"... And then your brother asked her to dance!" I threw my hand in the air. "The nerve of him!"

After Blake dropped me off, I stormed straight to my room and called Sophia to fill her in the details and ranted about Samuel.

Sophia's sigh echoed through the phone. "I'll talk to him."

"Talk? You need to scold him!" I paced my room like a caged tiger. "I'll never forgive him for the money I lost. I was saving it for Taylor Swift's concert."

"Okay, but one thing you shouldn't have played if you didn't know how to, so that's partly on you." I opened my mouth, but she continued defending her brother. "And about the dance. Why did Daphne even agree to it?"

"It was her first high school party! She wanted to have fun!"

"Still doesn't explain why she danced with him."

"Daphne's an innocent rabbit and Samuel is a clever fox." I flopped onto my bed.

"I-" She paused, then blew a deep breath. "Forget it."

"What?"

"Never mind. I'll handle Samuel."

"Thank you!" I stretched out on my bed, feeling a wave of relief. Then a thought struck me. "One more thing."

"What?"

"What do you have on Samuel?" I asked curiously.

"It's a sibling thing." She replied with a teasing lilt. "But you don't need to worry. He won't spill the beans to Elijah or any other soul about our little plan."

"Thanks, Soph. You're a lifesaver. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"That's what friends are for." Her voice warmed with a smile. "Now, if you're done griping about Samuel, what's the story with Blake?"

My smile vanished at the mention of his name. I recounted how Blake was trying to get closer to Daphne.

"After all that struggle, and just because of one slip-up, I failed, and he won," I grumbled.

"Did Daphne tell you what happened?"

"I got her text that she has reached home safely and she's tired."

"And...?"

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out."

"You didn't push her for more details?"

"I'm too wiped out from the party," I admitted, snuggling into my pillow. "We'll meet up tomorrow and get the full story then."

"Alright, we'll assemble at my place?"

"Definitely."

"Perfect. Rest up and recharge." She giggled when she heard me yawning. "We'll meet tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Soph."

"Goodnight, Cara. Sweet dreams."

➽─────────❥

Sweet dreams?

No.

Nightmares!

That's what I had last night.

I was trapped inside a birdcage, the bars cold and unyielding against my skin. Outside, Blake, dressed as a devil with long, menacing horns and blazing red skin, stirred a massive pot. Inside the pot was Daphne, the angel, her pale body almost glowing in contrast to the fiery chaos around her.

Blake's cruel laughter echoed as he ladled out a steaming portion of what I could only imagine was Daphne's essence, savoring it with sinister glee. I pounded on the cage bars, screaming helplessly, but the fiery inferno and Blake's mocking laughter swallowed my cries.

I shook the nightmare out of my head, running my fingers through my hair and muttering curses at the devil. Even in my dreams, he beat me, but I won't give up so easily.

Patience.

That's what I need to make this master plan work.

With a determined pat on my cheeks and a quick adjustment of my jacket, I left my room, bounding down the stairs into the living room. The noise of animated shouting and the clacking of video game controllers greeted me. I stepped into the room and spotted Cody playing video games with a new kid who looked oddly familiar.

He was sprawled on the couch, deeply engrossed in a video game, his slightly tousled dark hair falling into his eyes. He looked surprisingly at ease, his expressive eyes flashing with concentration and excitement.

"Hey, boys!" I announced, trying to get their attention as I walked over. "Made a new friend?"

The boy's gaze darted to me while my brother remained glued to the screen. "Yes, Cara. Meet my friend Zack. Zack, this is my sister Cara."

"Zack?" My forehead creased as I tried to recall the name and studied the boy staring at me. "As in the kid you fought on your first day of school?"

"Yeah." Cody sighed, annoyed at the memory.

"And now you are friends?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Zack, who was still staring at me like he'd just seen a unicorn.

"Yes." He gave me a vague reply, and I rolled my eyes.

Boys.

"Since when?"

"Since the next day," Cody answered, shifting in his seat as Zack continued to gawk.

"You guys made up that quickly?" I asked, noting how easily boys seemed to move from enemies to friends.

"We settled our differences," Cody said, frowning at the game as Zack remained motionless. "Bro, we're losing here."

"Dude..." Zack nudged Cody's shoulder, giving me a long, lingering look. "Your sister is hot." He whispered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Cody's face turned an amusing shade of green, his expression a mix of disgust and envy.

"Dude... she's my ugly sister."

"Hey!" I shot Cody a mock glare but couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. I turned to Zack with an appreciative grin. "It's nice to meet you, Zack."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss," Zack said, flashing a toothy grin that made me think he was definitely related to someone I knew, but I brushed it off.

"You seem like quite the gentleman," I said, trying not to laugh.

"Will you go on a date with me?" Zack asked boldly.

"Bro..." Cody scowled, and I burst into laughter.

"I'll think about it when you grow up a little," I said with a teasing smile and a playful wave. "Tell Mom I'm heading over to Sophia's. Bye, boys!"

As I left, I could hear Zack mumbling. "Guess I've got some growing up to do," while Cody grumbled about needing a new gaming partner.

I headed out, feeling a bit lighter after the amusing encounter.

➽─────────❥

When I reached Sophia's house, my gaze landed on Blake's car parked in the driveway. Memories of how he had kicked me out of his car the night before flashed in my mind, mingling with the remnants of my unsettling nightmare. I stuck my tongue out at the car in a childish act of defiance, thinking no one would see.

Naturally, I was wrong.

I have a poop luck.

Blake stepped out of the car just as I was in mid-tongue, and his piercing stare felt like it could slice through steel. Embarrassment surged, and I quickly retracted my tongue and hurried into Sophia's house.

Thank goodness Sophia had left the door open.

My heart was pounding as I peeked through the window and saw Blake walking into Elijah's house. I groaned internally, mentally kicking myself. I had let my anger from last night get the better of me, and now Blake probably thought I was some kind of misfit dog.

"What are you doing?" I flinched at the voice and whirled on my heels to see Samuel standing in the hallway, an amused grin spreading across his face as he held a tub of ice cream.

"Nothing." I tried to sound dignified as I straightened my posture.

"That was Blake, right?" His grin widened.

"So what?" I arched an eyebrow.

"What's between you two?" He asked, casually leaning against the wall.

"There's nothing between us." I looked at him deadpan.

"Doesn't seem like it." He said, scooping some ice cream into his mouth.

"What does it seem like?" I challenged, crossing my arms.

"Hmm..." His lips pressed thoughtfully as he swallowed his ice cream. "It seems like you two have some unresolved issues."

Maybe... But it was from a long time ago.

"We've never even talked to each other." I scoffed.

"Well, that's exactly what you two need." He pointed his spoon at me. "A conversation."

"Thanks for the unwanted advice, Mr. Python." Walking past him, I gave him a tight smile.

"You'll need it." He called after me, but I ignored him and climbed the stairs to Sophia's room.

"You can't hide it forever." I heard Sophia's voice as I entered her room. Daphne was perched at the edge of the bed while Sophia towered her with a serious expression.

"Hide what?" I asked, sensing the tension and confusion in the air.

"She-"

"I'll explain." Daphne interrupted, forcing a strained smile.

"Alright..." My brow furrowed in confusion as I sat next to her.

"I told Sophia what happened with Blake last night."

"Why didn't you wait for me?" I shrieked and saw Sophia rolling her eyes.

"Sophia was eager." Daphne shrugged.

"B*llshit." Sophia scoffed.

"Why are you mad?" I asked Sophia, still confused.

"I-" Sophia glanced at me, her expression softening. "Sorry."

"Am I missing something?" I asked, my gaze darting between them. The tension in the room was palpable, but I couldn't grasp why.

"The thing is..." Daphne turned to face me. "Nothing happened last night. Blake and I just talked, and then he dropped me off. That's all."

"You talked?" My brows shot up. "About what?"

"Cara..." Daphne said, fidgeting with her fingers. "Remember, I mentioned the old house I volunteered at during the summer?"

"Yeah..." I tilted my head, trying to recall our conversation during a video call when I was in London for my cousin's wedding.

"Blake was volunteering there too."

"What?!" I exclaimed, jumping from the bed. I looked at Sophia, who was giving a dead glare to Daphne.

"You knew?" I demanded.

"Of course I didn't." Sophia snorted. "She never told us."

"I told you about volunteering there." Daphne defended herself.

"But you never mentioned Blake." Sophia shot back.

"Because..." Daphne glanced at me nervously. "Because I knew you'd react this way."

"Of course we would!" I said, bewildered. "What exactly happened between you two?"

"Nothing!" Daphne insisted, looking between us. "I swear!"

"Then why is Blake suddenly so interested in you?" Sophia asked, her patience wearing thin.

"We only talked a few times about high school and random stuff. That's all." Daphne explained with a sigh.

"Why would you talk to him?" I frowned. "He's like this heartless guy-"

"He's not as bad as you think." Daphne cut me off.

"Do you like him?" I questioned, and she shook her head furiously.

"Of course not!"

"Then why did you tell him you aren't interested in anyone?" Sophia asked in flow and Daphne's eyes widened.

"How do you even know that?"

"That's not the point," Sophia said firmly. "Answer. Why?"

"I couldn't tell him that the person I was interested in was his best friend!" Daphne shouted in frustration.

Makes sense... I think.

"What about the other thing?" Sophia narrowed her eyes at Daphne.

"There's nothing more to say." She shook her head.

The two of them locked eyes in a tense, staring match while I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to digest everything.

Blake's newfound interest in Daphne made sense now. He must have gotten the wrong idea from their time volunteering together.

Now I feel bad for him.

"Cara..." Daphne's voice cut through my thoughts. She looked at me with genuine concern. "I'm really sorry for not mentioning Blake."

"It's alright... I guess." I said, trying to sound more convincing than I felt.

"You're too soft on her." Sophia shook her head.

"What am I supposed to say?" I sighed and glanced at Daphne. "Are you sure you don't like him?"

"Of course not, Cara." Daphne's shoulders slumped as if she was carrying the weight of the world. "Blake is a nice guy, but he's just not my type."

"Poor Daph." I patted her on the head. "I don't know what that guy did to make you think he's a nice person."

"What did the two of you actually talk about over the summer?" Sophia's eyes were sharp, her tone skeptical.

"Like I said, nothing special."

"It must have been something that made him smitten." I shot Sophia a warning look.

"What do you mean?" Daphne brows knitted in confusion.

Sophia opened her mouth, but I quickly cut in. "Nothing you need to worry about, Daph." I gave Sophia a look that said, 'We'll discuss this later'.

"Sure." She rolled her eyes in response.

"How about we discuss our next phase?" I asked.

Daphne nodded eagerly, relieved to change the subject. Sophia, though still skeptical, reluctantly agreed. We moved to the bed, the atmosphere lightening as review ME, leaving the Blake drama on pause.

For now.

➽─────────❥