Somewhere on route 25, getting lost in the star filled night sky, Riley finds herself back in the car she had fallen in love with two years prior. The red leather seat offers her comfort as her fingers slide along the smooth interior, taking her back to when Aaron taught her how to drive a stick shift. Though their time together was short lived, they managed to take a few trips out of the city in this dream of a vehicle. Those memories are a couple of the very few times Riley recalls feeling truly happy, even if it was fleeting. 

This time, however, she is quickly pulled out of her fantasy. 

'Hello?' As he finally answers on the eight ring, Riley holds the phone closer to her ear. 

'Grayson, its Riley.'

'Hey, I just heard what happened. Are you okay?'

'Not really, no. Sofia lost her brother.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Look... I have to ask. Considering your past, I can't go on blind faith. Did you...?'

'No.' He answers without hesitation. 'I didn't kill your friend. Your mystery enemy hasn't contacted me since I met you, I'm guessing he knows we're working together. And even if he had asked me, I would have refused. I really am trying to help you, Riley.'

'I'm sorry for asking, but I needed to know. I'll call you later.'

As she returns her phone to her purse she directs her attention to Aaron. 'How are you holding up?' 

His troubled look is distinguished by his thick, dark eyebrows as he glances down for a second. 'Noah was a good friend. I cared about him. I just... can't believe he's gone.' 

'I'm so sorry.' 

Careful to keep an eye on the road, he flashes a few looks in Riley's direction. 'You know this isn't your fault, right?' 

'The killer's after me...' 

Aaron won't let her finish, determined to fight her on this. He won't let her feel any more guilt than she already does. 'The only guilty party here is the killer. And if he hasn't already made it personal enough by going after you, he has now. We're going to catch this bastard, Riley. He's not getting away with this.' 

As they both stare back out the window Riley thinks of Sofia. She was so upset when she left for the police station with her parents. This is going to crush her, and Riley has no idea how to make it better, or help her in any way. Could she have avoided this? Would the killer not have gone after Noah if she had stopped investigating? Should she have heeded his warnings? 

There's no point stopping now, she's in too deep. And clearly Sofia and Aaron won't back down anymore. 

As they reach the city she dreams aloud 'I wish we could keep driving, away from here.' Aaron's deep brown eyes reach out to her. 'Me too.'

∾

When they turn right onto a street in Williamsburg thirty minutes later, Riley wakes from a little nap she accidentally tumbled into. As she looks out the window at the, to her, unknown area she turns to Aaron. 'Where are we?' He pulls up next to a row of apartment buildings and turns off the engine. 'You'll see.' 

As one of his keys lets them into a tiny hall, she reads the 'out of order' sign on the elevator in disappointment. 'Which floor do we need to be?' 

As he begins climbing the stairs he briefly glances over his shoulder to tell her: 'Top floor.' 

'Of course...' she mumbles to herself, looking at her painful feet still in high heels. 

An estimated eighty steps later Aaron finally stops in front of a thick grey door. As he leads the way she carefully peeks inside. 'What is this place?' 

Aaron walks around the bookcase lined rounded corner. 'I started renting this apartment a while back. It's small, but it's out of the way. Also, the view is kind of amazing.' 

As he says it Riley sees the skylight diagonally hanging over the apartment's living room. Through it she spots the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance, and the moon shimmering over the East River. 

'No one knows I have this place.' Aaron continues. 'I figured if I wanted to keep you safe, this would be the perfect spot.' 

'You realize you can't keep me here forever, right?' 

'Yeah, but with Bryn staying with Milo tonight, at least you won't have to be alone at your dorm.' 

As he departs into the 38 square feet industrial style kitchen Riley ventures out to investigate the rest of the apartment. On the far side, where the skylight peaks, a bed is raised from the floor, resting on four wooden beams with a ladder leading up to it. As she looks at it, she wonders how often Aaron comes, and stays, here. Why would he need a second place? 

Crossing the room to reach the bookcase, her eyes pass along book titles on the shelves until they halt at something sticking out from between Into the Wild and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Careful not to tear it, she pulls it free. It's a photo, and the memory it portrays is familiar to her. With a nostalgic smile she studies the sand and the ocean framing an eighteen year old version of herself, smiling back at her. That day... it feels like a million years ago. Aaron clearly hasn't let it go. 

Placing the photo in front of the books Riley finds herself suddenly wanting to tear away from it. As she does she notices an unidentified door below the loft bed, and curious to see where it leads, makes her way over. Pushing open the door shows a small office, filled with computers and other equipment. Only now she realizes what this apartment must be for, why Aaron has it. He's still hacking, but he's certainly taken it up a notch. 

Back when they were at Carlton Prep, Aaron had made it his usual past time to teach himself how to hack, using the technical skills his father had given him. Mostly he'd use it to satisfy his own curiosities, uncovering all the rich companies' secrets hidden within their own databases. There was never much he could do with those secrets, but at least he would no longer be blindfolded to the truth. He's always been as averse to the way these companies are run as Riley is. 

Taking a step inside, her eyes run along all the binders and files stored on shelves across the left wall. He's keeping track of everything, like an obsession... Not sure whether to be impressed or concerned, she continues to look around. Three screens, lined up on a large desk, are all on standby. Intrigued, she reaches and taps on the keyboard. A single image shows up on the right screen, beaming light into the dark little room. 

What it's displaying takes a while to reach Riley's consciousness, to make her realize what it means. As she does she feels her throat begin to close. The moment of reliving the past with Aaron, remembering what it was like to be happy, is over. 

It's made clear by the white screen, showing a single black feather floating in the center.

Feeling suddenly wide awake, she thinks quickly. Carefully she moves back towards the door. It's him, it's all him. The thought washes over her like a gigantic wave intent on drowning her. She's not safe, she has to get out of here. Run, it's all she can think. Run! 

But when she reaches out Aaron is at the door. 'Riley, what are you...?' In a flash she's past him, out of the room, heading for the front door, walking backwards as she looks at him. 'St-stay away from me.' 

A second of confusion is followed by a glance at the little feather, dangling on the screen, clearing things up for him. 'Riley, wait...' 

The door offering her a way out is swung open easily and slams violently against the wall. As she races down the first flight of stairs she hears Aaron call after her. The high heels she's still wearing hinder her as she tries to speed up, distinctly hearing him following close behind. How is this possible? Why? Why would he do all this? She desperately tries to drown out the thoughts, afraid the tears of disbelief will cause her to tumble down the steps. 

Heavy rain crashing down on the pavement welcomes her once she reaches the outside world. Blindly leaping forward she finds herself next to the car that had showed her so much bliss before. 

'Riley!' 

She veers around as she hears his voice nearby. He's in the doorway, stepping out into the rainfall. 'Riley, wait, please...' 

'No! You stay away from me! You did all this!' The sweater she had thrown on over her dress is already soaked and is clinging to her shoulders, making her feel heavy. Her hair is sticking to her face in thin strings. Beneath the cold shivers she can suddenly feel her heart breaking. Why him? Why did it have to be him? 

He must see the pain in her face as he tries to get closer. The fear is apparent again, making her jolt back in reaction. The next thing she sees is a bright light coming at her, and a loud honking noise blasts into her left side. 

'Riley!' 

The realization that she's in the middle of the road is her last thought before she feels something push her to the ground, knocking her out.

∾

The lights of the city this late at night are mere colored spots behind the rain covered windows of the police station. Sofia feels dizzy looking at them. 

Having pulled herself up on the bright orange seat in the corner of the waiting room, she wipes another tear off her cheek as she rests her chin on her knees. Though she hasn't really stopped crying in the last two hours, it has slowed down to calmly paced drops rolling down her face, allowing her to breathe a little. 

She fears she may be going into shock. 

She's never lost anyone like this before, she's entirely unsure how to handle it. Is there even a right way? Is there a way at all? Noah... he was the only one who truly knew her. The one person she could talk to. It makes her feel like she has no one now. 

Looking at the reflection staring back at her, she watches the rain running down the window reach and leave her face again. 'What do I do now, big brother?' she whispers. 

Her eyes trail the lines of the radiator next to her seat, but she doesn't really see it. Nor does she hear the voices of the people around her, or the radio standing on a little table in the corner, playing softly. Her hair, which she tied together in a messy bun on top of her head, is slowly letting loose. But when a thick lock of hair falls down on her nose, she barely feels it. 

Nothing really pulls her out of her trance until she feels a hand grab her shoulder. Her mother is standing behind her, having exited the interrogation room ten minutes ago, after which she stood by the counter filling out forms and watching her daughter from a distance. 'Sofia, they're ready for you.' 

The police want to speak to everyone separately, first her father, then her mother. Now her. As she tries to get out of her seat she suddenly feels how tired her body is. A cold shiver brought on by the fatigue makes her pull her burgundy coat tightly around her waist. An officer is waiting by an open door, signaling her with a warm smile filled with sympathy. 

But as soon as her legs allow her to move, she's halted by a group of three police officers running past her. An aura of panic hangs above the group as they reach the officer. Sofia can see the officer's warm smile disappear, making way for distress. 'What? How is that possible?!' 

Soon after his exclaim he looks in Sofia and her mother's direction, making Sofia's mother walk over. She is quickly joined by Sofia's father, who was over by the coffee machine. As Sofia hears her parents share the officer's reaction, after which her mother begins to freak out, she slowly steps closer. 

'What happened?' The officer looks at her, once again showing his compassion. 'I'm afraid... your brother...' 

Sofia's eyes widen, like she's only now really awakening from the shock she had entered. 'What about Noah?' 

'It's his body... it's missing. It was stolen from the morgue.'

∾

Yet again, Riley finds herself slowly waking on a nondescript couch. Luckily not bound this time. When she opens her eyes it only takes a second to identify her surroundings, as well as Aaron sitting in the chair opposite her. In a single breath she launches into an upright position as her eyes flash around the room, feeling the unease return. A flare of pain tears through her as she looks down at her blood stained dress. 

'What happened?' Speaking softly, she won't dare look at him. 

'You walked out into the road. There was a car... you were almost hit. I got to you just in time, but we fell and you scraped your leg on the asphalt.' Carefully Riley reaches for the wound, flinching as she touches it. 'You were knocked out, I carried you back up here.' 

As she feels the wetness of her clothing she decides she can't have been out for long. 'Riley... I realize what you must have thought when you saw... But it's not what you think. I'm not the killer.' 

Gazing down at her hands, she feels doubt take over. 'Am I supposed to just take your word for it?' 

'Look at me.' Aaron implores. 

She's afraid to, but can't force herself to avoid his eyes any longer. Allowing herself, she tries to read him, to detect the truth in his stare. He seems desperate, and hurt. 

'I'm not the killer.' As he repeats himself she recognizes the determination in his voice, in his face. 

'Then why?' 

'I send those threats because I was trying to scare you. To stop you from searching for the truth.' 

His confession leads Riley to conclude his motivation. 'The killer, you know who it is. You're protecting someone, who is it?'

'The only person I was trying to protect was you... and myself. The drug that was used in the murders...'

She interrupts his hesitance. 'Glow, Alice told me about it.'

'I recognized it immediately. When I saw the eyes, of the body we found that morning at Gigi's. I knew what it was, because... because I was selling it.'

Her bottom lip drops an inch, surprised to realize something can still shock her. 'You're the one dealing at the Neon Wolf? You're selling drugs?'

'Milo was doing it and... somehow I got pulled in. It was the biggest mistake of my life, there's no excuse. And when the drug I was selling became a murder weapon I was afraid it would lead back to Milo and me. I was afraid it would make me look like the killer.'

Shock and disbelief turn into disappointment, even more evident than it was when she saw him do drugs before. 'It does...' 

Already at the edge of his seat, he moves closer another inch as he desperately attempts to convince her once more. 'Please tell me you believe me. I would never hurt you, or Carrie... or anyone.' 

Feeling indecisive, and suddenly very sad, she fights through the pain in her leg and abandons the couch. As Aaron rises and attempts to reach out and help her, seeing her struggle to walk, she steps back to evade him. 

'I...' She starts speaking before she manages to find the right words. 'I just need to think... I need some time.' With that being said she leaves him, and he lets her go. 

Once she's out the door Aaron sinks back into the chair, dropping his head in his hands. The misery is worse than it ever was in the past two years. 

Did he just lose her forever?