Well, we lost.

Magnolia Mockingbirds fell to Reamirora Chimeras yesterday afternoon, 3-2. Nilsa's unhinged skills had done some wonders in two of Magnolia's successful sets, but it just wasn't enough to secure a third set.

Despite that devastating loss meaning that I'll have to wait until the next school year to recommence my beloved dance team regime again, it's not the reason that I barely got a wink of sleep last night.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I switched on vibrate mode yesterday evening after the game, and haven't switched it off since.

Nilsa texts, 'u ok?' The same question she's been asking me nearly every thirty minutes for the past sixteen hours since the game ended.

I've kinda been on the silent side after the whole weird scene in Reamirora's second gym yesterday. I danced as much as I could mentally fit into my effort during the game every now and then so people wouldn't think I was on the verge of collapsing again, but it wasn't easy keeping my facial expressions in check. Nilsa assumes my worrisome quietness is because of my now extended unwanted sabbatical from the dance team, and I'm in no rush to tell her anything otherwise.

I know I shouldn't be keeping secrets from my best friend, just like I know she wouldn't keep any from me, but I don't want her to think I'm losing my mind and need to be readmitted back into the hospital.

'Yeah' I text her.

Fuck no, I think to myself.

Every time I close my eyes, I see her — her sapphire irises glowing in the darkness, her freckly-scales illuminated and prominent, her black pupils...lizard-like...dragon-like even. Definitely not human.

And that other guy — male model — I think the girl called him, Jason. Everything about that guy felt like bad news, and yet all those other kids that were with him yesterday seemed like they would follow his every instruction without the guy saying one word to them.

What was his deal anyway? Why did he keep staring at me? If Nilsa knew about this, she'd likely say that the guy had a crush on me or something, but no way can that possibly be true. He was giving more 'I could hunt you down without breaking a sweat' vibes than 'I think you're kinda cute' vibes.

That whole team was giving me predatory vibes, like a pack of wolves eager to pounce or something, and I honestly never thought that a volleyball rivalry could get that serious.

That girl though...I'll admit she wasn't hostile like the rest of her teammates, but she was still pretty weird. It wasn't really aggressive like that Jason guy, but she seemed interested in me kind of like he was.

"Oh, maybe your mom then?"

I curse quietly to the empty room and kick at the air with my feet tangled under my comforter. Her questions were too personal. Way, way too personal.

"You...you see it, don't you? You see my scales."

I groan so loudly the walls must've shook from the sound.

Why did she say that? Was she fucking with me? It doesn't really make sense how she could've put on fake contacts or whatever and some dragon makeup in the split seconds that I wasn't looking at her and then removed it so fast afterwards, but that has to be the only explanation. Maybe their whole team was in on it, spooking their 'prey' before crushing them in the actual match.

Weird fucking school if that was the case.

I grab the frizzy ends of my hair and clench it so hard that I'm certain I pulled out a few strands.

I need to forget about this. I need to think about something else. I need-

Grrwrrllrlldd.

My hands release my hair, unconsciously folding over one another on my stomach.

Food. I need food.

The belated time on my phone reads, 9:15 a.m. Dad left around eight-ish, so I definitely can't call on him to serve me some microwaved leftover pizza.

I groan once more and haul myself out of bed. After lumbering around, I find where I left my plush Pikachu slippers and set out for the kitchen. I hear voices as soon as I enter the hall. Voices plural. But dad left at least an hour ago, didn't he?

I tiptoe into the living room and shield my eyes; one of the curtains wasn't drawn all the way, so sunlight nudges through hitting me directly in the face. I trip, but catch my self by clutching the sofa, and that's when I hear them more clearly:

"...don't think there's been any changes to her, at least not that I can see..."

That's definitely dad. Why's he still here?

"...don't want to talk to you about her like this, but there could be a chance she's hiding it..."

Who's he talking to? It's definitely not Nilsa, but...there is something familiar about the second voice.

I stalk towards the kitchen where this odd conversation's being held, and I try to stomp my way there to make my presence known before I enter, but the Pikachu slips make it impossible.

"...and she- Oh, Sue, hey uh-you're awake," dad stammers, and I freeze in the entryway. Not because of him, because of her.

She's here, in our kitchen, sitting down at our dining table with one of the several ceramic mugs we have in the cabinet. She at least still looks ordinary, with her copper-brown hair tied in a simple ponytail, her freckles unobtrusive, her sapphire eyes round and gentle.

"Uh-hi — Suzie, right?" she asks me in that throaty yet amiable tone. "Remember when we met yesterday and-"

"Why are you here?" I didn't actually mean for that to come out so harshly, but just before saying it I caught a whiff of chai tea — my chai tea — the one I don't share with anyone, even Nilsa. Dad doesn't like tea, and I doubt he was brewing up a kettle for me while I was asleep.

"Suzie!" dad chides, stern parent face activated, but I'm not sorry in the least bit.

The girl stands, apparently not fazed by my harshness. Actually, she looks a bit more...apologetic. "It's okay, Ray."

Blood drains from my face, and my gaze flicks over to dad expecting him to be just as shocked as I am at how this girl addressed him — how does she know his name anyway? — but he looks unaffected.

"It's understandable she'd be upset waking up to find the same stranger who gave her a bit of a scare yesterday, sitting in her kitchen today," the girl goes on. "I'm sorry, by the way. For yesterday, and now."

I clench the lower ends of my purple sleep-shirt and my toes curl furiously inside my slippers. Surprisingly, the last thing I want right now is an apology.

"How do you know my dad?" I ask in return.

The sternness on dad's face vanishes and he's looking at me like he's about to apologize now. "Sue, I...it's-"

"Your dad works for these people I know, so I usually see him around," the girl jumps in.

The next time I lock eyes with her, I'm mostly sure my boiling irritation's evident in my expression. "See him around where?"

Dad and the girl exchange a weird look, and I'm just about ready to start screaming until some glass shatters. Luckily for everyone else, the girl responds in time:

"I'm sure he's mentioned, but that information can't be disclosed."

My eyes twitch and my lips part, ready to spew fire and venom, but then that familiar, appalling country tune stops me before I can.

"Damn..." Dad mutters as he stares down at his phone on the table.

"Phoebe?" the girls guesses.

"Yeah," dad answers without looking up.

My eyes shoot back to her. She knows Phoebe too?

"You should go," the girl says to my dad. "Can't be more late than you already are."

Dad finally looks up, and apparently he's contemplating the suggestion from a literal stranger as he tosses his gaze back and forth between me and her. "Maybe you-"

"Oh, um, actually, I was going to ask you earlier if I could stay for a while— with Suzie, of course."

"What?" I screech.

Again, dad looks to be pondering the insane idea. "She's got some schoolwork to do, and being at home and all, she can't get distracted."

Exactly, I think. The 'I've got homework' excuse is old, but gold.

"I promise I won't get in the way," the girl offers, her bargaining look going from me to my dad. "I could help her out too if she wants — not just 'giving her the answer' type of help. I'll actually show her."

I scoff loud enough for both of them to hear me. There's no way dad's gonna agree-

"Okay — okay, not a half bad idea," he's says.

"Dad!" I shriek, "what are you-"

Dad's suddenly across the room and next to me after grabbing his phone off the table, and he tries to pat my shoulder on the way out but shrug it off. "Sue, I know you're confused and upset right now, but I promise we're gonna talk about all this when I get back."

He hugs me goodbye, and it's not easy to shrug out of this so I have no choice but to let it happen. The door open and shuts shortly afterward without ceremony, and all of a sudden I'm alone in the kitchen with a stranger.

The girl holds out a hand, and that's when I realize that since meeting her I had no clue what her name was.

"I'm Basil, by the way."