"That's a good question, but I don't know the answer to it." I twiddled my thumbs under the table.

"You don't know? Do you not remember?" Ember tilted his head a bit.

I nodded. "My memory only reaches far back for a little bit."

He shook his head slowly. "That's a shame. It would've been good to know why, though. You'd be the first Harpy I've known to stay on Earth for more than two days."

"Two days? Why so short?" Liam asked.

"I dunno, but harpies just don't like the Earthly plane. The Harpy that was exiled could only go every other day, not back-to-back. A different Harpy told me it was because they get angsty and mess up the balance of life or death or some crap like that. I wasn't really paying attention, so I don't know the reason for sure." He shrugged.

The sound of a door opening made me turn my head, and Amanda and the ebony waitress came over with food within their arms. They set the food down on the table- crispy chicken tenders and fries with melted cheese on top, burgers with all the fixings, and three plates of the biggest slab of steak I've ever seen. Xavier, Kyle, and Liam all had steak on their plates that were bleeding red juice. Nicole and Donna began eating the burgers that were on one plate.

Amanda came over to me and pulled the chicken tender plate and placed two small plates of fries in front of Ember and me. She placed napkins on the table while the ebony girl refilled our drinks. Once she was done, Amanda stayed behind and smiled.

"Enjoy your food, everyone!" And with that, she sauntered back to the kitchen.

I looked around the table. Nicole and Donna were quietly talking amongst themselves while covering their mouths to chew. They ate off a plate of burgers and seemed to be putting a dent in the food. Looking over at the men showcased a different story. Liam and Xavier grabbed their streaks and was gnawing into them with ease. Kyle, on the other hand, was using a knife and fork to calmly bite into his steak. Every now and then, Liam and Xavier would grab a fistful of cheese fries (and so would Kyle) but-

"Oi." Ember interrupted my observations by poking me with a chicken tender. "Why aren't you eating?"

I looked at the food between us. Thinking of a valid excuse, some words were spoken to me recently rang to the front of my mind. "Because Liam said not to eat food from strangers."

Ember sighed and turned to his left. He tugged on Liam's arm sleeve until Liam noticed him.

"What's up?" Liam muffled through a mouth full of food. Ember pointed to me.

"You told Kye not to eat from strangers. Tell him he can eat this food."

Liam blinked and gave a hearty laugh before putting his steak down. He wiped his hands on some napkins left by Amanda and got out of his chair. Liam appeared next to me and grabbed a tender off the plate.

"You can eat this. I know I said strangers, but in places like this- you can eat the food." He took a bite. "See? And it's delicious."

He offered the tender to me, but I shook my head. "I'm not hungry, I swear."

Ember elbowed me from behind, and I looked over my shoulder at him. "I don't know if you're being serious or not, but if my pact partner dies from starvation then, I'll have to take the wrap for it. So, please, eat Kye." To emphasize his point, Ember also ate a chicken tender. I looked back at Liam, and he handed the rest to me. I accepted it as he walked back to his seat.

I faced the table and took a bite. The crispness of the tender hit me first. Different pinches of seasoning in the shell made it swirl with enjoyment around my tongue. But once the shell disappeared from the taste, the inside shined brighter than any star. It was juicy and made me look at the bite I had. The chicken tender tore off in feathery strands, and I had to hide a small smile as I chewed the morsel some more.

41. I like chicken tenders.

I went for another bite, but instantly I could feel something crawling back up my throat. I swallowed just seconds earlier, but it felt like my stomach was rejecting something my taste buds adored. I cleared my throat, which got the attention of Donna, but the feeling was still there. It felt like it was burning my throat on the way back up. I put a hand on my neck and put my chin to my chest as I tried to massage my throat.

"You okay, Kye?" Donna asked.

I nodded but eyed the bathroom. "I think it just went down wrong. I'm going to go to the bathroom." I got out of my chair but stopped when Ember started doing the same.

"Ember, you don't have to go. I'll be right back."

Ember raised an eyebrow. "No offense Kye, but you look like the air could touch you wrong, and you'd collapse. You're my pact partner, and I have to ensure your safety at all times."

Knowing that I'd get nowhere with Ember, I sighed- which turned into a big yawn.

Ember snapped his head to Liam, who was finishing up his steak. "Liam, you can package up our food since Kye is getting tired? He and I will eat it when he gets home."

Liam did a 'thumbs up' gesture to Ember and then went back to eating.

Ember and I walked towards the bathroom, but a man sitting next to the bathroom entrance was staring at us oddly. He had a cup of coffee held to his lips, but I still noticed the chilling smile he kept as he stared at us. He had fingerless gloves, and his baggy brown clothing did nothing for his olive complexion. Hair was plastered against his face frantically underneath a grey beanie, and his dark eyes made me think he had something in store for us.

Ember noticed his gaze and transferred to the right side of me as we walked to the bathroom. He pushed open the red door with the male shadow on it, and I walked straight to the first toilet I saw. My body reacted to the sight of a toilet and began hacking away at the tender taking up residency in my throat. I clutched my throat as I felt something rise and trickle down my tongue and into the toilet.

Without watching, I reached for the handle and flushed the toilet. I turned around and blinked a bit to chase away the black spots littering my vision. When they were gone, I opened my eyes and noticed that I didn't latch the door close. Ember's fingertips were holding the door closed from the outside, and when I tugged on the door a bit- he let go. I felt his judgmental stares as I walked to the sink.

Ember leaned up against the sink next to me and stuck a lollipop in his mouth.

"You're too skinny, Kye." The sound of the hard candy circling around his teeth echoed in the medium-sized bathroom. I turned on the faucet and looked at my appearance in the mirror. My black hair was glued to the sides of my face, and my face looked like I aged five years. My green eyes still managed to shine brightly through the bags that clung onto my eyes.

"If I would've known you were going to throw up the one bit of food you had- I would've told you not to eat in the first place."

The water ran all over my hands before I turned off the faucet. I sighed and grabbed the edge of the sink. Memories of Zine telling me the same thing angered me, but I slumped slightly in defeat.

"I haven't been hungry for a while. It just feels like I'm full."

"Full? What do you mean?" I faced Ember as he turned towards me with curiosity.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I just feel full. Like I ate a huge meal, and I just won't have to eat anymore. Normally, I'll just eat small bites just to please whoever is around. But that," I gestured to the bathroom stall. "That is new. I don't think I'll be eating anytime soon at this rate."

Ember tilted his head for a minute in silence before speaking. "You haven't told anyone about this- have you?"

I shook my head. "I don't understand what's happening. I used to eat just fine." I tried thinking of what could've started this, and nothing came to mind.

Ember went to grab a couple paper towels and handed them to me. "That's alright, Kye. I can ask around for some information on harpies when I go back home. We'll figure it out- I promise." He gave me a fang-filled smile, and I couldn't help smiling back at him.

I quickly wiped my hands on the towels as we walked out of the bathroom. Ember stood to the left of me as we walked back to the counter where everyone stood. Apparently, we must've been in there longer than I thought because the diner was almost empty. The ebony waitress was bundled up by the door and waved to Ember and me as she left the store for the night. Walking closer to the counter, I noticed that Nicole held a Styrofoam box in a clear bag and was talking to Donna while Liam was paying. Xavier and Kyle have donned the task of carrying all the bags of clothes, but they didn't seem to mind much.

Donna saw us coming closer and stopped her conversation with Nicole.

"Hey, Kye. You feelin' better?" She tilted my chin at her and I nodded. She smiled and gave me a warm side-hug. My throat slightly burned with soreness, but I decided to ignore it. I looked to Liam, who was giving Amanda her tip, before turning back to the rest of us. Amanda grabbed a coffee pitcher and went to the guy in the corner but waved to us as my party was leaving.

And then everything went in slow motion.

I heard a scream and the sound of a plate shattering on the ground. The sound of bags dropped to the ground as my vision was slightly shielded by Ember's body. The adults stood around us protectively and I gulped at the sight in front of us.

Amanda was in a chokehold from the guy in the corner.

There was also a gun to her head as she desperately tried to get loose.

I locked eyes with the guy and he sneered.

"Give me the two boys, or she dies."

A chef sauntered out of the kitchen with a blasé expression. He was a big, burly man with ginger hair that seemed to resonate mostly around his beard. "Now, what in tarnation is-" He stopped when he saw the predicament and put his hands up in surrender.

"Now you don't have to-"

A bang went off, and Amanda's desperate cries got louder as the large man went down. Crimson pooled around his midsection and stained the floor as it ran away from him.

The man cocked his gun once more but put it at Amanda's temple. She cried louder as her legs trembled with palpable fear.

"Let's try this again with no interruptions, shall we?"