~Vikk's P.O.V.~

       What have I done... I mourn inwardly as I come to grips with the fact I just revealed my fairy form, without a second thought, to someone I barely know. My mind races a million miles a minute, a sickening ball of anxiety tightening in my stomach. A lump catches in my throat, preventing me from speaking, and I hover awkwardly in the air simply watching Mitchell as he stares at me like I've grown a tail. Although... all things considered this is probably worse.

       "You- you're a... you just... those are- huh!?"

       Mitchell's words tumble un gracefully out of his mouth, and my heart rate increases three hundred percent. Sirens blare in my skull I lose control over my body, floating there like a romper control drone. Mitchell's mouth opens and closes a couple times, his eyes as wide as saucers. Please be quiet please be quiet please be quiet please be quiet.... ohhh Vikk why did you do that. You could've just lied... you're a law student making up crap on the spot if your forte. Mitchell shakes his head violently, clutching at his hair.

      "Am I like... high or something? Did dad drug my chicken...?" He mumbles, his eyes dropping to the ground, "because there is no way I just saw Vikk turn into a fairy."

      Vikk, calm down, you made a good choice.

      The sudden high pitched female voice jolts me out of my frozen daze, and it resounds in my head, bringing an overdue calmness to my mind. It's Crystal, speaking to me telepathically from wherever she may be in my puny body. My eyes shift to Mitchell, who is rambling on about now he must be high under his breath. What do you mean, a "good choice"? I think I just broke Lachlan's brother!

      Give him a minute, it's not like people get to see fairies in real life every day! Crystal giggles. But don't be silly, he's not gonna do anything. You know how much he cares about his big bro, and you also know, deep down, you had to tell someone eventually. Someone who isn't a dragon hybrid, a spirit fairy, or a dragon hatchling. He can help you, and you know it. But you'd better say something so he can stop freaking out, and you'd better spill the beans on Lachlan's situation, or it'll only make things worse. He'll find out eventually.

      My eyes widen. No! I promised Lachlan I wouldn't tell a soul. Mitchell can deal with it, I won't betray my best friend. I can mentally feel Crystal shrugging. Suit yourself. And then her presence is gone. My head clear, I revert back to human form, and Mitchell's head snaps up. He stumbles back, nearly knocking over a lamp in the process. Acting quickly, I catch it, before it can smash into a million pieces on the ground. The noise disturbs Lachlan, and I cast a worried glance in his direction, watching sadly as he groans in his sleep.

      "Let's discuss this somewhere else..." I suggest, gently grabbing a stunned Mitchell's wrist and leading him into the bathroom across the hall. Shutting the door behind me, I turn to face Mitchell, confusion and wariness etched onto his face. Seemingly, he's accepted this is reality and he's not hallucinating.

      "Aight, what the fudge did I just watch?" He demands, voice still shaking ever so slightly.

      "Well you see, due to unforeseen circumstances, I encountered my 63 in the forest returning home from finding Lachlan, and due to... reasons... she felt the need to turn me part fairy."

      "...huh?"

      "She's like... my alter ego from another dimension that died and- okay, you know what, don't worry about it! All you need to understand is that... Lachlan's beliefs weren't as far fetched as everyone labelled them to be. There are reasons why Lachlan needs to stay away, and there are reasons why this all needs to be kept a secret, or things could get real messy. I was turned into a fairy, and now I believe it is my duty to make sure Lachlan is safe and undiscovered."

      "What about the horns on his head? Did you do that?" Mitchell interrogates, eyes narrowing.

      "Well, no... I-"

      "Then what are they? You're being really cryptic, Vikk, and if you want my help for whatever reason, then I need to know what's going on." He pushes, crossing his arms. That annoying lump creeps into my throat again. I can start to feel beads of sweat accumulate on my forehead.

      "Mitchell... I really think it's best if you don't get involv-"

      "WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY BROTHER!?" He suddenly shouts, tears filling his eyes. The sudden outburst catches me off guard, and a sudden pang of guilt hits my heart as he sniffles, rubbing at his eyes. "I just want to know what's going on... I'm really scared and confused..." he whispers. Oh screw it. I'm sorry Lachy.

      Taking a deep breath, I explain to him everything that has happened in the last few days, from the forest to the trial to now. The whole time Mitchell just stands there, absorbing all this information with a blank expression. By the end of it I feel a lot better, but nervous as Mitchell does not respond. Heavy silence fills the air, and I dare not say a word as Mitchell processes this information, refusing to meet my eyes. And then finally, after an eternity of nothingness, he speaks. "I... need to go for a walk."

      With that simple statement, he brushes past me, opening the bathroom door and slinking out into the hall. The tenseness of the whole situation comes crashing down all at once, and I slide down the wall to the floor, hanging my head. There's a small tingle as suddenly Crystal exits my chest, the tiny blue fairy fluttering up to eye level. I raise my eyes, frowning as she touches a soft hand to my finger.

      "You did the right thing, Vikk." She reassures, eyes filled with empathy. "If you want, I will go after him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid with this knowledge."

       I nod silently, and Crystal hovers for a moment, staring, before darting off through cracked door. Her sudden absence sends a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness over me, and I massage my temples, feeling much weaker than ever before. Like a vital piece of me has gone missing, and without it, I can not function properly. That piece must be Crystal.

       Rising unsteadily to my feet, I lean all my weight on the counter, taking a moment to collect myself. Then, keeping a had on the wall to steady myself, I walk back across the hall, deciding to check in on Lachlan. I quietly crack open the door to his room, unconsciously softening my breathing, and padding gently inside. The tall Australian is no longer resting in a nest of blankets, but rather, he is across the room sitting rigidly at his desk. He's in a cold sweat, eyes wide and breathing shallow as he works relentlessly at a new piece of art. A bead of sweat rolls off his brow, and he doesn't even notice as I slide fully into view.

      "Lachlan...?" His pencil drops, and Lachlan whirls around in his chair, almost toppling over. Tears spring to his eyes in an instant.

      "Vikky!" Leaping from his chair, he tackles me in a bear hug, nearly sending us both to the ground. Thankfully we manage to stay upright, and I wrap my arms around him, holding him tight as he buries his face into my shoulder and is quickly taken over by a wave of shivers. My heart clenches as sobs begin to quickly spill from his mouth, and I rub his back, feebly attempting to soothe him.

      "Shhh.... it's alright. I've got you," I whisper, "you're safe now."

~Mitch's P.O.V.~

      It's almost like a scene from... a... well... I'm not sure. I initially was going to say horror movie, except I've never seen one, I've only heard described as scenes that are out of the ordinary, and the house we're standing in front of is normal, the neighborhood is normal, Jerome's hat makes him normal, I-... I'm not normal. I can look at him and I see colors, colored skin, and bright eyes, just like everyone else I've met. How does he do it? I own him, have for years. But why is it that I'm the one who's as blank as an empty picture frame?

      "Mitch?" Jerome suddenly said, he's out of line, but on the contrary I've probably been standing around for too long.

      "Come." I order, taking the first steps towards the front door. I don't even need to empathize my words for him to follow, he's learned better than to disobey. As trained, I open the door, making sure Jerome goes in first before I follow him inside and lock the door behind me.

      The early dusk dimly lights the front hall, making the small dust particles floating around visible. No one must be back from their missions yet.

      I grab the shock collar and the chain leash off the wall, and turn around to face Jerome. He's taken off his hat, letting his surprisingly well-kept mud brown, furred, round ears unfold on top of his head. Jerome stares at me with sorrow-filled eyes as I approach him, lifting up the collar. Only a second passes before he gives up trying to "reach" me again; his term for attempting to fix my broken mind. He lifts up his chin, making it slightly easier for me to fasten the collar around his neck. As I do so, he passes his fingers through his thin, chestnut hair.

      "Maintain your behavior and I won't need to use the lead." I state, leading him to the basement, where we keep him. Both of us are silent as we descend the dimly lit stairs. I enjoy silence, it leaves me to ponder on my thoughts of my thoughts... well the few thoughts of my own that I ever had. With out even being told to, Jerome sits down by a clasp on the wall, giving me free movement to attaching the lead to his collar then to the clasp.

      The two of us make eye contact for almost a solid minute, but I can't under stand why. I blink, shaking my head to break the connection, then head back upstairs before something like that can happen again. It's bad enough that it even happened once.

      Walking through the empty halls, there's only silence in the air, until the the sound of faint humming reaches my ears. I stop dead in my tracks, unaware that someone had been here this whole time. My breathing ceases, so I can follow the small sound of music up to my brother's room. The door is open just a crack, but I knock anyways before letting myself in.

      Conner is in there, my twelve year old brother, lying on his bed and reading a book. My knocking had warned him to be standing and alert as he should, at least he remembered to do that in the case that it is was guardians instead of me.

      "You're playing a dangerous game, Conner." I sigh, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

      "But it's so boring just sitting around here all day." Conner groans, annoyance being the most prominent reason. We are only allowed to have one "hobby," but before we can begin, we must explain how it will aid us during missions. I chose photography, because of my camera and so I can document details and provide clear imagines to clients. But I can't figure out how reading will be useful in the field.

      "You should learn how to deal with such things. You'll become much more productive that way. Besides, where did you even get that?" I question the origin of the book while pointing to it. The only reading material within the entire house is law books for all different states and countries so we can complete our tasks while remaining within the legal boundaries.

      "I stopped by the library after picking up the groceries." He answers, but I go to scold him for going over his spending limit and how he'll get called out for it by our guardians. Although, he keeps going as he hands me the book. "And don't worry, the library has the most wonderful thing in existence. You can borrow any book you want for free!"

      How can such a place exist? Nothing in this world comes without a price. Thoughts are processing as I examined the cover. Its cover has the title "Purple Hibiscus" printed on it, with a black and white image of a girl in the background and a bright purple flower; most likely a hibiscus as the the titled implied, in the foreground.

      "You better be ready to explain this to them." I inform him, handing back the book setting my camera down on his desk.

      "I'm not going to."

      "What? But the-"

      "Hobby rule. I know, but I don't know what I want that to be yet, and I don't think I can make an argument on how it will be useful when they... break me..."

      I'm taken aback by my brother's sudden boldness. I've been the one that's been hiding him being whole, now he wants to hide a secret of his own. Now at a loss for words, Conner puts his book away. I need to go to my room to make a new plan, but as I do so, I open the door to the guardians... my parents, staring sternly at me.

      ...Oh no...

Hey guys! Congrats on not having to wait a year for this chapter come out, and if I'm lucky, you'll won't have to deal with this again. So yeah... Character development! Leave your thoughts in the comments, because I love to here what you guys think, even if it's negative, don't be afraid to share. Any constructive criticism that you have will make chapters better in the future.

And my thanks goes out to @DarkDisco7 for writing the first half of this chapter.

Till next time;

Bye!

~Dolphin