My life had almost become just as boring as it had been before. The only differences were that I got to spend a little time with the Peters when we practiced our dance routine, defensive fighting, and defensive magic lessons, but also the constant undertone of fear and alertness I felt when I was alone. As if I were a rabbit, I could feel the fox circling closer, closer, and it didn't really matter if I was in a group of other rabbits.

More for him to eat...

"Kota? Kota?!" I blinked and jumped to my feet, nearly flipping the table over and causing more of a scene. Johanna was looking sympathetic and smiled. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," I said a little too loudly. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour. I just know you've been having a hard time lately and thought —"

"What? How do you know? Wa-What do you think I'm going through?" I stumbled, trying and failing to not look suspicious... or like an idiot.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, stepping back, "Sue's just been upset that Ivan has been avoiding her, so I thought maybe that's what's been upsetting you too... You've been a little on edge lately, so I thought I'd let you sleep a bit."

I relaxed more, feeling terrible. "Oh... I'm sorry Jo, I-I just — yeah I'm having a hard time with some things... and I just feel better when I'm here." As funny as it sounded, it was actually true how safe I felt at the baker-slash-coffee shop Pages & Pie. I was barely sleeping these days, especially when I was at my own house. Even at Dale's, or Sue's, any little noise would have me bolting out of bed for my magic belt and wing blade, ready for my nightmare image of Rudi to come for me.

I rubbed my eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. Can I have a coffee?"

She nodded, trying not to smile. "Sure, what kind?"

"Coffee?" I said, then we both laughed.

"Sure." She left for a few minutes, and when she returned I'd already shaken myself more awake. "Kota?"

"Yeah?"

She leaned on the back of another chair, looking at me. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

I looked at her for a moment. No, I can't "Not this. It's a little complicated."

"Try me." She sat down looking determined.

"No seriously, I can't tell you. It's... family stuff," I tried, then thought, Yeah, my new cursed sorcerer family.

"Talking about it always helps, like how Sue told us her parents were fighting all the time. It helps." I looked down, and she added, "Please, Kota. We're all worried about you. What's going on?"

"I can tell you that some really weird things have been happening around me. Things moving around on me, vivid nightmares, and shocks when I touch people sometimes." She sat stock still, and I narrowed my eyes. Caught you. "What would you know about that?"

"I-I don't know, maybe side effects of some medicine you're taking?" she offered, but she was stumbling, and looking nervous.

I leaned forward, lowering my voice. "I don't know what the hell is happening to me, but I have it on good authority that someone has done something to me to cause all this." I had to calm myself down, because I was getting too upset. I remembered Connelly saying it had been done out of love, to protect me from beings like his family. I sighed. "I know they had good intentions... but I'm tired of being lied to."

"I don't know what you're talking about, or how someone could do something like that," she said, but she looked more shocked than convincing.

"I know more than anyone thinks I do." I looked around slowly, then landed back on her, nodding to her wide eyes. "If you know the person who did this, tell them I'm done with this shit." I stood, grabbed my things, then added, "Thank you for the coffee... and being my friend."

I left her sitting there, paid, then left for home. I just needed some decent sleep and I'd be alright. Everything would be alright. Of course, there's no telling how much damage I just did telling Johanna all that, I mused, then pushed it away. Too late now.

"Kota, what's wrong, honey?" Mom asked as I stumbled in.

"Nothing, just tired," I mumbled.

"Sweetie, is something going on we should know about?" Dad asked, sitting beside her on the couch.

"Come sit down and tell us what's going on," Mom said.

"Can't. Tired. Test. Sleep." It was all I could say. I made an apologetic face, then drug my feet up the stairs. My eyes were already 90% closed when I reached my room, then fully closed when my face hit the pillow... and I felt something wet and sticky against my face.

I lifted up, and saw the words, "I SEE YOU" scrawled in blood across my pillow. Fresh blood, from the smell, with bits of dirt and fur from some poor innocent animal. I couldn't scream. It would scare the shit out of my parents and then I'd have to explain everything. I covered my mouth in a muffled scream, then ran to the bathroom and puked.

My body almost jumped up and ran out of the house of its own accord, but I couldn't do that all covered in blood. I needed to get out of there, though.

Why is he doing this to me? Tears streamed down my face. I took out my phone to call Connelly, but hesitated. Alister's voice replayed in my mind... "eventually always end up as bait"... "no other human has ever survived staying close to us"..."if you want to live, run and never come back"...

"Hello?"

"Hey Louis, it's me."

"What's going on?"

"Where are you right now?"

"Dale's. Why?"

"... can I crash there tonight?"

"Of course you can," Dale's voice seemed far away, but I heard it.

"What's wrong?" Louis asked

"I'm just tired, that's all."

He didn't sound like he believed me, but said he's see me in a few and after I showered the blood off of me, I explained to my parents that I was sleeping at Dale's so tomorrow's dance thing would be easier, then disposed of the pillow cases in the dumpster before heading to Dale's. I almost forgot to put on Johanna's magic charm bracelet she gave me, and the bangles that Connelly and the others gave me. They all had magical properties, but I relied mostly on the bangles as they warmed up and vibrated when I was near something inhuman or magical.

My heart was pounding the entire way there, wary of any sound or movement out there in the dark, and having a constant argument on whether leaving my parents was a good idea. Make him believe you're a normal human, make him believe you're a normal human, I repeated mentally, then got confused. But I am a normal human? Why did the Peters tell me that, then?