I broke into a run, battling through my blurred, dark-spotted vision along the way and met Dorian on his knees with only his back in immediate view. My hesitancy switched to fear when my gape over his shoulder caught sight of his white hands blackened with the remnants from the explosion.

"Dorian!" I tried to whirl him to face me. "Please tell me you're okay."

   He retained his solid stance on the ground, refusing to raise his hung head.

"Dorian," I thought it best to give his shoulders a slight shake this time. Maybe I had come on too strong at first. "Hey—"

   My next breath hitched when he suddenly rose and regained his footing, maintaining the view of his back in my direction.

"It's nothing to worry about." Dorian's reassurance came out in a hoarse bark. "I'm okay. It was nothing major, really."

"Are you kidding me?" My hysteria could barely be contained at this point. This wasn't something anyone could or should brush off. "I saw your hands. Let me call the others. We can get you to a nearby clinic or hospital in no ti—"

"I'm fine, Beth. Just calm down. Stop losing it," he said.

   The calmness in his tone only triggered the heat-engulfing fury that spread through me with no indications of slowing down.

"Then tell me that to my face!" I yelled, tapping his back a little harder this time. "Stop trying to downplay what happened. My sight is still pretty messed up and I wasn't even the one with the camera in hand right before it went off. Dorian, you are not okay!"

"What are you talking about?" Dorian replied with shock in his voice. "That's not true. I threw it away at the very last second. The camera exploded a few feet away."

   My jaw dropped. What the hell?

"No way." I shook my head. "The last place I saw it before the explosion happened was your hand. Dorian, stop playing. We both know the camera was in your hand."

"Seriously, Beth, I don't know what you're talking about. I get it though, it is easy to believe you saw something you didn't in a trauma-inducing situation such as this."

   I shook my head in protest again with the remaining adrenaline still triggered by what just happened even though he still hadn't turned to face me and couldn't see my reactions.

"No, no, no. I know what I saw. You were holding it right before—" I stopped and drew in a sharp breath. The instant realisation that spread through my thoughts was becoming all too familiar. "You're lying."

   Again. Dorian Mathers was once again telling a lie. Like he had about his absence at the Virtual Dance. I scoffed and let out a bitter chuckle. And just when I was starting to consider putting behind me and letting go of what he had lied about that night and giving him the benefit of the doubt. And of course, how could forget about that stupid chest tattoo he thought no one knew about?

   I was so stupid. Why did I keep refusing to see that I was dealing with a shady, pathological liar beneath all that deceptive, ever stoic, occasionally charming persona?

"Dorian," My stern voice couldn't have dropped any lower in octaves. "Turn around."

   But he heard me. I ignored the overly-dramatic beats of my heart as he took his time to face me. Finally showing the front of his body, Dorian kept his darkened hands shielded over his eyes.

"Beth?" He whispered with his covered face still hung low. "Let's go downstairs."

"Oh God, did something happen to your eyes? Come on, Dorian, there's a clinic around. Let's just g—"

"I said I'm fine!" He snapped, not bothering to mask the hostility in his words.

   And just like that, disappointment and rage washed over my worry. The last thing I needed was to be subject to one of his crazy mood swings. If he said it was fine, I wasn't going to make it my responsibility to care.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I shot back with a shout of my out. "I'm only trying to help. You don't have to be such an ass. You don't want my help? Message received."

   I didn't need this. Why was I still here?

   I began to head toward the exit.

"Beth, hold on. Wait!" Dorian's call was fading with each brisk step I took towards the roof's exit. "I'm sorry. Could you... could you at least text Rav to go to my room? Please?"

   I freed all my pent up stress in a single breath and came to a stop. I forgot his phone was still with me. This was the last favour I was going to do for him though. Reaching into my back pocket for his phone, I fulfilled his request.

"Done." I said, continuing my departure.

   This time, I really was.

***

   Okay, so I wasn't really done, done. In my defence, however, this was the only person to whom I'd voiced one of my darkest frustrations to in a single rant and allowed (sort of, anyway) to comfort me. Dorian had lost whatever opportunities or privileges he once had to be a closed book. Also, if I let another lie slide by unaddressed, when was he ever going to realise that what he was doing was not okay?

   I had to make sure this was the last lie he ever told me.

   Which was why after a few minutes of loitering around the motel, I found myself standing in front of Dorian's room, preparing to knock. My fist, however, never made contact with the surface of his door. I was more interested in the frantic exchange of voices from his room. If I knocked, my chances of finding out the truth would be ruined.

   I pressed one of my ears against the door with caution, hoping the sounds got clearer.

"You need to calm down." Rav's whisper seeped from the other end.

"Aren't you seeing what I am seeing?" Dorian's response was panicked. "This is a Code Grey! How do you expect me to..."

   Code Grey? Did I hear that right? What on earth was a Code Gre—

"Oh crap," I steadied my feet just in time when the door was immediately yanked open.

   Rav stood at the doorstep, staring right into my eyes.

"Don't worry, Beth. Dorian's fine," he said.

   I had to hand it to Rav for how he maintained a neutral expression to someone whom he had without a doubt caught eavesdropping in the most embarrassing way. He wasn't completely successful in masking the strained tone laced with his statement though.

"Great, so I can see him then?" My venture toward the entrance was hindered by Rav attempting to close the door.

"Umm.." He put on a smile. "You know what? Why don't you get back to Cami and Tali huh? I'm pretty sure they're wondering what's going on."

"So am I." I grimaced. "And I'm not leaving till you tell me."

"Beth?" The call from the inner part of Dorian's room was faint, but recognizable nonetheless.

"Dorian! Are you okay? What's going on?" I asked.

   I had to keep reminding myself that those two questions were to be tinged with demanding curiosity, not concern.

"Please listen to Rav." He told me. "I'll be out soon, promise."

   The anxiety couldn't be separated from his response despite his obvious attempt to do so. As much as I wanted to badger him for how secretive he and Rav were acting, it was going to be exhausting doing that while fighting off the worry that kept slipping into my emotions.

   I took several steps back and turned to head toward Camila's room.

"Oh and could you not... tell the others about Dorian's... accident?" Rav asked. "It won't be best to make anyone else all neurotic."

"Okay." I faced him again to respond, hoping that his face would eventually unveil something.

   For once, everything about him was unreadable.

"Thank you."

   The soft click which arose at the door being closed made me flinch for reasons beyond me.

A/N: Someone should tell Dorian that lying does not make him attractive lol.

Also, Code Grey? What the hell is that?

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