At first, I thought no other murders had happened after Minho and the Zeus thing.

But there did, and I can't tell anyone.

Ares took action, the God of war. The victim got killed by just a pair of fists.

Indie told me her mother called to let her know her father, Thomas's grandfather, was dead.

And according to Indie, I can't tell Thomas. She's afraid he'll feel guilty for sending them away.

Finn's words keep coming back to me. About Aris, or whoever the killer is, killing to protect me.

I don't want people to lose their lives only because of me.

"Earth to Viviette." Minho's hand waves across my vision. "You pretending you're in a video clip or something?"

"Just because I'm staring out of the window does not mean..." I trail off when I realize it will only make him laugh.

About three weeks after Thanksgiving, we got winter break, so we're now on our way to that hut in the mountains.

Guess who thought it would be funny to sit in the middle of this car, while he knew damn well Thomas and I planned to sit next to each other.

Anyway, there are three cars. In one of them sit Mom and Dad. In another one Thomas's parents, Thomas, Minho, and I.

In the third one, Finn, Aris, Sonya, and Newt! They were somehow allowed to come with us.

"I hate you," I tell Minho.

"But you love me," he replies as he takes his headphones out of his bag. "Don't talk to me from now on," and he puts them on his head.

"Wait," Dan quickly interrupts. "I want to go through some... rules the parents made up."

Minho groans. "Did Newt's parents take part in that?"

"They think they did, but we have crossed most of them out," Dan explains. "First of all, every night, someone else cooks. First day me, for example, then Thomas, then Vi, et cetera. You're free to ask someone for help but don't force them. Got it?"

"I can't cook for shit," Minho says.

"That's why you can ask for help. Next, you will also help with the dishes. Everyone will. Please don't make too much noise when everyone's asleep either, or—"

Minho's eyebrows scrunch. "Why are you looking at me? Tell your son and his girlfriend."

"Minho—"

"Hey, hey. Calm. This is meant towards everyone." But even with those words, Dan does give Thomas a very pointed look. "As you said in your PowerPoint, slide number—"

He rolls his eyes. "Blah blah, no devilish things, I know."

Dan sighs. "Good—"

"Because it's not like my upcoming sibling was unplanned or something," Thomas blurts out.

For a minute, everything is completely silent. Minho is holding on for dear life to not let out any kind of laugh and I'm preparing for Thomas to get his hit by his father or something, but then Dan just looks at his wife.

"Anything else I forgot to mention?"

"Don't think so. Normal rules that you follow at home count here, too."

☯︎︎

After a long drive, we've arrived at the hut. It's located high in the mountains. We look down on some kind of ski area. The snow is so thick that my whole shoe sinks into it when I walk, and I'm not even mentioning how cold it is.

Newt's lips are pursed together, as if he wants to say something but keeps it to himself while we walk towards the hut.

"Are you okay?"

"At what time is dinner?" He blurts out. "I'm starving."

I shrug. "Mom! When's dinner?"

"We arrived three seconds ago and you're asking me about the freaking dinner? Patience!"

"Sorry," Newt mutters to me.

"It's fine. We'll get you a sandwich or something. It's only four o'clock."

I bet he doesn't get much food at home. Thomas once told me about the whole maximum amount they get and it's nothing more or less.

"No." Quickly, he shakes his head. "I'll wait. I don't want to—"

"Hey." I take ahold of his shoulders. "I said I'd give you a sandwich. You can get as many sandwiches as you want and no one will care if you aren't hungry for dinner. Really, eat whatever, drink whatever, do whatever." I spot Sonya beside us. "And you, too."

Both of their cheeks get a bit red. Matches with their noses, which have gotten a color due to the cold. Little drops of snow have made their way onto their hair. Like this, with the matching scarfs, they look alike so much.

Dad clicks the door of the hut open with a key, and warmth greets us like a soft blanket. Three seconds later, everyone has hurried inside.

The hut is more like a complete wooden house. There's multiple fireplaces spread around the gigantic living room. The kitchen is big enough for at least five people to cook in. There's some kind of door that leads to a basement— it only takes two steps down to reach.

Along with that, there's two more rooms. Finn has claimed one of them and asked if Aris wanted the other one, which means the rest of us will sleep upstairs.

There is a long hallway with doors on both sides. At the end of the hallway, behind the corner, there are two more rooms.

"We can get those. Will be easier to sneak into each other's room," I whisper to Thomas, while all of us stand in the hallway.

"Or," Thomas begins, "We ask Sonya and Newt for a favor. They need to share a room but I'm sure they'd appreciate it a lot more if Sonya gets your room, so you can sleep in mine. Then Newt and Sonya won't have to share."

"But the parents won't allow that," I murmur. "Mom told me specifically I wouldn't be the one sharing a room, and didn't your Dad tell you, too?"

"Yeah, but he knew I was gonna sneak into your room. He allowed that."

Funny how my dad and Thomas's mom don't give a single shit about what we do, but my mom and his dad do care a lot.

Dan's still pretty chill, though. He's not very stern and he understands us quite well. Like, he understands kids in general.

"We can share a room in secret. No one will have to know," Thomas then says. He leans closer to the Blaze siblings. "Hey, y'all mind if you don't share a room so Vi and I can?"

"As long as you keep quiet at night," Newt whispers dryly.

Offended, Thomas turns to me. "Why does everyone always immediately think we get nasty?"

"Who's everyone?"

"Our parents, Newt, Ben, Minho— everyone."

I shrug. "I don't know."

Sonya steps closer. "Because there is a certain way y'all look at each other."

"In love, yeah."

"More like you're imaging the other naked."

"I— what?"

Thomas and I share a glance, both our faces bright red.

"We don't imagine that," we say in unison.

I really don't. I swear on my life, I don't imagine him like that. Not in normal situations at least, jeez.

"But do we have a deal?"

"Sure, man. Whatever." Sonya shrugs.

We quickly claim the room behind the corner, all the way in the back. There's the least chance of getting caught.

And it has a bathroom, God yes. Private one just for us.

We unpack and settle in our room, mostly in silence. Thomas puts a few things on the nightstand and I start organizing my clothes in the closet.

"We're here for like ten days and you brought a lot of clothes. It will be a pain in the ass to remove all your clothes from the closet and put them back in your bag at the end again. I'd spare time and just keep them in your bag," he suggests.

"No," I say. "You will be the one who puts them back in my bag, so I don't have to worry about it at all."

I can feel him roll his eyes. "Anyway, this is pretty fun, isn't it? The sneaky crap?"

"You're too optimistic for your own good." I chuckle a bit, shaking my head.

Ten minutes later, we've finished doing pretty much everything, and we meet Sonya and Newt on the couch downstairs.

"Settled in already?" Newt asks, a faint smile on his lips.

"Yeah. Thanks for the room swap," Thomas replies. "I'm glad y'all are here, by the way."

"Us, too," Sonya says. "It was highly necessary. When I'm eighteen, I swear I'm going to rush away as fast as I can. I'm already trying to make money."

"Y'all are free to stay at mine whenever y'all want. Might as well come live with me. It's probably way better," Thomas says.

"If only we just could." Newt lets go of a sigh. "But we can't. Sometimes I wonder if they'd change if we just run away for a couple of weeks. If they would be even sterner when we come back, or very kind."

Sonya shrugs. "Either way, they'll be the same in the end. There isn't a lot we can do."

I don't know what I would do. Maybe, at some point, I'd also get so miserable I'd just run away with my siblings.

"Did your father find out about the rum yet?" Thomas mumbled very, very quietly to Newt.

Newt shakes his head. "But he will. Soon."

I feel my heart sink. What will be the consequences of that? I hope they realize what they're doing to their kids and that they will stop whatever controlling system they have, but they likely won't.

Before our conversation can continue, Minho barges into the living room, his headphones around his neck. "Dinner's almost ready," he announces. "But we need to get some wood for the fireplace first. Let's go outside."

The five of us walk over to the hallway. Put on our coats. I reach for my hat while Thomas is already opening the door—

"Hey, hey." I pull him back. "What do you think you're doing? You need a hat and a scarf and gloves. You'll freeze and I don't want a boyfriend with a cold for the rest of the week."

"We're only outside for ten min— okay," he mutters when I've already placed the blue hat on his head, followed by his scarf and gloves. I can proudly say I made all of them.

"You look adorable," I tell him. The hat almost comes to his brows and the scarf covers his mouth. His eyes are squinty but bright, nearly twinkling. And his cheeks have gained a pinkish color because of the cold.

Yet he pulls a face. "Adorable?"

"Mhm." With a big smile, I move the scarf so I can reach his lips, place a kiss on there, and then adjust the scarf correctly again.

For a second, his eyes close. "Okay, I'll look 'adorable' only to get that."

"You're crazy." But I place more kisses all over his face. I can't help it—

"Jesus freaking Christ, can we go?" Finn asks.

"Shut up, jealous boy."

"I'm not jealous," he repeats once again.

"You are," pretty much everyone says.

He throws his hands in the air. "I literally have a girlfriend. Why the hell would I be jealous of my little sister?

A whole bunch of gasps. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"What's her name?"

"Do I know her?"

He rolls his eyes. "Let's go get the wood."

Slowly, everyone makes their way outside, but I linger around Finn. "Tell me everything," I urge. 

"No. It's not your business."

"Ah, so it's a lie."

"No."

"Yes. Unless you tell me her name."

He mutters something inaudible.

"Repeat that."

"Sylvia," he says, still mumbling.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"This exact reason. The explosion of questions. And our... relationship is still new, so I didn't want to dive straight into it, you know?"

"But something was going on at Thanksgiving already, right?"

"Yeah. I already liked her back then. We confessed not longer than two weeks ago."

I am nearly jumping on my place, that's how excited I am. "Where did you meet her?"

"She's one of the 'nurses' after boxing games. Makes sure everything is alright. Gives me ice packs, if needed. Things like that."

I haven't been to many games of Finn, purely because I can't stand watching all that. He says he doesn't mind, because Minho and Dad do always show up. And if no one shows up, he says, he doesn't care either. He does it for fun, not for the crowd.

"Ohh. What's she like?"

"It's hard to explain in words. You'll just have to meet her, I guess."

"Is she nice?"

"Nicer than you, and I didn't know that was possible."

Yes, yes, yes! Finn meets sunshiny girl did happen.

"I'd love to meet her," I announce. "As soon as possible. What's her style? I need to make a present. Does she like bows? She sounds like she likes bows."

"I haven't said not even five things about her and you somehow assume she likes bows?"

"Well, does she?"

"Sure."

"I knew it." I clap in my hands. "This is awesome! I've got Thomas, Minho has Evie, and you got Sylvia! All three are absolutely awesome. I'm so proud of you."

"Proud of me for getting a girlfriend?"

"Yes." I now actually make a little jump. "I'm very happy for you."

"I can tell," he says gruffly.

"Are you not happy?"

"Of course I'm happy."

"Act like it."

"I am acting like it."

Yeah, in his own way.

But how did he manage to keep this to himself so well? I swear those psychological books make him a good liar.

"Help!" Sonya comes running towards us. "They're stripping!"

"Who?"

I give Finn a look. "Who do you think?"

Happy screams and yelps come from a distance. Soon, I see the three of them, pushing each other in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other, and diving in there themselves.

I think they have a thing for walking around in their boxershorts.

Though right now, they're not even drunk.

Which I think means that eventually, they will be.

I'd bet on it.

Yay, putting another drunk and dirty Thomas in the shower as he says the craziest stuff.

But I'll let it happen, I guess. Newt barely ever seems to have fun at home, I will not baby my little brother, and Thomas will, somehow, survive.

"Hello." Speaking of him, he appears in front of me, grinning. Patches of snow sit on his bare skin, now even redder from the cold. "Do you want a hug?"

"No, tha— Thomas!" He has already wrapped his arms around me. And then we fall, directly into the snow. In fact, he dares to fall on top of me, so I nearly drown— if that's possible in snow.

He bursts out laughing so loudly that it affects me. I'm soon laughing, too. I clutch around him. The tears that run down my face from laughing feel cold. "You did that on purpose!" I cry out. "I'm freezing now!"

"I've always liked ice cream."

"Cheesy," I reply.

He collides our lips with such force that we lower a few more inches into the snow. I can feel it soaking my clothes, the coolness of it making me gasp.

With a hum, which vibrates against my lips, he lets go. "Okay, now we need a quick shower before dinner."

"But we need to spare time."

"Yes. So we do it together."

"But you better keep those boxers on."

"Yes, ma'am," he teases. "By the way, Minho, Newt, and I are making a fire outside soon. In a few days, in the evening."

"—and you're going to steal alcohol to get drunk and do crazy things again," I finish.

"Bingo."