The demon man’s laughter rang in Ava’s head like a haunting mirage. Her shoulder ached over the exact spot where he stabbed her. There was no wound, but a phantom pain still lingered on. She rubbed it, hoping to spirit it away.

The skin wasn’t sensitive like any newly grown skin would be, and her clothes were normal. No stab wound on her hand. No blood on her forehead, although she felt groggy. It was as if it never happened and the dream was just a nightmare.

And maybe it was. Maybe she was just mentally losing it with all these stories and stress. She’d rather that be the case then accept this was real.

The gods are coming for you.

Sam groaned, nuzzling his head further into the crook of her neck, tickling her skin with his feathery hair. She fell asleep here. Ava told herself she’d leave after she calmed down, but after the second movie, she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Ava was more shocked Marc never woke her up.

When the morning sun broke through the clouds, rays hit the glass monitor, showering rainbows and dust floating about. It was blinding. There was a strong scent of watermelon mixing with sizzling bacon and warmed bread. Her stomach growled.

Sam shifted, pulled the blanket closer. His body heat warmed her bones. It felt nice to cuddle with someone. She couldn’t remember the last time she did. Staying like this for a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. She’d consider it therapeutic.

Ava closed her eyes and let the calm wash over.

A crash forced her awake. The sound of a stainless steel bowl swirled around the floor in the kitchen until it came to a complete stop. Mika cursed under his breath and stepped quickly to turn on the sink. Another set of footsteps languidly came from the hallway.

“I'm surprised they're still asleep with all the noise you're making,” Darious said, his voice sounding even more silvery as he spoke in the Ama tongue.

Mika scoffed as he cracked eggs into the sizzling in the pan. “Apparently, Ava is a heavy sleeper. She once slept while the planet shook—it's what Gio told me.”

“That's the first time you used her name. Don't tell me you're growing attached to her as well.”

“I'm not. And I've used her name before.”

“To me, you haven't.”

An awkward silence fell between them. They seemed really close. Eggs sizzled in the background as Darious sighed and took out the silverware and plates.

“The end of the war will be here soon. It could be in six months or a year. We're not sure. But after this is over, we'll be going back home and acting like this never happened. So don't get attached.”

“Are you saying that to me? Or more for yourself?” Mika taunted him.

Darious set a dish down with brute force and clanged with the tabletop. “Don’t get cheeky with me now,” he teased, “but I will admit, she is attractive.”

“If you like vulgar women.”

“She’s only putting up a front. I bet underneath all that tough exterior, there’s a flower waiting to blossom,” Darious said with a mocking laugh. Mika softly chuckled.

Ava’s hands clenched. These Ama… I will not be the butt of their jokes.

Sam suddenly stood. The blanket fell off their bodies and onto the floor by her boots and sweatshirt. The cool temperature woke her the rest of the way.

He stretched his arms into the air and let out a big exaggerated yawn. “Are you done cooking? I’m starving.”

“He just finished,” Darious called out.

Sam stretched his hand out to Ava with a lazy smile, waiting for her to take it. They hardly spoke one-word last night, but an invisible bond connected them. She didn’t feel any competitiveness towards him or jealousy. If anything, she felt relieved to know someone else who understood what it was like falling for Marc.

Ava took his hand. He helped her up off the couch and led the way.

Mika wiped down the countertops with a dish towel, while Darious poured himself a glass of orange juice. They set the table. Four deep plates at each chair displayed a few slices of bacon and a sunny side egg on yellow polenta. The breakfast was topped off with freshly plucked wildflowers, perched inside a small vase as the centerpiece.

It was a completely different setup and atmosphere compared to her nightmares. She felt more at home here and it scared her. I shouldn’t be here.

Mika took a seat and placed the cloth napkin on his lap. Bandages wrapped a few of his fingers, one on the side of his neck, and a nasty bruise on his forearm. It looked like he got beat up. Where was Mika last night?

His eyes met Ava’s, flicking them away when he found her watching him. “Are you going to stare at the food all day? Or are you going to sit down and eat?”

“That’s his way of inviting you to eat breakfast with us.” Darious took the seat next to Mika. He was already dressed in his usual business casual attire, except this one sported a new addition—Ava’s knife attached to his hip.

Sam tugged her hand. He was trying to sit down and take her down with him. “You’re here and the food’s set. One breakfast with us won’t hurt.”

Ava planned on going back home, but after that nightmare, she wasn’t sure if being alone right now was the best option. The demon man’s laughter still lingered in the back of her mind. Those words were becoming scars on her heart.

The gods are coming for you.

She sat down without a peep.

Ava picked up her spoon and stared at the food. Steam wafted around her face from the polenta, smelling of cornmeal and home. Did Mika cook this? Regardless, this would be the first time Ava ate someone else’s home cooked meal. She hesitated, let her spoonful hover above the bowl for far too long.

Finally, she took a bite. It was creamy, tasting delicious and full of joy, but it didn’t last. She took another bite just to have that feeling again and then another and another. It’d been a long time since she felt this way.

So the brat can cook… A rogue tear slid down her cheek. Dammit. She quickly wiped it away, but not in time before someone caught it.

“You made her cry.” Sam narrowed his eyes at Mika. “What did you put in her food?”

Mika gawked at him. “Why are you always accusing me?”

“Do you have to ask? This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tampered with the food.”

Ava clutched the medallion through her shirt. The book of poisons I saw earlier… did he use one of their concoctions? I shouldn’t have let my guard down.

Tension grew between the twins. Mika balled his hands into fists on top of the glass tabletop. He looked like he was ready to explode.

“Or it could be she likes Mika’s cooking so much, she cried tears of joy,” Darious said, grinning. He was enjoying this too much.

This new idea had Mika perking up. “You like my cooking?”

So he really did cook this. By the way he was smiling, Ava could tell if she said yes he’d hang this over her for the rest of her life. So she played it cool and took a sip of her orange juice. “The polenta tastes okay, but I’ve had better.”

Mika’s smile grew larger into a conniving smirk. “You are a horrible liar.” He turned towards Darious, saying in the Ama tongue, “Gio said she looks away when she lies.”

“And you have sweaty palms.” Ava turned towards Sam to add, “I had to wipe my hands after every stop during our shopping trip.”

Mika stood so fast the chair fell back and crashed. “You witch.”

“Mika!” Darious snapped. It took Ava by surprise, hearing him lash out like that.

“Don’t look at me. She’s the one who’s trying to pick a fight.” Mika rudely pointed his finger, which Ava ignored and went back to eating.

If she was already poisoned, then eating the rest of her breakfast may as well be considered her last meal. She cut into the egg and blended the yolk with her meat. “I just said I didn’t like your polenta. You’re the one who got butt-hurt over it…”

Drops of blood dyed the egg yolk red. A few more drops stained the polenta, one dripped onto the rim of Ava’s plate. She wiped her chin. Fresh crimson stained her fingers and hand. Her nose was bleeding.

The gods are coming for you.

Mika shoved a napkin under her nose, a worried expression replaced his temperament. Quickly, she took the napkin and pressed it close. Blood dyed the cloth scarlet. She couldn’t believe he’d reach across the table just to help her, not when they’ve been arguing. This guy was a mystery.

“Are you okay? Should we call your healer?” Darious asked. Mika was in the kitchen, wetting a washcloth. Sam was by his side grabbing a dry towel.

Ava tried laughing it off. “I’m fine. I’m sure it’s from having this crazy dream about that demon man last night. It feels like I barely slept a wink.”

Sam gasped and dropped the towel by her feet. “You dreamed about the Reaper? While you slept next to me!”

Mika traded her soiled napkin with a wet washcloth. “Did you look into his eyes? Did you speak to him?”

“Will you guys stop freakin’ out? It was just a nightmare. Okay. The stress is just getting to my head,” Ava said, more so to convince herself, but when Sam gave her the towel to dry her clean face, his grim expression told the opposite.

“What did he say to you?” Darious asked, his hands folded under his chin in contemplation. “A reaper never shows themselves unless they have a message to convey.”

She pressed the towel closer. Like a music box, the demon man’s hypnotic voice played through her mind. It twisted her heart and soul. Even as she said the words out loud, it felt like he was in the room. “The gods are coming for you and they will not be kind.”

Darious abruptly stood and walked over to the bookcase. His long finger scanned the bark spines until he plucked one book out. “We need to cast away the connection she has with the Reaper before…”

He went quiet as he reached for a small wooden box off the top shelf. She didn’t like how quiet he got.

Sam pulled his chair over towards the center of the living room. He sat Ava down and had her face the plain wall. She gripped the edges with uncertainty. “Was he really a reaper?”

He paused for too long. “Yes.”

She met his gaze, and for the first, in a long time, asked, “Am I going to die?”

“Under my watch, you won’t,” he said with a confident smile. That was enough for Ava to believe it was true.

Darious opened the book and took Sam off to the side. They whispered. Ava could only make out a few words of reminders and I got this. Soon, Darious gave him the book, then pulled out his phone. He disappeared down the hallway, leaving them all alone.

And here she thought he would perform the spell. She kind of wished he did.

Sam got down on his knees. He drew out a large circle with Ama characters as its ring. “Wait. Hold on. What exactly are you guys doing?” Ava asked.

She stood. Mika pushed her back on the chair. “We’re casting a protection spell.”

Ava eyed him, still not convinced. Mika sighed, snatched the book off the floor and dropped it in her lap. The bark felt even smoother in her hands. There was so much going on with this one page, she focused on the circle with Ama characters dead center on the sheet of paper. The handwriting was messy, but still easy to read.

Mika pointed to a character written down the top corner. “This says protection.”

He could have easily lied to her, but he didn’t. Ava knew exactly what it said—she could read their language—but Mika didn’t know this. “How do I know you’re not lying to me and will curse me, instead?”

“A curse requires blood as payment, while this spell requires energy,” he said. She cocked an eyebrow. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me then.”

“Okay, we’re ready.” Sam tossed the chalk to Mika. “Draw the symbol on her.”

Mika grumbled under his breath as he gently took her chin. This was nerve-wracking, letting someone who wasn’t Marc cast a spell on her, and it was Mika of all Ama. If this guy drew a different character, she was out of there. She wasn’t putting herself at risk for a secret.

The chalk pressed against her skin, feeling rough as it moved across her forehead and drew out the character for protection. The tension left her body instantly, and for once, she relaxed since waking up in this living room.

“Why the forehead?” Ava asked when he finished.

“It’s where the soul dwells.”

That explained why the Reaper kept hovering his hand near her head. Yet, it didn’t make it any less eerie.

Mika snatched the book from Ava’s hands and teleported to Sam’s side. As Sam put the book back, Mika held his left hand out, a blue glow radiated from his two joined fingers. She became nervous, tightly gripped the edge of the chair until their eyes met.

There was something about his gaze that drew her in. It was like staring into the eyes of someone who accomplished the impossible. It was both daunting and reassuring.

He cut through the air, activating the spell. Soft blue light blossomed from each character on the floor. They slithered towards Ava like snakes, winding themselves around her legs, up her torso, and into her forehead. It was cool to the touch, reminiscent of when Marc placed the curse mark on the back of her neck.

Except this time, there was no pain.

“There. That should keep the Reaper’s spirit out for now. Just don’t look into another reaper’s eyes and we won’t have a problem,” Sam stated.

Spirits? Reapers had souls? This was too much. It felt like stones were being thrown at her with all this new information, but this was a threat she couldn’t run away from. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, to hide under her safety blankets, she needed to hear the truth, even if it hurt her.

Darious walked out from the hallway, stopping in front of Ava to inspect her forehead. He wiped away the residue, leaving cold traces on her skin. “Are the gods actually real? They’re not just some made-up childhood story?” Ava asked.

His eyes narrowed like he was scrutinizing her. “Yes, they are real and the most dangerous beings you will ever encounter,” he stated, then walked back to the bookshelf. “Marc should never have kept it a secret from you to begin with.”

Each word chipped at her heart. It was hard to breathe. It was harder to swallow the truth, knowing that Marc had been keeping this secret from her for ten whole years.

Marc never once suggested these legends could be real. He probably had a good reason why he never told her, but the betrayal was there. And it hurt.

“Then you must know why they’re after me. Or at least something. Anything. Right?”

Ava was still hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, she could find some answers about who she was, where she came from, and why she lost control.

They silently glanced at each other, speaking a language Ava couldn’t hear. When Darious finally opened his mouth, it wasn’t the answer she expected. “Your weapon. Do you know where it originates?”

“From Amaranthine. It’s part of the peace treaty you have with Earth. In exchange for not bringing the Ama into the war, you gave the UFE my weapon and the technology to create me so I could use it.”

“What we gave you is a god's weapon.”

The gods are coming for you.

Ava stood. “What the hell do you mean—”

Trumpets pierced through the room.

She covered her ears. Screams crawled out of her throat as the sound got louder. The ground shook, getting worse as the noise progressed through the floor into the ceiling. She fell to her knees, heart hammered inside her chest.

There was a pop.

Energy descended in waves from the ceiling to the floor where they all fell. Darious tried standing back up, using the couch chair for support. The barrier—she couldn’t feel it anymore. It was gone. The energy completely vanished.

Ava summoned her weapon. It was heavier than usual, adding weight to the knowledge that this was a god's weapon. Were they here?

Sam heaved on the floor as Mika rubbed his back. Ava scanned the room. The glass table shattered, leaving sharp daggers mixed in spoiled food. Some books fell off the shelf, a few ripped open from their bounded bark.

Screeching metal echoed from the hallway, dragging across the wall with each step. The lights blacked out above. Ava shifted her Bō into a sword and prepared for the worse.

It stopped. A stilled silence fell upon them.

Darious unsheathed Ava’s knife as the twins stood back to back, a hand up in the air, waiting. Ava pressed against the wall. Vivid memories of last night’s dream resurfaced: The demonic hallway, the Reaper’s grin, and the way his voice bewitched her like a puppet.

Childish giggles sent goosebumps down her spine. Fear told her not to look, but she did. The Black Rabbit grinned through the wall.

Their arm wrapped around Ava’s neck. She grabbed and clawed their sleeve. Darious threw the knife at the rabbit’s mask, but he was too slow. They yanked Ava through the wall and threw her to the floor in the open foyer. The knife clattered on the marble.

She rolled to a stop, hitting a pile of body parts in front of her door. Blood drained from the two guards with severed necks. They deserved better than to die like this.

The Black Rabbit pressed their hand against the wall, emitting energy into the stucco. It took over the area, surrounding them in a personal barrier.

The rabbit took one step before disappearing. And popped up from behind.

They kicked her to the ground, and smacked the Bō out of her grip. Pounding came from the twins’ room and Ava’s home, their echoes collided. Whatever magic this villain used trapped everyone inside. Ava wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing, yet.

The Black Rabbit’s crystal blade gleamed rainbow jewels as Ava’s Bō brought shadows in her hands. They struck hard. Ava blocked the sword and slammed further into the marble. A crack broke under her spine and under the rabbit’s boots.

Fuck that hurt. They were stronger than she predicted. She had to find a way out before they broke her. Clenching her teeth, Ava slid her Bō across their blade, metal screeching against metal. Their blade stabbed into the floor, inches from her head. Pain cut her ear, but there was no time to feel, only time to act.

She slammed her palm on the floor, hoping to bring up the earth and release the ability she once had before.

Nothing happened. Yet, the Black Rabbit backed away in quick strides.

They anticipated her next move. But how did they know? It wasn’t an ability she often used since it required so much energy, which could only mean one thing.

Their swords clashed. Ava knocked the Black Rabbit’s blade off and rolled out of the way this time. Their crystal sword crashed down, breaking up the marble completely. That could have been her.

Ava hopped up. In pinpoint seconds, the tip of the rabbit’s blade stabbed at her front with a fluid motion. Thanks to her slippery socks she dodged them one after the other with ease. Until the rabbit disappeared once more.

She quickly scanned the perimeter and caught the tail end of their cloak. She stepped back, shifting her sword once more. A kunai cut her healed cheek. Another one tried cutting her side. She knocked it down with her double-headed spear, waiting for the crystal sword to meet her a third time.

It didn’t. They came at Ava with another kunai. And as she dodged it, they ditched their crystal sword.

The Black Rabbit snickered under their mask, held a hand up to its twisted grin. A rush of anger flooded her veins and grip, face turned completely red. They were toying with her this entire time. That pissed her off to no end.

They met her side at last. Ava stabbed the spear through the air, aiming for their torso and neck. Using two small knives, they blocked her attacks. The longer Ava fought, the more adrenaline rushed through her veins.

They were light on their feet, she had trouble keeping up. They stopped teleporting long ago, but still kept a steady pace, while she grew tired from the long fight. But she kept going. She had to find out who this was.

The tip of their knife slashed across Ava’s forehead. They got too close.

Her sword slammed against the floor, cracks bloomed further. It gave them a smoke screen, exactly what she wanted. Ava swung her leg back and met their torso in anticipation.

They crashed to the ground, knives knocked out of their hands. She was on top of them in seconds, pinned them down with her knees and snatched a knife off the floor.

She stabbed the blade right into their stomach, twisting it further in. Crimson pooled at her grip as they emitted a deep and unsteady laugh. “You’re still so quick to stab.”

Ava yanked the Black Rabbit mask off their face.

She froze and stared at the criminal and his wicked smile. It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t a dream. His image was more than clear. It was real.

Orange majestic curls, sun-kissed freckles scattered like millions of stars. His dimples deepened in the sides of his pink thin lips. Those mischief honeydew eyes. He appeared to be the same age as Ava, young and youthful like the day he died, but that was impossible.

All of this was impossible.

“Junipea?”