After school I was walking to the school bus when Jared's Jeep pulled up beside me, and I stopped as he got out of the driver's side.

"Get in," he commanded in a voice that didn't leave room for argument. I crossed my arms and shot him a glare.

"Please," he added in a softer tone before I relented and followed his order. He closed the door shut before he walked around and climbed back into the driver's side. I looked at him expectantly, but he kept his eyes fixed on the road in front of him as he started up his car.

"We need to talk," he told me as he started to drive.

The tell-tale sign that he was agitated was the continuous tap of his fingers against the steering wheel. He remained completely silent. It wasn't long before we pulled up in front of my house and he switched the car off.

"Can we talk inside?" he asked, nodding his head in the direction of my house. I shrugged and got out of his car and walked to my house. I opened the door and invited him inside, dropping my school bag in the hallway before I walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want something to drink?" I offered. I opened the cupboard and got myself a glass out.

"No thanks," he replied as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

I poured myself some water in a glass and took a sip before putting it back down again on the kitchen counter, looking at him expectantly.

"Okay, what do we need to talk about?" I asked. My patience was running out.

"I don't want you going out with Andrew anymore," he stated as his eyes bore into me.

"Excuse me?" I asked when I got over the initial surprise of what he'd said. At first I thought he was joking, but his serious features told me otherwise.

"You heard me," he said with a determined look.

I couldn't believe it. Who did he think he was?

"You don't get to tell me who I get to go out with," I informed him as the anger began to build inside of me. He didn't get to control me!

"I need you to keep a low profile," he explained. His features softened slightly.

"Why?" I was agitated. There was something up.

"The Hue that you saw the other night are still in town. For some reason they haven't left yet. It's easier keeping an eye on you at school and I can post someone to watch over you outside your house. You're going to have to keep your after-school outings to a minimum; nonexistent would be better," he explained calmly, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I don't understand why you need to keep an eye on me," I said, feeling unsettled that he felt he needed to protect me. Why was I in danger? I wasn't one of them so why would I be a target?

He let out a sigh. "I don't know for sure that I was the only one who saw you at the clearing. So until they leave, I need you to be careful."

"Oh." If one of the Hue had seen me, would that put me in danger?

"I'm not trying to scare you," he assured me. My fear must have been evident in my widened eyes. "I just need you to be a little more careful until they're gone."

"Okay," I managed to say. Despite his words, he'd managed to scare me. I remembered what Jared was capable of. The scene from the clearing replayed in my mind. If the Hue did the same to me, I wouldn't be getting up and walking away from it with just a burn mark on my shirt.

"I think it's also time to tell the others that you know about us," he said, watching me for my reaction, and it was hard to not feel frightened of what their response would be. I was pretty sure Felicity wasn't going to be thrilled about it.

"Why?" I asked, suddenly feeling an anxious twist in my stomach. I brushed a stray hair out of my face.

"They can help keep an eye on you at school." Well, when he put it like that it sounded like a brilliant idea.

"All right," I said.

"I think it's also a good idea if you come over tonight when we all meet up. My mom and the others will want to meet you," he told me as his eyes scanned my face. "You don't have to be scared. No one will harm you."

I don't know what made me believe him. Was it his words, or the tone that he said them in that made me feel like he meant it? I was pretty sure I'd need protecting from Felicity. She'd never liked me from the start and this would just add to it. Perhaps I was lucky she was the only one who was human and didn't have the power to zap me.

"What time do you want me to come over?" I asked.

"Seven," he said.

"I'll see you then," I said, nodding my head before he turned and left. The front door shut as he left the house.

A nervous fear settled in my stomach. I was scared that their enemy, the Hue, might be after me, and I was nervous as to how the Archaic would react to me finding out I knew their secret. I gripped my glass and lifted it to my lips to gulp some water down. I set the glass back down on the counter and took a deep breath in and held it for a while before releasing it.

*******

Anne arrived home at six. It was late so we made sandwiches and salad.

"So how was your day?" she asked.

"It was okay." I couldn't tell her that because I'd discovered a secret my life could be in danger. Just the thought of a Hue attacking me with a bolt of energy was enough to send a shiver of fear down my spine.

To ensure my safety I would do as Jared asked and make sure I didn't go out after school. The part of me that didn't want to believe the reality of the danger soothed me with the thought that maybe Jared was just overreacting. Discovering that the Archaic and the Hue existed had made my life complicated and with that the fear that there would be repercussions for my knowledge of their existence.

I had a quick shower and dressed casually in a pair of jeans with a white T-shirt with sneakers. I tied my hair back in a ponytail and threw my favorite blue hoodie on, since the weather was still cold. It reminded me suddenly that I still had Jared's hoodie, so I got it out of my closet so that I could give it back to him. I made up some excuse to Anne about having to get some notes from Jared. She bought it hook, line and sinker.

My nerves set in just before seven when I walked up to his front door. I could hear voices coming from inside the house. I hesitated for a moment, trying to build up the courage to face a room full of mutated humans before I knocked.

A beautiful woman opened the door. She smiled at me and said, "You must be Ava." She ushered me in with a warm and friendly smile. She was smartly dressed in a suit jacket and matching skirt with a white blouse and black high heels.

"I'm Catherine, Jared's mom," she introduced herself. She was open and friendly. I could see the family resemblance. She had long, wavy black hair and the same shade of green eyes that Jared had.

The hallway was empty. All the activity was coming from the living room that was just off to the right side of the hallway. My nervousness increased. If I didn't have Jared's hoodie in my hands, I would have been twisting my hands nervously. I took a hesitant step toward the room before I stopped. I couldn't do this—I was too scared.

At that moment, Jared walked out of the living room and nearly walked straight into me.

"You're here," he said, and I nodded my head. Had he expected me to chicken out? His eyes went to his mom, who motioned for us to go into the living room.

"Here's your hoodie that you lent me the other night," I said as I handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said, taking it and putting it down on the small table in the hallway. "Everyone's here."

He waited for me to follow him, but I hesitated.

"It'll be fine. There's nothing to be scared of," he assured me. Anyone in their right mind would be scared.