After confirming that Chase would be alright, Alicia had no choice but to open the door for her parents. They looked around at the room, strewn with debris and fluttering feathers, and spared Alicia the trouble of having to think of an explanation.

“A pillow fight? Seriously? At one in the morning?” her dad asked.

Chase and Alicia looked at each other. “Uh, yes, seriously. That is seriously what happened. I'm serious,” Alicia confirmed.

“How old are you again?” asked her mom. She surveyed the room. “What the heck IS all this? How did you break your mirror?”

“Things got a little rowdy?” supposed Alicia.

“Yes, me and Leash had great rowd,” explained Chase, her face dripping with blood.

“Good lord, your nose is bleeding!” observed Alicia's dad. “Alicia! I thought you'd grown out of this roughhousing!”

“I did, but, uh... but now roughhousing is cool again. It's so in. Jeez, Dad, get with it.”

Chase was cleaned up and then the both of them were sent sternly to bed. The next day at school, the whole story was related to Caitlin and Lindsey over gym decorations.

“Wow, uh, a c-cyborg,” said Caitlin, hanging some gold and orange streamers from atop a ladder. “That's kinda scary...”

Lindsey handed her a piece of tape. “Cyborgs aren't that bad. Androids are worse. At least cyborgs are part human. The real Melissa C. we know and love is still in there somewhere.”

Alicia nodded. “I definitely believe that! She can be reasoned with! Melissa C. knows and trusts us! The part of her that is still a cheerleader wants to love and accept Chase for who she is, I just know it!”

Chase wasn't so sure about that, but she kept quiet and continued helping Alicia hang lanterns. Not everyone stayed quiet, though. “It doesn't sound to me like any part of her felt very loving towards her,” said Caitlin skeptically. She looked at Chase. “It's a good thing she didn't break your nose.”

“But it's also a good thing that she HURT your nose!” Lindsey chimed in.

Chase reached up and put a hand on her nose. There was a bandage across the bridge to cover the cut she'd gotten from striking the edge of the dresser, but the bleeding had long stopped and there was no serious damage. “It is?”

“Yes!” Lindsey nodded eagerly. “Guys were probably talking to you all day! They'll take any excuse to break the ice that they can nab! You were walking around all day with a sign that said, 'Hey boys, ask me about this thing on my nose!' I bet you got a date to Harvest for sure!”

Now that she thought about it, she had been spoken to by many more boys than usual. “Well, two guys ask. But told them have date right now.”

“Huh?” asked Caitlin, almost dropping the streamer roll. “Then...then that means...you and Torey?!” Chase nodded. Caitlin started to squeal, then stopped herself and looked to Alicia for consent. Alicia gave it with a disdainful hand wave, so Caitlin continued, jumping down off her ladder and giving Chase a hug.

“I still don't like it,” Alicia sighed. “A cheerleader and a scary kid...It's a disaster.” Something occurred to her that caused her hands to fly to her head, as though she was in pain. “Ohhh, and Victoria's going to find out eventually...she's going to blame me for this somehow, I just know it.”

“Yeah, it's so terrible, what a nightmare...” droned Lindsey. Her eyes looked far away, and she had a dreamy smile on her face. “I guess I'm a shoe-in to win Lady of the Harvest now...oh darn it...”

Caitlin stopped congratulating Chase and rolled her eyes. “You're still gunning for that, huh?”

“Ohhh, yes. That page in the yearbook is as good as mine.” She could not have looked more cocky. “I believe me and Lacrosse Captain Hugh have this alllll wrapped up.”

“Whoa whoa, wait, you actually picked somebody?” asked Caitlin, amazed.

“Yep. Him or Running Back Jerry.”

Caitlin shook her head. “So you're down to two. You haven't picked somebody yet at all.”

“I'm getting there, I'm getting there!” replied Lindsey. She tapped a thoughtful finger on her bottom lip. “But man, it's a seriously tough choice. I keep going back and forth. The sex with Running Back Jerry is great, but the sex with Lacrosse Captain Hugh? It should be ILLEGAL!”

Caitlin was disgusted but somewhat impressed. “Wow, no kidding. That good, huh?”

“No, I mean if we were breaking the law, it might make it slightly interesting.” She gave a confident smile. “Well, it doesn't matter which I pick at this point! With both Chase AND Alicia out of the running, either way I'm a Lady of the Harvest no-brainer.”

“Hey!” Alicia cut in. “Why am I out of the running? Kirk m-might still ask me, you know!” Even she didn't sound like she believed it.

“Oh, uh...that's right, huh? I guess that's true. I forgot about that,” said Lindsey carefully. She clearly assumed Alicia had given up.

“Plus, even Chase might not be out of the running!” Alicia continued. “She still might decide to go with a more...conventional selection!” Her flame of optimism was inextinguishable.

Chase tilted her head to the side. “Might not Tor?”

Alicia shrugged. “It's certainly possible. I mean, I know you're smitten with him and everything, but you can do a lot better! I think if a really cute, athletic, likeable guy came up to you and asked you out...you'd have a hard time resisting! Think about it, okay?”

On cue, Kirk walked over.

“Hey Chase, what's up?” he beamed, flashing his bright, infectious smile. “What happened to your nose? Are you okay?”

Chase touched the bandage again. “Am fine, thanks. Got in fight.” The others cringed at this answer. It was not a very cheerleadery thing to admit to.

“Whoa, seriously?” asked Kirk. He thought about this, then looked strangely reflective. “That's...pretty awesome. But I guess that's the kind of person you are, you're not afraid to get in the thick of things. You were the same when you fought that sniper. I thought that was amazing. That kind of bravery is what keeps me from getting sacked when I'm out on the field. I really value that in a person. My offensive line has it, and you have it.” He took her hands and looked into her eyes. “Chase...will you go to Harvest with me?”

Lindsey and Caitlin gasped. Alicia's gasp was a lot more like a scream. “She she she she's already going with somebody!” she blurted.

Kirk's demeanor took a hit. “O-oh...she is? Is that true, Chase?”

“Yes, am go with body. Sor-ree Kirk,” said Chase. Something came to her, a solution that would make everyone happy. “Oh, but Leash want go with Kirk! Kirk should ask her!”

Alicia briefly forgot how standing worked.

Caitlin and Lindsey helped her up. Kirk looked surprised. “R-really? You do?” he asked. “Wow...sorry Alicia, I had no idea! Then heck, will you go to Harvest with me?”

Somehow, despite months of fantasizing about and agonizing over this moment, Alicia was mentally unprepared for it. “Well, I, you, I...” she malfunctioned, “I don't know, this is all so s-s-sudden—”

Lindsey put a hand over Alicia's mouth. “She'd love to,” Caitlin assured him.

.....

A full minute ago, Caitlin's mother parked in front of a yellow townhouse. She still had not made the journey out to the front door.

She was not in her work clothes, nor her work vehicle. In fact, nothing about her suggested she was here representing the SCPD in any way, shape or form. This was purely a social call; she was here as a friend of the family to check in on how Melissa was recovering and to wish her well.

Of course, there were some aspects of the profession Lara could leave at home or at the office, and some she could not. Her gut and her instincts belonged in the latter category.

Something about this whole situation wasn't sitting right with her. The secrecy seemed way too excessive, didn't it? Wanting to avoid a media circus was understandable...it wasn't unusual to withhold information from the public for various reasons. But from fellow cops? She was one of the youngest officers in the SCPD, but she'd been around long enough to spot a serious cover-up. Even though she would have liked to be able to trust Agent Stevens...and even though she was trying really hard to make this visit as a civilian...she had to be suspicious.

That suspicion was ultimately what got her to make up her mind and step out of her car. If something was going on, that was all the more reason to make sure Melissa was alright. Whatever that man was hiding, there was no reason for that girl to suffer any more. Lara couldn't allow it.

The townhouse was split down the middle into two units. Lara chose the one on the left. Cement steps led to a white panel door. She knocked on it, and after a brief wait, it opened.

“Oh, hi, Lara,” said the woman.

“Hi, Molly.” It had only been about a year since they'd seen each other, but Molly looked about a decade older. Lara understood it, though. If anything ever happened to Caitlin, she knew she'd get some grey hairs as well.

Molly asked about Caitlin, got the update on how the squad was doing. They talked about work. Eventually, Molly asked, “So, what brings you here? Just in the neighborhood?”

“Well, no...not that it hasn't been great catching up, but I guess the main thing that brought me here is Melissa.”

Molly suddenly stood at attention. The atmosphere of two old friends reconnecting was gone. Suddenly she was talking to the police again. “Melissa? Really?” she asked, her eyes flashing with hope. “What is it, what's going on? Did you find...did you find anything?”

This wasn't the reaction Lara expected. “Huh? Find anything? What are you talking about?”

“Melissa! Did you find Melissa?! It's been weeks since anyone at the station gave me an update...Have there been any developments?”

Officer Boyd felt goosebumps rise on her arms. “H...Hold on a second, Molly,” she said slowly. “Are you telling me you haven't seen Melissa recently? She hasn't been home?”

“No! Why, did you hear that she's coming home? Did she run away? Have you talked to her?”

So this was what her gut was warning her about. Brain churning, she made up something about an anonymous tip, then excused herself with an “I'm really sorry to bother you.”

Thoughts came rushing to Boyd's head faster than she could sort them as she returned to her vehicle. Melissa had never been returned to her parents. Her parents were never even informed she was found. And the story Agent Stevens circulated contradicted these facts. What did that mean?

It meant a big part of his story was a bald-faced lie. Of course, if it was safe to assume that if one part of the story was false, then any part of it could be false. Perhaps she had never been checked into the hospital! Perhaps she had never been found!

And why? Disregarding finding the place where the lies stopped, why had they been made in the first place?

She stewed on this for a moment. No. Maybe he wasn't lying. Perhaps his report came from some kind of false information. And even if he did manufacture this story personally, maybe he had a good excuse for it. Sure, he was a Washington man, but he was still a civil servant, dammit. He had to have the citizens' best interests in mind, right? It was possible that whatever his reasons, it was all to protect Melissa and her family. Right?

Making a decision, she clicked her seatbelt into place. The cop checked her mirrors, then pulled away from the curb.

It wouldn't do any good to just sit here; she wouldn't find any answers just juggling possibilities around in her head. All she could do was go to the source. She'd get an explanation from Stevens, face to face.