I sip on my coffee, leaning over the island as I try to keep my mind off Jayden.

Yesterday, after I told him everything, I knew there will be a greater chance of him refusing to talk to me regarding the past ever again. And as much as I hate to admit it and throw a tantrum about it, I understand.

I would be hurt too if I got to know that the love of my life believed that I had made an elaborate plan to kill him.

"Are you okay?"

Articus's voice snaps me out as he turns the stove off, transferring the pancakes on another plate before he takes a cup of coffee and takes a seat across me.

"Should I be?"

I raise an eyebrow at him.

For a man in his mid forties, Articus is rather handsome. Something that is not ignored by ladies, no matter where he goes. And the intelligent aura that he has often makes people assume him to be a professor or scientist.

"Not really. But do tell me Ashy, what exactly are you feeling?"

I roll my eyes at the man in front of me. I now understand where Chris has learnt from. The way this man has a play with words, I can be telling him of my emotions and he will find something to get back at me from it.

"I don't know. I honestly expected him to be angry and hurt. Lash out maybe. But I didn't expect him to be gone immediately after that. I had planned to tell him about day first, and maybe when he has calmed down, I would have told him about me being in touch with Chris but he brought me here and everything just spun out from there."

I bang my cup on the island as I straighten up and start pacing.

"And now Chris has bruises all over him and a broken nose. Jayden is nowhere to be seen. I wasn't able to talk to Willow and Blake because I was so distracted, so I am pretty sure they are suspicious. And I have no ide-"

"You do realise you are more worried about Jayden, his feelings and well being than the fact that you can find about who exactly has been the one to make you a price target? That says a whole lot about your feelings Ashy."

He stands up as well, taking my cup with him as he goes off to the sink, "Go visit Chris. He is better now, and he is ready to tell you about some of the things that we found. I made a call to Jayden too. He is coming back as well."

Refusing to reply to this man, I turn around and leave the kitchen, making my way up the side stair to the first floor. Walking to his room, I let myself mull over what Articus has said to me.

I knock on Christopher's door before opening it, peeking inside to see him lying down on his bed.

I bite my lower lip as I enter, walking over to him as he sits up. He gives me a smile, wincing when his arms stretches to tap the mattress, indicating me to sit next to him.

Complying, I sit next to him.

We stay sitting next to each other in silence before he breaks it, "How bad did he take it?"

"Bad bad? I feel so stupid now. You, Articus... Everyone told me he can't do that yet I stubbornly refused to believe it. I just don't understand why."

"It's kind of simple, Ash." He turns to face me, his face swollen from his fight, as well as two small band aids holding together the few scratches on his cheeks. "You were in denial. The alternative, him not doing something and someone else being out there who is ready to so much to see you die for real, was a lot scarier than the reality you could see."

"At times, the reality we see seems to be the one thing holding us together no matter what. That image, it becomes our shield. Sure at the back of our minds, we may have our doubts, but we are desperate beings, us humans. We keep clinging to what we think we know."

My eyes stay on his.

His green eyes hold a sadness in them, one that has been there for years now.

Chris and I, we are similar in more aspects than our hair color.

We share a bond deeper than what any sibling bonded by blood can have. We have bonded together over the harshness of realities, over the pain of losing our best mates and the heartbreak of losing our love.

We have spent our nights just staring at the countless stars, just lounging in silence as each of us let our minds wander in the web of What if-s.

I give him a small smile, "If I got to see the reality, even if I am two years late... There will be a time she will too. Give her time."

He sigh, smirking in a self mocking way, "It's too late Ashlyn. She has joined the S.I.A. It's been what? Five years now? I hardly think we will ever be crossing paths ever again."

Before I can say anything, give him any hope at all, his door slams open. Jayden comes in, going directly to sit on the love seat across the bed where we were sitting.

His blue eyes looked hard and unforgiving.

Cold, resembling the ice.

"Sorry to interrupt," his voice drawls out, though he looked anything but sorry. "I was told you are to give us information."

His commanding voice irritates Chris, if his clenched jaw is anything to go by.

I sigh, knowing right now these two are going to be the two leaders more than the two guys who are close friends. And at some level, it is my fault.

"Well, you might want to tone down the commands Carter. The only reason I did nothing yesterday, was because I knew you needed it. Remember that." Christopher's voice sent shivers down my spine.

At times I forget how exactly scary he can be.

Not wanting there to be a competition, especially because I can see the exhaustion in Jayden's eyes and the physical pain of Chris's body, I interrupt the two of them, "Chris, what did you find about Moore?"
The two pair of eyes snap to mine.

Chris huffs before rolling his eyes and losing his tenseness, "Right. So your new professor is really not that interesting on the surface. He has a normal life, went to a school, was a valedictorian. Took up college, worked his ass off and now is a well known professor."

I hum, my mind going to the few things I found suspicious in the guy.

"You said on a surface?"

Jayden inquires, making Chris nod.

"Yes, on a surface. Because when I got a little deeper inside, because for some reason it seemed too mundane for something to raise suspicion, I got across some interesting facts."

Chris motions me to see at his bed side stand, where a stack of papers were kept. I pick them up to see a detailed data about Professor Nathanial Joseph Moore.

"What is it?" I ask.

"That is the life record of the real Nathanial Moore."

"The real?" Jayden didn't look that shocked, yet I can't seem to comprehend.

"Yes the real one. Because he was found dead in a small lake near his vacation home in a small town of UK, a few days before after he has been missing for quite a few weeks. He was there with his college friends, for his annual men only trip. All his friends were found injured in the home, and he was missing."

I slump backwards, muttering curses under my breath.

"What about this guy? Who is he?" Jayden continues, apparently not that shocked to hear this. Almost like he expected it.

Chris places his hand on mine, squeezing it to give me a sense of support before answering to the man in front of us. "From what I can see and hear via grapevines, his name is James. The Uk gang that Kane conned, Snape, he is one of their level 2 member. Ambitious as he is, he is trying to use this as a way to climb the ladder."

I look up to see Jayden deep in his thought, Chris being the same.

I have no idea what they are thinking, but I can guess it is something about the planning to get him out of the town.

But I can't help but think how absolutely crazy it is going to be, considering there are bound to be questions if two professors are gone from the town, one dead and one... I am not sure what they will be doing to him.