That delicate moment I'd shared with Adrian didn't last. He was still an annoying, arrogant prick. And I was still the wonderful bitch I was. But I definitely felt significantly more at ease around him.

We might have been...friends even.

But I doubt he would last in frienzone for long with those looks.

Anyways, the manor was extravagant. Wooden floors covered in Persian carpet, high ceilings and golden chandeliers. Beautiful paintings decorated the walls, each more beautiful than the other. A stone fireplace dominated the room, with the DeLuca family crest above. My room was equally opulent but I'm tired as fuck so I'll leave the description for later. It was across the library and had a canopy bed! I fell on it face first and within five seconds of hitting the soft mattress, I was dead to the world.

✴✴✴

The next morning I woke up with the sunrise. Everybody else was asleep. I walked down the mahogany stairs silently, the room was bathed in a faint golden light.

Music.

Someone was singing.

I followed the voice outside the manor and to a small orchard. Carelia DeLuca was tending to her plants and singing to herself. A golden retriever sat by her side. For some reason I felt as if I were intruding.

I stepped back.

"Chevron, cara, won't you join me?" She called. Her faint accent was significantly heavier.

I walked towards her, barefoot on the soft green grass that glittered in the golden light with diamond-like dewdrops.

She was standing in the middle of a clearing. Within seconds I was out of the web-like shadow of the tall trees in the dawn and was cocooned in warm, golden sunlight.

Carelia looked at me and smiled.

"Help me pick out some lemongrass, we have a party today." She said with a smile that I remembered my mother having. It instantly put me at ease. The dog came and sniffed me. I ran my fingers through its golden fur.

"That's H2SO4. Our family pet." She said.

"That's an...unusual name."

"We bought him during Adrian's exams. He was so focused on his studies that he named him whatever he could think of before returning to his books."

I laughed loudly and Carelia smiled.

"He can't stay away from him now."

I smiled and joined her, picking out the lemongrass and keeping them in the wicker basket she gave me.

"My Adrian has taken a liking to you,"she laughed," I better get to know you."

"Well, Adrian has an interesting way of showing it."

She smiled knowingly. "If he gives you his attention, he likes you. Most of the time he thinks people aren't worth his attention."

"We fight a lot."

"And I'm glad. As a child, he never even used to fight. He would just remain in his shell." She said rather guiltily.

Because his father was an abusive asshole and you let it happen.

She looked at me sadly, "I eavesdropped on your conversation yesterday."

I tried not to let my irritation show.

"Please don't be mad at me. It had been so long since Adrian has been so close to anyone, I don't want to make an enemy of my son's only friend."

"He has friends."

"He is civil towards people, he doesn't enjoy talking to them. He would have no problem stabbing them in the back."

There was a long moment of silence, and I did nothing to break it.

"I was afraid of him at one point." Carelia confessed.

I looked up.

"When my husband hit me, Adrian had had enough, he made sure he lost his hand, burned it off by spilling acid over it in panic. It was an accident, but the emotionless expression he had after that scared me."

"He did it to protect you!" I snarled. She was afraid of him. Did she think for one second that Adrian, the psychology major, wouldn't pick up on that? Did she think that it wouldn't hurt him that even she thought he was a monster?

"And I made a mistake, I should have fought back, I should have protected him. With his intelligence, he could have done so many other things, he could have helped people. But he used all of it to defend himself. To hurt people who were a threat."

"He's fine the way he is." I bit out.

"Vickram thought so, encouraged him. I should have made him stay. He packed his bags and left. He stayed in Adrian's room."

"He sent us a clue. He gave us the coordinates to a minor planet named Carelia. The clue was meant for him." I realized.

I heard footsteps on the grass behind me. H2SO4 ran behind. Adrian was rubbing his dogs ear and laughing as the dog greeted him. He was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, unlike in his usual suits and he looked quite playful and sexy and approachable. Not as intimidating. His hair stirred in the light sea breeze.

"Good morning, mother. Chevron, which wild beast was brave enough to make a home in your hair?" He addressed us in that velvet voice of his.

"Good morning Adrian, I see you were somehow able to sleep with that gigantic ego up your ass.

Adrian looked at his mother. "So I see that you've been spending time with the beautiful, charming Chevron. You have my sympathies."

"You have sympathy!?"

"For anyone forced to endure a conversation with you, sweetheart."

"We were bitching about you."

"Such a bad vocabulary, try again."

"We were in the middle of a discussion on all the wonderful attributes you possess."

He smirked. "Better. Mother, I need to borrow Chevron for a while." He said.

"Don't let him take me. My headache is already setting in." I pleaded to Carelia who just smiled and waved.

Adrian was already dragging me across the orchard by my arm.

"Ouch!"

He let go.

"I've been calling you for hours. I hate to break it to you, but at this stage, when someone goes missing I don't have the luxury of taking it easy. At least leave a note!" He lectured.

Damien, Isaac and Antonio were at the door looking pissed as fuck. Isaac gave me the cold shoulder. I was a little too terrified to provoke Antonio or Damien. Adrian ignored me the whole time.

Within seconds, the five of us were searching Adrian's room for clues Roy may have left behind. We found nothing. We looked for hours and hours.

But there had to be a clue. Roy wouldn't just leave like that.

I nearly flipped over a table in frustration.

"Dammit. I think he took off for good." Damien muttered.

"Possibile. But I saw his mess of a house. If he fled, he would have accidentally left something." Adrian mused.

Suddenly I remembered something.

"How old are you!?" I asked Adrian.

"Way older than you, little girl." He spat out I guess we were still sore about the disappearing act I pulled.

"Answer the damned question!"

"Twenty-three." He said, calmer than before.

"Three years isn't much. And thats means you were born in 1992." I said.

Surprise lit up Adrian's eyes. He had figured out what I had. He pulled out the scrap of paper.

Roy used to visit me every birthday, and when he couldn't, he would call from exotic places.

"Adrian, was Roy there for your first birthday?"