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Chapter Text

The sky was a clear blue with only a few white clouds that occasionally drifted in the way of the sun. The dark clouds that had been hanging heavy over the city of Heatherfield during the summer months had finally left a few weeks earlier along with the almost nonstop downpour they had brought with them.

Inside the history classroom of Sheffield Institute, Hay Lin let out a deep sigh as she watched the sunshine bathe the city with its warmth. In the background, she could hear her history teacher, Dean Collins, drone on about some ancient ruler who conquered vast territories of land and built a mighty empire. She knew that she should be taking notes on what he was saying since it would probably come up on a future test, but she just didn’t feel like listening to his lecture right now. In truth, she didn’t feel like listening to any of her teachers lectures these days.

She let out another sigh and reluctantly looked away from the window to the front of the classroom. It would do her no good if Mr Collins noticed that she wasn’t paying attention. However, after several minutes her gaze drifted away from the blackboard where Mr Collins was writing something about the rise and fall of said empire to the empty seat beside her, the seat that Irma used to occupy. She felt a stab of pain in her chest when she looked at it and she wondered, when had it all started to go so wrong? Three months ago? Five months? A year? She didn’t know and probably never would. The first sign that she was certain of, happened a little over two months ago.

Irma’s mother, Anna, had won a cruise trip for the family to the Caribbean. Hay Lin could remember vividly how excited Irma had been at the thought of going and how she had also not missed the opportunity to rub it in Cornelia’s face that she was going on a cruise ship whiles Cornelia – to her great dismay – had to settle for a family road trip to the California redwoods.

“Do not feel bad me matey,” Irma had said in a mock attempt to cheer her up, “for I, ye great captain, shall bring back plenty of rum and booty to share with ye all.”

Hay Lin could remember how she and the other girls had laughed at Irma’s ridiculous attempt at a pirate accent which was made even funnier when she started to imitate the body movement of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Hay Lin couldn’t help but smile at that memory of how Irma had been so full of life and joy. Her smile disappeared as fast as it had come when she also remembered that that was the very same day that Irma had started coughing. It wasn’t anything special at first, just a few small coughs, but as the days past they became more numerous and intense. The doctors she went to could do little more than give her cough medicine.

Then after a week it got even worse when Irma started having problem breathing. Ones again they went for medical help and what they found out had made Hay Lin more scared than she had ever been in her life. Irma’s airway was closing up. The doctors didn’t know why, but they thought it was caused by some kind of inflammatory disease similar to asthma. However, none of the treatments they tried worked and over the next few days her condition grew worse.

As a consequence of her new condition, Irma was taken out of PE classes and was forbidden by her parents to do anything that could physically exhaust her like running or lifting heavy objects. As an added precaution she was not allowed to go outside unaccompanied in case her condition worsened. To say that Irma was annoyed by the whole situation was an understatement, she was furious. It didn’t help her mood any that she had been taken off the school’s radio team, since she started having coughing fits and difficulties breathing if she talked for extended periods of time.

It was as if some unseen and malevolent force was trying to take everything that made Irma happy away from her. As time went, all the joy that she used to exhibit vanished and nothing Hay Lin, Cornelia or Elyon did or said seemed to make any difference. Irma became more and more depressed and started – to Hay Lin’s and the others horror – to talk about death and all the things she had wanted to do before she died.  

The weather seemed to mirror Irma’s gloomy mood, as dark clouds moved in over the city. The rain that came with them poured down almost none stop for weeks and flooded the waterways, channels and low-lying roads in and around Heatherfield. As if the weather gods were trying to drown the city with its waters the same way that the infection was trying to choke the life out of Irma.

Despite all the precautions that the school and her parents put in place for her, it did little to help. As summer vacation came closer Irma’s breathing problem grew worse and even walking up the stairs of the school became a battle for her. Hay Lin and the others of course tried to help in any way they could, whether it was by carrying her books or supporting her up the stairs. Martin, who had had a crush on Irma for years was extra supportive of her. He was practically at her beck and call every minute of the school day and even offered to carry her if she was too tired to walk. She never took him up on that offer.  

Then summer vacation came and most of their classmates went out of town to escape the horrible weather. Among them were Cornelia and Elyon who went to the Californian redwoods and London respectively. Hay Lin was not one of them. She had to stay at home and help her parents with the restaurant. Not that they really needed any help, there weren’t many customers due to the weather. She was not the only one who had to stay home.

Despite heavy protests from Irma, the Lair’s cancel their trip to the Caribbean due to Irma’s health. Irma begged them to change their minds. Her pleas fell on deaf ears however, for her parents did not want to risk her increasingly fragile health just so they could have a good time. It was during that argument that the thing they had all feared came to pass, Irma’s airway closed up completely.

It only lasted for about ten seconds but that was more than long enough to make everyone panic. After that incident, the doctors inserted a breathing tube through Irma’s nose down her throat to help her breathe in case it happened again. As an added precaution, she wasn’t aloud outside the house without one of her parents accompanying her.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, a few days later, a new strange symptom made a rude appearance. During dinner when Irma bit into a piece of meat, four of her teeth came out – to Irma and her parent’s horror – and over the span of just a few days she lost the rest of them. With the difficulties she had had to get air into her lungs, it had been hard to hear what she was saying most of the time. Now with the loss of her teeth it was difficult to understand her as well.

Irma’s skin also started to change. It became rough and sandpaper like to the touch and despite numerous check-up’s the doctors were at a complete loss as to what was happening to her. Not long after that, Hay Lin noticed that Irma had started to cover up her neck with bandages, but when asked why, she was stonewalled by both Irma and her parents.

As if to add fuel to the fire of Irma’s already turbulent life, horrible news reached her and Hay Lin’s ears from across the country just a few days after Irma’s skin started to change. Cornelia had gone missing in the redwoods. According to the news reports, Cornelia and her little sister, Lillian, had had a very heated argument which ended with their parents intervening in Lillian’s defence. This had apparently enraged Cornelia so much that she had stormed off from their campsite into the woods and disappeared.

The police and park rangers had been called in and search parties had been formed. They combed the forest for days without finding her. Eventually the search was called off and Cornelia was proclaimed missing and assumed dead.

The news of the disappearance and assumed death of one of her best friends hit Irma like a wrecking ball. She withdrew into herself and spent most of her days in her room and only left it when she needed to go to the bathroom or when her father carried her downstairs for meals. Irma spent most of these meals doing little more than swirling the food – porridge, soup, yogurt or something similar – in her bowl around with her spoon. Her refusal to eat, caused her to lose weight so quickly that Hay Lin feared she was trying to starve herself to death.

Hay Lin and some of Irma’s classmates – Martin foremost of them – visited her several times a week to try to cheer her up, but the most positive any of them ever got out of her was a sad smile and a few words. More often than not, she was crying her eyes out and when asked a question she hardly said anything more than, yes, no, maybe and I’m not hungry.

It tore Hay Lin’s heart apart to witness her friend’s condition gradually deteriorate as the summer past, but there was nothing she could do. Near the end of the summer it had become so bad that Irma barely left her own bed without help and had stopped talking altogether.

Then a few days before school started, Hay Lin, a newly returned home and grief stricken Elyon, Martin and a few others had decided among themselves to visit Irma in an attempt to lift her spirit and to let her know that she was not forgotten. However, when they reached the Lair resident, Mr. and Mrs. Lair dropped a bombshell on them. Irma was no longer in Heatherfield.

To say that the news shocked Hay Lin would be an understatement, it hit her like a ton of bricks, and she had listened in half a daze as Mr Lair explained the situation. Apparently, Irma’s strange symptoms had somehow managed to catch the attention of a professor who had seen similar symptoms before and informed the Lair’s that Irma’s illness was in fact a very rare genetic disorder.

This professor had then offered Irma a place at the special school that he ran for people with similar cases and the Lair’s had – probably in desperation – accepted. They then gave them a quick explanation about Irma’s condition and her new school in Bayville, New York. After that Hay Lin and the others were ushered out of the house.

Hay Lin had spent the entire way home trying to call Irma on her phone but was sent straight to voice mail every time, so she started text bombing her instead. When she got home and still hadn’t received a reply, she resorted to filling the inbox of Irma’s email with messages.

Hay Lin had been determined to get a hold of Irma and get some answers as to why she hadn’t even tried to get in contact with her and tell her what was going on. They were supposed to be friends, weren't they? They were supposed to tell each other these kinds of things instead of just leaving without a word.

It took three days of relentless bombardment before she got a short apologetic response that said that she was sorry and that at the time she hadn’t been in any condition to move let alone send a message but that she was much better now and that she hoped that Hay Lin wasn’t to mad at her. She also said that despite the distance that now separated them, they would still be best friends.

Irma’s message that they would still be friends did not – as it was intended – raise Hay Lin spirit. It had in fact the opposite effect, she felt alone and abandoned. “Cornelia is gone, Irma have moved far away and Elyon-“

Hay Lin was brought back to the present by the bell that sounded the end of class. Mr. Collins was saying something about homework, but Hay Lin was ones again not paying attention. She quickly packed her bag and headed out the door and towards her locker.

“I hope the foods good today. I’m starving,” Hay Lin heard a familiar voice say from behind her.

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. The girl that had spoken was a little shorter than herself with bright blue eyes and sandy blond hair that was braided into two tails. Her old friend, Elyon Brown, walk past her towards the cafeteria without giving her so much as a glance.

Elyon was accompanied by another girl of almost the same height with black hair that reached down to her jaw, greenish blue eyes and freckles on the bridge of her nose. Even if Hay Lin hadn’t seen her face, she would have recognized Miranda without a problem, since she was the only girl who wore such plane and modest clothes – a white shirt and a black knee long skirt.

“With the cook’s we have here! not likely,” Miranda said, and the two girls started to giggle.

The sight of them made Hay Lin’s heart ache. Cornelia's disappearance had hit all her friends hard, but none more so than Elyon who had viewed Cornelia like a sister. It had been only a couple of days after Elyon’s homecoming that Hay Lin had noticed just how much it had changed her.

Every time Hay Lin had tried to greet her or do anything to get her attention, Elyon responded with a monotone voice while avoiding eye contact or just flat out ignored her all together. This behavior along with the fact that Elyon was deliberately trying to stay as far away from her as possible when they were at school and that she had started to hang out with Miranda and Alchemy shortly after she came back from England, cemented to Hay Lin that their friendship was over.

“Or maybe we were never friends to begin with. Maybe she had just pretended the entire time and just tolerated me because I was a friend of Cornelia,” Hay Lin thought gloomily.

Alchemy Ethel – a girl with reddish brown hair, green eyes and a freckled face – was a nice, funny and caring person who always managed to make the people around her happy no matter what mood they were in at the time. Hay Lin could understand why Elyon would choose to build a close friendship with her, now more than ever.

Why Elyon would want to hang out with Miranda on the other hand was a total mystery to Hay Lin. Miranda had always struck her and everyone else as a shy loner with a weird fascination for insects. Sure, she was a nice enough person, but as far as Hay Lin knew she had never tried to strike up a friendship with anyone since she enrolled in Sheffield the previous year.  

The thought of being replaced by the odd girl in their class was almost unbearable to Hay Lin. All those years of close friendship had apparently meant nothing to Elyon. She felt tears sting her eyes, she wiped them away quickly. It would do her no good to cry here where all her classmates could see, least of all Uriah and his gang who never missed an opportunity to pick on the weak and emotionally distressed. Hay Lin quickly reached her locker and stuffed her bag into it, locked it again and headed to the cafeteria. Hay Lin walked with slow dragging steps, there was no hurry, no one was waiting for her.

Ever since she was little, Hay Lin had always been afraid of ending up alone without any friends. The way her life was currently going right now, it looked like that fear was going to become reality unless she did something to change it. She needed to take a leaf out of Elyon’s book and find new friends of her own to hang out with, the only question was who? There were a few notable people in her class that wasn’t already a part of a circle of close friends. Like the Grumper twins for instance.

“No, not a chance,” Hay Lin thought, shaking her head.

There was a reason why they didn’t have any close friends at school, they gossiped like a pair of old women. If you told them any secrets, they would spread them all over the school and internet before you could blink. She would need to find someone else to befriend.

There was of course the new girl, Taranee Cook. Hay Lin quickly shoved that thought out of her mind. No that wouldn’t be a good idea either. Everyone at school had heard the rumours – thanks to the Grumper’s – about why the Cook family had move to Heatherfield in the first place.

Normally Hay Lin wouldn’t put too much stock in rumours – especially the ones that the Grumper’s was spreading – but she had noticed in their chemistry classes how Taranee always stared transfixed at the Bunsen burners when they were lit and how the teacher never let her use them. So, she was certain that this time the rumours were true or at least partly true, that Taranee had set fire to her last school. The rumour also said that when the fire fighters arrived, she was staring at the burning building and giggling like mad, although that part sounded more like an ugly addition added by the Grumper’s.

Hay Lin shuddered. If she had never heard the rumours and met Taranee today she would never in a million years have guessed that hidden underneath that shy bookish exterior was a pyromaniac just waiting to get out. If she befriended her, her house would most likely end up on fire.

There were supposed to be another girl starting this term by the name of Wilhelmina – or was it Wilma? Hay Lin wasn’t sure – who would have been a perfect candidate for a new friend, but she never showed up. The rumour mill was grinding wildly as to the reason why. Some said that she transferred to another school at the last minute. Another rumour said that there had been a mix up of her papers and that she was never supposed to come to Sheffield in the first place. One of the darker rumours that was going around were that she had been seriously injured in the Fadden Hills blackout a few weeks ago and was now recovering in the hospital.

Even now, weeks later, no one really knew what had happened in Fadden Hills. One minute everything had been fine and the next every electrically powered object that was connected to the towns power grid by an outlet had overloaded. Household appliances, computers, traffic lights, hospital equipment, you name it. Nothing was spared, it was a complete black out and more than a few people were hurt in traffic accidents and fire outbreaks not to mention shrapnel damage from exploding household appliances. Fortunately, no one died.

There were more than a few theories out there as to what had caused the overload, ranging all the way from a lightning strike to a hacker attack. Some even believed that it had been a foreign military weapons test. Hay Lin herself hoped it was just the lightning. The idea that someone would hack a power station and overload a town just for the fun of it or to test a weapon scared her more than a bit.

Hay Lin was brought out of her thoughts when she walked straight into someone. She lost her balance and would have fallen if a pair of strong hands hadn’t grabbed her by the arms. As soon as she had regained her footing Hay Lin looked up at her savior and was about to apologize and thank him, but the words got stuck in her throat when her eyes took in the gaunt face of Alex Venator.

She swallowed nervously. Alex was a year older than her and had a lean muscular body. Standing at almost six point five feet, he was easily the tallest person in school. If Sheffield had had a basketball team then Hay Lin was sure he would be on it.

There was something about him that had always made Hay Lin and most of the other students uneasy, even Uriah didn’t dare mess with him. The first time she had seen him, she thought it was his unnatural red eyes, his strange wrinkly skin – that had a dried-up corpse like look to it – and his quiet demeanor that was the cause for her unease. But as time passed, she knew that there was something else as well even though she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

“S-sorry, I didn’t look where I was going,” she said apologetically.

She tried to step away from him, but he held her in place and gave her a penetrating look that sent a cold shiver down her spine. He leaned in closer, in response Hay Lin tried – unsuccessfully – to lean back. When his face was less than five inches from hers, she heard and felt to her horror, that he was sniffing at her hair as if he was a blood hound. He moved on to the side of her face and then to her neck. The breathing from his nose sent another cold shiver through her.

“Another one,” he hissed so suddenly that it took Hay Lin aback, she had only heard him speak ones or twice before. “Your chains will soon break. When they do, you’ll be one of us.”

The shock of hearing his low rasping voice utter those words was enough to shake Hay Lin out of the fear induced trance that had held her up until then.

“Let go of me you freak!” she shouted and tried to pull herself free from him, but it was to no avail, he had an iron grip on her.

“Soon, very soon,” Alex hissed with a crocked smile that showed yellowing teeth, it was a horrible sight to behold.

"Is there a problem here?" a rough voice boomed from further down the hallway.

To Hay Lin’s relief and concern, a broad-shouldered man with short blond hair and arms as thick as tree trunks was marching towards them with determined steps. The cold black eyes of the school security guard, Tobias Frost, was locked on Alex and Hay Lin.

“I repeat, is there a problem here,” Frost bellowed so loudly when he had reached them that Hay Lin thought he was trying to bust their eardrums.

Alex gave him a cold look of disdain before he answered with a rasping “no.”

Frost’s gaze moved to Alex’s hands and his eyes narrowed dangerously. A series of cracking sounds came from his hands as they formed into fists and a sadistic smiled twisted his face. “Oh really, because it looks like you’re bothering this girl from where I’m standing.”

Alex scowled and released Hay Lin, who quickly took three step back from the tall boy.

“Now be gone with you,” Frost grunted, his smile had turned into a scowl, and he looked very disappointed. He glared at Alex’s back as the boy stalked off. Hay Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

“And what are you standing around for!” Frost bellowed.

Hay Lin jump at the sound of his powerful voice. At first, she thought that it was Alex he was shouting at, then she saw that he was glaring at her.

“Are you talking to me?” she asked. She quickly realized how stupid the question was, other than the retreating form of Alex there was no one else in the hallway that she could see.

“Yes, I’m talking to you,” he roared. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else instead of loitering around here?”

She let out a weak “yes sir,” and headed off in the direction of the cafeteria as fast as she could without running, she didn’t want to give him an excuse to shout at her some more. She was in such a hurry to get away from him that she didn’t even thank him. She could feel his dark eyes glaring at her back the entire time.   

“Oh boy, that could have turned really ugly really fast,” she thought and sighed in relief ones she turned the corner and was out of his sight.

Frost was not a man Hay Lin wanted to mess with in anyway ever. He seemed to live only to make life as uncomfortable for the students as possible. Even when he was helpful – like a few seconds ago – he did it only so he had an excuse to bully someone. He was universally disliked by all the students at Sheffield – and a few of the teachers too from what Hay Lin had heard – and he hated them all right back with interest.

According to the Grumper’s, Frost had been a police officer before he began working as a security guard at Sheffield. He had apparently had a reputation for being extremely violent towards the people he arrested, and, in the end, he had been fired after he had gone overboard and almost killed a fifteen-year-old boy. Although for some reason he did not get convicted for this.

However, if the Grumper’s story were true and most of the Grumper’s rumor and stories had to be taken with a grain of salt – or a bucket – then how Frost managed to secure a job at Sheffield as a guard was completely beyond her. She couldn’t see principal Knickerbocker hire someone with his violent reputation as a security guard for a school full of teenagers. Whether the rumors about Frost was true or not, Hay Lin was thankful that he had stepped in when he did. The way Alex had held her in place and sniffed her had seriously creeped her out.

“What is wrong with him and what did he mean by being one of us?” Another cold shiver ran up her back and she shivered. “To creepy.”

Hay Lin reached the cafeteria – which by now was almost full of hungry students – without any another incident. She grabbed a tray and got in line, it didn’t take her long to get her food – macaroni and cheese – it did however take a bit longer to find a free seat.

As she walked around looking for a place to sit, she saw Elyon sit by one of the tables with Miranda – who was busily reading something on her phone – and a group of other students, many of them older than the pair. Hay Lin had seen the group many times before, she didn’t know much about them though other than that they were a part of some kind of club of sorts and that they only allowed certain people to join. As far as Hay Lin knew, both Elyon and Miranda had not been members before the summer vacation.

Cornelia had tried to join last year but was politely denied by Elyon’s older brother, Philip, who was a member of the group. Since Hay Lin didn’t see Philip at the table, she guessed he had probably already finished eating and left.

Hay Lin eventually found a seat at a table with some students from the year above her, but they didn’t seem to mind her at all, in fact they ignored her completely like she wasn’t even there. Hay Lin put a spoon full of macaroni in her mouth and instantly regretted it. Miranda had been right; the food was horrible. The thought that she agreed with the other Asian girl made her scowl, she looked over towards Miranda’s table to see what her and Elyon’s impression of the food was. Judging by the sour look on Elyon’s face as she chewed her macaroni, Hay Lin guessed that she had the same opinion of the food. It was an opinion that Miranda seamed to share as well since she was just poking her lunch thoughtfully with her spoon.

Hay Lin was about to return her attention to her own plate when Miranda suddenly looked up and turned her head in Hay Lin’s direction, almost as if she could sense that she was being watched. Their eyes met and to Hay Lin surprise, Miranda smiled and gave her a friendly wave before she returned her attention to her food. More than a bit confused as to what that was all about, Hay Lin went back to eating as well.

The rest of her lunch was uneventful, that was to say until a boy at the next table waved his hand around in the air to gesticulate something to his friends and accidently hit the tray of a girl walking by. Hay Lin had just barely registered what was happening when the trays content spilled all over her.

There was a short silence, then the surrounding tables exploded with laughter at the site of her covered in macaroni and cheese. The laughter quickly spread to the rest of the cafeteria like wildfire ones everyone saw what had happened. Hay Lin’s cheeks turned scarlet in embarrassment as she tried desperately to wipe away as much of the stuff from her hair and face as possible.

Everywhere her eyes looked she saw people laughing and pointing, a few even took pictures with their phones. The girl who had spilled her lunch on her tried to apologize and at the same time stop herself from giggling.

Hay Lin didn’t know why she did it, but she looked in the direction of Elyon. What she saw made her feel like a knife had been stabbed into her heart. Elyon had her head on the table and was laughing uncontrollably. At her side Miranda was covering her mouth with her hand, but the way her whole body shook told Hay Lin that she was laughing just as much as Elyon. Feeling more betrayed and humiliated than she had felt in her life, Hay Lin ran from the cafeteria with tears streaming from her eyes, the student’s laughter following her out into the hallway.

She raced towards the girl’s restroom, not caring that she almost collided with principal Knickerbocker, nor did she pay any attention to the angry shout that came from the old woman. As she neared the restroom, she saw Alchemy leave it.

“Hay Lin! what happened!?” Alchemy exclaimed when she saw her.

Hay Lin didn’t answer, she ran past the ginger haired girl through the door and slammed it shut behind her. She leaned her back against the door and rubbed the tears from her eyes. When she opened them, she saw to her relief that the restroom was empty. Suddenly the door began to move behind her, someone was trying to push it open. Hay Lin responded by pushing her back against it with all her strength. When it became clear that the door would not open, the person on the other side gave up and knocked on it instead.

“Hay Lin are you alright?” Alchemy’s worried voice came through the door.

“Go away Alchemy,” Hay Lin answered with a shout, her voice cracking.

“Hay Lin I-”

“I said go away,” Hay Lin screamed, putting as much anger as she could into the words, which wasn’t much.

A minute of silence ensued, which Hay Lin used to compose herself. When Alchemy did not try to open the door, or speak to her again, Hay Lin assumed that she had left or decided to wait outside until Hay Lin had calmed down. Hay Lin walked to the nearest sink and stared into the mirror. She was a mess, most of the macaroni had thankfully fallen off in her flight but the cheese however covered her hair and most of the front of her clothes. She groaned at the thought of how hard it would be to get the stains out, and these were some of her favorite clothes to.   

After quickly rinsing her hair and face clean of cheese, she took off the green hoodie she wore and dropped it in the next sink and filled it with hot water. Luckily, her white t-shirt had survived without a single stain, her purple pants however had not been so lucky. She grabbed some toilet paper from one of the stalls, dipped it in water and began to rub it against the stains.

As she washed, she silently cursed that there was no lock on the door. The last thing she wanted or needed right now was for someone to come in here and start laughing at her again. No sooner had the thought past through her head when the door opened, and Miranda walked in. The shorter girl stopped in her tracks the moment she laid eyes on her. Hay Lin felt her anger rise at just the sight of the other girl.

“Get out,” she hissed.

Miranda did not leave, instead she closed the door with a snap and leaned her back against it.  

“I said get out,” Hay Lin repeated, louder this time, but Miranda didn’t move. “Oh, I get it. Come to have another laugh?” Hay Lin said, her voice cracking and tears forming in her eyes. “Well go ahead, laugh.”

Miranda didn’t laugh, she didn’t do anything but stand there with a guilty look on her face. “I’m not here to laugh at you,” Miranda finally said, her voice surprisingly calm and even. “I’ve come to apologize.” Hay Lin snorted in disbelief at her words. “Hay Lin I’m sorry for what happened in the cafeteria.”

“Yeah, you seemed really sorry when you were laughing your head off,” Hay Lin snapped.

Why should she trust anything that Miranda said, she was nothing but a lying-friend-stealing-insect-loving-weirdo. She felt the tears that was forming in the corners of her eyes threatening to spill down her cheeks. She looked away from Miranda, not wanting her to see her pain and went back to washing her pants.

“If our situations were reverse and I was covered in cheese in front of the whole school, would you have laughed at me?” Miranda asked in the same calm voice.

Her words made Hay Lin pause in her washing. What would she have done if she was sitting surrounded by friends and saw someone she didn’t know that well get covered in cheese and macaroni? Would she have laughed?

“Yes, I probably would have.”

Guilt tugged at her heart and she felt like a total hypocrite for criticizing Miranda when she would have been no better herself. Hay Lin wasn’t even sure if she would even have gone and apologized to her if Miranda was the one who had been humiliated.

“No, I probably wouldn’t.”

She looked up at the shorter girl and seeing the look of sympathy on her face, she couldn’t understand how she could have hated her so much just a few seconds ago. Miranda had never intentionally been mean to her as far as she could remember, in truth, she couldn’t remember her ever being anything but polite.

“Believe me Hay Lin, I had no intention of hurting your feelings,” Miranda said apologetically and took a few steps closer so that they were almost within arm’s reach of each other. “It was one of those moments…you know…when you laugh simply because others do, whether you find the situation funny or not.” 

Hay Lin nodded slowly. Yeah, she had had those moments too, a lot of them actually, together with the others. Irma had always been good at making them laugh, Cornelia occasionally put in a few funny snide comments with Elyon backing her up. She missed those times so much, but they were gone now.

“Just like Cornelia and Irma. Their all gone, there’s just me now.”

Ever since Irma fell ill, Hay Lin had tried to keep her emotions in check so as to not upset her friend with her worrying. Even now, long after Irma had left, she had tried to keep herself under control. But all this pain, all this loss and loneliness, it was too much to hold in anymore. A single tear ran down Hay Lin’s cheek, it was quickly followed by another and then the flood gates broke. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

She felt like her world was falling apart around her, that she was cursed. Cornelia’s disappearance, Irma’s slowly degrading sickness and move away from Heatherfield, Elyon’s breaking off their friendship. Who would she lose next? Her mother? Her father? Her grandmother? The mere thought of her family being taken from her was so terrible that she went weak in the knees. When she thought that she was about to collapse onto the floor, Hay Lin felt two arms pull her into a hug.

“It’s okay, don’t hold back. Let it out,” Miranda’s soft voice whispered.  

Since Miranda was a full head shorter than her it was a very awkward hug, but Hay Lin didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around Miranda’s smaller frame and buried her face in her shoulder and let all the built-up pain and sadness from the last couple of months out. She cried and cried until the shoulder of Miranda’s shirt was soaked with tears. Hay Lin didn’t know how long they stood like that, but when she felt like she had no more tears to spill, she pulled herself out of the hug.

“Do you feel better?” the shorter girl asked. Miranda’s face was flushed tomato red. Hay Lin hadn’t realized that she had hugged the girl so hard that she had been suffocating her.

“A bit…thanks,” Hay Lin sniffed and wiped her eyes with her hands.

There was a short silence, then Miranda pointed at Hay Lin’s hoodie and asked, “Do you…eh…want help with that.”

Hay Lin eyed the sink full of water. It would take too long for her to wash and dry both her pants and hoodie on her own in time for their next class. “Yeah…yeah, I could use some help,” she admitted.

Miranda walked over to the sink, pulled up her sleeves and started to wash. With her hoody now being taken care of, Hay Lin returned her attention to her pants. She scrubbed them for two more minutes before she stopped. There were still visible stains on them, but she doubted that she could get them any cleaner with just water and paper than they were right now. She walked up to the electric dryer and used it to dry her hands and hair.

“Hay Lin, what are you doing tonight?” Miranda asked, raising her voice almost to a shout to be heard over the noise of the dryer.

“Nothing really,” Hay Lin answered. She stepped away from the drier and turned to face the other girl. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, me and Elyon are going to a party tonight and I was wondering if you would like to tag along,” Miranda said. Her voice radiated hopefulness.

Hay Lin blinked several times in surprise. She had never taken Miranda for the kind of person who liked parties. On the two occasions Hay Lin had seen her at one, she had always hung out in the background alone, never mingling and never dancing.

“You want me…to go with you to a party?” she asked in disbelief.

“With me and Elyon, yes,” Miranda pointed out quickly.

Hay Lin bit her lower lip and stated down at the floor in contemplation. The idea of going to a party sounded fun, God knew she hadn’t been to one in ages, however, she would be going with Elyon. Elyon had made her view on their relationship clear. She did not want to hang out with Hay Lin and would undoubtably not be happy that Miranda brought her.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll have to decline.”

“Why?” Miranda asked, the look on her face was one of disappointment. Hay Lin didn’t answer, unsure as to what to say. Turned out she didn’t need to say anything, Miranda figured out the problem on her own. “You’re worried about how Elyon will react if you come?”

Hay Lin nodded.

Miranda sighed. “I know it may not look like it, but I know that Elyon still wants to be your friend.”

Hay Lin’s head snapped in the shorter girl’s direction so fast that her neck cracked audibly. “Elyon still wants to be my friend?” She stared at the other girl in disbelief.

Miranda nodded. “What happened to Cornelia hit her hard. Every time she see’s something or someone that reminds her of Cornelia, she gets depressed. So, she tries to avoid them or pretend that they are not there…. that’s why she’s been avoiding you.”

Hay Lin’s eyes went wide, and her mouth almost fell open. Was that it? Was that really the reason for Elyon cutting ties with her, because it hurt. Hay Lin thought about it. It made sense. It hurt every time she thought about Cornelia and Irma as well. She had on numerus occasions tried to avoid thinking about them because it made her depressed. She could only imagine how much more painful it must have been for Elyon who saw Cornelia more like a sister then a friend, it would be akin to Hay Lin losing her grandmother. Some of the hurt and betrayal she felt towards Elyon evaporated and was replaced by pity.

“If that’s true, then I should definitely not go. I don’t want to ruin the party for her.”

“You think of your friend’s feelings before yourself. I have always admired that about you,” Miranda said. Her words caught Hay Lin by surprise, Miranda admired her. “But Elyon have to accept what happened and move on sooner or later, no matter how much it hurts. I know it’s harsh, but Cornelia is gone…and she’s not coming back, you know this as much as I do.”

Hay Lin sighed, she leaned her back against the wall and looked down at the floor, a dull ache in her heart. “Yeah,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. She felt like she was betraying Cornelia’s memory by saying the word. “Yeah, I know.” She rubbed her left eye where a new tear had started to form.

Seeing her distress, Miranda moved to lean against the wall by her side. “Look…with everything that has happened I can understand if you don’t feel like going to a party,” Miranda said with sympathetic tone. Hay Lin thought she heard a note of disappointment in her voice. “But I think you both need this. If you don’t want to do it for yourself, then do it for Elyon. She can’t continue like this, but she won’t get the ball rolling without our help.”

Hay Lin hesitated for a second or two. Confronting Elyon was going to be painful for both of them, it would be so much easier to just chicken out and let Elyon get to grip with her grief the slow way. But Hay Lin really, really wanted her old friend back.

“Okay,” Hay Lin said. “I’ll go.”

“That’s great. I promise you Hay Lin, you won’t regret this.” Miranda’s mouth split into a wide smile and her cheeks turned slightly pink in excitement. She pushed herself of the wall and for a second Hay Lin thought it looked like she was about to hug her. But Miranda just held out Hay Lin’s wet hoodie towards her. “Here, I don’t think I can get it any cleaner than this.”

“Thanks.” Hay Lin took the hoodie and held it under the dryer for about a minute. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get it dry in time for her next class so she would need to leave it in her locker. Hopefully, it would be dry enough that it wouldn’t ruin her schoolbooks and make her locker stink. Ones she was done, she and Miranda left the restroom and found that Alchemy was still waiting outside. The ginger haired girl was looking at Hay Lin with concern. Hay Lin quickly reassured her that everything was fine now and apologized for her behaviour.

“It’s alright,” Alchemy said with a relived smile. “You were upset. I’m just glad you’re feeling better.” She gave Miranda a questioning look.

Miranda smiled and nodded. Before Hay Lin could even wonder what unsaid message had been past between the two, Miranda’s face suddenly lit up as if she just recalled something and she turned to Hay Lin. “I just remembered that I have a few things I need to do before class starts. I’ll swing by your house tonight at seven to pick you up.”

“Okay. See you then.”

Beaming with happiness, Miranda took several steps backwards before she spun on her heel and walked down the hallway with a spring in her steps.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that happy before,” Alchemy said.

Hay Lin nodded; she had never seen her so bubbling with excitement either. Maybe it was the thought of reuniting Elyon and her that was the reason. It couldn’t have been easy hanging around a person, even a friend, who got depressed all the time and tried to live in denial. Hay Lin was about to voice this when…

"Well, well, well, looks like we have another one that has been chosen Bess." a voice said from behind.

Hay Lin whirled around and came face to face with the Grumper twins.

“Yeah, it looks that way Courtney, though I can’t see why she’d choose her of all people.”

“Chosen?” Hay Lin looked to Alchemy who shrugged. Her focus returned to the twins.

“I mean if she was someone special, I’d understand.” Bess continued as if Hay Lin hadn’t spoken. “But…” She waved her hand nonchalantly at Hay Lin. “It’s just Hay Lin.”

A surge of irritation welled up inside Hay Lin at those words. “And what do you mean by that?” she snapped.

“Well,” Courtney said, drawing out the word. “You’re not from a rich family.” She began ticking off on her fingers. “You’re not one of the top students, nor are you one of the more popular girls. The only subject you’re any good at is art. Oh, and I almost forgot, you have no fashion sense whatsoever either.” She gestured at Hay Lin’s cheese-stained clothes.

Hay Lin felt her cheeks heat up. Her fashion sense was special, yes, but it was not bad, far from it. Her hands clenched into fists, and she had a strong impulse to punch Courtney’s freckled face. “You’re one to talk,” she snapped. “You two have about as much fashion sense between you as a lawn mower.”

“Maybe they are looking to score free food? Her parents own a restaurant after all,” Bess suggested ignoring Hay Lin’s insult.

“Good point I didn’t think of that.”

“What are you two talking about?” Hay Lin almost shouted in irritation; she was getting really tired of listening to the Grumper’s talk around her questions.

The twins shared a glance, grinned, then looked back at Hay Lin. “You really don’t know do you?” Bess said with the smug satisfaction of someone who knew a big secret that everyone else didn’t.

“Do you think we should tell her? She was rather rude to us just now,” Courtney asked Bess with the same air of smug satisfaction as her sister.

“Hmm, maybe if she asks nicely.” Bess grinded at Hay Lin who scowled back at her.

If they thought that she was going to beg for what was most likely a wild rumor that the twins had helped bake together, then they were seriously mistaken.

“Whatever, I have more important things to do then stand here and listen to a pair of rumour-mongers that want their egos stroked. Come on Alchemy,” Hay Lin said heatedly.

With that said, she spun on her heel and with quick steps walked away from the twins who looked affronted at being dismissed like that.

Alchemy quickly caught up with Hay Lin. “You know they’re going to try to get back at you for that right?” she whispered and threw a worried look back over her shoulder.

As they turned the corner, Hay Lin saw in her peripheral vision that the Grumper’s where heatedly whispering to each other and casting dirty looks in her direction.

“They can try.” she answered. Truthfully, she expected several new malicious rumours about her would be going around Sheffield by this time next week. This would have been a cause of anxiety for her twenty minutes ago, but she had been renewed with fresh hope of a better tomorrow free of the pain of loneliness, and that was enough to crush any anxiety she felt. “But I can take anything they throw at me.”

Thankfully the rest of Hay Lin’s day went by without any more mishap. The bell rang for the end of the day and Hay Lin headed home. As she walked, she mentally prepared herself for the great challenge that awaited her at home, to convince her overprotective father to let her go to a late-night party.

Chapter Text

Hay Lin could feel her father staring at her back through the front window of the Silver Dragon as she waited for her ride. Being the overprotective father that he was, he had – like she knew he would – been firmly against her going to the party, especially since she didn’t know where it was being held. Unfortunately for him, his mother, Yan Lin, had been present when Hay Lin had asked him if she could go, and she had stood up for her granddaughter when her father had said no.   

When her son had tried to argue against her, Yan Lin had dragged him by the ear into the next room and – as she said later – had a few sharp words with him. Hay Lin had no idea what her grandmother had said, but made her father relent. Hay Lin smiled to herself. Her grandma was without a doubt the coolest adult she knew, she was sure not many other grandparents would have done the same. It was, however, embarrassing that she afterwards tried to give Hay Lin tips on how to flirt with boys. Hay Lin felt her cheeks heat up slightly at the memory of one of the more aggressive moves her grandmother had suggested to her.

“I’m never ever going to try that one.”

To be fair towards her father, Hay Lin was a little worried about the party herself. Despite her best effort she had been unable to shake the Grumper’s words out of her head.

“Another one has been chosen. Maybe they are looking to score free food? Her parents own a restaurant after all.”

What did they mean by that? Chosen by whom and for what? The only ones Hay Lin could think about were the members of Philip’s club. Miranda and Elyon had recently joined, hadn’t they? And Miranda had been the one to invite her. Miranda had sounded so sincere in her offer though, and she had never been intentionally mean or lied to Hay Lin to make her doubt her words. But the Grumper’s had spoken about the group as if they were some kind of gang that only allowed you in if you were special or could give them something in return.

“Was that it. Did they only invite me for my father’s restaurant? That doesn’t make sense, they must know dad would never hand out free food to a large group of people, even if they were my friends.”

They had also refused Cornelia when she had tried to join, and her family was loaded with cash. So that ruled out the give part as an ulterior motive and left only the special people bit. But Hay Lin wasn’t special, at least not in any significant way that made her more popular than others and while most of her scores were above average, they weren’t exceptional. If the Grumper’s view of how the club operated was correct, then Hay Lin wouldn’t be invited at all since she had nothing to give them. But she was invited, so that meant the Grumper’s were wrong.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” The irritation Hay Lin had felt towards the twins earlier in the day return with full force. Her hair buns bobbed slightly as she shook her head. “They were just trying to mess with me. Why do I let those blabbermouths keep getting to me? They are nothing but lying tr-”

Hay Lin’s angry train of thought was derailed when a silver-colored car turned the corner and screeched to a halt in front of her. The back door opened and out stepped Miranda. Hay Lin irritation was instantly forgotten, and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she beheld the other girl. Miranda was dressed in a short black tank top that left everything between her lower ribs and her black ripped pants bare. Over the tank top she wore a green transparent sleeveless top that had a black metal studded collar. Wrapped around her right wrist was several leather and chain armbands while’s the left was bare. As footwear, she wore a pair of black platform boots that increased her high so that she was now only half a head shorter than Hay Lin. Tucked in the crook of her arm was a leather jacket of the same color.

“Wow,” Hay Lin said, taken aback by Miranda’s choice of clothing. She had only ever seen the other girl dressed modestly, usually a plane white shirt and a knee-length black skirt. “I didn’t know you were into punk.”

Miranda gave her a wide smile that showed a row of white teeth. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” she said and waggled her eyebrows. She looked Hay Lin up and down, green eyeshadow sparkling with the movement. “Wow yourself by the way.” Miranda whistled and walked around her in a circle. “Where did you buy that dress? It’s beautiful.”

Hay Lin couldn’t stop herself from beaming with pride as she answered, “I made it myself.”

It had taken her several weeks of hard work after school to sew the open back cheongsam she now wore. The embroidered silver dragon that was snaking its way down her front had been the most difficult and time-consuming part of the dress to make. It would have been better to use gold, but she thought silver fitted just as well on the burgundy-colored fabric, hench she also made the hems of silver as well.

“Really!?” Miranda said in surprise. “Maybe you could make me a dress one day?”  

“Miranda!” an angry voice yelled from inside the car, making both girls jump. “If you don’t want to walk the rest of the way, then get your ass in the car!” Hay Lin winced at the harsh language of the man behind the wheels.

“S-sorry dad,” Miranda said, all confidence and good nature gone from her voice and replaced by trepidation… or fear. “Come on,” she whispered.

With slumped shoulders and lowered gaze, Miranda got back into the car. Hesitantly, Hay Lin followed her classmate. Before closing the door, she waved her goodbye to her father who looked almost sick with worry.

Unlike its exterior, which was well kept and clean, the inside of the car was dirty and smelled of cigarette smoke and something else that Hay Lin couldn’t and didn’t want to identify. The floor was littered with scraps of paper, candy wrappers as well as one or two crushed cans. Hay Lin did her best not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the sharp smell assaulting her nostrils.

Miranda’s father was a man in his late thirties to early forties with short black hair, a clean-shaven chin and the facial features of a movie star. He was dressed in a blue suit with a white shirt and black tie. In short, he had the kind of handsome appearance that would melt a woman’s heart, too bad his eyes expressed nothing but contempt and anger. Hay Lin thought the car reflected its owner very well. Good looking on the outside but terrible on the inside.

The car ride was spent in silence. Hay Lin had a ton of questions she wanted to ask, but she did not want to risk setting off Miranda’s father, who looked ready to snap at the slightest provocation. He kept muttering curses under his breath and glared back at them several times through the rearview mirror. Most of these were directed at Miranda, who seemed to have transformed into a completely new person. She kept her head lowered and her eyes firmly fixed on the floor as if she was afraid that if she met his gaze he would erupt like a volcano. Hay Lin didn’t like this sudden change from outgoing to timidness one bit. Hay Lin caught him eyeing her a few times and each time she felt a deep-seated sense of fear. It was as if she was confronted by Frost again, a man full of anger and looking for any excuse to let it out.

For the first time she wondered what Miranda’s home life was like? What was happening behind closed doors? The thoughts that came to her made the disquiet she felt for her classmate turn into outright concern for her wellbeing. Hay Lin wanted to say something, to reach out to the other girl, but Miranda’s father was staring at her again. Not wanting her classmate to get into more trouble, Hay Lin looked down at her lap, her fingers digging into the smooth fabric of her dress. She felt like a coward.

“We’re here.” Miranda said suddenly. She opened the car door and stepped out.

Hay Lin had been so wrapped in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the car slowing to a stop. She looked out through the window and her jaw almost hit the floor. They hadn’t stopped outside a house as she had thought they would, but one of the modern and expensive high-rise apartment buildings in Heatherfield.

Miranda walked around the car and opened her door. “Come on.”

“This is the place?!” Hay Lin asked in astonishment. She was starting to wonder if Miranda was pranking her.

“Yup,” the other girl said with a broad smile. Casting a weary glance at her father, it fell away as quickly as it had come. “Thanks for the ride dad.” she said as she helped the still stunned Hay Lin out of the car.

Miranda’s father hissed something inaudible to his daughter in response and drove off the moment the back door was closed. As soon as he was out of sight Miranda let out a quiet sigh of relief. As she led a still stunned Hay Lin by the arm through the front doors of the building, some of her old self seemed to return. Miranda strode through the lobby with the confidence of someone who lived there. When they stopped by the elevator, Miranda let go of Hay Lin’s arm and pushed the call button.

As they waited for it to arrive, Hay Lin took the opportunity to ask the question that had been burning inside her since before they left the car.

“Miranda… back in the car… your dad seemed very-”

“He wasn’t angry at you!” Miranda interrupted her sharply. Her hands tightened into fists and her smile soured. “Just me…as always.” She said the last part in a murmur so low that Hay Lin barely heard it. She probably wasn’t meant to.

“Why?” Hay Lin asked before she could stop herself.

The other girl didn’t answer, the muscles in her jaw visibly tightened and her mouth narrowed into a thin line. She refused to make eye contact and instead staired straight ahead at the reflective metal doors.

“Sorry, I’m being nosy,” Hay Lin said, her tone conciliatory. “It’s none of my business, but if you ever want to talk...”

The tension in Miranda loosened and when she spoke her voice was soft. “Thank you,” she said with a small smile. “But you don’t have to worry, everything’s fine. He’s just had a bad day, that’s all.”

“But how often does that happen?” Hay Lin wondered.

There was a loud ping, and the metal doors opened. They stepped into the elevator and Miranda pushed the button for the top floor. Hay Lin staired at the two letters that were outlined on the glowing button and her suspicion that this was a prank grew. The top floor was the penthouse on the roof.

“Are you sure we’re heading to the right floor?”

“Yes,” Miranda answered. “The penthouse is where the party is. I’ve been here several times before.” Miranda giggled when she saw the expression on Hay Lin’s face.

“Is this a prank? A big joke? If so, then please tell me now.”

“It’s not. I would never do anything so cruel to you,” Miranda said defensively, then her mouth split into a wide enthusiastic smile. She wrapped her arm around Hay Lin’s shoulder and pulled her close and raised the other one and pointed it at the ceiling. “No, you’re partying with Meridian now, the big leagues. From now on only penthouses and yachts for you.”

“Meridian? Penthouses and yachts! Just what kind of people have I gotten myself involved with?” Even as she thought this, she couldn't help but smile at the warm sense of nostalgia she was getting. It felt like she was in the presence of Irma again. “She even smiles like Irma.”

The doors pinged open and the two walked out into a small room with a door at one end and stairs leading down in the other. Hay Lin could hear music coming from the other side of the door. A bald man dressed in a dark blue hoody and jeans who looked to be in his early twenties stood with his arms crossed beside the door. As they made their way to him, it felt to Hay Lin like the temperature of the room nosedived and it took all her self-control not to shiver. She wondered if she was just imagining it, since Miranda didn’t seem to notice any difference in temperature at all.

“Hope it’s not the start of a cold.”

“Hi Toby,” Miranda greeted cheerfully.

“Miranda,” replied Toby, his voice flat and monotone. He turned his focus to Hay Lin. “She is new.”

“Yes.” Miranda said, drawing his attention back to her, for which Hay Lin was thankful, she found the cold indifferent in his gaze unnerving. His ice blue eyes and lack of eyebrows didn’t help either. Miranda smiled at him and locked her arm with Hay Lin’s. “This is Hay Lin. It’s her first time here, but hopefully not the last.”

Toby nodded and pulled out what looked like a transparent plastic pen with a liquid floating in it from his pocket.

“Hold out your hand.” Hay Lin did as he asked, and he bent the thing around her wrist and clicked the two ends together. The armband started to glow a bright neon yellow. “Don’t take it off while you’re in here.”

“Why not?” Hay Lin wondered as she studied her new accessory. It was just a normal glowing armband, nothing special about it as far as she could see. Though the color was nice it would unfortunately clash with her clothes, but she guessed it couldn’t be helped. She was surprised though at how cool it was to the touch considering it had been in his pocket. “Weird.”

“Welcome,” Toby said and held up the door for them, revealing the interior of a beautiful and very expensive looking house that reminded Hay Lin a lot of Cornelia’s home. Miranda thanked him and the two girls entered arm in arm.

“What’s with the armband? Why can’t I take it off?” Hay Lin asked as soon as the door closed behind them. To her confusion and relief, she noted the rise in temperature again. “Probably something wrong with the ac in the other room.”

“These.” Miranda raised her arm after hanging up her jacket and it as only then that Hay Lin noticed that Miranda had been given an armband too, but hers glowed blue. “It shows everyone what your status within the club is. Blue means that you are a full member, like me. Green means that you’re not a full timer, but you could become one if you want to. And yellow means that you’re new to the club or haven’t been to many parties yet… Oh yeah, if you see anyone with a cyan colored band it means they are a part of the inner circle,” she added the last sentence as an afterthought.

Hay Lin stopped in her tracks so suddenly that Miranda – who was still locked arm in arm with her – almost fell backwards. “Inner Circle?! What is this? Some kind of cult?”

“Meridian is not a cult.” Miranda sounded offended by the statement. “It’s just a club for kids with similar dispositions. The inner circle is just a nickname we have for the ones in charge of handling the organizing of these parties. You know, fixing a location, drinks, food and that kind of stuff.”

Hay Lin thought that line sounded very rehearsed, and she wondered if Miranda had prepared a response to all her questions ahead of time. Or maybe someone else had and Miranda was just selling the pitch.

“Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

Before she could question her further, Miranda smiled and said, “but enough about that. We’re here to party and reunite you and Elyon.”

Miranda began to pull Hay Lin towards the source of the music. While there were a few people inside the house, the party itself was seemingly being held outside. The two girls stopped in the doorway and took in the sight. People were walking around, some were dancing to the music, and many others were just mingling. Hay Lin felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the atmosphere, and she felt bubbling excitement in her stomach at just how many people there were there.

“Welcome to Meridian,” Miranda said. “Come on, I’m thirsty, let’s get something to drink before we try to find Elyon.”

As she was being leading them towards one of the tables with snacks and soda drinks, Hay Lin’s gaze roamed around trying to see if she could find any familiar faces. There were a couple, though she knew only a few by name. One of them was Matt Olsen – a handsome teen a year older than her who also went to Sheffield – who was in deep conversation with another teenage boy who looked to be of the same age that Hay Lin did not recognize. The unknown teen had rich brown hair and was taller than Matt, though not by much. He was, however, very good looking. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly and she hoped she’d get a chance to talk to him later.

Hay Lin nearly stumbled; the boy instantly forgotten when she recognized another face from Sheffield.

“What’s she doing here?”

Standing by herself, leaning against the railing with a red cup in her hand and watching the other partygoers was Taranee. Hay Lin couldn’t quite read the expression on her face. Sorrow perhaps? Or resignation. It wasn’t a happy expression, that was for sure, it didn’t look like she was enjoying herself at all. As she raised the cup to her mouth, Hay Lin noted the green armband on her wrist. If what Miranda had told her was true, then Taranee had been to several Meridian parties already even though she moved her just recently.

Before she could think more about it, they arrived at the drinks table and Miranda wasted no time picking up a cup for herself and handed another to Hay Lin.

“Cheers,” she said with a smile, clinking their cups together.

Miranda drank deeply from her cup while Hay Lin took a carful sip. It tasted like apple cider but a bit stronger than any she had had before. She stared down at the cups content with narrowed eyes, a suspicion formed in her head.

“Miranda, is there alcohol in this?”

“Only a little. Don’t worry, you can’t get drunk on this stuff unless you drink the entire tables worth.” Miranda gave her a teasing smile. “Your free to try it if you want?”

“Nope,” Hay Lin replied, putting an extra emphasis on the p so that it came out as a pop. “I’m good thanks. This dress is tight enough as it is.”

That made Miranda laugh. Hay Lin didn’t think she had ever heard her laugh so heartily before; it was nice to see she could.

“I should keep you away from the snacks table then,” Miranda chuckled and took a swig from her cup. “That stuff will go straight to your hi-” the rest of the word died in her throat, and she suddenly froze.

“Miranda?”

“Target acquired.”

“What?”

Miranda nodded towards the edge of the roof. Following her gaze, it took Hay Lin a few seconds before she saw Elyon through the crowd. She almost didn’t recognize her, dressed as she was in a lilac-colored dress with a white jacket and hair set up in elaborate braids that looked like it would have taken hours to do. She stood by the railing and was lively chatting to a boy half a head taller than her with ginger hair and freckles on his cheeks. The warm happy feeling went out of Hay Lin, and she felt her stomach twist with nerves as if it was suddenly full of squirming snakes. The plastic cup in her hand let out a cracking sound as her fingers twitched and almost crushed it.

“We need to move quickly, if she sees you, she might try to leave before you can talk to her. I’ll go and find Alchemy,” Miranda said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We’ll need her, she’s great to have as emotional support. You okey if I leave you here for a few minutes?”

“Wha- what?” Hay Lin managed to squeak. “I haven’t seen her. She might not be here yet!”

“Oh, she’s here, I know it.” Miranda squeezed her shoulder gently and gave her an encouraging smile.

“But-”

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine. Just stay here and try not to draw Elyon’s attention, I’ll be back with Alchemy as soon as I can.”

With that said Miranda left in the direction they had come from. Hay Lin stared after her until she was out of sight. She quickly drained her cup in one go, hoping to still her nerves. It didn’t work. She turned and took another cup from the table and raised it to her lips. When she turned around, she found that Elyon was nowhere in sight. The boy she had been talking to however was still there… and he was staring right at her. Hay Lin choked on her drink. She hastily put her cup down on the table and hit herself in the chest to get her cough under control.

When she finally looked back up, tears in her eyes, she found the boy still watching her but even at this distance it was clear he was trying not to laugh. Face red from coughing and embarrassment, Hay Lin gave him an unsteady smile and waved. The boy returned her wave with one of his own and gave her a nod before he headed in the direction of one of the other tables.

At first Hay Lin feared that he was going to tell Elyon and was about to follow, but when she saw that Elyon was not there, she halted. The boy stopped and started a conversation with another teenager. It took Hay Lin a few seconds before she recognized the other boy as the same one she had seen talking to Matt earlier.

“He really is cute- gah, focus Hay Lin! You can think of boys later, Elyon first.”

She turned away from the boys in an effort to get the handsome guy out of her mind and focus on the task at hand. She scanned the crowd but failed to spot Elyon, Miranda or Alchemy anywhere. Hay Lin had tried for most of the afternoon to think of how she was going to approach her, but none of the responses she had come up with sounded right. With the moment close at hand, she tried again.

“Hi Elyon, it’s been a while, how have you been? Ugh, that sounds stupid. Eh, let’s see. Hello, bet you didn’t expect to see me here. No, that sounds even worse. Gah, why most this be so hard?”

Her head felt heavy, and she put down her cup so she could massage her temples. Why couldn’t she think of anything to say. She had spoken to Elyon thousands of times; it shouldn’t be this hard to come up with some way of greeting her that did not sound stupid. It felt like the longer she tried to think of something to say the cloudier her head felt until there was nothing but white mist.

“It’s useless. I’ll just end up saying something stupid and she’ll want even less to do with me. She’s made it clear that she doesn’t like me. This was all a big mistake; I should never have come here.”

Hay Lin’s shoulders slumped as she let her arms drop to her sides. Yes, she should leave and never come back, this place would give her nothing but pain. Feet dragging slightly, she started heading for the door. She did not get far before a man with long smooth silver blond hair stepped out in front of her, blocking her path.

“Hay Lin, it’s so nice to see you,” Philip Brown said, his mouth stretched into a warm friendly smile.

“Hi, Philip. Excuse me,” Hay Lin said, her voice dull. She tried to go around him, but he stepped in front of her, obstructing her path. She tried again with the same result. “Please let me pass, I have to go.”  

“What’s the hurry?” he asked with a smooth voice that had melted many girls’ hearts. Strangely Hay Lin felt nothing, nor was she bothered by this. The only thing that concerned her was that she had to leave.

“I have to go.”

“But it’s been a long while since we last spoke, surely you can spare some time to stay and talk?”

Hay Lin felt something snapped inside her head and she blinked in surprise. It was like a fog had been lifted from her mind, as if she had just woken up from a nap. She felt very confused. Why had she suddenly had the desperate urge to get out of there? She was going to try to reconcile with Elyon, she couldn’t leave now. Where did that thought even come from?

“Are you alright Hay Lin?” Philip asked. His brow creased, his eyes darted left and right before returning their attention to her.

“I…yes…yes, I’m fine. Just a bit lost in my own thoughts.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile, still unsure what had just happened. “I guess I’m a bit overwhelmed by all this to be honest.” She gestured around her.

“I can understand that. Most people are when they come here for the first time. You should have seen Miranda when I introduced her to this place, we had to pick her jaw off the floor.”

Philip let out a chuckle that filled Hay Lin’s stomach with butterflies and blew away her confusion and doubt. The corners of her mouth pulled back into a wide smile and her cheeks grew warm.

Philip truly was a marvelous person; he had always been good at making people feel better. Hay Lin remembered when two boys in the class over her had gotten into an argument in the hallway. It might have gotten ugly if Philip hadn’t stepped in. Hay Lin still didn’t understand how he did it. All he had done was to tell them to calm down and they had listened to him. No matter what the situation was, all he had to do was say a few words and everything would be fine again. Elyon was so lucky to have such a wonderful brother like him, Hay Lin felt slightly jealous.

Philip leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “but don’t tell her I said that.”

“My lips are sealed.” Hay Lin pressed her thumb and forefinger together and imitated zipping her mouth shut. “But speaking of Miranda, have you seen her? She walked off a few minutes ago.”

“I think she’s around the corner of the house over there with Alchemy.”

“Thanks, if you’ll excuse me. I really need to talk to her… and Alchemy.”

“By all means, don’t let me keep you. And do try to enjoy yourself, it’s what this place is for.”

She smiled and waved goodbye, walking off with a spring in her steps and a heart swelled with joy. As she drew closer to the indicated spot, she heard their voices, the two seemed to be in an animated discussion. Looking around the corner, Hay Lin saw that Alchemy – dressed in a beautiful green off shoulder top and white pants – was wringing her hands in unease, the blue glowing armband on her wrist shaking back and forth from the movement. Miranda was staring at her with an expression of exasperation that Hay Lin had only ever seen her wear when she was being teased at school.

“I’m not sure about this Miranda. What you’re asking… it doesn’t feel right.”

“Doesn’t feel right? We are helping our friends, what could possibly be wrong with that? Don’t you want them to be friends again?”

“Of course I do, but…I-”

“You had no problem with it earlier today.”

“That was different,” Alchemy answered defensively, though she sounded uncertain. “She was hurting, bottling it all up. She needed help to let it out.”

Hay Lin blinked in confusion; who were they talking about? Was it her? No, they couldn’t be. Alchemy had been standing outside the restroom the entire time; they must be talking about someone else. Hay Lin was glad to hear though that they were helping other people with the same problem as her. She hoped that whoever it was were feeling better now.

“And how is that any different from what Elyon is doing now?” Miranda asked. She didn’t wait for a response from the other girl. She gently took her by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. “Elyon needs your help now. She needs our help, Yours, mine and Hay Lin’s. You know I’m right.”

“But what if she gets angry? With her po- I mean- the risk… it could end very badly, especially with so many people around.”

Miranda wrapped her arm over Alchemy’s shoulder and pulled her close and whispered something in the other girl’s ear. Alchemy visibly stiffened and her eyes grew wide. She turned her head to stare at Miranda once she had finished.

“Really?” Alchemy asked, with a note that sounded almost like desperation. Miranda nodded and there was a drawn-out silence between the two before Alchemy hesitantly said, “okey.”

“I knew you would help.” Miranda smiled and pulled her into a hug. Alchemy – still looking troubled – hugged her back, but it lacked the energy and joy of Miranda’s. “You’re a good friend Alchemy. I’m so glad I have you.”

Still not entirely sure what was going on, Hay Lin watched them until they broke apart, then waited a few seconds before she stepped around the corner so they wouldn’t suspect that she had been eavesdropping. She didn’t know why Alchemy had been so hesitant to help nor what Miranda had said to convince her; she was just glad to have her on their side.

“There you are Miranda.” She tried to sound relieved as if she had been searching for a while.

“Hay Lin! I thought you were waiting by the drinks table.”

“Elyon left and I don’t know where she went off to. I felt exposed just standing there. Hi, Alchemy.”

“Hi.” Alchemy gave her a warm smile, but her voice had a tinge of unease to it.

Hay Lin could understand this, some of the trepidation she had felt before talking to Philip wormed its way back at the thought of meeting Elyon.

“Did you see where she was going?” Miranda asked.

“No,” Hay Lin answered, shaking her head. “I turned to take another drink and when I looked back, she was gone.”

“Hmm, the boy she was talking to, did he leave as well?”

“No, he was still there.”

“Then she’s probably still around here somewhere,” Alchemy said.

“How can you be sure?” Hay Lin asked. “Who is he anyway? He’s not from Sheffield.”

“His names Bryan, he goes to another school. Elyon has a huge crush on him.” Alchemy mouth stretched into a knowing smile. “And I’m pretty sure he likes her to.”

“WHAT?!” Hay Lin exclaimed. “But- whe- what about Matt? She’s had a crush on him for like… forever.”

“She tried asking Matt out… it… didn’t go so well.”

“Girl spill! I want all the details,” Hay Lin demanded, bouncing up in Alchemy’s face and bubbling with curiosity.

“That can wait until later don’t you think?” Miranda cut in; arms crossed.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Hay Lin blushed sheepishly. “So… any idea how we’re going to do this?”

Alchemy and Miranda shared a look but before either of them had a chance to answer her question they were interrupted.

“Ah, Miranda! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Hay Lin felt every muscle in her body go rigid at the sound of Elyon’s voice. This was bad, Hay Lin was not ready for this, not by a longshot. She had hoped that she’d have a little more time to come up with a plan of approach, she didn’t know what to do. Well, it looks like there was nothing for it, she’d just have to speak from the heart and hope for the best. Fingers crossed.

“I was wondering whe-”

The word died in Elyon’s throat and almost stumbled when Hay Lin turned to face her. Eyes wide, she stared dumbfoundedly at Hay Lin as if she had grown a second head. An uncomfortably long and awkward silence fell over the group.

“H-hi, Elyon,” Hay Lin stammered out and she tried to give her a friendly smile. “It’s been a while.”

“What are you doing here?” Elyon asked in a low voice.

“I- I was invited,” Hay Lin answered.

“No,” Elyon shook her head. “You can’t have-”

“Yes, she was.” Miranda stepped up next to Hay Lin. “I invited her.”

Elyon’s face managed to express a mixture of anger, confusion and hurt all at the same time. It took her several seconds to compose herself enough to speak again.

“She’s not supposed to be here Miranda! She isn’t- she not-”

Hay Lin’s heart contracted painfully in her chest; she had rarely felt so unwelcomed, especially by one she had considered a friend. She would have shrunk away, but Miranda wrapped a supporting arm around her shoulder, keeping her in place. From her peripheral vision she saw Miranda nod, then grabbed Hay Lin’s wrist that had the armband and held it up.

“No...” Elyon was shaking her head in disbelief and took two halting steps back. “That can’t- he said- he swore- she’s not like- none of them were-”

Elyon backed away, eyes darting between the three. Her breathing grew increasingly labored, and she clutched tightly at the fabric on her chest, as if she were trying to dig her fingers through her ribs and grip her racing heart.

“Elyon…”

Hay Lin took a step forward and reached out a hand when a gust of wind hit her, whipping several strands loose from her hair buns and stung her eyes. It collided with such force that it felt as if a pair of invisible hands had pushed her and had Miranda not held on to her, she would have fallen. But even with the other girl’s support Hay Lin stumbled back, dragging Miranda with her. Hay Lin blinked in confusion, then her jaw dropped in utter astonishment as leaves, grass and dust rose up from the surrounding ground and started to swirl around Elyon as if she was the eye of a hurricane.

“What-” was all Hay Lin managed to think before Elyon’s body started to glow with a white light. Hay Lin let out a short cry and grabbed onto Miranda’s arm so hard the other girl winced. “WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?”

“Elyon please,” Alchemy spoke, voice oddly strained. She moved forward until she was at the edge of the vortex. “I know it hurts, but you have to calm down,” she continued, raising her voice so as to be heard over the wind. Her words seemed to break through Elyon’s panic and focus her attention. “Please, take deep breaths. Calm, it’s alright.”

“Stop it!” Elyon shouted.

“I’m only trying to-”

“I said STOP!”

Something between a gasp and a cry escaped Alchemy’s lips as she floated up off the ground and was hurled backwards. Moving on instinct, Miranda and Hay Lin just managed to catch her by the arms and dampen her fall before she hit the ground. Together, they helped the stunned Alchemy back to her feet. Hay Lin was terrified and at a complete loss as to what was happening. How was Elyon doing this? Was it magic? Impossible, everyone knew magic wasn’t real and yet what else could explain what she was seeing.

“This can’t be real. I’m dreaming, I have to be!” Yet it felt more real than any dream she had ever experienced. A cold shiver of fear ran through her, leaving goosebumps in its wake and left an uncomfortable tingling in her upper back.

“He lied to me. He said she wasn’t like us,” Elyon spoke in a low voice; her gaze transfixed on the three. Her face bore an expression of the deepest betrayal. “You lied!”

“No… I-I didn’t,” Miranda said, and for the second time that day Hay Lin heard fear in her voice. “We only found out about it today by pure chance. I swear to you, I didn’t lie!”

“Found out about what?”

Hay Lin didn’t understand anything that was happening anymore. For some reason Elyon was upset with her because she had been invited to the party despite not being… something and now she was even more upset because she was that something. Miranda had known and it seemed like it was the reason why she had invited her in the first place, which hurt. Oh, and Elyon had fricking MAGICAL POWERS!

“And you didn’t tell me!” Elyon roared. Hay Lin did not know if it was a sound wave, the wind or the invisible force from earlier, but it nearly knocked her and the others to the ground. Elyon clutched at her head, fingers digging and twisting into her hair as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. “If he was wrong about Hay Lin, he could have been wrong about the others too? Oh, Corn-”

“I suggest you calm down sister,” a smooth voice cut through her rambling. Philip moved towards them with brisk steps, his handsome face set in uncharacteristic irritation. “You are disrupting the party with your outburst.”

Despite the suppressed anger radiating from him, Hay Lin felt a great measure of relief at his presence. If there was anyone who could calm Elyon down and stop her supernatural rampage it was him.

Elyon whirled to face her brother, jabbed an accusing finger and shouted, “you lied to me! You said she wasn’t like us, and because of that we couldn’t be friends anymore! That I should cut her out of my life!”

Elyon’s allegation hit Hay Lin in the chest like a punch and drove all concern about her supernatural power right out of her mind. No, this couldn’t be true, she must be mistaken. Philip is kind and understanding, he would never say anything like that. And yet the expression on Elyon face and the hurt in her voice made it hard not to feel doubt.

Other than a small muscle twitch in his cheek and a sideways glance at Hay Lin and the others, Philip seemed unphased by the severe accusation. In fact, he seemed physically unaffected by everything that was happening around him. Hay Lin’s and the others hair and clothes were being tugged at and whipped by the wind, yet Philip’s remained as straight and unmoving as a rock, as if there was an invisible bubble around him that kept the wind at bay.

“I said no such thing. You must have imagined it,” Philip spoke imperiously.

“I- I-,” Elyon stammered and the storm around her falter. The younger sibling blinked several times, seemingly confused and shook her head. “No… I didn’t!” She glared at her brother, the wind growing in intensity once more. “You said that she would never be like us and that it was best for everyone if I cut all ties with her, and now it turns out she’s like us after all! And you knew, you’ve known for hours and withheld it from me! YOU LIED TO ME!”

Hay Lin winced at the vehemence of Elyon’s voice and amazed at the calm her brother showed in the face of her rage. From beside her Miranda whispered something but Hay Lin were unable to discern the words. Glancing to her right, she saw the dark-haired girl’s gaze fixed on Alchemy, who had her eyes firmly shut and her hands clasped over her chest as if in prayer. Miranda’s whispered words were meant to comfort her no doubt, Hay Lin wished she could get some too.

“I did not lie to you sister; I never told you to cut her or anyone else out of your life.” As he spoke the wrinkles of irritation on his face smoothed, his eyes and voice softened until there was nothing but sympathy and sadness in them. “I’m your loving brother, you know I would never try to do anything to hurt you and your friends.” As the words flowed from him, Elyon’s expression slackened, the wind died, and the glow faded away. Her pose becoming less confrontational and more her usual relaxed self. “You and Hay Lin are friends; you have been close friends since the day you meet. There is no rift between you, she has merely given you space to cope with Cornelia’s disappearance.”

Hay Lin’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. What the heck was he saying? Of course there was a rift between them. Elyon had ignored and done everything she could to avoid her ever since she came back from London. He couldn’t have missed it, so why was he pretending like it didn’t happen?

“What are you talking about Philip?” Hay Lin exclaimed, unable to contain herself. “She’s hardly said a word to me since you came back and has been avoiding me as if I had the plague. And now that I finally get a chance to talk to her in months, she starts glowing with the wind swirling around her. Alchemy was thrown-”

“There was no wind around my sister Hay Lin,” Philipe cut her off, his eyes piercing into hers. “Nor was there any glow. You saw and heard nothing strange or supernatural here tonight.”

Hay Lin’s head suddenly felt heavy, her mind thick with fog. She blinked to clear it, then her brow furrowing in confusion. Why had she thought Elyon had powers? It was stupid, people didn’t glow, and they couldn’t control the wind either. It was a ludicrous notion, where had it even come from? The wind had picked up just about the same time that Elyon had been upset, so what, that didn’t mean she controlled it. It was just a coincidence. And the glow? A trick of the light, nothing more.

“Y-yeah… nothing strange and supernatural… not real…” she mumbled distractedly. “But she’s been avoiding me-”

“No, she hasn’t,” Philip spoke over her. “She has merely been upset about Irma moving away and Cornelia’s disappearance. And like the good friend that you are, you have given my sister space to grieve. But that time is over now. There was never any rift between you, it never happened. You are good friends. You are all here to enjoy the party together and merely had a small disagreement.”

“We had a disagreement,” Elyon said distractedly.

“Indeed sister. Isn’t that so Miranda? Alchemy?”

“Yes,” Miranda answered with calm certainty.

“I…” Alchemy glancing at Miranda then back at Philip. “Y-yeah, but only a minor one. No biggie.”

“And with my help the matter has been settled.” Philip smiled. “Now apologize to each other and let bygones be bygones.”

Hay Lin felt her cheeks burn with shame. This was a party, a place for socializing and enjoying oneself and they had almost ruined it, not only for themselves but for Miranda and Alchemy as well. And they dragged Philip into it too, he shouldn’t have had to intervene in such a trivial matter. They shouldn’t have argued over… what had they been arguing about? She couldn’t remember, which only showed how trivial it had been. It made her feel even more shame at having wasted his time. One glance at the expression of horror on her face told Hay Lin that Elyon felt the same.

“I’m so sorry Elyon.”

“I’m sorry to,” Elyon said. “I should never have… please forgive me Hay Lin.”

Hay Lin spread her arms wide, and they embraced one another. A warmth swelled in her chest and flowed out to the rest of her body. It felt as if a part of her life that had been hollow was whole once again. She didn’t understand why she felt this way, they had argued and made up before and it had never felt like this. It was a good feeling though, and Hay Lin did not want it to ever end. When they finally broke apart, Hay Lin turned to face Philip.

“I owe you an apology to Philip. You let Miranda invite me to this party and I’ve caused you nothing but trouble. I’m so sorry. If there is anything I can do to pay you back?”

“Hmm, not now. But I might ask you for a favor in the future. If you don’t mind?”

“Of course not.” Hay Lin’s heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. “I’ll gladly help you with anything you ask.”

“Glad to hear it.” Philip’s mouth stretched into a smile that on anyone else would have looked arrogant, but on him it only enhanced his appearance. “Now then, with that settled, why don’t you all head back to the party. It is Hay Lin’s first time here after all, let’s make it a memorable one.”

“Yes,” the girls chorused and hurried off.

As they turned the corner, they almost ran into a bespectacled man with long blond haired. Hay Lin started in surprise, her heart leaping into her ribcage. He jerked back at about the same time but recovered quickly. His grey eyes darted between them before stopping on Hay Lin.

“Who is this?”

He looked to be in his mid-thirties – which definitely made him too old to attend this party – and dressed in a brown coat, white shirt and blue pants. His age and appearance definitely made him stand out from the rest of the partygoers.

“Oh, sorry Cedric,” Elyon apologized, answering Hay Lin’s unasked question.

“It’s fine, no harm done,” he replied with a friendly smile and smooth voice that could almost rival Philip’s. “It’s fortunate that I ran into you actually. I’m looking for your brother, I heard he was here.”

“He’s just around the corner,” Miranda answered, throwing a thumb over her shoulder.

“Ah, thank you Miranda.” He gave them a slight bow and continued in the direction that they had just come from. It was only as he passed that Hay Lin noticed the small wooden box sticking out of his coat pocket.

“Who was that?” Hay Lin asked as they headed for the drinks table. She reached a hand over her shoulder and scratched her shoulder blades where an itch had just started to form.

“That’s Cedric. He’s one of the sponsors of Meridian.” Elyon answered off-handedly. “Without him and the others we wouldn’t be able to hold these parties.”

“Well, that explain where they get their money from.” Hay Lin thought. She scratched her back, but the itch was not going away. “Is he rich? I’ve never heard of him.”

“Hardly,” Miranda chuckled. “He owns a bookshop on the corner of chapel street. You might have seen it on your way home from school.”

“Do you mean Ye Olde Bookshop?” She moved her hand to the other shoulder where a new itch was growing.

“That’s the one,” Alchemy confirmed.

“Huh, I’ve been in there a few times and never seen him.” Reaching back with her other hand, nails digging into her skin.

“He took over the place not too long ago when the old owner retired,” Elyon said. She stopped in her tracks and eyed Hay Lin. “Are you okey?”

“Yeah… it’s just my shoulders are itching like mad.” She scratched a few more times only to be rewarded with two additional spots of discomfort just under the first pair. “And now my back is itching to!”

“You’re just making it worse by scratching it,” Alchemy said and walked around her. “Hold still and let me see.”

With reluctance Hay Lin stopped raking her skin and lowered her arms. She twiddled with her fingers as Alchemy looked at the afflicted area. Several agonizing seconds passed.

“Well?” Hay Lin asked impatiently, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

“You must have been bitten by a mosquito or something,” Alchemy replied, though she sounded doubtful. “I can’t see any marks though. Just try not to scratch it, you’ve made a dozen red marks back here already. Just try not to think about it and it’ll go away eventually.”

“Easier said than done,” Hay Lin replied between clenched teeth. “It feels like I have a dozen insect bites back there.”

Alchemy and Elyon chuckles.

“Speaking of insects, have you heard of the vigilant in New York?” Miranda asked.

“The one they call the spider-man?” Hay Lin asked, her voice slightly strained, fidgeting with her fingers in an attempt to distract herself from the irritation on her back. “Isn’t he just a rumor?”

“Oh no, he’s very real.” Miranda, with a grin that could only be born from enthusiasm, she pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket. She unfolded it with haste and held it up for them to see. “He was caught on camera a few days ago.”

The picture on the crinkled paper showed three men. Two sat back-to-back against a lamp post, their upper bodies covered in some kind of grey sticky substance that secured them in place. Their balaclava covered heads slumped forward against their chests. The third man was hanging upside down from the lamp post by a thin rope of the same grey substance. He was dressed in a red hoodie with a large black spider symbol on the chest, red gloves and blue pants. His head was completely covered by a red mask and a pair of black ski goggles.

“He stopped a robbery in Greenwich all alone, capturing both robbers and disarmed them without anyone getting hurt. And last week he saved a woman from being run over and talked a kid down from committing suicide.” Miranda looked like she was about to burst, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “He’s amazing, I wish we had him here in Heatherfield. If the police were even half as good as the spider at stopping crimes the world would be a much safer place.”

That was an opinion that the writer of the article clearly did not agree with, as they had chosen to use the headline “VIGILANTE MENACES GREENWICH!” to describe the incident. Hay Lin wasn’t sure what to think. From what Miranda had just said he sounded like a good guy, but the fact that he was a vigilante meant that he took the law into his own hands. But if he was doing it to help and protect people, was it really such a bad thing to go outside the law?

“Miranda has a crush on him,” Elyon said in a sing-song, breaking Hay Lin out of her moral quandary.

“Wha-? I- That’s not-” Miranda spluttered; her face turning scarlet. “No, I don’t!”

“Ah huh. Your face says otherwise.” Elyon’s grin threatened to split her head in two.

“I don’t have a crush on him!” Miranda protested desperately.

“Then why do you look so flustered?” Hay Lin teased. “How many cut outs of him do you have by the way?”

Hay Lin couldn’t stop herself from giggling as Miranda stammered out half formed words of protest, reminding her very much of a fish.

“I don’t- I’m not- Alchemy! Back me up!”

“No, I don’t think I can.”

“What!” Miranda exclaimed, shocked at this apparent betrayal.

“The only way they’ll stop teasing you about the spider is if I tell them who you really like.” Alchemy’s mouth split into a sly grin. “And I don’t think you want me to do that.”

The blood drained from Miranda’s face, her eyes wide with horror.

“Spill!” Hay Lin and Elyon shouted in chorus. “Who is he? Does he go to Shefield?”

“I’m not telling,” Alchemy said. “I keep my friends secrets secret. If Miranda don’t want me to tell, I won’t tell.” She crossed her arms and gave them a determined look, daring them to try to force the information out of her.

Elyon and Hay Lin let out identical groans of disappointment.

“Holy heavens Alchemy don’t scare me like that.” Miranda placed her hand over her heart and let out a sigh of relief. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

This earned chuckles from them all.

“Come on,” Elyon giggled. “All this talking has made me thirsty.”

Elyon wrapped her arms around Hay Lin and Miranda’s shoulders and steered them towards the drinks table. She handed out a cup to each of them, then grabbed one for herself and was about to take a sip when Miranda spoke up.

“Let’s make a toast.”

Elyon lowered her cup, one eyebrow raised. “Why?”

“A toast to what?” asked Alchemy.

“To Hay Lin for a start,” Miranda said and raised her cup in her direction. “May your time in Meridian be as fun as ours has been and we look forward to seeing you here many more times in the future.”

Elyon and Alchemy chorused their agreement, mirroring Miranda and raising their own cups. Hay Lin’s heart swelled inside her chest and warmth spread out from it to the rest of her body. It was a small gesture and yet it made her eyes go misty with tears. Several emotions battled for supremacy inside her at the same time in such a confusing mess that she could hardly identify them. But foremost of them all were relief, though why that was the case, she did not know.

Unaware of the turbulent she had caused, Miranda continued speaking. “To new friendships and the renewal of old ones and-”

“And to Miranda,” Elyon cut in. “May she find her way to New York so she can confess her love to her crush the spider-man.”

“What!? Oh, for the love of-” Miranda spluttered, her cheeks turning crimson, “Would you stop! I don’t have a crush on him!”

Elyon, Alchemy and Hay Lin roared with laughter, and it took quite some time for it to stop. The tears finally fell from Hay Lin’s eyes, though now they were of mirth. The comradery, the teasing, the laughter, it was almost like old times, as if the past months of self-isolation had not happened at all. Sure, half the faces in the group were different, but it was still her group. It filled every fiber of Hay Lin’s being with joy and the wound that had been left in her spirit felt suddenly not so hollow. In truth, she felt so good that she almost completely forgotten the itching on her back.

The car slowed to a halt in front of the Silver Dragon and the back door opened.

“Thanks for the ride, Mr. Ethel,” Hay Lin said before she stepped out.

She almost sighed in relief. Due to the itching on her back – that still refused to go away even after several hours – the car ride had been quite uncomfortable. She still had no idea what was wrong. The others had insisted that there was no sign of insect bites and Hay Lin had felt around with her fingers when they were distracted but had been unable to find any signs of bites either. Though she had tried, she had not been able to stop herself from aggravating the sore spots, either by scratching at them or rubbing her back against something. In the last hour the agitated areas had gone from irritating to outright painful.

“You’re welcome,” Alchemy’s father replied from the driver’s seat, his cheeks creased by a smile that was near identical to his daughter who sat beside him.

“Bye,” Hay Lin called to the others in the car.

“Bye,” Miranda, Elyon and Alchemy called back right before Hay Lin shut the door.

They waved to her as the car drove off. Hay Lin returned the gesture and only stopped when the car disappeared around the next corner. Bubbling with happiness, Hay Lin headed into the alley beside the restaurant with a skip in her steps. Doing her best to ignore the chafing on her back against the jacket she now wore. Miranda had insisted that she’d borrow it so that she wouldn’t catch a cold. She had tried to decline but Miranda had been adamant and in the end Hay Lin had caved. She did not know why Miranda had been so insistent about it; she looked like she needed it more than Hay Lin.

“I’m home.”

“Oh, thank goodness your back,” Her father, Chen Lin, sighed with relief when she entered the restaurant. “Are you alright? Did any-”

“I’m fine dad,” Hay Lin cut him off before he could work himself up.

“See, I told you, you were worrying for nothing,” A new voice spoke up. Yan Lin entered the kitchen, her hands tucked into her sleeves, beaming her trademarked grandmotherly smile. “Welcome back, did you have a good time?”

“I had a great time.” Hay Lin grinned. Other than the small disagreement with Elyon and the itching on her back, the party had been a blast. “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun. The music, the food, the people-”

“The boys?” Yan Lin interjected, one eyebrow wiggling.

“MOTHER!” Chen exclaimed in horror.

“Oh, hush you.” Yan Lin waved his concern away. “She’s thirteen, it’s completely normal.”

“Don’t worry dad,” Hay Lin giggled at the disquiet look on her father’s face. “I spent most of the night talking with Elyon and the others.” Yan Lin made a noise of disappointment, but Hay Lin’s words seemed to put her father at ease. “Though…” she continued, a mischievous grin pulling on the corners of her mouth. “I meet several cute boys there, one or two of them seemed very interested in me.”

Chen let out a choking sound and looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Hay Lin and her grandmother burst out laughing.

“I’m glad to hear you had a good time,” Yan Lin chuckled. “And that you and Elyon are talking again.”

“Yeah…” Hay Lin said slowly, not entirely sure what her grandmother meant.

She’d just given Elyon space to grieve, yet her grandmother made it sound as if they had been fighting. She couldn’t understand why she thought that. She must have misheard Hay Lin when she talked about it... when did she talk about it? Hay Lin wasn’t sure, but she must have mentioned it at some point, she must have. Her head suddenly felt heavy, and she found it hard to think.

“Hay Lin are you alright?” Her father’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Do you feel ill? Do you have a fever?”

“What? No, I’m fine. Just tired I guess. I think I’m going to bed.”

“Wait,” her father called just as she was about to walk through the doorway. “Where did you get that jacket?”

“What?” Hay Lin turned, momentarily confused. “Oh… it was getting a bit cold and Miranda offered to lend me hers.”

“She seems like a very nice girl,” Yan Lin nodded in approval. If her father disagreed with his mother’s assessment, then he kept it to himself. “You should invite her over sometime.”

“She is, and I will,” Hay Lin agreed. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Hay Lin walked up the stairs to the apartment over the restaurant and beelined it for the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and moved to grab her toothbrush when she caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked pale, much paler than usual. Maybe her father was right, maybe she was ill. She laid her hand against her forehead. She didn’t feel like she had a fever, though her skin felt more sensitive than usual, almost sore. She touched her cheeks, then her neck and her arms, each time experiencing the same sensation of soreness.

First her back, now this. Had her scratching caused an infection or something?

She removed Miranda’s jacket, hung it on a peg on the wall and turned her back to the mirror. She looked over her shoulder to assess the damage and almost screamed in horror. Instead of the scratch marks she had expected, she saw four inflamed swellings on her back the size of fists, two on either side of her spine, the upper pair at the height of her shoulder blades. As she stared at them, they seemed to bulge and wriggle, as if something was trapped under the skin and trying to get out. Slowly, hesitantly, she moved a trembling hand to her back and gently poked one of the lumps.

The moment her finger touched it; pain raked her back and Hay Lin screamed. She staggered and tried to get to the door, but she fell onto her knees after just one step. She tried to crawl the rest of the way on all four, but the pain was so intense that it was all she could do not to collapse. The lumps on her back stretching the skin taut, the things inside moving and wriggling as if trying to find the point of least resistant to rip their way out.

“MOM! DAD!” She managed to cry out between the bouts of agony, “ANYONE! HELP!”

Her skin and muscles felt as if they were being stretched to the point tearing. Her bones compressed and hollowed out from the inside. Tears rolled freely from her eyes, and her body convulsed. It quickly grew so erratic and violent that she fell onto her side, her limps no longer under her control, spasming as if she was being electrocuted. An explosion of intense pain that was even worse than anything that had come before it erupted from her back. The last thing she heard before her world went blissfully dark, was the sound of her own scream, running footsteps, and a horrible wet tearing sound coming from her back.