At this point, I'd be an idiot to believe things couldn't get any worse. That, however, didn't stop the shock that jerked within me when my eyes rested on a bewildered Talise.

   She strutted from the coffee shop's main entrance straight towards the booth. I rushed out of my seat, nearly crashing into her as we met at an empty table.

"Tali!" My anxiety was released through my exaggerated greeting. "What are you doing here? It's not even lunch at Ridgeton High yet. You should be in class by now."

"Mr. Pierce was absent today and the substitute was making us watch one of those old documentaries so..." She shrugged. "I didn't see the point in staying. I'll go back after lunch."

   Her gaze seemed to have instantly lost interest in whatever the ramble of excuses I was trying to come up with. It switched to a curious one when she caught sight of our usual booth over my shoulder and the people that occupied it.

"Who are those?" She asked, keeping her eyes in their direction for a little while before turning to me.

   I stifled a sigh as she walked further to get a better view.

"Schoolmates."

"Hold up." She waved her hands, a small frown formed in her features. "Why are you all here and not at Zavlon?"

"Listen." My face began to pick up heat. "I can't—"

"Wait, I recognize him!" she gestured to Dorian's seat at the back. "He's the reason you skipped school the other time."

"What are you talking about? I did not—"

"I saw you two through one of the classroom windows in front of Ridgeton High on that day," she said.

   Oh.

   She was talking about the day Dorian had come over to help out with the drones and decided to lurk around Ridgeton High. Why had I encouraged his weird urge? I should have known that it would come back to bite me at some point.

"You were going to lie to me." The sour expression that clouded her stare as she spoke made me wince. "Then I guess I shouldn't bother asking the real reason why you've been coming to your house late, not wearing your uniform sometimes, might I add."

   She knew that too?! Damn. Not even I had realised the few slip ups I'd made with my uniform till now.

"It's not for any reason you think, I promise." Or could ever imagine, I thought.

"Oh?" She crossed her arms with a displeased glare. "Because I have a pretty good theory. It's because I'm not as smart as your new friends right? Everyone else who isn't within your new social circle."

"Stop saying that!"

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on with you! And don't say it's nothing." The concern in her appearance at the moment just made me feel worse. "I'm your best friend. Talk to me."

   So that she could get involved in all this? The occurrence we had just given up all hope of preventing? After being responsible for the imminent doom that the world was going to be under, I think I could do this one good deed of making everyone else bask in the unknown till then.

"I can't," I uttered.

   Those two words, though a mere whisper, were strong starts toward the destruction of the solid foundation of our friendship.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friends at least?" she asked. "Or you can't do that either?'

"Talise,"

"You know I always tried to ignore it when you did that." She held up her hand. "When you constantly wormed away from conversations involving Zavlon Academia, I managed to convince myself after a while that maybe you were only trying to hide that it was harder than you thought or something. I guess my first guess was right though, wasn't it? You didn't want your reality to smudge this dumb delusion of yourself you've created for these Zavlonians to believe."

   The air in my throat was stifled by the venomous look she threw my way.

"I think I'll go back to school now instead," She continued. "Who knows, your contempt for anything involving me or Ridgeton won't be felt from there. Honestly though, I doubt it. Screw you, Beth."

   With one last wrath-induced glare, she charged toward the coffee shop's exit, slamming the door behind her. My eyes and mind stayed focused on the rattling door longer than I'd preferred, replaying what just occurred.

"Beth." I brushed off the hand Camila reached out when I eventually shuffled back to my seat.

"I-I've got to go." After faltering quite a number of times, my trembling hands finally had a steady hold on my bag draped onto my seat.

   As I got closer to the same doors Tali had walked through, my steps quickened. For someone who had tear-blurred vision, at least.

"Beth, wait! Don't leave." I heard a voice behind me.

   I walked further down the street, not slowing down to address the person on my tail.

   Before what just happened with Talise, my thoughts had attempted to comfort me with the fact that although we couldn't do anything to stop the Yunies, I could at least spend my final moments of mental awareness with the people I loved.

   Now, however, my lies had finally caught up with me and hell was beginning way before the Yunies could even unleash it.

"Dorian, stop! Let go." I was trapped between walking away and trying to wiggle my arm from his grasp.

   I couldn't look him in the eye. It was beyond humiliating to be seen in this sobbing, emotionally unstable state. Especially as the terrible person everyone probably knew me to be all along.

"Just let me go home." I choked down an incoming whimper.

"It's not your fault." He remarked, not budging. "Your friend doesn't get that you're trying to protect her from all of this."

"Protect her?" That statement made me face him. "What the hell are you talking about protecting? We're not protecting her or anyone! In case it escaped your memory, let me remind you. Our terrible plan failed. Terribly! We're just as helpless as everyone else. And she was right about the other thing, okay? Talise was right!"

"What other thing?" I avoided his confused gaze as he interrogated me. "What other thing was she right about, Beth?"

"Before," I stopped to catch my breath."Before all this happened, I was always paranoid that anything Zavlonian would intimidate her so I convinced myself into thinking it was for her own good to just not talk about it so much. I knew, though, that it was because I didn't think she would be seen as good enough by Zavlon, you know... like me."

"Oh." It was his turn to look away now.

"I am the worst, aren't I?" I sniffed, my eyes moving to the ground.

"No, you're not," he responded with firmness in his tone. "You made an honest mistake and it's more than obvious you regret it."

"I just... I don't know what to do." I sighed.

"You don't have to. Not right now at least. I know for a fact, though, that you'll figure it out eventually."

   The tear that fell when I raised my head never made it to my cheek but that didn't stop the heat which rushed toward that area as Dorian caught it. Even after the drop on his hand slid away, green eyes, like his finger, were a lingering deadlock on my now inflamed face.

"Guys!" Camila's call sounded from a distance.

   When I blinked, he was already stationed a few feet away. What had occurred suddenly felt like a figment of my imagination.

"You got far," Cami said, as she, with Rav beside her, came closer.

"See? I told you Dorian wasn't going to make her crying worse—Damn!"

   I tried to muffle my snort by sniffling while Rav rubbed his smarting torso, throwing a hard glare Dorian's way. But, in a typical Rav fashion, the resentment didn't last forever.

   His sudden overly-excited expression was still questionable though, considering the fact that we were still pretty much screwed.

"Guys," Rav spoke. "You know how our only plan was disrupted in the most humiliating way, thereby leaving us as vulnerable as the average ignorant citizen?"

"No, but it's always nice to be reminded of your immediate failures. Thank you, Rav." Cami huffed.

   It was like he was asking for a full beat down. I stared at the glare Dorian had on warily.

"All I'm trying to say is," Aarav rolled his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I've never tried to save my school and possibly the world from a group of Yunies. Until now."

   We stared at him.

"So?" Cami scowled.

"So," he imitated Camila's light sarcastic tone. "my point is, mistakes were bound to be made. We aren't experts. I'm fully certain no expert has been made to or can face even half of what we just went through. You know, unless there are some lazy ass superheroes hibernating under a rock. And even they would have had superpowers, weapons, sidekicks, insiders, stripper-like gymnastic skills, bitc-"

"Wait!" I exclaimed.

   Excitement pulsed through me the greatest idea I'd ever thought of wouldn't stop echoing in my thoughts.

"What?" Rav turned to me asking.

"What you said less than a second ago! Before I interrupted you."

"Uh," Camila had incredulous eyes as she chipped in. "You mean, bitches?"

"No." I chuckled. "An insider! That's what we need!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that what the drones were for?" Dorian frowned. "You know, the weak foundation to our miserable failure? That's what we need?"

"Sorry, did I say what?" I tapped my forehead. "I meant who. An insider is who we need."

"Beth," Rav placed a hand on my shoulder. "I won't blame you for already forgetting the horrific event of the bunker. It's perfectly normal for some people to block out traumatising events like these."

   I brushed his touch away. "I assure you, I remember."

"So what's all this crazy talk about an insider?" Camila blurted, going further to take her time to remind me how the cube had mentioned our names.

"That really wasn't necessary," I rolled my eyes. "Your attitudes are making me reconsider whether I should share my thoughts since everyone else has clearly given up any hope of redemption."

"When did you leave the club?" Dorian crossed his arms.

"Guys," I swept a hand over my face. "Before proceeding with what I want to say, I have to ask if you would like to try saving Zavlon Academia again. I know we don't have much of a fighting chance and I'd be lying if I told you what's going through my mind is a definite one. I do think, however, that it's a start and I hope you will as well. I don't believe in sharing it though if you don't want to let go of these helpless mindsets. You've got to be all in."

"How are we supposed to say we're in when we can't even be spared a hint?" Dorian raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me." I shrugged, under his hardened gawk. "Can you do that? Can you trust me?"

   The silence which filled the space between us lasted an eternity, my optimism wavering with each passing second that Dorian's face revealed anything but trust.

"I can," Camila stated, walking closer to place a hand on my shoulder.

   My chest fluttered as I broke my gaze with Dorian to smile at Camila. Not my expected first win, but who wouldn't take it? Besides, I couldn't think of anyone better to turn my amateurish idea into a strategic plan.

"Me too." Rav sighed. "If there's a chance of being not damned if we do, then what the hell?"

   We shifted our gazes to Dorian. His stoic expression was unmoving.

"Sure."

   I didn't know the burdening weight I was carrying until that cautious whisper of his lifted it off with ease.

"Okay, great!" I grinned. "Now as I said, I'm not really certain about this so—"

"I didn't sign my death pledge for this jibber jabber." Rav facepalmed with a groan. "Just spill!"

"Okay, okay!"

   Jibber Jabber?

A/N: 'Free Minds' hit 700 reads guys🎉🎉🎉!! This was the highlight of my day!

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