've had worse."

"Oh." He's had worse? "Wait! You're a fairy! Can't you do that cocoon thing that Puck did when his wings were ripped out?"

He gave me a flat look. "Didn't you smell the stench that he had as a sac? I don't want that to happen me, and I don't think you'd enjoy it if I was following you around like a lost puppy, smelling like a garbage disposal."

I cracked a smile. "That's true."

"Besides," he continued. "There are other ways of healing without magic–albeit slower, but it heals. Although, one of the Everafter doctors did give me some magic salve."

"Oh," was all I said. Of course he didn't have to go into a cocoon to heal.

"Want to take a shower now?"

I nodded my head quickly. "Yeah." Warm, relaxing water was just what I needed right now.

Twenty minutes later I heard a knock on the bathroom door. A frown appeared on my face, thinking it was Mr. Firay telling me it was time to get out. When I heard a different voice I blinked in surprise.

"Daphne? I've got your clothes," Wendell yelled through the door. "I'm coming in."

"What? Wendell stay out!" I cried, pulling the shower curtain more securely across the rod.

Wendell ignored my demands, and I heard the door open. Footsteps filled the room and I heard Wendell cough. "Muggy enough in here?"

"I like my showers hot," I responded simply, staying as far away from the curtain as possible. "Get out."

"Is Daphne done in the shower now? I have to go to the bathroom," a new voice asked, and I heard another pair of feet in my bathroom.

"Nope."

"Oh," Sage responded. "Daphne, do you mind if I just go—"

I wrenched the top of the shower curtain open, sticking only my head out to glower at the boys by the sink. "Yes. You two. Out. Now."

"What are you guys doing in here?"

My eyes went past Sage and Wendell to the door, where Ariana and Mr. Firay were now standing. Ariana looked like she was about to start laughing while Mr. Firay's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then he glared at Sage. Sage held up his hands.

"I didn't know she was in here, dude."

"Get out!" Mr. Firay and I ordered at the same time.

Sage winced. "Oh, double teamed. I'm going, I'm going," he said, holding up his hands. "Come on, Wendell."

Wendell shrugged, placing my clothing on the sink counter. "Sure."

Mr. Firay locked gazes with me for a moment. "Make sure to lock the door when you take a shower in the future," he suggested before closing the door.

I blushed, pulling my head back under the spray of hot water. Did that mean he planned on me taking more showers here? The thought brought a smile to my face. I turned off the shower and slipped out, drying and dressing myself quickly.

Sage, Wendell, Ariana, and Mr. Firay were all in the living room when I finally finished getting ready. Wendell was in the recliner, Sage and Ariana on the couch, and Mr. Firay on the other couch. Mr. Firay gestured for me to take a seat next to him. After a moment of hesitation I went to the couch and took a seat, sitting as far from Mr. Firay as possible. With Ariana, Sage, and Wendell here, it was sure to be awkward enough.

"So," Sage said, clapping his hands together. "To save us trouble today, I've already explained everything about the gang problem to Ariana."

Wendell and I stared at Sage in horror. Ariana grinned from her seat next to him.

"I'm so sorry Ariana!" I apologized quickly. "I know it was mean to hide in from you, and I feel really guilty for lying and I totally understand if you don't want to be best friends anymore."

Sage, Ariana, and Wendell gave me strange looks.

"I don't blame you for hiding this from me," Ariana told me slowly. "It's not really a big deal…"

"Oh," I responded, feeling my face heat up. "I… I see…"

Mr. Firay snickered and I glared at him. He held up his hand, turning his snicker into a cough.

"My head injury causes me to cough," he told me.

"Sure it does."

"Ariana we kept it a secret so you wouldn't get hurt," Wendell told her. "Which didn't really work, but still."

Ariana laughed. "Guys, chill. It's fine. I understand. I would have never guessed you guys would be involved with a gang though. Or that Mr. Firay was an ex-gangster."

Mr. Firay shrugged. "That means I'm good at keeping it a secret."

"Except for the part where Daphne found out," Ariana responded. "Way to keep your secrecy there."

"That wasn't my fault."

"But it still happened."

Mr. Firay scowled at Ariana. "I like you better in class."

"Daphne likes you all the time."

"Ariana!" I cried, staring at her incredulously.

Sage burst out laughing, clapping Ariana on the back. "That was a good one!" Even Wendell cracked a wide grin.

"Guys," Mr. Firay started, looking stern, but sounding amused. "Let's keep on topic, shall we?"

Sage nodded. "Okay. I have the news on right now, and I'll have it on all day too. You guys make sure to watch it every time you get the chance too."

"Why?" Ariana, Wendell, and I chorused.

"To see if Bryant was caught," Sage said, as if stating the obvious. "Daphne, when you and Bryant were alone last night, what happened?"

I lowered my gaze to the floor. "Nothing much… Bryant fell through the stairs."

Sage raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I led him upstairs, and he fell through one of them," I explained. "That's how I escaped from him."

"And how exactly did you lose your pants?"

"That's… um…" Reflecting upon the moment, it seemed like a pretty stupid lucky break. My face reddened. How could I tell them I had to take off my pants to make him fall?

"Daphne?"

I turned to Mr. Firay, who was giving me an unusually concerned look. "What?"

"Did Bryant… do anything to you?"

I cocked my head to the side for a moment. Did Bryant do anything to me? It took me a moment to realize what he meant. I quickly waved my hands in front of my face. "No, no, no! I just had to take off my pants to make him fall."

Sage snorted. "Bribery?"

I glared at him. "No!"

"I was joking," Sage responded with a laugh.

"You have a bruise on your forehead," Mr. Firay interjected, shooting a dirty look at Sage. "Top right. How did that happen?"

Surprised, I raised my hand to my forehead and put pressure on it gently. When I hit the bruise, I winced. "Ow!"

Mr. Firay tried to keep his face straight, but I could tell he was holding back a smirk. "So?"

"Umm," I hesitated, thinking back. "It could have been when I tripped you're your leg… Or when Bryant threw his gun at me—"

"Bryant threw his gun at you?" Wendell interrupted. "Bryant had a gun?"

Ariana nodded. "He shot Sage with it."

Wendell whipped around to stare at Sage, a confused expression on his face. "You don't…"

"Bulletproof vest," Sage told Wendell with a grin. "Bet you wish you had one of those the other night."

Wendell scowled at Sage. "Shut up."

"Daphne, why did Bryant throw the gun at you?" Ariana asked curiously, turning to me. "If I was him, I would have just shot you."

"Ariana!"

She shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "What? You put yourself in his shoes. Isn't that what you'd do?"

I nodded my head begrudgingly. "Yeah, I guess I would. And he did try to shoot me… But I got lucky. Again. He ran out of bullets or something."

Sage laughed again. "That's just his luck."

"So was Bryant immobile when you left him?" Wendell asked.

"Yep. Oh, I almost gave him some burns."

"…What?"

"You know Peter Pan, right?"

Ariana grinned. "The Peter Pan? He was there?"

"He's not so awesome when you find out he's in a gang," Sage scoffed. "Show off, too. Talking with his stupid British accent."

"But you have a British accent, Sage," Ariana pointed out, stifling a laugh. "You just directly insulted yourself."

Sage opened his mouth, then closed it, giving a fake glare to her. "You-"

"Anyways, what about burns and Peter Pan?" Mr. Firay interjected, sending Sage a look.

"Somehow, he got a hold of one of our magic wands. After Sage knocked him out, I grabbed it and I had it with me when I led Bryant up the stairs. It was lucky, too. If I hadn't had the wand, Bryant might've still had me."

"So Bryant was injured and immobile, right?"

"Yep."

"There's a good chance that the police caught him, then," Wendell said.

"Yeah."

He crossed his arms. "Just in case though, I'm canceling my phone. I thought I'd get it back, but I didn't realize Bryant had it…" He narrowed his eyes accusingly at me.

I stared back at him in surprise. "What? Wendell, no! You can't cancel it!"

"Why not?"

"That's the only means of communication I have with him!"

"Which is why you need to get rid of it," Mr. Firay interjected, giving me a stern look. "The less interaction you have with Bryant, the better."

"But Mr. Firay! What if something like last night happens again? Bryant won't be able to reach me—"

Mr. Firay cut me off. "Which is a good thing."

"Not if you, Sage, Ariana, or Wendell are getting hurt!" I protested. "What if he texts Wendell's phone with a threat, and I don't receive it, and one of you gets hurt?"

Mr. Firay stayed silent, and I quickly looked around the room. Wendell, Ariana, and Sage were all giving me sober looks. Ariana chewed on the bottom of her lip, giving me a half-smile.

"Don't tell me…" I started, my eyes growing wide. "Do you guys think it's better for you to get hurt than for me just to talk to Bryant?"

"Daphne—"

I shook my head. "It's not just about me! Why don't you guys get that? Bryant isn't just after me. He's after all of us."

Mr. Firay put his hand on my shoulder, silencing me. "Daphne, none of us are going to have contact with Bryant. That way we're all safe."

I stared at Mr. Firay. "But…"

"But what, Daphne?" Wendell cried in exasperation. "There is no but!"

"It's dangerous still," I protested weakly.

Wendell shook his head. "No, it's dangerous to have contact with him. Do you want another repeat of last night?"

"No!"

"Then that's that."

I wanted to protest, but I kept my mouth shut. They didn't understand what I was trying to say. Wouldn't it be better to have a warning than something happening out of the blue? Like when Wendell got shot?

Sage sighed, putting his head on the back of the couch. "Daphne, you worry too much."

"Sorry I care," I snapped, feeling upset.

Sage shook his head. "Chances are Bryant's in jail now, so it doesn't matter. Daphne, I know you're thinking it's safer to have a warning from Bryant, but what if he lied? What if he said, for example, he has Wendell and he wants you to go to him otherwise he'll hurt Wendell, when he really doesn't have Wendell?"

I stared at Sage in confusion. "Can you repeat that?"

"Like in Harry Potter," Ariana interjected, looking excited. "When Vold—"

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" Sage hissed, looking around in mock horror.

Ariana rolled her eyes. "When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named told Harry he had Sirius, and when Harry went to save Sirius it turned out Vold—"

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Mr. Firay joked, grinning as Sage clapped his hands over his ears.

I had the urge to laugh, but instead I just grinned. "Yeah, Ariana. The Dark Lord's name must not be said."

"Voldemort," Ariana said quickly before anyone could interrupt her again, "never had Sirius… And we both know how that ended."

My grin dropped. "Oh."

There was an awkward silence in the room now. Wendell cleared his throat quietly, and Sage started whistling the Harry Potter theme song. Mr. Firay eventually joined in, and so did Ariana.

"Fine," I finally grumbled, rolling my eyes at their antics. "Wendell, shut off your phone."

"I'm doing that right after we're done here," he told me, nodding his head.

"So if Bryant actually is caught… Does that mean this whole gang problem is over and done with?" Ariana asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

I blanked at her question. That was exactly what it meant. There would be no more danger, or threats, or being paranoid. I glanced at Sage, who had the same expression I had on. He blinked at me, opening his mouth and saying nothing. Wendell was starting to grin. I turned to Mr. Firay, expecting to see a relieved expression, but instead he had a hard look.

"That's exactly what it means," Mr. Firay told Ariana, setting his jaw. "Let's hope that's what happened."

I cocked my head. "What are you…?"

"There's always the chance Bryant got away," Mr. Firay told me, confirming my thoughts.

I shook my head. "No way! He couldn't move and the cops came not even five minutes later."

Sage pursed his lips. "The chances are low, but there's still the slight possibility."

"Which is why we keep an eye on the news and the newspaper," Wendell threw in. "There'll definitely be something about the warehouse."

"Sounds easy enough," Ariana said, shrugging. "I don't usually watch TV, but once in awhile is okay."

"We shouldn't all watch the same channel," Mr. Firay commented, glancing at his T.V. "Wendell, why don't you go to your house and watch channel ten? Sage, you go watch channel three, and Ariana you watch channel five. I've got it on channel six."

Sage, Ariana, and Wendell nodded, oblivious to the fact that Mr. Firay didn't assign me a channel. Before I could ask Mr. Firay anything, Sage spoke.

"So we should do that right away," he said, pushing himself off the couch. "Ariana, give me your cell phone."

Ariana gave Sage a questioning look. "Why?"

"I need your phone number to contact you if I find something, and vice versa. I'll give you Matt's too, and then you can text Matt so he has your number," Sage explained. "Wendell, do you have a house phone?"

"I'll be picking up a new cell phone while I cancel my old one," Wendell responded, looking grumpy. "Waste of my money…"

"He has a house phone," I told Sage, shaking my head at Wendell. Didn't he know they'd replace his phone for free? "I'll text you the number."

Sage nodded. "Alright, then we are all in contact."

"Yep," the rest of us chorused.

"Then let's go," Sage ordered, clapping his hands. He turned to me. "Daphne, want a ride home with me?"

I gave him a wary look. "You drive like a maniac…"

"I'm not that bad," he protested, grinning.

"I live like, two doors down from her," Wendell told Sage. "I've got her."

Sage looked disappointed. "Fine."

I laughed. "Sorry, Sage, maybe next time."

Sage shrugged, heading towards the door. "I'll talk to you guys later," he called, waving over his shoulder.

"You ready?" Wendell asked, looking at Ariana, and then me.

"Yep," Ariana responded.

I glanced at Mr. Firay, and blinked in surprise when I found him staring intensely at me. "Um…"

He smirked. "Wendell, I have to talk to Daphne for a bit. You and Ariana go ahead, and I'll bring Daphne home after."

Wendell frowned. "Why can't you talk to her in front of us?"

Ariana rolled her eyes, shoving Wendell's shoulder, and steering him towards the door. "Shut up, Wendell. Let's go."

"But—"

"No buts," Ariana said firmly, sending me a secret smile. She winked. "Have fun, you two."

I blushed, ducking my head. If it wasn't Sage, it was Ariana. Wendell threw an apprehensive look at me but I waved him away. "Bye Wendell, bye Ari."

"I still think—" Wendell started, but Ariana kicked him.

"Keep walking," she ordered.

I grinned after them. Then the fact that Mr. Firay and I were all alone hit me, and I held my breath. This was the first time we were alone since the other night. A blush tried to make its way to my face, but I forced it away. There was nothing to be embarrassed about…

That wasn't even a fraction of my feelings.

I quickly smacked my hands to my cheeks. I had to stop thinking. Mr. Firay was giving me a funny look when I turned to him. "Bug," I lied with a tiny smile. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

Mr. Firay's expression suddenly turned solemn and I felt my heart drop. Immediately my palms became sweaty, and I forced myself to stay calm. His expression didn't mean anything. He hadn't even said a word yet. There was nothing to be nervous about.

"Daphne, before I start talking I want you to consider everything I say, okay?" Mr. Firay started, giving me a serious look. "No matter how you feel about it."

"O-okay," I said quietly. What did he want to talk about?

"There's two things I want to talk about," Mr. Firay told me, as if reading my thoughts. "One of them, you won't like. The second, we need to think carefully through."

I bit my lip. "Alright…"

"So do you want the bad or good first?" Mr. Firay asked with a wry grin.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was better to get the worse over and done with. "Bad."

A/N. I have great ideas for the sequel! But because Daph and MSeed might be a couple by then...it shall be co-authored! ^^ You all know -or should know: I have no experience with real kiss scenes and whatnot. And it's hard to make it not cheesy (so I go all out cheesy. XDDD), so my friend, Jordan, shall be assisting me with the sequel. :D Though, she'll be a silent co-person-thinamajig, but if she ever has something to say, she'll say so -which is not often, lol. :D

Okay, after planning this out...the story's going to end at the beginning of May (eight or nine chapters left) -just in time for the last SG book to come out...*tears up* Goshdarnit. I'm going to flood my house once I get my copy and greedily read it. You guys better stay away from me -I might drown you all. ;D

Again, QotW(s): What is the first meal that Katniss and Gale eat at the beginning of the first HG book?

Or...

If you were stuck on a deserted island and only had one thing with you, what would you have?

See you all Sunday!

~Lara