I momentarily regretted inviting him inside. He looked so awkward. He sat on the far end of the couch, leaving as much room as possible between us. One could swear that I was holding him hostage. Posture pin straight, grey eyes searched the living room as though accustomed to seeking out hidden weapons or cameras. The most he would find here was a misplaced Lego or Whoopee cushion.

      "So, how's the program?" my dad asked.

      It took every single ounce of willpower to still my face. I wanted to say awful and its long list of synonyms, alas for their own well-being, I settled with: "It's been alright."

      I wouldn't blatantly lie or exaggerate. They would see right through me.

     "It's a lot more work than I was expecting, but I want to give it go... That's part of the reason I'm here."

      Initially they were excited. They asked a handful of questions that one would expect. Questions about my dorm room, classes, teachers, and friends. The lies came surprisingly well. I knew exactly what they wanted to hear, and I delivered. As they brought out sandwiches and snacks for lunch, the boys running around upstairs, I painted the prettiest picture of my new life.

     "It's only been a few days, but we've sure missed you." Mom smiled. "The house is a lot quieter, but we're glad you're enjoying it."

      "I missed you all too." Uh oh, one sentence and she was going to crumble my façade. My throat was getting tight. I looked at Nathaniel for help, but he paid me no mind, lost somewhere in his own thoughts.

      "Only a few weeks left until summer," dad reassured. "You'll be back here in no time."

     I hesitated, muscles quivering as I tried to maintain my smile. "Actually, I may take a few summer classes to catch up, but the goal would be to jump back and forth from here and there."

      They both frowned then, straightening in their seats. My words may as well have signalled an alarm. Clearly, they knew me better than to believe I would ever want to take summer classes.

      "Are you sure that's what you want?" mom asked.

      "Don't feel pressured to stay," dad added. I shifted uncomfortably as they looked me up and down, internal lightbulbs finally turning on. They were finally starting to pick up on the strangeness of the situation. "It's only been a few days, but I've never seen you look as stressed as you do now."

      Mom nodded. "You look exhausted. You're missing your usual sparkle of energy."

      Teary eyes threatened to give me away. Just like an injured child cracks when someone asks if they're okay, I was cracking before them. I wanted to curl up in their arms and tell Nathaniel to plot my fake death. I looked at the blond again, for help but he was clueless and completely lacked interest in the conversation. His eyes roamed slowly over my family pictures on the wall, as though I wasn't drowning in distress.

      Looking at him was a mistake, because suddenly my parents were paying him entirely too much attention. Amid their growing suspicion, they found a target to blame. Narrowed eyes landed on my new fellow clan mate.

      "Nathaniel and Aadya have been my biggest allies," I reassured quickly. My only allies, in truth. Which was an even gloomier thought considering one of them was ready to topple over the side of the couch in attempt to maintain his distance. I wanted to throw a cushion at his head. He was not making this any easier, deadly silent despite the interrogatory eyes aimed his way. Although, speaking his name finally drew his attention to the conversation.

      "Nathaniel and his aunt have gone above and beyond to make sure I'm cared for," I continued. "I promise that I'll tell you more when things settled down. It has something to do with my birth mother... but I'm safe."

     My father tensed at my words. I don't know how much Lahila had divulged about her life, but clearly, she had shared enough to create a sudden fear for my safety.

      "I know that she was secretive with you," I told him. "The last thing I want to do is hide things from you like she did, but I can only say so much right now."

     I was doing a poor job of reassuring them, worry lines on their faces skyrocketing. If they grew any more concerned, I feared that Nathaniel would have a hard time bringing me back. They would be dragged to the cells of Muchen right along with me.

     "Her birth mother has caused trouble in the community." Nathaniel surprised me by joining the conversation. "Our ways can be very old fashioned, and many of our members are unforgiving and unfair. There's been trouble brewing for a while now and in part because of poor timing, they're not giving Avalynn a fair chance."

      Perhaps, I was wrong to want his help. What was he trying to do? As much as I wanted to be truthful, I didn't want to further worry them.

      "But my aunt is highly respected and ranks highly on the board. She has done many favours for our people," Nathaniel continued. "She's taken Avalynn in as one of her own and people will not take that likely. She's truly in the best possible hands she can be."

      Visible relief washed over my parents. The faintest smile flickered on my mother's lips.

     "And you'll watch out for of her?" My dad eyed Nathaniel.

      I groaned and refused to look at the boy on the other end of the couch.

      "Of course." The firmness in his tone fluttered goosebumps across my skin. I genuinely believed that he would stop at nothing to keep me safe, if not for me, for Aadya. "Change in our community has been long overdue, and I truly believe she might be the one to trigger it...And as much as we will watch out for her, I think she'll do a dandy job on her own. Our leader likes to quiet people with fear, but as I'm sure you know your daughter is not so easily intimidated or silenced."

      It was a polite way of saying that I never shut up, still heat creeped up my cheeks because that almost sounds like a compliment. A compliment from someone like Nathaniel was rare and he seemed to know that it would influence my parents in the perfect way. Who knew he could be such a people person? He may as well have uttered a spell, magic words vanishing my parents' worries. I made a mental note to search his big stack of textbooks for a psychology book. Or maybe he shared my special talent... I looked at him sideways and prodded gently at his thoughts. If he felt anything he had a stealthy poker face.

      "I really wish we could stay longer," Nathaniel apologized. "But we have one more place to visit before heading back."

      My brows flickered at the clock. We had already been here for five hours.

      I dragged Nathaniel with me to my bedroom, partly to save him from further interrogation but mostly for muscle power. I handed him my bags to bring to the truck. I was accustomed to friends exploring the room when I brought them up. I certainly liked to question them on certain pictures, decorations, or trophies. Nathaniel on the other hand, per his norm, stood silently by my door, awaiting my direction. A perfect soldier.

      Whether he wanted to or not, I introduced him to my childhood teddy. I showed him the dance trophy that had resulted from a single year of competing – I won fan favourite, because the adults thought my two left feet dancing two beats behind, were cute. I pointed to my bedside picture frame and told him about my family trip to PEI. I handed him the skateboard that I absolutely wanted in my new temporary home. I yapped for a half-hour straight, until I had everything I would need, and the most he had done was nod in acknowledgement.

      Nathaniel waited in the truck as I hugged my family goodbye and made empty promises to come back as soon as possible. My heart was heavy as I walked down the front steps because those goodbyes hugs that once felt normal now felt like a final goodbye. Was that the real purpose of our visit? Nathaniel was granting my family and I our potential goodbyes. I knew that even if I were to voice my suspicions, he would deny it. No matter how screwed I was, he had to believe that everything would work out. He wouldn't be receptive to voicing otherwise, so, I kept my mouth shut for once.

      Nonetheless, I was thankful for what he granted me today. "That meant a lot to me," I told him. "Thank you."

      He nodded briskly. "One more quick stop," he steered the gear in reverse, and I watched my home shrink in the side mirror.