Once I was done with breakfast, which was so not less embarrassing than last night, I tried calling my mother.

It hadn't been that bad though, now that I think about it. The breakfast, I mean. I kind of loved the company of all these boys. They felt like a family to me.

A very embarrassing family.

"Mom, why don't you pick up on the first ring?" I asked her the moment she answered the call.

"Well, I had to learn something from you." She sounded highly sarcastic. "I was busy. Why are you calling from school?"

I looked outside from the glass doors, at the beautiful, lavish garden. "I'm not at school."

"Why?"

"There's this College Fair happening. I don't need to be there." Then I added in just as quickly before she could've interrupted, "I called to ask you something. When will you guys be coming back?"

I heard her blowing out a sigh before hearing the shuffling of something that sounded like papers to me.

"Tonight, I guess." She said. "Since your cat seems to only be sulking around without you."

I felt my heart melting into a pink, glittery mess.

"I told you she'd die without me." I pointed out. She might not, I told myself. But I loved Chicken enough to die without her. "I'll see you soon then."

When I was done with the phone call, I joined the others back in the lounge and sat down beside Adrian on the couch. Who, now that I noticed, was busy wiping a very sharp dagger along the couch's arm. Its pointed edge reminded me of the numerous knives I had seen back in that basement.

I looked up and saw that Caden wasn't here. Neither was Shane.

"Who's Kevin?" I blurted out, apparently taking all three of them by surprise.

Jesse, who was sprawled on the opposite couch, eyed me with a grin. "Someone who shouldn't be messed with, tiger."

I frowned at his words, not really satisfied with his answer. And maybe Seth saw that on my face. I realized that he was really good at reading faces.

"Blake's father," Seth said.

"Blake's father?" My voice rose up a notch.

Adrian was now admiring the knife in his hand when he added, "His biological father."

I was left a little stunned. The name had been going on and on in my head ever since Alex mentioned him. But no way in hell had I thought that he was...Blake's real father.

"Why are you asking about him, though?" Jesse inquired, raising a brow.

"Just curious." However, the grin he passed me after that clearly told me that he didn't believe me. "Is Blake involved with him?"

"When is Blake not involved with him?" Adrian asked, and since he was sitting right beside me, I noticed the swirls of black ink crawling up his bicep, almost the exact same shade as his charcoal-black eyes.

"What do you mean?"

All I got as a response to that was a helpless shrug. None of them made a move to add to it, almost as if dismissing the topic. And that made me even more curious. I knew there was more to this Kevin guy than they were telling me.

It almost seemed like they couldn't talk about him. Weren't allowed to. Which was just odd. Unless Caden had asked them not to.

I remained silent after that, a bit too lost in my thoughts. I didn't really care what they were talking about, at least not until all three of them started staring at me.

"What?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"How many guys have you exactly dated, Skylar?" Jesse asked with a narrowed look. Before I could've said anything, he added, "First Alexander Carter and now Blake Matthews?"

I opened my mouth in surprise, but Seth beat me to it, letting out a sound that was somewhat between a strangled noise and a laugh. "I thought Alexander was your best friend?"

I was more than glad that Caden wasn't here.

"He is. I never dated any of them." I spoke up in disbelief. "Why are you all so interested in my personal life?"

"They are very protective of Caden," Adrian whispered in my ear, which again wasn't meant as a whisper.

I looked down at the sharp knife which was very much pointed towards me now. When Adrian realized what he was doing, he let out a sheepish laugh and backed away. "Sorry."

I narrowed my eyes back at Jesse. "I'm not even dating Caden."

Another sly grin spread across his lips. Knowing what was about to come my way, I stood up instantly. "I'll be in the backyard." I glared at Jesse who broke into a muffled laugh, his face pressed into the cushion. "I just need some fresh air."

When I exited from the familiar backdoor, I realized that the backyard did not seem so scary in the morning. It was actually peaceful out here and I could see the woods surrounding the house a bit better now. The woods were still creepy, but not so much as they were last night.

I took out my phone then and scrolled through my contacts. My finger unconsciously hovered over Alex's name. A part of me wanted to call him. I wanted to know where he was.

What if Blake's gang had caught up with him? What if they did something to him?

It was that exact moment when I felt a presence behind me. When I turned around a little too abruptly, it was just Caden.

"The redhead's back at school." He said, leaning against the doorframe. "Shane told me that." He held my stare for the next few seconds before adding, "With a black eye."

I could not believe Brody was back at school. Was he still looking for me?

"I didn't think you could do punches." He said in a voice that sounded very much impressed.

"Well, I did tell you that I could." I raised my brows, trying and failing to hide the smile from my lips. I sucked at throwing punches, believe me. "Or maybe it was just the anger."

I saw him taking a step towards me, nearing closer. And out of absolutely nowhere, I felt sudden nervousness clawing at my insides.

"We need to go back now if you want to see that video." The words came out in a rush. "My...my parents will be back home tonight."

He blinked a little in surprise, confused, then spoke up slowly. "All right."

I didn't know I was holding my breath until I finally exhaled.

•••••

Once Caden was done watching the video, I looked at him eagerly. "Do you recognize this person?"

He looked at me with the same frown that had been there on his face from the very start--when I'd told him about the fate of that USB drive. When I'd pulled out my laptop. When I had started the video. "No."

I didn't know why I had expected him to recognise this person. To me, the man in that video was just that.

"Well, he clearly told us the exact location." I flopped down on my bed beside him. "We should get there before anyone else does."

"We?" He repeated the word like it was the strangest thing he'd heard all day.

I looked up at him, my eyes trailing across the strands of his hair almost falling over his forehead. "I'm assuming you'd come along with me if I go there," I stated sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

I knew he'd be the one to go there, now that he knew where to go. I also knew that he wouldn't want me to come along. But that was what he wanted. I wanted him to not go there alone.

"They'll follow us." He shook his head. "Taking you along would be dangerous."

As if I didn't already know that.

"I don't care," I stated.

"I do."

"Look, Caden, we are not arguing over this." I gave him a stern look. "I get to decide this time and you will go along with it, okay?"

He scrunched up his nose at me, almost as if he couldn't believe I had the guts to say that. "I don't take orders."

"You will this time. Because-" I looked up at the ceiling with a grin. "-it's me giving the order."

•••••

It was almost nighttime when Caden had to leave. And once again, I felt like I needed to stop him. Or maybe that was just me being awfully clingy.

"So we'll be going there tomorrow?" I asked as I trailed behind him and out of the house. He turned around to give me a sceptical look.

"Yeah. Tomorrow." I saw his eyes lingering on my face for a moment too long before he looked away. I found myself tugging onto my hoodie sleeves. Caden's hoodie.

"And you don't need this back?" I pointed over to the hoodie that I was wearing. Not like I was planning to give it back.

He looked back at me with traces of a smirk. "Let me rephrase that for you. Are you willing to give it back to me?"

"Nope." I shook my head.

"Do you know how big it looks on you?" He pointed out, his eyes raking over my whole form.

I crossed my arms, not caring about that in the slightest. Like I had said, this one hoodie was really soft. And something about it made me feel happy from the inside.

"I thought you were supposed to be like other guys and tell me how it looks better on me?" I asked.

He shook his head slightly before leaning down, dipping his head and placing a small kiss on my cheek.

"More like a chipmunk." He replied.

He turned around to leave when we both saw what we shouldn't have.

My mother.

And Chicken--who looked highly unbothered, unlike my mother. Mom eyed me, then Caden before surprisingly blowing out a sigh.

"Caden." She looked at him, and something about her dubious expression seemed to bother me. "And Skylar."

She couldn't possibly ground me when I had already told her about Caden, right?

"Mrs...Anderson." I heard Caden speak in front of me.

Chicken purred happily in response.

Not now, Chicks.

My mother was eyeing Caden with the same unnerving look. For some reason, something felt off between both of them, instead of between my mother and I.

"It's been quite long since I last saw you." Mom finally broke the tense silence.

What. The. Fuck.

Thankfully, I didn't say those three words out loud.

"It has been." Caden murmured.

"And you were just leaving?" Mom asked, walking over towards the front door, towards me.

"Yeah." He responded, turning towards us, without actually glancing at me. They both were treating me like I had gone invisible or something--except for Chicken, of course.

"Join us some other time then." Mom replied and then she gave him a small smile. Caden must've sensed the shock radiating off of me since he glanced at me. Then he took a step back, ready to leave.

"Sure." And then he was gone.

Meanwhile, Mom opened the front door and went inside with Chicken still in her hands. I looked back at the spot where Caden had been standing, not being able to get over anything that just happened in front of me.

"Skylar, come inside." I heard her voice.

This all was just too creepy.

Wasn't I supposed to introduce Caden to her? And my mother to him? Wasn't that how the first conversation was supposed to go?

When I broke off from the trance, I went back inside the house.

"Mom--"

"Don't rush."

"What do you mean don't rush?" I looked at her with wide eyes. "You were talking to him like you've known him since he was a child!"

She sat down on the couch, placing Chicken on the floor. Chicken happily ran over to my feet and when I couldn't have taken it anymore, I picked her up in my arms.

"Sit down, will you?" She asked. I noticed she wasn't in her work clothes. Her hair was once again up in a messy ponytail--which, let me tell you, happened once in a blue moon.

I slowly sat down on one of the dining chairs.

"I did know him since he was a child." She continued and my mouth fell open in surprise.

"What?"

"His parents..." She looked down at Chicken, then back at me. "...we were great friends, that's all."

Great friends.

That is what Mom had said when I'd asked her about that wooden box. Some dear friends had given that box to my parents.

"Did they..." I looked up at her. "Did they give you that wooden box?"

Mom stared at me for a while before nodding.

"Their lives were sworn over it," I whispered.

Mom gave out another sigh. "Their lives and many others."

Like that old man's brother who made that box.

I felt my mouth going dry when I realised why Mom had told me to stay away from Caden and his family matters. Of course.

"So you knew they were killed," I asked her. She just nodded in response. "And who killed them?"

"We don't know that, Sky. That's what your dad and I have been trying to find out for so long. But all of that stuff, it's very complicated." And she seemed genuine when she said that.

Complicated.

What was so complicated about that? Their house was burned down. Caden's parents died in that fire. And it was all Blake. Did they not know that?

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I never knew you both were that serious." She pointed out before going over towards the house phone.

"I told you that I like him," I said. "Didn't you listen to me?"

She muttered something under her breath, clearly more focused on the call she was making. Rolling my eyes, I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

"So, since you seem to know Caden so well, which is a good thing," I spoke up carefully. "I'll be going with him to Harrisburg tomorrow."

Part of me was expecting her to dodge it off just because she seemed so busy with making that phone call, but instead, she placed back the receiver and looked at me.

"Excuse me?"

"It's about that locker," I told her, carefully picking my words. "I got the wooden box opened and there was a USB drive in it."

She frowned at that as if she knew what drive I was talking about. She probably did, since I'd left its remains on the kitchen counter before even caring to throw it in the trash the next day.

I found myself telling her everything about that video then. Everything I had seen inside that drive, about those metal discoids, and even about that red crystal too.

"That's risky, Skylar." She concluded once I had told her everything. "The last metal discoid, do you know how precious that is?"

I just stared at her.

She pursed her lips at that. "It's the only way to get access to those centuries-old underground vaults. The vaults that contain fortunes." She did not seem happy when she said that. "You can get killed."

I didn't like how direct my mother was sometimes.

"Do you want the bad guys to get their hands on it then?" I asked her. She remained silent. "I'll be fine, Mom. Caden will be there with me."

She looked at me with furrowed brows.

I was literally counting down the seconds until the landline rang. Probably the same call that Mom had just cancelled.

"We'll talk about this after I get finished with the call." She stated before picking it up.

I suppose I had known it wouldn't be so easy.

______

Crystal 🌿