My eyes flutter open. Where am I?

I attempt to sit up but a sharp pain courses through my body. "Ouch, ouch ouch," I groan, gently lowering my upper body down to the bed. This isn't my room. It's painted white all over, adorned with a few band posters.

I turn my head to the side, ignoring the searing pain in my neck. There's an open window. I watch as the curtain gently billows in the wind. This is Gaia's room.

The door creaks open and she walks in with a bowl, a lollipop stick twirling around her lips. "Hm?" she slightly leans her body out the open door. "Yo, she's awake!" she yells.

She faces me and comes to sit on the edge of the bed. "Hey, I'm Gaia Paignton. Nice to meet ya."

"Huh? I- I know it's you." I scrunch up my nose from the scent coming off whatever is in the bowl she's holding.

"Oh that makes things easier," she says and gets up from the bed, approaching a small cage set on a stool in the corner of the room. She dumps the contents of the bowl into the cage. I can't see without my glasses but I can guess a rat's in there. "What's that?" I ask.

"Oh you mean Artavio?" she asks. "Remember when I told you I needed to tame a rat running around in my roof? Well, this is him," she explains. "We've become allies now."

"Oh," I reply, not fazed at all that she befriended a rat.

"I heard your screams last night," she begins. "Yeah, you startled the entire neighborhood. Even Grandma Evelyn who I thought was dead came out of her house to see what the commotion was."

What happened last night? The memories come flooding back, overwhelming me with a mixture of pain and sadness. "Right... last night... so I was that loud," I mutter.

"Yeah, you were. So Margo brought you over here and my sister gave you some treatment... since she's a nurse and all."

"Thank you," I breathe out.

"I'm still mad at you though," she grumbles. "Don't think looking helpless over there will make me forgive you."

I nod halfheartedly. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't try to explain what was going on."

Margo walks in, gasping when she sees me. "Cas you're alive," she chimes and runs over to me. "I would have hugged you but it might hurt."

"Yeah... thanks for considering that," I reply.

"How are you? How are you feeling?"

"It's not like I've tried getting up... so I don't know."

"Do you want me to help you up?" she asks.

"Okay," I sigh.

"Alright c'mere." She gently holds the side of my waist, slithering her other arm behind my back and slowly pushing me up. I release a groan as waves of soreness wash over my battered body, every movement an agonizing ordeal.

I can't pinpoint where the pain is coming from because my entire body is throbbing. "Your back wasn't looking too good, so Mae applied some lotion on it and bandaged it up. Your right arm was already in a brace for some reason so we just used that. Then she helped with some minor injuries. That was the most she could do. Luckily there was no internal bleeding or anything."

I nod as I sit up straight, baring my teeth at the pain. "So where's my mum?" I ask.

"She left the house and hasn't returned."

"Good," I mutter. "I know you might think this is harsh but I never want to see her again."

"No, not at all. That is what I would've said if she hadn't done this to you. She's crazy Cas. I'm sorry I neglected everything you said when she got here. Maybe if I had taken more precautions... then things would've turned out differently," she says. "But where did you go? That morning I got back home, she was going crazy. Talking to herself, parading the house. And when I asked what the problem was, she said you eloped with Levi. And the next day she bought a plane ticket and told me she was going to Chicago to get you. Was that true or does she need a psychiatrist?"

"She needs a psychiatrist," I mumble.

"Oh really? In that case, where were you?"

"Well I don't entirely know what she was talking about," I lie. "I wasn't eloping with Levi... he just took me on a vacation for some days... but I went without her permission," I reply.

"Wait, wait, wait, he took you on a vacation? To where?" she asks.

"Well... Chicago... we stayed in a hotel-"

"Cas hold on... did you guys... do it?"

"No, no, no we didn't do anything like that," I defend, quite certain my cheeks are turning crimson red.

"So you went to Chicago with Levi and you didn't even tell me," Gaia intervenes. Gosh, I forgot she was here. "No Gaia-"

"It's cool," she states and walks out of the room.

I heave a sigh. "Margo, can you help me to the bathroom? I'm scared to walk on my own."

She places an arm underneath the shoulder of my left arm and slowly, I scoot off the bed. "Why didn't you tell Gaia?" Margo asks. "I didn't know both of you had gotten that close."

"It... it's complicated," I reply.

When I'm on my feet, I take some time to put feeling in my legs. None of them feel broken. "You good?" she asks. I nod in reply. "I can walk on my own."

She lets go of me and I walk over to the bathroom, ignoring the pain in my knee, I open the door. I almost forgot this wasn't my house until I saw the dark towels and bathrobe, different varieties of skin care products, and cream-colored walls. I approach the sink and gaze at the mirror above it.

I can swear I almost screamed.

My left eye is shrouded in a deep, ominous shade of purple, surrounded by a stark contrast of bruised, swollen skin. My forehead has a stark white bandage plastered right above my brow. If I wasn't feeling the pain before, I'm feeling it now. I look terrible.

I sit on the toilet, running my fingers through my hair. My right arm is going to take way longer to heal after that assault. I would have cried but it hurts to do anything right now.

All of this for Ace.

I suck in a breath as I get to my feet, then I hobble out of the bathroom, Margo standing there like she was waiting to see how I would react to my facial wounds. "Margo... I'm going to take a walk," I tell her.

"A what? Cas there's no way I'm allowing you to take a walk in this condition. Especially in this weather."

"Margo I'll be fine-"

"No Cas, you need to rest c'mon." She leads me to the bed and sits me down. "Mae should be back from work anytime soon and she has to see how your wounds are doing... so just lie down... are you hungry? Just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."

This is the first time I've seen Margo give me so much attention. Usually, when she sees me all bruised after school, she ignores it or asks me to put an ice pack on it. What's with her sudden change? "A glass of water would be fine," I tell her.

"Okay then... anything else?" she asks.

"Could you help me get my blanket from my room? It's cozy and it will help me feel better."

"Okay," she gets up. "I'll be right back." She heads for the door but pauses and turns to me. "I don't want you thinking about your mum Cas... I know it's hard. Which is why I don't mind filling in for her," she says.

"Wow... thanks, Margo."

"Sure," she smiles before leaving the room.

I appreciate her trying to fill in for my mum but while she's gone I'll have to get out of here and head to Ace's.

•••

Gaia wasn't at home to stop me, which made it easier for me to leave unnoticed. Gosh, Margo will be so mad at me.

I walk up to the door and attempt to knock, but instead, it swings open and he's standing right at the entrance. "Hello, Star," he smiles. "Come in."

I awkwardly nod and walk into the house. "No I'm not in a good mood because someone is trying to market the houses on this street," he groans. "I guess I'll just kill the marketer," he mutters. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you," he says and goes to sit on the couch.

He didn't even ask about my injuries. Well, what was I expecting? "I guess I should tell you everything that happened in Chicago," I say.

"Take a seat," he offers.

"Don't worry I'll stand... it's not like I'm staying long anyway."

He rolls his eyes. "Sit down, you're in no state to insist on standing."

His words take me by surprise. At least he acknowledged my state. I go to sit next to him. "Should I start talking?" I ask, my eyes on the ground.

He didn't reply to me. So I turn to him. He's leaning his cheek on his palm, staring at me with furrowed brows. I see a look of concern flash in his bright blue eyes. "Yeah... you can start," he finally replies.

"So Levi and I met with this Jason guy who had a crush on you when you were in high school."

"Jason," he chuckles. "How's he doing?"

"Well he's a she now, his name is Jessie and he influences beauty products."

"Now where's the surprise," he mutters.

"But he- or she rather was very nice to me."

"How?" he asks.

I told him all about how Levi got shot and Jessie took me in. Then about that guy who came to stare at me through the window and the mysterious person who called me at that convenience store.

"Quick question, did you and Levi have sex?"

"What the hell Ace!"

"Why are you yelling? It was just a question... girls will blush for anything," he mutters.

"So after everything I told you, all you could ask was if I had sex with Levi."

"But did you?"

"No, I didn't. Why do you care?"

He shrugs. "I just wanted to know if he had enough charm to get in your-"

"Alright, that's enough. Please can we go back to the main conversation here?"

"Right, right... so you feel this guy that shot Levi, is stalking you and now wants to kill you, correct?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah... and it's unsettling."

"Don't worry your little head about that," he smiles. "I already promised I would do everything in my power to keep you safe, and that I will do. But now you have to keep it in mind that I'll be watching you 24/7... while you're sleeping, eating, in the shower-"

"Okay, I get it creep." I cover my mouth at the last word. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call you that."

He chuckles and tilts his head to the side. "Now how could I blame you for that? When truly, I am a creep," he smiles.

Okay, this is weird and I thought he said he was in a bad mood. "So... there's another suspect... Stacy," I say.

His brows knit. "Stacy? Who's that?" Wow. He forgot about her.

"Ohhh Stacy... I thought she was dead," he laughs. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one though... I did deserve it for ruining a part of her life."

"Well... Levi said he'll look into it."

"Alright then." He leans back and folds his arms behind his head. "Well..." I get to my feet. "I'm leaving now."

"Wait," he gets up and walks right up to me, causing me to take some cautious steps back. "There's something I must ask," he begins. "Do you still want to help me find my killer?" he asks.

"I... uh... what?"

"I need you to answer this very truthfully."

Why is he putting me in the spotlight like this? It's not like my answer is going to change anything. "Um yes," I mumble.

"Cassi... I won't hurt you for saying the truth."

"Well... I don't know... finding your killer has been hard on me... my mum almost killed me and I've broken my friend's trust... on top of that I've sustained all these injuries and it's... it's been really difficult having to keep all this a secret too."

"I asked because I was concerned... I knew about your mum... I even intervened but I came a bit too late."

Maybe that's why she paused the beating. I just thought the realization of what she was doing finally hit her. I guess I was wrong. "It's really difficult seeing you battle all these things. So I'm permitting you to step away from our deal."

"Huh? W-Why?"

"I just explained that to you."

"So you just expect me to step away because I got a little bruised? You're too cruel Ace."

His eyes widen. "What?"

"You should see what they do to me every day after school. They pick on me for no reason, beat me up, and throw me in dumpsters. These injuries are nothing compared to what I go through every day in Moorwood High (Okay that's a lie, this is hell but I have to prove my point)... you must think I'm so weak. You want me to throw all my effort away. Or is it just because Levi is helping you now?"

"Well, I do think you're weak. And nothing you said has made me change my mind about that."

Of course not.

"But I'm sorry for neglecting your effort," he says. "This isn't about Levi... like I said, I'm just concerned."

"Okay," I mumble. "Sorry for lashing out like that... but I don't want to step away from the deal... besides... wouldn't you kill me if I did?"

He heaves a sigh and settles on the couch. "I suppose that is what I said," he mumbles. "You know... you can tell your friend about me if you want to."

"What? Really?"

He shrugs. "Why not?"

"Thank you so much," I beam. "So... can I leave now?"

"Go ahead," he says with two flicks of his wrist.

I turn on my heels and approach the door. "Oh and Star..." I look over my shoulder. "Don't come back here until your wounds are healed. And if you must, make sure it's an emergency."

I stifle a smile. "Why?"

"Because you're injured and you need rest," he replies. "Please take care of yourself."

I bite down on my lip. "Thanks, Ace... bye."

He nods. "Bye."

I step out of the house and shut the door behind me. A smile creeps onto my face. He cares about me.

•••

Margo was already asleep when I got home. She isn't my actual mum who would be waiting for me behind the door, ready to ground me for a week. But life will be so much easier now that she isn't here. I wonder where she went.

I would have taken a shower but there's no one to help me with these bandages and my arm. Now I kind of wish Levi was here.

I'm currently sitting on my bed, wondering how I'll change into my pajamas without putting too much strain on my limbs. Then my phone starts ringing.

It's that number I can now recognize as my stalker's. My stomach drops and I glance out my window, just to make sure I'm not being watched from here.

I get up and head to Margo's room, tapping on her and calling her name. She's always been a deep sleeper. "Margo, Margo please wake up."

She rolls across the bed and stretches her arms out, her eyes peeling open. "Cas where's the jellybean garden?" she asks with her full chest.

"Huh?"

"You didn't give the troll those jelly beans?" she groans and shuts her eyes.

I'm hopeless.

There's no way I can sleep alone tonight. So I text Gaia and cross my fingers. "You up?"

My heart flips when the typing bubble appears. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Would you mind if I sleep at yours tonight?" I text back.

Just why would she agree to a sleepover after everything I've done to her? "Nope, I'll go unlock my door."

That was too easy. I bunch my pajamas, blanket and my phone in one arm and race down the stairs. I have to drop everything so I can quickly unlock the door and exit the house. Ignoring the fact that I'm barefoot, I dart to Gaia's front door and knock. Please hurry, please hurry. It's really scary being out here, knowing my stalker could pop up out of nowhere.

The door clicks open and I dart in. "What's up with you?" she asks.

"Nothing I'm just excited for our first sleepover," I chime.

She rolls her eyes. "Where did you go this evening? My sis needed to do that check-up on you."

"Oh, I-"

"Let me guess, it's "complicated"?"

"No, I..." I drop my things on her couch. Gaia has been a very good friend to me. And if Levi can trust her with knowing he's in a mafia, then why can't I trust her with Ace? Besides, he's permitted to tell her.

"Gaia," I state.

"I'm ready to tell you everything."