Nearly dying can do strange things to a person. 

To be alive one minute, breathing and thinking and the next, dead. There was no other word for what he'd been. Alexa hadn't told him much about what had transpired in Halfirr. He hadn't expected her to, but he'd hoped that maybe she trusted him more by now. They'd been through enough together. They were sitting in Mel's living room again, where she'd yelled at them for leaving her and demanded answers. This time he knew they weren't going to be able to lie their way out of this one. Well, Alexa couldn't. She couldn't lie. She could do a lot of things, but she couldn't lie. Melanie stalked in, a hot cup of mocha clutched between her fingers. She gripped it so tightly he was afraid the china would break.

"Miss Melanie"—

"Tell me what happened back there!" she shouted, her voice completely bulldozing Alexa's out of existence. His lips puckered, and he had to choke his laugh into his sleeve. His hands still felt cold, but he guessed that was the shock and whatever that magic Blott Rye had done to him. Magic. The concept of that existing still took some getting used to.

"Why do you guys look like you've been down a mineshaft? I want to know the truth. You appear in the middle of Manchester after moving away with this," she gestured to Alexa. "This Austen reject. Jake, please, what's happening?" He looked up but couldn't meet her gaze.

"I wish I could. Mel, even I don't know what's going on. All you need to know is that it's dangerous and I don't want you involved," he said. Hopefully, she'd take his answer. It was the most honest one she was ever going to get. Melanie slammed the cup onto the table and sighed. From next to him, Alexa leaned closer.

"We should leave Jake. I do not want to be a burden on this girl much longer. There is also the matter of Wolfie catching up," she reminded him. Oh, fantastic. He'd almost forgotten about her. Which was quite an achievement in itself to be fair.

"You're right," he said and stood up from the couch. His rucksack lay in the chair behind Mel. As he inched towards it, she gave him a hard stare.

"What are you doing?" This time it was his turn to sigh.

"Mel please, you don't understand"—

"Only cause' you won't tell me!" she snarled.

"Actually, she does have a point there," said Alexa.

"Shut up!" They chorused. Mel's hands scrunched into fists and Jake could see tears gathering.

"Please, just tell me what's going on". She moved to wipe her sleeve over her face. Inch by inch, he slid towards the rucksack, and managed to reach behind her and grab it. Then he peered over at Alexa. Maybe the link worked two ways. Maybe he could start a conversation with it. Not that he wanted to exactly, but it was starting to seem like the only option they had.

Alexa? Alexa, can you hear me? Immediately, she met his gaze and nodded.

"Well Jake?" Mel pressed. "What's going on?"

Can you use that Alteration again? So Mel forgets us and she won't be in danger? His words only received a blank stare. In his mind, a wall of thorns sprung up. Was Alexa sending him images now? Jeez, that wasn't right. He tried to ask again, but she stood up, walking across the room. She stopped and put her hand on Mel's shoulder.

"Melanie, you must understand that we cannot tell you. You are such a bright girl and I for one do not want to put you in danger. If you want to help us, then let us leave and forget we were ever here," she said. Mel's face fell.

"But you guys are my friends. Real friends, who don't lie. You can't go". She wrapped her arms around Alexa. To his surprise, Alexa returned the embrace. It seemed like time froze itself long enough for them to say goodbye. Sniffing, Mel began to smile.

"Thank you for letting us stay here," Jake said softly. "And good luck with the exams". Mel leant to pick up the cup and walked to the kitchen.

"Good luck to you too," she called over her shoulder. A second later, she disappeared from view. Jake took the opportunity to thank Alexa and finished gathering up their things.

"Did you guys want some food for the road? It's a long way to London from here," came Mel's voice from the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure. Thank you," he said. Alexa beamed. The sound of a cup clattering into the sink could be heard, followed by the opening of a cupboard. Then silence. They waited in the living room – Alexa started pacing after only the first two minutes. But after the first five minutes, he started getting a little worried.

"Does food normally take this long to procure?" Alexa asked.

"No. That's the problem". He crept towards the kitchen, the bag held aloft behind him, ready to hit someone with. Mel was probably just processing all the strange things that had happened tonight. He didn't blame her. Part of his mind was still processing too.

"Is she alright?" said Alexa from beside him. Nearly jumping a metre in the air, he hissed,

"Jesus, Alexa! Stop doing that!" He lowered the bag, slinging it back over his shoulder.

"It's probably nothing. Let's go wait in the living room and then we'll set off" he decided. It was better than trying to crowd Mel when she'd been so good to them. Hell knows what she'd tell the rest of his mates when she got back. Or whether she'd notice Max's absence. Another thought hit him. Would Max go back to school after? Or would he stay trapped in Alexa's old house. He knew that place had a mind of its own, maybe it would keep him there forever. Banishing the thought from his mind, he moved back over to the couch. Alexa took the seat across from him.

"Do you think that, after all this is over, she and I could still be friends? Could I go to her school?" Jake sighed through his nose.

"I don't know Alexa. That's up to you". He was still trying to figure out what he'd do after rescuing his mum. Go back to school? He couldn't bring himself to, he realised. The exams and the grades seemed so petty after this. All of this. After dead girls, kidnapping and magic. Magic. How could he ever forget that? Forget her? How—

A smashing noise came from the kitchen, followed by a loud thump. He jumped up. Alexa did too.

"Mel? Mel, are you okay?" Together, they edged back towards the kitchen. Nothing, no sound. No sign of Mel.

"Jake?" squeaked Alexa. "Something's here". As usual, she was being fantastically vague, so as soon as those words left her mouth, he started to imagine all sorts of 'somethings'. Together, they arrived at the door to the kitchen, which was leaning open. Even though every ounce of common sense in his body told him not to move, he walked through. Alexa, after much speculating, shuffled in behind him. Mel was lying on the tiles, fragments of the china cup lying strewn around her body. Jake felt his heart take a dive into his stomach and bent down to check her pulse.

"She's unconscious," he breathed and sighed with relief. Alexa meanwhile, was pointing to the door at the back of the kitchen. The door that armed soldiers were coming through.

"Oh," was all he had time to say, before Alexa was yanking him up and they were running to the stairs. A skylight shone a sliver of moonlight onto the landing.

"The roof!" he cried. Nodding, Alexa jumped up, punching through the glass window with ease. Then she grabbed the outer rim, used it to pull herself up. Behind him, the soldiers had already ploughed across the house.

"Crap! Alexa, hurry up!" A millisecond after he'd spoke, a pale hand swung down and grabbed his arm, taking him up and up until the night air brought him back to life. The city of Manchester illuminated the sky, but right now he was too involved with running for his life to appreciate the view. Suddenly, he remembered.

"My bag! It's got all our money in it," he yelled. He'd dropped in on the way up to the skylight. Alexa grabbed his shoulders.

"That does not matter at this moment Jake. We need to leave".

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Leaving. We're leaving. Am I a babbling?"

"Just a little". He felt someone trying to grab his ankle and leapt out of the skylight, pulling his feet over the rim. He wasn't going to get caught, not tonight. Not ever, if he could help it. They ran to the edge of roof, looked down.

"Oh Halve. That is a long way down," said Alexa. "Even for me".

"Can you do it? We kinda don't have a choice". He wrung his hands in frustration.

"I shall try," she told him. Squaring her shoulders, she prepared to jump.

"I'm starting to see why you need to kill you brother," he muttered, partly in an attempt to keep the shock at bay. The last thing he wanted to do was have a panic attack. Alexa turned to him. Her red eye had mellowed and there was something in her expression he'd never seen before.

"I do not need to him. I want to kill him, more than anything but... But vengeance is empty, and I am not empty. I am not hollow, not yet. My brother didn't take everything from me that night. He took nearly everything, but not enough – I think – to break me. All I need to do is to make sure he never hurts anyone again". He stared at her. At the girl he'd once taken for a monster and a nightmare. Now she was dream, she was—

"Can we carry this conversation on later? Maybe when we're not in mortal danger?" he suggested.

"An excellent idea". Once again, she prepared to make the jump. Until an ice-cold voice froze them both.

"'Ello again Lexie dearest". Jake felt his whole body turning numb, his muscles twitching so much he might as well have been electrocuted. Alexa barely even moved. Wolfie however, didn't seem to notice. She was standing at the other end of the roof, a grin plastered to her face. The world had grown very dark indeed.

"Why are you doing this? Why now?" That was Alexa. He'd been so busy trying not to picture Wolfie killing him in multiple different ways he'd lost track of who was speaking. Wolfie shoved her hands into her pockets and took a step forward.

"Your brother – bless his cotton socks – asked me to bring you to him ASAP. Aside from my unflinching desire not to miss Strictly Come Dancing, I was thrilled. But the problem is," she paused. Took another step.

"He never told me not to have a little fun of my own". Jake felt Alexa's hand swinging and shut his eyes. When he opened them, Wolfie had grabbed hold of Alexa's arm and was beginning to twist it behind her back.

"You are despicable," she choked. Wolfie leaned closer, pressing her face to Alexa's neck.

"And yet you can't deny the chemistry between us". That was it. He darted forward, his own arm outstretched, but Wolfie noticed him, probably before he'd even decided to move. It was as if she knew every desire that drove him, every thought spinning through his mind. There were a lot of them too, most of them in need of a reality check. Jumping back, she flung Alexa in his direction, so they collided and fell on impact. Quickly, they untangled themselves and got up again.

"Whatever my brother has promised you, it is not worth it," Alexa tried. She held her hands up in a calming gesture. Wolfie's smile dropped and she hugged herself.

"I know," she whispered, surprising him. Then,

"But my god, it's so much fun!" She threw her body into Alexa's and they parried, dancing like fairies to the far end of the roof.

"Alexa!" He ran forward but tried to keep his distance all the same. He might've been useless psychically to Alexa, but he could still help her win. She glanced up and turned her toes in, swinging around and kicking Wolfie in the ribs. At the same time however, Wolfie had flung her hands out, locking them onto Alexa's left ankle, so when she fell, Alexa fell too. They both went tumbling. Their bodies hit the roof with smack, like a bad dive into the deep end of a pool. He winced. As he continued to watch, he suddenly realised they were going to lose. Wolfie might've have looked unsteady before, but as she fought, her style was that of an Angel. Or a dancer. Or a swan. Alexa's parries were graceless, and her arms jerked as if she was robot that was on the blink. Two opposites – twins – fighting each other. It didn't look right. Jake shook his shoulders and jumped into the fray. A pale hand snagged his throat. He felt himself getting dragged back, the amount of air getting to his lungs depleting rapidly. Wolfie's lips slunk close to his ear; she was grinning.

"Let him go Wolfie," said Alexa. She was nursing a cut on her arm – the blood was as black as the sky above.

"First name basis now is it?" she replied. "I'm starting to like you Lexie darlin'". The accent was back, though he had no idea where on earth she'd picked it up from. Crazytown? The lack of oxygen was really starting to have an effect. He squirmed, kicking his legs out, but Wolfie only held him tighter.

"Please, he'll die!" Alexa screamed.

"I think you and I both know he won't Lexie". A look passed between them. He saw it. Alexa soon tried to deny it, but he'd seen it. He'd seen it.

"Alexa," he choked. "What does she mean?" His vision blurred, and black spots had started to appear.

"Let him go!" she shrieked. This time her voice sent Wolfie flying backwards, hitting the roof hard. She rolled to a stop at the edge. Jake would've been blown along with her if Alexa hadn't grabbed his hand in time.

"Yeah, what she said," he breathed, before collapsing in an oxygen deprived heap. As his vision blurred back into reality, he could make out Wolfie rising up and patting down her clothes.

"Yikes," she swooned. "That was exciting!" Her pupil shrank to the size of a full stop and her mouth forced itself into a well-split smile. It looked as if her jaw had broken.

"Please, let us go," said Alexa.

"Sorry, no can do. James told me what he wants and I'm more than happy to oblige".

"But you want answers do you not?" Alexa challenged. "About us? About me?" That made her stop.

"Not really, no," she said after a pause. "I do want to kill you though, so there's that. I just can't figure out what I want to kill you with. Bare hands? Chainsaw? Good ol' fashioned poison? There's too much choice". Jake stumbled to his feet, his throat aching. He dreaded to think of what he looked like. He saw Alexa reaching into her boot, pulling out a book. Her sketchbook. The one she'd taken from the manor.

"I know you want answers. So here you are". She threw the book towards her and Wolfie caught it without moving an inch. It was like the book was drawn to her or something. She opened it, then flicked through the pages. The silence lasted a rather long time. Her hand rested on one of the pages for a while, fingers stroking over the curved pencil lines.

What're trying to do Alexa? He asked down the link. Perhaps it was the near-death experience talking, but he was starting to like the telepathy. Or whatever it was. In end all he received was silence. Endless silence. Turning his mind back to Wolfie, he saw her slowly take hold of the spine. Saw her as she ripped and ripped. She tore the spine wide open, casting the book up into the air so that paper rained down like ash. She clutched her stomach and laughter bubbled. Doubling over, she went into hysterics. Alexa crouched down, desperately trying to salvage her drawings before the pages blew away. She already knew it was too late. Wolfie stopped laughing.

"You think I want to know the truth? I don't give a damn about what's true and what isn't. Not after all this time. But thank you," she added. "You've provided an excellent distraction thus far". Without hesitation, she twirled forward, hand slashing across Alexa's shirt. Five perfect scars scored themselves into her skin. Alexa ran forward, pushing Jake behind her. He watched her splay her fingers and a brick shot up from around the side of the house, breaking into tiny pieces. Moving her palms until they were both set a 45 degrees, the bricks morphed into spikes. Those spikes rocketed towards Wolfie, who—who batted them away as if they were flies. Jumping up, she swung around Alexa's shoulders, tipping her over. Jake fell back onto the roof. He looked up just as Wolfie gave him a wink. Alexa took a swing, missing her centimetres. They looked like two reluctant dancers in a tango. Their faces were a minefield of emotion – Alexa full of pain and desperation, Wolfie full of insane criminality – and neither wanted to lose. To him, it was obvious how much Wolfie was playing around. Just playing. Not really fighting or even trying. Just playing. Alexa lashed out in a double-heeled kick, trying to force her feet into Wolfie's stomach. Wolfie bent backwards, at an angle he was sure would've broken her spine. If she'd been human, that is. A moment later, she was up and running.

"Alexa!" he tried, rubbing his throat again. It was really starting to feel sore.

"Jake, stay back!" A kick to the stomach, another broken rib. For some reason, wounds inflicted by Wolfie took a lot longer for her to heal. Then Alexa struck, her hands greying like marble. She shook them out, which gave time for Wolfie to recover. Plucking a small pistol from her boot she fired two shots. Each one bounced starkly off Alexa's skin and fell still.

"Okay," Wolfie said. "That's new". She dropped the pistol and swayed. Just swayed, seemingly about to fall. He knew better, of course. He didn't know much about what she could do, but he knew better than that.

"Alexa!" She didn't move, didn't change position at all. Instead she crouched down, her fist pressing into the roof. Waiting. Within seconds she began to run – on all fours. Pounced upwards, her fingernails extended. And then Wolfie moved. Really moved. Her body moved like it was playing an eternal tug of war, yet it spun with grace over Alexa, and kicked its legs into hers. Breaking them. Alexa screamed, falling back onto the roof. He crawled toward her.

"Alexa," he breathed. No, this wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. Wolfie stretched her arms above her head, yawned. She strode across the roof, hauling Alexa up and dragged her to the edge and held her aloft.

"Poor little Lexie," she cooed. Jake clenched his fists. His throat burned and he felt the need the push Wolfie off the roof before she could say anything else.

"Let her go," he said. Pretending fear, Wolfie's lower lip quivered.

"If I do, you won't hurt me will you Jakey?" Darkly, she smiled. She was enjoying this, he realised. Every second of it. In her grip, Alexa tried to choke out a sentence. Her legs shook and her red eye had glazed over.

"Oh, Jake. I know that look. I've seen it on all the people I've broken. You want to help her, don't you?" She dangled Alexa further off the edge of the roof. He fought the urge to punch her. Or break his wrist trying.

"Should I let her go? Should I? Huh? Should I?"

"Please, leave her alone"—

"Stop trying to ruin my fun!" Her face twisted into a hyena's snarl and she shook Alexa like a ragdoll.

"Please," he begged. Anger bubbled inside his gut and he felt himself growing weak at the knees. He must be going to be going into shock. Better later than never.

"I'm gonna drop her Jakey! I'll do it! I'll love every minute of it too! I'll love it!" He felt his world dulling, just like it had back at the football match. Before any of this mess had started. Time lulled to a halt; he and Wolfie were the only things in motion.

"I'll love it," she screeched again. The words seemed to echo all throughout his mind.

I'll drop her. I'll love it. So powerless, Jakey boy. Should I let her go? Should I? Should I? Should—