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48
Ivy's pov

   Slipping my phone into the pocket of my uniform jacket, I strolled right into the library, spotting him at a secluded corner, his head down, concentrating fully on the book he was reading.

I took in a deep breath, making my way towards him.

I could only think of two reasons why Roman had texted me so early, asking me to meet with him.

One, it could be that Ethan really did talk some sense into him, either he or whoever it was he sent to talk to him.

Two, it could be that he was angry about the fact that I asked Ethan to go talk to him, seeing as he was trying his best to avoid him at all cost.

I just hoped it wasn't the second one.

Reaching there, I let out the breath I inhaled earlier with an, "hi."

He looked up immediately, a small smile grazing the side of his lips. "Hey." He said, leaning back to his chair, as I sat across him.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah." He said, taking off his glasses and raking his hands through his hair. "I um- I just wanted to apologize for being so selfish."

My brows etched in confused, I stopped to think.

Did Ethan make him think he was being selfish? 

"I don't understand." I said.

"The other night at the barbeque get together, I made a stupid decision, and if Ethan didn't make me see the light in everything, I wouldn't have realized how selfish I had been."

"You weren't being selfish."

He shook his head. "As a matter of fact, I was."

"No you weren't. You were only scared, and I can't really blame you for being scared when I'm scared myself."

He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "It was too much for me to really comprehend. I mean, it's not everyday we travel dimensions, as dreamy and exciting as that sounds."

I gave a weak laugh. "I understand. I honestly understand. And it's okay to be a little bit cautious, seeing as these guys don't play around."

"Yeah, we shouldn't underestimate them. And I get it, Ethan's here and he has promised to protect us but- we can't just leave it all on him and seize from watching our backs. That's like, very unwise."

I nodded. "So... What does this mean?" I asked.

He shrugged, a smile forming against his lips. "Well I guess this means we're officially back together." He said. "Not like we were ever together like- together together."

"I understand." I said with a smile, my heart feeling like a huge bag had been lifted off of it. "But you're sure right? I mean, I don't want you to do this because Ethan asked you to."

"I'm sure. I mean, I'm still scared, and I still think I'm making a mistake, but- we're in this together, I shouldn't have left in the first place, it was stupid."

I grinned. "It kind of was."

He laughed. "So, are you still pursuing the zeal to bring down the almighty Inc? Or is that all behind you now?"

I felt myself shrug. "I don't know." I said.

"You don't know?"

"Well, it's crazy, I know. But- I've tried Roman, I've tried to just forget about it. But then I just think about it some more and feel like I'm giving up on all those people."

"It's not your job to protect them."

"Then why does it feel like it is? I know, this is stupid, we've almost gotten ourselves killed by this- but... I just have this unsettling feeling. And just the thought of not pursuing it, is... I don't know." I sighed, relaxing back on my seat. "But I promised Ethan I'd drop it, so- I guess I'm done with that."

"They'll get what's coming for them. That's what I believe."

I shook my head. "What if that doesn't happen? What if they keep doing this? Taking people, erasing their memories and inserting some device into them like they're some kind of lab rat or something."

"Nothing lasts forever Ivy. Sooner or later, there'd be nothing like the Inc. they'd all be free from them, and we wouldn't even have to do anything."

"That'd be great." I said. "Imagine everyone reuniting with their families? Parents who don't even know their kids already got to have kids."

Roman chuckled. "Yeah. We'll just have to hope for the best... From afar."

"You're such a baby."

"Yeah, let me be a baby all I want, it's way better than crossing dimensions, trying to risk our lives."

"It was fun though."

"Fun and dangerous... Exciting while it lasted. I don't want a replay."

"Well, not as dangerous as jumping off the Brooklyn bridge."

His eyes widened. "That's suicide."

"Well, tell that to Ethan who thought it'd be exciting."

"No... You don't mean you both- Are you being serious?"

I nodded with a grin.

He closed the book he had been reading, giving me his undivided attention. "Tell me all about it."

_

"College is actually the last thing on my mind right now." Fiona said, her mouth a bit full with french fries. "I guess after highschool, I'll just jump to the marriage phase of life."

I almost choked on my smoothie.

"Who says that?" Roman asked, shooting Fiona a confused look.

"Apparently, Fiona." Ethan added.

We were all in one booth, having the usual after school hangout.

"Come on guys, am I the only one who thinks college is a very big waste of time? I mean... what's the point of going college when you've already gone through highschool? They basically teach the same thing."

"But give different certificate." Roman said.

"Yeah that's right... College is just as important as highschool." I said.

Ethan shook his head. "None of them are really important, if you think about it. We were all born with different individual talents to help us with anything we might want in life."

"Really?" I asked. "What's your individual talent?" I turned slowly towards him, placing my hand on my chin, a smile grazing my lips.

"I've got the face anyone would kill to see in the front cover of magazines. I think that's talent enough." He said, a cocky smile pulling against his lips.

A laugh bubbled out of my chest.

"Leave it to Trevor to think being handsome is a talent." Fiona rolled her eyes.

"And what's your talent?" Roman shot the question at her, "oh wait... I know it. Queen of disgui-oof." he wasn't able to complete his sentence, due to Fiona, I think, hitting his foot under the table.

"What's up with you two? You've been at each other's throat since we got here." I said, chewing on a fry.

"Oh, Roman's just being a baby because I didn't agree to go on a date with him." Fiona said.

My eyes widened Immediately, as they landed on Roman's equally shocked ones. "What?" I asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Fiona asked.

I turned to her. "Well, duh! You didn't tell me? We can't hide things like this from each other?" I said accusingly, but I couldn't hide the growing grin on my face.  "I can't believe it. This is so cute."

"No it's not." Ethan muttered underneath his breath, maybe hoping I wouldn't hear, but I did.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, watching the look of indifference he had on. "what's not cute about it?" I asked.

"Everything." Roman said, picking up his smoothie.

My smile began to die down as I paused, taking a look at Fiona who had suddenly gone quiet, Roman who drank his smoothie, his eyes away from our table, and Ethan who for some reason couldn't meet my gaze.

A frown settled upon my brows, as a familiar feeling settled deep inside my stomach. The feeling of being wheeled.

"What's going on?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Ethan's eyes met mine suddenly, I guess he sensed the difference in my tone. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, for some reason I feel like I'm being forth wheeled." I said. "I feel like there's something you all know that I don't."

Fiona sneaked a glance at me, clearing her throat. "Sure you're not mistaken?"

I gave a humourless chuckle. "Trust me, this feeling is something that has taken over half of my childhood, and life in total, so I'm definitely not mistaken when I say you all are hiding something from me. And it kinda sucks."

Roman shot Ethan a stern look which seemed to last longer than normal, before taking his eyes away.

Yup, they're definitely hiding something. But what could they possibly be hiding from me? What could Ethan possibly be hiding from me? And why would he want to hide anything from me? I thought all that was behind us now?

I felt his hand on my shoulder and I turned to him, blessing him with a look of question?

"Ivy, we-"

"Ivy Fisher?"

The familiar voice pulled my attention from what Ethan was about to say, and by the look of things, her voice pulled all our attention.

A smile grew against my lips as my eyes met the familiar sea blue of hers. I stood up, and when I least expected, she engulfed me in a hug. "Glory. Hi." I breath out, feeling a sense of relief settle around me.

"Hello, I wasn't sure it was you. So nice to see you again." Her cool, calm and collected voice seemed to make my smile grow wider.

I pulled away. "Same here. This is a big coincidence. Um... Meet my friends, Roman and Fiona, and my boyfriend, Trevor." I introduced.

"Nice to meet you all." She said with a kind smile.

"And guys, this is Glory Curt. She's new to town."

"Welcome." Roman said, sounding unsure.

"Hi." Fiona mumbled, her eyes wide with what I recognized as fear.

Ethan on the other hand, didn't reply, his eyes were just dead set on Glory's as if daring her to stay a second longer.

What the hell is going on with them?

Glory only returned a side smile towards his direction before her eyes met mine again. "I would have loved to stay a little bit longer, but I have people waiting for me."

"Yeah sure, it's fine." I said with a polite smile.

She turned to them again. "I'm sure I'll see you all around, real soon." With a small nod, she walked away without waiting for a response, which I'm sure none of them would have given.

When she was out of ear shot, I turned to them with a glare. "Can you all seriously be any less rude?" I asked, slipping back into the booth. "She was only trying to be nice."

"Her smile was anything but nice to me, actually, it was kind of scary." Roman said.

"How was it scary? She was only trying to be nice and you all just had to make it so awkward for her."

"She was intruding." Was all Ethan said.

My jaw clenched hard, as I shot him a glare. "Don't even get me started with you. You didn't even reply to her."

"Cause I didn't see the need to."

"Cause you didn't see the need to? When you see a stranger, trying to be polite to you, you should at least try to reply, and even if you don't want to reply, you smile."

"Like I said, she was intruding, and I honestly don't see why you saw the need to stand up and hug her, is that how you greet every stranger you see?"

"It was a polite thing to do, and I'm starting to think you don't know the meaning of polite. And she's not a stranger, she's a friend."

"How many times have you met with her?" He asked, his eyes showing what I knew quite well as anger.

"Once? But in that one time, I got to know some things about her..."

"Oh really? Things like what? I'm curious enlighten me."

I met his gaze head on. "Things like the fact that she's new to town, and that she has a daughter about our age who's currently not with her because she got unstable."

"Wow. That's too much information to tell a stranger in one day." Roman said.

"It just came up, okay? You guys should have been a lot nicer, who knows maybe she's in town to get away from the situation with her daughter, it must be really hard for her."

Ethan had gone quiet.

"So why are you suddenly quiet, are you finally seeing some point in what I'm saying?" I asked in a challenging tone.

"Can we stop talking about this now, it's making me uncomfortable." Fiona said.

"Yeah, please a topic change." He said, not replying to my comment.

I bit the inside of my lips, as Roman brought up a topic about the reason why there's difference in hair color.

In time, I fell in line the conversation, as he and Fiona argued over it.

I wasn't really into the conversation, since Ethan decided to be so interested in the world outside the large window, with a frown upon his brows.

I sighed, leaning closer to him. "Are you mad?" I found myself asking.

"No." He said, without looking at me.

"Come on." I elbowed his ribs softly. "You know how I am with things like that. I just couldn't help but put myself in her shoes, and Imagine how I'd feel if I was given that kind of reaction. It wasn't so nice, Ethan. Truth be told, you know it wasn't."

He turned to me, his beautiful green eyes meeting mine. "I don't like her." He stated.

I was taken aback by that.

"But you've only just met her, and it's not like you're going to be seeing her everyday. It's a small town, I get it, but you won't see her everyday."

"Still... I don't like her."

"Why?"

He sighed. "I wish I could explain it to you. I wish I could make you understand."

I was confused. Very confused.

"I don't understand any of this... It's not a big deal. You're acting like she's a long lost enemy of yours and you just want to protect me from her. She means no harm, Ethan. Or is there something you're not telling me?"

"It's not that."

"Then what is it? What are you hiding from me. Cause I can tell your hiding something."

He raked his hands through his hair. "You're only thinking things. I'm not hiding-"

The sound of my phone going off, stopped him from completing his statement.

I took a glance at the caller ID, to find my mom's name and picture, flashing on the screen.

"It's just my Mom." I said, silencing it. "I guess she wants to ask why we aren't back yet."

"Answer it." He said.

"No way, not until we talk this out and I'm sure there's nothing you're hiding from me."

"Ivy come on, I've told you, I'm not hiding anything, and even if-"

My phone blared up again.

I groaned, checking the caller ID. "Still Mom."

"Just answer it, could be something important, maybe she wants us to make a stop on our way back." He said.

I sighed, picking up my phone from the table, and answering the call. "Hey Mom, we're-" I stopped, her hasty unsteady breathing met my ears.

Immediately, Fiona's eyes met mine.

"Ivy! Ivy!" My mom called out in panic and haste, and I could also hear a pinch of fear somewhere in her voice.

"Mom?" I called out, worry clouding my voice as I sat up straight in panic.

"Don't- don't come- don't come home! Stay - stay where you are please- don't come home." There was a thick edge to her voice.

"Mom? What's going on?" My heart hammered against my chest, goosebumps rising on my skin. I've never heard my mom sound so scared.

All attention was on me now.

"Just stay where you are! Don't come home-" There was a loud clash after that, making me flinch over phone, fear gripping my heart so tight. Suddenly, the line went dead.

"M-mom? Hello?"

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked Immediately, his tone filled with concern.

"We- we have to go home. Something- something's wrong." I said, already bolting up from the booth.

My heart was already at my throat, and I was wondering how I kept my pace strong on the ground, due to my wobbly legs.

"Ivy wait!" Ethan's hand encircled around my arm, turning me to face him. "Relax, relax." He said, but my mind was far from relaxed... I just wanted to go home.

"No... My Mom- something's- My Mom-"

"Roman, get the car." Ethan said immediately, and I thought I heard Roman say an okay, with his and Fiona's footsteps retreating.

"Hey, hey." He called softly, cupping my face. "Look at me."

My wide eyes met his... Something was off, I felt like my chest was closing in on me.

"Breathe... Breathe." He said.

"I'm- breathing."

"You're not breathing." He stated.

I paused, realizing what was off. Somehow, I had managed to stop breathing, due to the sudden panic, and I didn't even realize it.

I took in a deep breath, letting it out, but still, my heart wasn't calm.

"Relax, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"No... You didn't hear her, something's seriously wrong... I've never heard her sound so scared... What if- no- we have to go home."

"I know-"

The honk of Roman's car resounded a short distance beside us.

"Come on." Ethan said, leading me towards the car.

My heart knew something was wrong, my whole body knew something wasn't right, and even if I wanted to hold on to Ethan's words about it not being serious? I knew he was wrong.

And I knew, I just knew it was something I wouldn't like.

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Till the next update, Bye Beauties!

Nora.