I drop Alex's hand and run to the slide. He's beat up, a black eye with various scrapes and stabs on him. I see the knife still resting in his chest.

"Help, me..." the man croaks.

I check his pulse and it's still going strong. Alex takes off his shirt, leaving him in a white undershirt. He tries to soak the bleeding. I'm screaming at the top of my lungs and I can't stop. The mother runs over to us and begins to scream with me. She dials the police and lets them know the situation. Medical and police arrive immediately.

    The man was lifted onto a stretcher and taken into the towns only ambulance. Alex and I are separated and taken to the police station. I show him the leaf and am yelled at.

    "Why would you go to a place where a leaf said too?" He asked.
     "I know it was stupid, but we saved a guy's life so..." I say.
      "Okay. Your mother is on her way, she'll take you home. Your free to go."
       "Thanks..." I say.

     My mother walks in and hugs me. On our way out we both have questions for each other. Some light hearted, others not.

    "Are you and Dad okay? Please tell me the truth." I ask.
     "No. We aren't. I'm not sure we ever will be. Tonight, you can come to the hotel with me or stay at home with your father..." She answers.
      "Okay. I'll think about it. Why? Why did you get that job?" I ask.
      "Adrenaline. I hadn't felt that good in so long. I was just going to do it for the money, but it made me feel so good..." she answers.
       "Okay, mom." I say.
       "Tell me about Alex. He seems like a nice boy..." She says.
       "He's nice. I really like him, but every time we are together someone gets hurt. Literally."
        "I'm sorry, baby. Whoever is doing this, are they targeting you? Or Avery and her friends?"
          "Me. They are targeting me. I got the first message. The first murderer effected me. Two weeks later, Avery got her first text, two weeks later Alex got his. It's me, mom, not them."

      She gives me this look, sympathy. I hate the pity, but honestly, if I were in anyone else's place I'd pity me too. Soon, I get a text. It's Alex; Would you like to come to the movies with me at 3? I know we jut went on a date, but I think we could both use an escape.

    "Who texted? Your face lit up." My mom asks.
    "Alex. Can I go to the movies with him at 3?" I ask.
     "Of course. I'll help you get ready. Your dad is at work until 4." She says.

    We get home and she finds me a change of clothes while I shower. She picked high waisted black jeans and a baggy striped shirt. She also picked a necklace from her closet. I dress, tucking the top into my jeans. She does my hair, curls it like she does to hers most days. My hair is longer, so it looks different. I like it. I do my own makeup as we gossip.

    "So, have you kissed him yet?" She asks as I'm putting on my blush. I'm already blushing enough.
     "Yeah, in the park. Right before that leaf fell..." I say.
     "Was he a good kisser?" She asks, trying to brighten the mood.
      "Yeah, he is." I say.
      "What does he look like? I've never seen him." She asks.
       "He's Indian, Charlie Puth style hair cut, he's skinny, about 4 inches taller than me, and really cute..." I describe.
         "Woah."

    The doorbell rings and I run downstairs. I open the door to find Alex, standing there a little dorky, in a new plaid shirt and jeans. This plaid button down is green, not orange. My mother stands behind me.

     "He really is.." she starts before I smack her arm.

      Alex blushes and I step outside. He grins and tells me how pretty I look. I get into his red Toyota. He backs out and drives me to the theatre before I realize I have no clue what movie we are seeing.

     "What are we watching?" I ask him.
      "Uh, there's two options. That new doll horror movie or the live action remake of Mulan..." he answers
"So, I'm guessing you'd rather see the horror movie..." I say.
"I don't care, you pick..." He says, but I can tell that he's honestly rather see Mulan.
"You don't actually want to see that doll movie, I can tell. We'll see Mulan." I say.
"Thank god, I can't do horror..." He says.
"Well, we did just find a dead body so...." I mutter.

He buys our tickets and a large popcorn. The lady at the counter is nice, she made our popcorn quickly and put on the perfect amount of butter.

     "Thank you." I say.
     "You're welcome, Ruby. Enjoy the movie, you guys!" She says. I'm taken by surprise when she says my name.

      I forget that people know our names from the news. Alex and I walk into the theatre and find seats near the back. He puts his arm behind me on the top of the chair. The movie starts and it's really good. I enjoyed it. Alex and I leave the theatre, he takes me back to my house. I smile.

"Goodbye, That was fun, thank you..." I say.
"My pleasure, Ruby." He says.

I get out of his car with a kiss on the cheek. My father opens the door and proceeds to yell at me. Great. I don't even walk in the house before I decide to go to mother's hotel room. I can't take my father anymore. First, I call her to get the room number, but she doesn't answer. I try her work too, but there was no answer. No answer until I got a call. From a magical unknown number. Figures.

      "Where is she, you little..." I start, before the voice on the other line laughs.
       "You've missed the clues, friend. The police can't help you. The only person who can fix this, is you. I've left clues, you haven't found them yet. Your the only person who'll be able to find them. Best of luck, remember I still have your friends." The modified voice says before hanging up.