Chantel checked herself in the mirror, Gia had applied blue mascara on her lashes. Chantel had never tried any colourful mascaras until now and she can't belief the results. How a little pop of colour can change a look of a person.

"Don't you think, it's a little too much for school?" Chantel asked diffidently.

"It isn't," Gia said as she handed her the mascara, "you look gorgeous."

"Why are you giving me this?" She looked at Gia.

"It suits you," Gia pressed the mascara on her palms. "I'll give you the pink and the white one as well."

"You don't have to," she told her.

"I got a box full of mascaras from this brand," Gia smirked. "I need to share it with my bestie."

Gia's talent has been catching eyes of some brands and she'd been receiving PR packages. She was going to be big one day, Chantel could see it.

"You're too kind," Chantel smiled at her.

"You can return the favour by baking me those muffins, I love." She mentioned.

"Sure, why not." Chantel gave her a little wink. Roman was watching them smoking a cigarette as soon as she got out of the car, she caught his gaze. Why does he have to keep staring like that?

"Can you not be so obvious," Chantel quoted with her fingers as she walked upto him.

"I like your new look," he said taking a puff of the cigarette.

"You wanna try?" She teased.

A wide smirk appeared on his face, "I'd try anything with you, sweetheart."

The bell began to ring.

"Are you coming or not?" Gia said as she walked up the stairs.

"Yep," Chantel nodded.

Roman killed the cigarette, "what class is it?"

"Chemistry," Chantel said looping an arm around Gia. "I'll see you at lunch."

Roman nodded as he pulled out another cigarette.

"Is he always like that?" Gia asked as they walked away from him.

"Like what?" Chantel asked in confusion.

"Envious." Noted Gia.

"He don't have many friends so," Chantel said softly.

"Hmm," Gia mumbled as they walked into the school building.

🏴🏴🏴

Peter was seated outside on the two feet stone wall, that ran outside the school campus, sipping a can of soda when Chantel approached him holding a paper bag. "Hello werewolf," she said.

"So we're saying that out loud now?" He looked up at her, his hair falling over his eyes.

"Mmm-Hmm." She sat besides him and pulled out a tiffin box. "Want some?" She offered the Caesar salad, she'd made.

"You sure I'm not contagious," he teased, as he took the tiffin from her and dug in, "so good," he said stuffing a fork full of salad inside his mouth.

"Woah! Slow down you'll chock yourself," she giggled at the sight.

"Worth it," he mumbled taking another fork full of salad and stuffing it inside his mouth.

"Last night," she said slowly. "I felt like we're not in high school but a Clint Eastwood movie."

He chuckled. "Have you ever seen high plains drifter?"

"The thing is," she took the fork from him and picked up a piece of chicken, "I'm just glad Rome and you are getting along, he doesn't really have many friends."

"Isn't he the most popular guy in Hemlock Grove." He knitted his brows.

She took a bite of the chicken, "he sure is but he's Roman Godfrey after all, he don't do friends." She took another bite and handed him the fork. "Just promise me you'll keep him from doing something stupid."

"Since when did I become the designated driver?" He asked taking the fork from her.

She pouted, "please."

"All right, shit, fine." He looked strained. "I promise."

"Now that we're talking turkey though, what can you tell me about Roman's mom?" He asked curiously.

"Olivia?" She asked reaching for the cranberry juice in her bag.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well," she twisted the bottle cap and put the straw in, "as the story goes, Roman's dad was touring biomedical facilities in England when he first met Olivia." She sipped the drink. "Further reports indicate that he was bedazzled from the start."

"Whoa. Bedazzled?" He asked taking another fork full of salad. "People actually use that word."

"Some people do." She gave him a sly smile, sipping her drink. "What else? On the day that they buried her husband, that local paper described Olivia as the most beautiful and despised woman in Hemlock Grove."

"Hmm." He took another bite of the salad. "And they say journalism is dead." He looked down on the tiffin and said, "shit! I'm going to finish it."

"Don't worry," she said. "I've another one."

"You carry two tiffins?" He arched a brow.

She chuckled, "ones for Rome."

"Talking about him, where is he?" He asked his eyes scanning the surroundings.

"I tried calling," she sipped her drink. "But it's going straight to voicemail."

"Weird," he noted. "I've never seen you two apart."

"Yeah..." she mumbled, "everyone keeps saying that."

"How long have you known each other?" He asked between his chews.

"A year," she noted.

"Really?" He was surprised. "How comes?"

"My whole life I was in a boarding school at Rosewood, so I never got the chance to meet the Prince of Hemlock Grove...until, I moved back here." She said slowly.

Chantel could clearly remember how she first met Roman Godfrey: it was at Pennsylmania she was with her then boyfriend Zach Dearing riding the carousel and at a distance a tall mysterious young guy—who looked no less than a Greek god was goggling her, holding a cone of ice-cream that was mournfully melting away in his hand. 'Until I found her' by Stefan Sanchez was playing on the background.

At that time she had no idea who the guy was. Then a giant figure holding a red ballon appeared, Shelley Godfrey. Chantel couldn't really see her face but the girl was huge, and she too gazed at her direction. By the time, Chantel got down from the ride, Roman's ice-cream had melted away. Who knew that Roman and Shelley would become a huge part of her world, after that.

Peter picked up a snack from his backpack, and started munching.

"Still hungry?" She raised a brow.

"Mmm-hmm." He admitted.

From the snack pack, he pulled out a sealed plastic pouch. "Prize?" He said as he displayed a ring, the design was weird—a green snake was consuming its own tail.

"That's creepy." She peered at the odd looking ring.

"It actually means good luck." He told her.

"Oh yeah," she recalled. "You drew one in your notebook, didn't you?"

He gave her a nod and said, "come on."

"You want me to wear it?" She arched a brow.

He gave her a small smile. "I do."

Peter had the kindest smile. Chantel slowly lifted her right index finger as he slipped on the ring. It doesn't look that bad.

Peter tapped on the platinum ring on her right, ring finger. "What does this band mean?"

"Rome gifted me," she said. "He wears the same band. I guess it symbolises something to him."

"Like?" Peter asked curiously.

"Good luck I guess," she let out a soft chuckle. "I don't know."

"In many cultures Platinum is a symbol of eternal true love, purity, rarity and strength." Peter explained. "Platinum rings symbolize the everlasting endurance of love."

She turned to him, "never knew a metal has such deep meaning."

"Everything has a meaning, you just don't see it." He murmured. "Yet."

🏴🏴🏴

When Susan saw Chantel's bright blue lashes, she'd commented she was looking like a character from avatar. Chantel couldn't really tell if it was a compliment or an insult. She had to lie to her mother that she was doing a project with Roman and Peter because she couldn't say that—she was going downtown to meet Destiny Rumancek. As her mother had been uptight about her whereabouts, ever since the killings.

Roman was acting weirded than ever and blasting 'the hills' by The Weeknd. Her ears began to ache, she turned down the volume. "Can we please keep it on the low-low," she exhaled.

"You have a pleasant lunch, huh?" His voice almost restrained.

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

He gestured to the green plastic ring on her index finger, "looks like you had f-u-n."

She looked at him in disbelief, "what the hell is wrong with you Rome? Am I not allowed to have friends?"

"I didn't say that," he protested.

"Is that the reason why you're acting like a jerk," she frowned. "If you've a problem with me and Pete, just drop me off here."

Roman turned to her, "hey..." his expression softened. "I'm sorry, the thing is, I had a fight with mom."

She asked quietly. "Why?"

He let out a deep sigh, "we left a shovel at the graveyard and the police had traced it back me. Olivia was furious."

"What?" Chantel's heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

"Yeah," he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "But don't worry it's taken care of."

"How?" Her mouth wasn't able to form anymore words.

"The police is rewarding 10 G's for the suspect but Olivia had payed the man 20 G's to keep his mouth shut," he explained. "Don't worry, no one has a clue about you."

"Seriously, Rome." She pressed her lips. "This is getting really dangerous."

He agreed. "You're right, it's becoming messier than I thought it would. It'll be safer if you're out of it."

She looked at him, "why me?"

"Sweetheart," he said softly. "I can't let you get in trouble for my mistakes."

She put a hand on his hand. "It not your mistake, I let myself in Rome."

"You're not listening," he murmured.

"We're in this together." She squeezed his hand gently.

Roman had told her that back then at the bridge. We're in this together. He finally nodded, "it'll always be you and me, Chantel, always."

'You and I' by One Direction started to play as if in agreement.

🏴🏴🏴

They picked Peter up and headed to Destiny's workshop/house. Destiny Rumancek was the daughter of late Vince Rumancek, she was a Romani witch. Destiny lived in the lower, shadier part of town. The building look quite unwelcoming and rundown from the outside.

They climbed up the steps of the old building, that needed a serious paint. Peter halted outside a door, then knocked. "Destiny?"

After a minute the door swung wide open, a lady appeared wearing a sheer purple robe, that barely counted as a piece of clothing. Destiny Rumancek was a very seductive looking lady, with an oval face and hazel eyes. She was not only an actual Romani witch but a con-artist, who makes her living as a psychic medium and sex worker. Peter had explained about his cousin on their way so that they'd be prepared.

Destiny pulled Peter into a tight hug. "Peter! Hi. Muah." She kissed his cheek and welcomed them in. "Come in. I'll just be a second."

They walked in, the apartment was actually very pretty compared to the hallways. Pink wallpapers everywhere, but the furnitures looked like they were from grandmas. Destiny walked into her bedroom, where a man was buttoning up his shirt. "Now, I want you to find time everyday to be mindful of the love and nourishment flowing from your manipura, okay?" She told him. "And lay off the refined sugars. It messes with your metabolism."

"All right, thank you." the man nodded embarrassingly as he saw the three teenagers. Destiny lead him out of the apartment and closed the door behind.

"Another happy customer?" Peter asked cradling the brown paper bag.

"Crushed a couple blue pills in his tea." She responded proudly. "The sugar thing was just common sense."

"Like when your doctor tells you to stop smoking." Roman narrowed his eyes.

"One size fits all." Destiny chuckled.

"Hi," she hugged Peter once again and showered him with more kisses. She do know how to shower a lot of love for her cousin.

"This is my cousin, Destiny Rumancek." Peter introduced her to his friends.

"I'm Roman," Roman offered his hand, Destiny snatched his hand and started reading his palm immediately. "See anything interesting?" Roman asked curiously.

"Hmm." She let go of his hand uninterestingly and turned her attention to Chantel, "and you must be the girl, Peter keeps talking about."

Chantel looked confused.

Destiny gave her a big smile, "he told me, you're friends...good friends."

"Yes we are," Chantel let out a chuckle. "I'm Chantel." She offered her hand.

Destiny pulled her into a bone crushing hug instead. "So, nice to finally meet you sugar." Chantel took a deep breath as Destiny let go of her. "I love what you did to your lashes, it makes your eyes pop." She complimented her with a wink.

"Thanks," Chantel gave her a small smile, "all thanks to Gia."

Destiny turned her attention back to the boys. "You gentlemen have something for me?"

Peter pulled out a tin box from the paper bag and handed it to her. "Ooh! Orangies." She shook the little tin and tossed the orange candy into her mouth merrily.

Slowly Peter pulled out the jug of entrails and kept it on the table. Destiny picked up the bottle, and examined the entrails. "Just tell me why this is better than running."

"Fucked if I can, D." Peter told her.

Destiny exhaled loudly. "Oh, Peter." She opened the lid of the jar gently and sniffed it. "Mmm." Then playfully shoved it towards Peter. "Wah!"

Roman and Chantel were just watching them. What have we gotten ourselves into? Chantel thought.

Destiny walked into the kitchen, as the three teenagers followed. The kitchen was quite modern compared to the rest of the rooms. She kept the jar on the kitchen island and then went and picked up a green hairless caterpillar from one of her plants.

"Hello, handsome." Destiny kissed the caterpillar.

Chantel flinch at the sight, she doesn't do good around creepy crawlers and rodents. Roman knew it very well, so he put a comforting hand on her back assuring her, it's okay.

Destiny dropped the caterpillar inside the jar and closed the lid. "Sorry, buddy. Bon appetite."

"How long is this gonna take?" Roman asked as he put an arm around Chantel.

"Better let it sit over night for good measure." Destiny crossed her arms, examining the two teenagers before her. "Will need some tequila."

"Is that part of it?" Chantel asked curiously.

"No." Destiny smacked her lips together. "Something in a pretty bottle. Silver's good."

"You got it." Nodded Peter, then he turned to them and called. "Let's go."

"It was really nice to meet you," Chantel waved at Destiny as they walked out of the door.

"You too sugar," Destiny gave her a flying kiss as she closed the door behind.

Since Roman was the only with a fake ID, he purchased the tequila from a liquor store. Chantel examined the pretty bottle that read: silver patron. She'd never tried tequila before and she wondered how would it taste. She was sandwiched between the two guys because Roman had brought his jaguar, he loved this car and Chantel knew why but she wasn't a fan of inhaling smokes from both sides.

'Hayloft 11' by Mother Mother was playing. Roman turned down the volume and asked Peter, "why didn't she tell me what she saw in my palm?"

"Cause it doesn't work like that," Peter said running a finger through his hair.

"Oh, I didn't realise I had to grease your whore cousin like the rest of the rubes." Roman said annoyingly. "Whore as in, like, literal description. I'm a fucking feminist."

"Rome!" Chantel's mouth's agape.

"What you want isn't for sale. Destiny doesn't trade real magic for money." Peter muttered annoyingly.

"She trades everything else." Roman scoffed.

"Watch your tongue!" Chantel looked at Roman annoyingly. How the hell can he say such unkind words about Destiny to Peter.

"It's not the same." Puffed Peter.

Roman turned the volume up louder irritably.

"Rome!" Chantel pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingertips, she didn't want to deal with another drama.

"Women do what they do." Peter leaned forward. "That's the hell of it."

Roman turned the volume down.

"What?" He asked craning his neck.

"Women do what they do." Repeated Peter. "That's the hell of it."

"Shee-it." Roman said easily. "I think my manipura needs nourishment."

Peter started to laugh. "You bet!"

Chantel looked at Roman. "You're ridiculous."

"Didn't you say you like bad boys?" A sly smirk passed his face.

"My mom will serve my head on a platter if I don't reach home by dinner, so less talking more driving." She directed his attention back to the road.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart." Roman gave her a wink. "Whatever you say."