The thing Kayden hated the most was that she couldn't get away.

When things got a bit too heavy at home, she'd simply leave. She was never gone for long—typically an hour or so to vent in the open air—but it was the best way for her to cool down after a fight with her parents.

She had contemplated leaving Le Lieu. She wanted to throw open the wide French doors, stomp across the expansive lawn, and scream at the smoggy night sky. But as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't think she'd be able to stand the stomach pain—even though it was tempting to hurt Blaze in the process.

So instead she paced down the hallways, digging her heels into the carpeted floor while wishing various forms of torment on Blaze for what he had called her. When she grew tired of staring at the same stretch of Grecian wallpaper and camel-colored carpet, she rode the elevator, hitting the 3rd and 4th floor buttons in alternation. Whenever someone would enter the elevator, she would hang back and ride with them up or down a floor or two, but as soon as they had left, she would reach out and rest her fingertips on the glossy buttons. She stared into the mirrors that lined the lift as she was carried up and down between floors; they made it look like she was a mere copy among millions.

With such a limited range of motion, she eventually grew sick of pacing the same hallway and staring at her splotchy reflection in elevator mirrors. She withdrew back into Room 495 after only a half hour. Her mother was in the kitchen, boiling hot water for some nighttime tea. She seemed surprised when she saw Kayden slipping back inside.

"Where have you been?" she asked, more curious than concerned. Then, after an additional thought: "Is Blaze with you?"

"I just went for a walk. And no."

Her mother's lips pressed against each other. "Are you all right, Kayden?"

"Yeah," she lied. "Just nervous for tomorrow." Her face had cleared up considerably in the past thirty minutes: no more red blotches, swollen eyes, and damp lashes. It made it so much easier to lie.

Her mom gestured to an assortment of teas laid out on the small counter. "Chamomile, lemon, or raspberry? It's all decaf."

"None. I'm just going to go to bed."

"So early?"

"I don't feel too well."

Her mom frowned. "Lexi said she isn't feeling well either. She started feeling panicky again. I told her to take some of the medicine the doctor prescribed her, but I don't know if she did." She left her kettle and walked towards her daughter, setting her thin hands on Kayden's shoulders. Then she leaned in and gave her a soft peck on the forehead, touching one of the braids in her hair. "Get some sleep and things will be better in the morning. Everything goes back to normal tomorrow."

I don't know if you're right about that, Mom, Kayden thought, thinking of the way Blaze had yelled at her. But she just nodded. "Thanks. Good night."

Kayden used every ounce of willpower to still her shaking hands as she walked into the bedroom she shared with Blaze. She knew she needed to maintain her calm and keep her mouth shut just long enough to change into pajamas and crawl into bed. But her caution was for nothing; Blaze wasn't in the room.

She scrunched her nose and ran a hand over her stomach; there was no pain. She checked her wrist for good measure and the symbol winked at her from her pale skin. He's somewhere in the hotel, she figured. He must have slipped out while she had been playing with the elevator.

Kayden felt a surge of relief as she reached for the chocolate on her pillow. But she paused as her fingers wrapped around the shiny green foil.

Beneath the chocolate was a small, folded piece of white paper.

Kayden glanced over at Blaze's empty bed. His chocolate was lying directly on the white cotton fabric of his pillow, no paper in sight.

She frowned and slid the chocolate off, unfolding the page. It was a piece of hotel stationary with a watermarked "Le Lieu" on it. But the sheet wasn't blank. There were words on the page, written in fine handwriting, but hastily scrawled. And the very first word was "Kayden."

Her first thought was that it was some sort of an apology note written by Blaze. But as she read, she realized she was grossly mistaken.

Kayden,

Meet me in Room 132 at midnight. I need to try to tell you something really important. Lives may depend on it. Don't be late and do not bring Lexi or Blaze. Please.

~Helio

"Helio?" she murmured, rereading the note in disbelief.

Why does he want me? she thought. She and Helio didn't exactly have a great relationship; the last time she had seen him, he had sent an electric shock down her arm. And yet he was specifically asking for her. Not Blaze, not Lexi. Her.

"Lives may depend on it," she whispered, feeling her stomach stir uncomfortably. Was he being serious?

Kayden glanced at the clock. It was barely past 9:00pm.

If Blaze comes back before midnight, should I show him this? She dismissed the idea almost instantly. She could remember all too well the way Blaze had yelled at her: how he had towered over her, his eyes dark slits and his voice reduced to a feral growl. She didn't want to see him, let alone speak with him.

She looked at the clock again, and then slipped the note under her pillow and left the bedroom. Her mom was sitting on the white leather couch in the living area, watching a Lifetime movie on television. Kayden wondered for a moment where Silas was. They had been nearly inseparable the past week, going out to dinner and wine tastings and dance lessons. It was odd to not see him at her mother's side.

Her mother glanced up and then raised her mug slightly. "Did you change your mind about the tea?"

Kayden was about to refuse for a second time, but her mouth was dry. The note had shaken her more than she liked to admit. "Actually, yeah." When her mother made a move to get up, Kayden cut her off by heading to the kitchen first. "I'll get it."

A small dish of decaffeinated teas were set out on the counter. Kayden ignored them and dug through the cabinet to find the ones that had caffeine. She had a feeling she was going to need it tonight.

She poured the hot water into an "I <3 LA" mug they had picked up from a gift shop. "Hey Mom?" she asked as she poked the teabag beneath the surface of the liquid with a spoon. "What time are you going to bed?"

"When this movie ends, probably," her mother said. "It just started. So like, 11:00? 11:15?" She glanced back at her daughter. "Why?"

"I think I'm going to join you," Kayden said. It wasn't a lie; she needed to do something to pass the time. She took her mug across the room and sat next to her mother.

Her mom smiled. "That sounds lovely. I feel like I never see you anymore."

Kayden sipped the tea and nearly burned her tongue. "Yeah," she said. "Everything has been so crazy lately."

Her mother laughed lightly. "That's an understatement."

Kayden did her best to keep still as the movie played. It was nice to spend time with her mother, but she found it hard to focus on the television. Her fingers itched to touch the note again, but it was still hidden under the pillow in the room. She tried to soothe her roiling stomach with sips of tea, but the liquid settled in her stomach like lead.

The movie ended at 11:19.

Her mother frowned as the credits rolled by. "Well that had a depressing ending."

"Yep," Kayden nodded, her stomach clenched tight. The last scene was of a car accident, but the movie had cut off without bothering to explain what had happened to the main character.

Her mother stood up, picking up both her and Kayden's mugs. Kayden had had four cups of tea during the movie, switching out the teabags during the commercial breaks. She felt more jittery than awake.

"I'm going to bed," her mother said, dropping the drained teabags into the garbage and putting the mugs in the sink to soak. She walked back around the couch and gave her daughter a light kiss on the forehead. "Are you staying up?"

"Just for a bit longer," said Kayden. She held the remote in her hand, but didn't know which channel to flip to.

"All right. Try to go to bed soon. Tomorrow is a big day." Her mom smiled and headed towards her bedroom. "Good night." And then her mother disappeared behind the closed door.

Kayden stared at the credits until they ran out and then flipped through channels at random. After ten minutes, she gave up and went into her room. She shut the door, pulled the note out from under her pillow, and read it. Then she read it again. And again. Sometimes she would fold it up for a second, put it back under her pillow, and then pull it out just to make sure she hadn't read it wrong.

At 11:45, she couldn't take it anymore. Blaze still hadn't returned and she took that as a sign. She put the note in her pocket, slid on her flip-flops, and flicked off the light. And then Kayden slipped out of Room 495 for the second time that night.

- - -

Sooo what do you guys think is going to happen next? We are hitting some of the exciting stuff right now so let me know what you think! Also, I couldn't find a good image for this chapter (I'll keep looking!) so instead I linked to a video I made with my friend a few years ago. It's a cover of the song "Spine" for the game Transistor, and I think the vibe works for this part. I'm the one singing :)

Have a lovely day!

<3 Bdicocco