When Pixal had suggested a girls' night, Skylor didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn't this. She, Pixal, Nya, and Harumi gathered in a circle in the middle of Pixal's doing what Nya called 'girly things' like putting on makeup and talking about their boyfriends. Cyrus Borg sat by the dining room table doing paperwork but didn't bother them too much aside from asking if they wanted food. This was all still a foreign concept for Skylor. In the wild pack, they didn't concern themselves with gossip like this; they were only focused on doing what they had to do to survive.

They were always expected to get one with it and-

"Ow! Are you trying to tear my hair out?!" Skylor suddenly screeched as Pixal pulled the brush out of her locks. Pixal winced in apology as the other two laughed. She put the brush away and the night continued with little to no problems. Eventually, Pixal cleared her throat loudly, getting everyone's attention including her father.

"Nya, I meant to talk to you about the whole work experience thing."

"Yeah, thanks for turning them down, Pixal." She smiled and Pixal froze. She nervously glanced at her father, who was watching them with interest. "I, er... Well, after what the White Wolf Corporation did to my uncle..."

"There's no need to thank me; I'm sure I'll have lots to do at Borg Industries." She replied and turned to Cyrus with a strained smile. "Right, Dad?"

"Y-Yes, speaking of which, do you mind if I speak to my daughter alone?" He asked and without waiting for a response he and Pixal headed for the kitchen. The rest of the girls shared a confused look but thought nothing of it and continued with their fun. As soon as the elevator doors shut Cyrus turned to his daughter. "What was that about? I thought you were doing your work experience at the White Wolf Corporation?"

"I am, but I can't tell them that! They'll all hate me for lying AND going to that place willingly."

"If they were your real friends they would respect your wishes." He frowned but she sighed. She knew he was saying this from a place of love, but he didn't understand.

"Dad, please, just let me handle this, and if anyone asks I'm working with you." She begged and although he didn't like it he reluctantly agreed. Pixal thanked him and quickly returned to her friends. Cyrus watched her leave with a concerned look, but he could not say or do anything. Pixal was going to be an adult soon and she was going to have to learn sooner or later that some people weren't worth the trouble, especially if they hold you back.

When Pixal returned to the living room she almost laughed at what she saw. Nya was gently holding Skylor down as Harumi tried to apply the makeup. She had missed several times as Skylor struggled and had several smudges and smears across her face. It looked like a clown had thrown paint in her face. Instead of joining them, however, Pixal quietly took a detour and snuck past the living room and up the stairs to her room.

After checking to make sure no one had noticed or followed, she closed the door and went over to the closet. Pulling out the hairbrush, she carefully plucked the red hairs out of it and carefully placed them in a small plastic bag. She sealed the bag up and pulled out a large box hidden in the back of the closet. In the box were several plastic containers labeled with her friends' names. She picked up Skylor's container and placed to little bag inside with all the other DNA samples she had collected.

Someone was suddenly knocking on her door, almost making her drop the container, but whoever it was didn't come in.

"Hey Pix, where are you? Harumi's leaving!" Nya called from the other side.

"Coming!" She said and quickly scrambled to tuck the box away again and went to see Harumi out...

Harumi knew she shouldn't have stayed up so late last night, especially when she had her work experience today. Her phone alarm had been blaring for almost half an hour and she already wanted to go back to sleep. She wasn't sure why she was doing this. She had been enlisted to work with her father in his business today and she was already dreading it. She lived with him already, why did she have to work with him? She considered faking an illness but she knew Richard wouldn't fall for that and even if he did he would drag her with him anyway.

Speaking of the heartless bastard, Richard suddenly burst into her room with a face like thunder.

"Harumi! When I said get up I meant now not half an hour later!" He ordered and Harumi gritted her teeth against the pillow. Some people say hell is an inferno but her's was a sunless, frozen hell called Jade Incorporated full of ice-veined monsters like her own family.

Her parents had always been cold and thin-lipped. She was convinced they could feel no love or joy. The way her father treated her, always looking down his nose at her, it makes Harumi's blood boil. And her mother, who had every chance to silence her husband yet sadly it seemed she had no mind of her own. But Harumi knew she had to remain civil because she had to keep them on her side, keep a foot in the door, and see what she could get out of the wretched circus. Draining their wallets to her benefit was the only revenge she could think of for the insult of their so-called parenting.

"Urgh, five more minutes..." She groaned only to cry out when Richard suddenly ripped the covers away, exposing her to the cold morning air.

"Now, damn it!"

"Why? I've already been to your stupid office!"

"Is that any way to talk about the company I have spent the best years of my life building AND your inheritance?" He glared, but she simply rolled over and checked her phone. "We're not going there anyway; we're going to visit the White Wolf Corporation."

That got her attention. Her head snapped up to face him and she almost dropped the phone.

"What? Why?"

"In business partnership is key, and they have certain projects I have my eye on and I wish for you to learn something for once." He grinned before he pulled some clothes out of her closet and threw them at her. "Now get ready; I won't have you embarrass me." He sneered and left before she could reply. Harumi sighed and started to get ready. Might as well get this over with sooner rather than later...

Pixal was practically buzzing with excitement as she entered the White Wolf Corporation building. She had been waiting for this day for so long and it was finally happening. She was going to get answers to all her questions. She was going to finally understand why werewolves and humans were so different yet so similar at the same time. Upon entering the building she was almost overwhelmed by the strong smell of disinfectant mixed with flowers. The lobby was like a beehive with what seemed like hundreds of employees and visitors buzzing around.

She smiled and calmly speed-walked over to the front desk, wanting to get started as soon as possible.

"Pixal Borg, I'm here for work experience." She said and the receptionist gave her a visitor's pass and let her in. As soon as Pixal stepped into the lobby she found Seliel, who greeted her with a smile. She looked past the teen but was disappointed to see no one else had joined them. She had hoped that they could put all that trouble with Ronin behind them, but that didn't seem to be the case. Regardless, Seliel had a job to do and she gestured for Pixal to follow her.

"All right, well, it's just this way and down the-"

"Seliel." A sharp voice cut in and they both turned to see Beatrix glaring at them. Seilel gave a strained smile at the head of security.

"Ms. Vespasian-Orus, this is-"

"A word?" Beatrix interrupted and Seliel gave their guest an apologetic look before walking over to Beatrix. "That's Pixal Borg?" She asked and Seliel nodded. "And she and the other human girlfriend know everything?" She nodded again and Beatrix glared. "I don't see the others."

"Well, the Smith family thinks we betrayed them," Seliel commented. Beatrix said nothing and simply walked away. Once she was gone Seliel returned to Pixal and led her to one of their many labs. As soon as Pixal saw the lab she was in awe. There was equipment here that she had only ever seen in magazines or on TV. This was definitely an upgrade from the science labs at Ninjago High. "I believe you know Dr. Kiken?" Seliel suddenly said and Pixal froze.

Slowly, she turned and saw Dr. Kiken standing by a workbench examining a couple of test tubes. Once the scientist was made aware of their presence she walked and walked over to them, even extending a hand out from Pixal to shake. The teen almost wanted to smack it away. Instead, she turned to Seliel and didn't even try to hide the rage in her face.

"I did NOT agree to work with her!" She shouted. Seliel flinched and Dr. Kiken froze, unsure of what to say. "I know you had no choice but to offer her a job, but that doesn't I have to work with her!"

"I'm afraid it does if you want to work here," Seliel replied, frowning a little at her tone.

"Then I know how we can solve that problem!" Pixal snapped before she stormed out of the lab and headed towards the nearest exit.

"Pixal, wait! Please at least hear me out!" Dr. Kiken exclaimed as she chased after the teen. Pixal didn't slow down though and tried to speed up until the scientist blocked her path and refused to let her pass. "I know I was wrong to pursue your friends the way I did-"

"You think?!"

"BUT our work here thrives on openness, on sharing knowledge, ideas - human and werewolf - for mutual benefit." She explained with an air of desperation in her voice. Pixal's glare intensifies, but she says nothing either. The scientist studied her for a second before shaking her head. "I know how much you love having answers, it's all any of us want, and here you can have all the answers to your questions like I have."

"And you thought you could do that by kidnapping my boyfriend?! Or terrorizing my friends?! Or holding three teenagers hostage and threatening to experiment on them?!" Pixal roared as she gnashed her teeth, quivering with frustration. "If they saw you again they'd either run for the hills or kill you on sight and I won't be calling an ambulance!"

"Your friends don't know you're here, do they?"

"...I wanted to tell them, but how can I?" She admitted reluctantly and gestured all around her. "All of this, they'll never see it as anything more than a threat." She said, remembered how they once reacted when her private research was discovered.

"Like I was you mean." Dr. Kiken said, allowing her voice to grow soft for a moment. A pregnant pause grew between the pair as they stared each other down, both waiting for the other to back down and give in. In the end, it was Pixal who gave up the fight with a sigh and looked away in defeat.

"Fine, I will work with you." She spat as if the words were acid in her mouth. Dr. Kiken smiled in relief, but it was short-lived as the teen shot her a spiteful scowl. "But if you do ANYTHING to make me feel like my friends are in danger it won't be the werewolves you have to worry about." She warned and Dr. Kiken nodded in understanding, a smile still on her face and Pixal had to stop herself from wiping it off her face.

"Now that that's settled, did you bring it?" Dr. Kiken asked eagerly and, though reclutant, Pixal pulled the container with Skylor's DNA out of her bag. Immediately Dr. Kiken snatched it away. Pixal wanted to protest but before she could the scientist wrapped an arm around her and started leading her back towards the labs, babbling about how they would get these samples sequenced and compare it to the tame samples.

Pixal said nothing as the dread built up inside her more and more with every step...

Zane hated this. He was currently sitting in one of the most uncomfortable chairs in the world in the middle of the White Wolf Corporation's lobby while his father signed them in. He had thought that he would be spending the day shadowing the doctor around the hospital, but it wasn't until they were in the car did his dad confessed they were coming here instead. Apparently, it was to take a look at some potential medical breakthroughs they were working on.

Zane still hated the idea but he pushed it to the side. Even though it was clear that Dr. Julien didn't want to be here either they both knew how important it was so they swallowed their distaste for now.

A sudden laugh brought Zane out of his thoughts and he looked up and was surprised to see Harumi leaning against the fountain at the other side of the lobby. She was laughing at a funny picture Morro had just sent her. Seeing a potential ally, Zane quickly walked over to her and she smiled when she finally noticed him.

"Harumi? What're you doing here?" He asked and she shrugged, pointing at her father who was signing them in.

"Dad's dragged me against my will, you?"

"Something like that."

"Harumi! Pick up the pace or I will leave you behind." Richard suddenly shouted. Harumi rolled her eyes and suppressed the remark about it not being the first but she and Zane were somewhat at ease when they saw that they were in the same tour group. After making sure that everyone was present and paying attention their tour guide gave them her best customer service smile and began to show them all around.

Back in the lab, Pixal was looking over Dr. Kiken's notes as they waited for the results from the tests they ran on Skylor's DNA. It was only supposed to take a few minutes, but it felt like hours.

Suddenly the computer dinged, echoing in the silence. The test results had been sent. The scientist rushed to the computer and pulled up the results. She examined the screen for a bit until she noticed Pixal staring at her in anticipation. She smiled and waved the pale teen over. Pixal hesitated for a second but eventually approached the desk.

"Take a look at this." Dr. Kiken said and moved out of the way for Pixal to see. Pixal said nothing as she stared at the screen, amazed by what she was seeing.

"Are... are they different? Tame and wild?" She asked and Dr. Kiken nodded in excitement. She would have to get a specialist to take a look, but there were some clear discrepancies in the DNA between tame and wild werewolves. Pixal could only stare at the screen in shock. It was an interesting discovery, but that did leave one question on her mind. "So, why are you doing all this testing? What're you looking for?"

"A cure."

Pixal stopped when she heard this and turned to Dr. Kiken. "F-For werewolves?" She gasped, scared at what the answer might be. The scientist looked at her as if she had said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"No, for humanity." She said but Pixal still looked confused. "One werewolf gene could be the key to the greatest medical breakthrough in history; the ability to rebuild cells, heal without medicine - all possible." She clarified and Pixal was in awe.

If that was true then it was incredible and Pixal couldn't believe she got to be a part of this. The cure for horrendous diseases like cancer could be getting developed right here in this lab. Werewolf DNA could be the key to unlocking the secrets of life and yet deep down she knew her friends wouldn't see it like that. A part of her hoped that if they understood how important this work was, they mightn't be so quick to condemn her.

Pixal was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when the door to the lab swung open and a tour group came walking in.

"-and this is one of our many science labs where our team is trying to crack the secrets of our world." The tour guide spoke with a high-pitched voice that made Pixal wince and the group entered the lab. Pixal wasn't going to pay them much mind until Harumi and Zane walked in. The second the pair saw Pixal everything stopped. The buzzing from the machines and the smell of disinfectant all vanished.

All that existed was them at that moment.

Harumi didn't know what she should say or do. She could only look back and forth between the couple nervously, waiting for one of them to do something. Pixal was frozen in surprise and terror. She wasn't scared of Zane, she was more scared of what he might say. Her mouth closed and opened several times in her attempts to speak but she couldn't form the words. Harumi's father was watching the scene unfold with a glint of amusement in his eyes whereas Dr. Julien and Dr. Kiken's expressions were mirrors of Harumi's.

Zane was the worst though. He wasn't speaking, wasn't moving. He was just standing there with an icy stare that froze Pixal in place.

Their tour guide seemed to be oblivious to the sudden tension as she turned to Dr. Kiken with a big toothy grin.

"Dr. Kiken, this is-"

"Thank you, but I'm well aware of who these people are."

"You... never said you were coming here." Zane finally said and Pixal staggered back slightly, as if she had been hit by the betrayal in his voice.

"...I'm sorry." Was all she could say.

"So am I."

"Is everything alright?" The tour guide asked when she finally noticed the tension between Pixal and Zane.

"No, not anymore," Zane said calmly, though it still sliced through Pixal like a knife.

"Wonderful, now let's move on." The tour guide grinned and started leading the group out of the lab. Pixal reached out to stop Zane, wanting to talk about this, but he, almost violently, pulled away from her and quickly followed the others, slamming the door behind him as they left. Pixal stood there in the middle of the lab, staring at the door as tears built up in her eyes. Dr. Kiken looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to and went to run some more tests on the sample. After all, what did she know about teen drama?

Pixal didn't notice this. She didn't notice anything. All she could do was stare at the door, wishing for Zane to walk back in so she could properly explain that-

"Oh, it's so undramatic." A man suddenly said, shocking Pixal out of her inner turmoil. She turned and saw a man who looked like he was in his fifties staring intently at the screen with the test results on it. He had greying brown hair and a thick beard. He was wearing reading glasses as well as a light brown suit with a brown vest and a matching striped bow tie, as well as a white shirt. She also noticed he was leaning on a cane.

Pixal looked around and saw that Dr. Kiken was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone out to get something. That meant he was talking to her.

"Sorry?" She sniffed and frantically wiped the tears away. The man didn't comment on her emotional state but she thought she could see an amused glint in his eyes.

"Given what it is, you'd almost want it to glow or something; but I suppose that's not a werewolf trait." He added with a small grin. "Tell me, what is this sample telling you?"

"Um... there's a difference between wild and tame werewolves." She replied and he gestured at her to continue. "It could be environmental, though it could be due to tame werewolves suppressing their wild instincts for centuries." She explained and he smiled, satisfied with that response, and Pixal relaxed slightly.

"Cecil Putnam, this is my department." He greeted, extending his hand out and she shook it.

"Pixal Borg, I'm here on work experience."

"Oh, I know who you are." He smiled. "So, you've brought us a wild werewolf DNA sample?" He asked and she nodded. "Wow, you really are good, aren't you?" He complimented and she couldn't help but smile at the praise. Just then Dr. Kiken returned from the storage room holding some test tubes that she almost dropped upon seeing Cecil standing in the middle of her lab.

"M-Mr. Putnam! Sorry, we were just clearing away."

"Not a problem, I just wanted to meet our newest victim." He joked and helped them clean up the lab. After that, it was time for Pixal to leave and he walked her out. "Thank you for this Miss. Borg; I hope you know that what you've given us could change people's lives." He said as he sighed her out. "I know what it feels like to suddenly find yourself as a human in a werewolf's world and I just want you to know that you always have an ally and a place here at the White Wolf Corporation should you choose us." He promised with a reassuring smile.

Pixal was stunned for a moment but managed to stutter out an apology and Cecil went back into the building. Pixal stood by the entrance for a long moment until her phone buzzed. With shaking hands, she pulled out the device and saw she had only one message from Zane.

-We need to talk...

Ellen was lying on the bed, watching the news on the television. It had been a long day of running the company alone while Richard was teaching Harumi and she had been hoping to settle down with a nice news story but it seemed that was a foolish idea. The news was covering the events of the world, or more like the horrors of the world. All the reporter was talking about was natural disasters, terrorist attacks, missing people, and the state of the economy. The only pleasant thing they were talking about was an upcoming meteor shower that just so happened to be on Harumi's birthday, but she and her husband already had plans for that.

She was going to have to write a letter to the head of the new station because this was ridiculous! Couldn't they at least have a couple of nice stories in between the horrible ones?

According to the news, there was mayhem all over the world and it was the poor suffering the most. She was so glad that they lived such a privileged lifestyle. Who says money doesn't buy happiness?

Ellen thought of herself as lucky that Richard chose to marry her.

Speaking of the devil, her husband suddenly barged into their bedroom, talking loudly on the phone. She looked past him but didn't see Harumi anywhere, guessing that she must have gone to bed already. She looked over at Richard who was still talking on the phone, not even glancing at her.

"Yes, I see, thank you, have a nice day." He said as he placed the phone down.

"How was your day, honey?"

"Oh, I found it boring, but at least Harumi's taking some interest in the business." He huffed as he started getting ready for bed. "That is until there was tension between Borg's brat and her boy toy."

"Well, better late than never I suppose, and don't worry, relationships are everything at her age whether it's her own or other people's."

"Speaking of her relationship, can you come over here? I need your help."

"What are you doing now?"

"I told you, I'm looking through our contacts to see if any one of them has a good match for Harumi, I'm thinking of someone charming, handsome, and a proper gentleman, someone who can show Harumi the ropes of being a proper lady since we're failing." He explained and Ellen sighed.

"Richard, I thought we talked about this? I don't think we should force Harumi to find someone right now; she's her own person and she has the right to find someone she loves, but who also loves her back."

"Absolutely not! If we do that she'll marry that horrid orphan! Do you want our grandchildren to be the hybrids of our daughter and a freak?!" He roared and glared at her with such fury that she took a step back in shock and fear. "I'm shocked at you Ellen, now get over here and help me plan our daughter's future." He demanded and she knew that was the end of this discussion.

Ellen groaned as she got off the bed. She didn't like what Richard was doing, but she couldn't deny him. One way or another he always got his way, he always got what he wanted, everything except a perfect daughter. Ellen didn't completely approve of Morro, but he wasn't the worst person her daughter could fall for. But if she has to help her husband choose a partner for their daughter, then maybe she can do her a favor and choose the one she would like the most. She sighed as she sat down with Richard.

The fate of their daughter's future was in his hands now...

NEXT CHAPTER: Pixal and Zane need to talk...