Not long after Julia had left, three security officers, two nurses, and a doctor stormed into the room. Ridley and Kaia took center stage together, prepared with a persuasive speech on why they should all be granted an extended visit. Martin joined them on the front-line this time, adding unbelievable legal implications for both the hospital and the police department, should they not let them all stay longer.

Mere minutes after victoriously securing more visiting time, and the security, nurses and doctor had departed, Silas unhooked a backpack he had brought along from his shoulder and set it on the floor. Alex hadn't realized that he'd been wearing it the entire time, and he wondered if anyone else had.

From the backpack, Silas first produced a lavender cake carrier that held more of the blueberry lavender cake Alex had previously tasted inside of it. Aoife took it from him, bringing it over to a small table in a corner. Silas then pulled out a king-sized thermos filled with warm milk. Emilio retrieved it, placing it next to the cake carrier. Afterwards, he removed a stack of blue solo cups and a sealed plastic bag of eggplant-painted plastic forks and knives. Iker grabbed and organized them alongside the carrier and the thermos. Finally, Silas extracted a thin stack of plastic lavender plates with a beefy stack of white napkins perched atop, and he took them to the table as well.

Wherever it was possible to sit in the room, they all sat. Lev and Carsyn sat with Alex on the bed. Emilo, Iker and Aoife sat opposite of Evan, Jeremi and Tate in the middle of the room. Nyne had reverted back to Six, and she and Arthur occupied the only two chairs in the room. Silas and Martin sat on the floor next to them. Ziro sat with one leg folded up on the window ledge. And Ridley, Grayson, and Kaia sat on the floor next to him. As they all sat, they each chowed down a slice of cake. While they did, they listened as Alex revealed the reason for his detainment in the hospital.

Alex didn't know much about Pyromania disorder, in fact he only knew what he had seen in movies. It made it difficult for Alex to believe the doctor when she had told him they would have to keep him there for a few days to be sure of his diagnosis. But it didn't take long for him to start realizing, though, that it might be possible after all. In more vivid detail, he again recounted the first time he had ever 'played with fire'. Watching the bow that his uncle Wylliam had spent hours crafting for him, be slowly reduced to ashes, had left him feeling inexplicably idyllic that day, and he had felt something similar during the incident with Turtleneck.

Though hesitant, he ultimately revealed that the recent situation wasn't his second time crossing a dangerous path with fire. All the countless times he had traversed into the woods back home to practice archery, he had also been using some of that time to set a few of his old toys on fire. Back then he had thought nothing of it, that it was just residual frustration from the fallout of the Prior family ruination. But now he was realizing just how bizarre his actions have been lately.

Grayson uttered a moody sigh, but a lazy smile was creeping into view too. He shuffled over to the end of the bed and hoisted himself onto the foot-board to get a look at Alex. He wanted to say something, anything really, but words were failing him. So, he settled for an ordinary smile, though it was an ungraceful display, it was enough for Alex to understand.

Alex returned it, his own a bit more refined, and said to him, "you shouldn't be home alone. Stay with a friend."

Grayson nodded, another slothful action, then clumsily pointed to Ridley, wordlessly informing everyone that she was going to be his sleepover buddy. Ridley knowingly aimed a finger back at him, looking pleased as she did.

"아이구 (Aigoo)," Ziro whispered to himself. He glanced between Grayson and his mother, his face giving a mild warning. "No nonsense after midnight."

The adults and the group talked a mix of seriousness and nonsense for hours and hours. They talked about the charges against Alex possibly being dropped if the doctors proved he was a forthcoming pyromaniac. They talked about what ingredients exactly made the blueberry lavender cake, lavender. They talked about the odd case of Turtleneck where almost no proof of him dealing drugs could be found (only the drugs Alex had bought from his earlier), and no one had come to visit him, therefore no one to prove or deny whether or not he really was a drug dealer. They talked about a reschedule of plans to visit the BuzzHouse, and they talked about the reunification of Lev with the rest of the group.

It was forty-five minutes until midnight by the time they had all finally worn themselves out from talking. One by one, the adults lined up to say goodbye to Alex for the night. They each shook his hand as if he were an actual politician in the middle of a campaign, and Alex simply nodded along as if keeping a promise to change their community.

Grayson was last in line, and instead of a handshake, he ruffled Alex's hair and displayed a mischievous grin. Alex tried whacking at his hands, but Grayson was quick to get away.

Then one by one the group lined up to say their goodbyes. Jeremi fist bumped with him. Six lifted his pinky and intertwined it with hers for a non-existent promise. Evan groomed his hair, arranging its disheveledness as best and as quickly as she could. Tate taped a small and flimsy piece of paper onto his chest that read, hi, i'm an ALIEN.'

Carsyn went all out and hugged him again like tomorrow was never coming. It lasted a bit too long, and when it was finally done, she caught Lev glaring at her from the other side of the bed. She stared back, curious, and then to Alex who shrugged, amused at the situation.

Ziro was going in for a simple firm handshake, but Alex opened out his arms and smiled pleadingly at him. Ziro gave in and met him on the other side for a surprisingly slack embrace.

Ridley and Kaia had bargained one last time with the orderlies so that Lev could stay overnight with Alex. They were successful once again, and it surprised no one, except for Grayson and Alex.

Lev slid the door closed after everyone had finally left, and it when he had turned back around Alex squinted his eyes, noticing something curled up in one of Lev's hands. "Here, hold him for a sec." He gently ushered Skelkin into Alex's waiting palms.

"Aww, hey Skel," Alex cooed. Skelkin began to lick his left index finger.

Lev raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but made no comment about it. Instead, he strolled over to a mini thermostat nearby the sphygmomanometer, and turned the heat up.

Alex noticed and frowned. "Won't you melt?"

"Probably," Lev chuckled. "I'm only doing this for that cold-blooded bastard." He shot a sardonic glance at Skelkin. "According to my mom, I've been spending a lot more time with you lately than with my adoptive amphibian kid, and I shouldn't neglect him so much or he might rebel in teen-hood."

Alex collapsed back into the pillow, a rollicking fit of laughter expelling from him. Lev leaned against the wall, fondly watching him do so. Skelkin moved on to Alex's middle finger just as Alex recovered from laughing.

"She's got a point," Alex said. "And salamanders are actually ectothermic animals, not cold-blooded. Just means that they have to rely on the environment as a source of heat cuz they can't generate their own body heat."

"Thank you, wise-ass."

"No problem, Nova," Alex grinned. "And hey, I thought animals weren't allowed in the hospital. How'd you get Skel inside?"

"My mom hid him inside her purse the entire time, which means he was deprived of licking skin for nearly the whole day. Be prepared to wake up with sticky hands." Alex beamed at the amphibian, who had now moved on to his ring finger. "Hey, I'm going to the vending machines," Lev said. "You want anything?"

"Yes," was all Alex replied.

Lev waited a few seconds. "Well? Are you gonna tell me what you want anytime soon?"

"You already said what I wanted, and I said yes." Alex's grin grew wider, the curls of his lips scratching across his cheeks as he pet Skelkin with his index finger.

With a dark gaze, Lev stalked towards him, making Alex slowly retreat beneath the blanket. Lev stopped him with an unyielding hand seizing the top of his head. Alex braced for impending impact against his forehead, but he instead felt something moist and soft planted there. It lasted three seconds, and as Lev lifted his head and lips away from Alex's forehead, the two instinctively tilted their heads closer until they're eyes met.

They leaned in for the real deal this time, when Lev suddenly abandoned his position, and spun around to head for the door. "See you in a few, Prior."

Alex groaned and threw himself back against his pillows. He knew Lev had to be grinning like a weasel right now, but he decided to save his energy to plot revenge for this abandonment. He had the whole night.

Just moments after Lev was out of the room, Alex heard the sharp yet harmonic sound of someone whistling. His door was closed, so that must have meant that the source was close-by. His heart skipped with excitement as his curiosity ate at him from the inside; he just hoped it wasn't fatal to salamanders like it was to cats.

Carefully, he unhooked himself from the I.V. drip, leaving only the needle embedded in his hand, and then he placed Skelkin inside the pocket of his gown.

Once out of the room, he searched around the empty hallway until his eyes landed a boy about his height — his skin a porcelain canvas and his hair, short, red (though orange really, Alex thought) and tempestuous. He wore a dark blue sports jacket as he leaned back against the wall with his hands tucked into the pockets. His foot rapped impatiently against the polished floor, but both that and his whistling immediately stopped when he noticed someone watching him. His gaze spilled over in Alex's direction, spotting him in a hospital gown, his expression unmoving but somehow hostile.

"What's your problem? Brain damage?" the boy said to Alex. His tone was older, refined somehow, not at all like his expression.

"Fully functioning as a matter of fact," Alex answered.

"Mhm," the boy replied, sounding a bit disappointed.

"You waiting for someone?" Alex asked.

"Do you always make it a habit of getting into other people's business?"

"I don't know actually," Alex chuckled. "Lately this 'habit's' had a mind of its own. Really, I came out here cuz I heard you whistling and now..."

The boy's unmoving composure seemed to slip. "And now what?"

"And now...sorry. I just really like your red hair."

The boy pushed off from the wall, striding up to Alex like a force of nature, until they were face-to-face. "You strike me as someone who gets easily distracted. What is your problem?" he questioned. "If not brain damage, then what, huh?" His voice was still quite refined, though dangerous as well.

Alex looked him head on, the boy's eyes just as menacing as Ziro's, more curious than ever now. "Nothing official yet, but it might be a mental issue," He admitted to the boy. "I haven't been playing with fire the right way for sometime."

The boy narrowed his eyes and took a surprising step back. Alex was shocked by the sudden retreat, but he suspected that it wasn't out of fear.

"The right way? You...you're the one who did that to Turtleneck aren't you?"

Alex felt his heart drop into stomach. He hadn't truly felt much about what he did to Turtleneck, but now, the possibility that there was someone standing before him that cared about the drug dealer, was beginning to drain the life out of him.

The boy took Alex's prolonged silence as a yes, and broke out into a bitter fit of laughter. Alex watched him, confused as ever. "I didn't think I'd ever get to thank you in person," the boy said.

"W-what?"

The boy ambled back to where he stood before, smiling like a madman. "Turtleneck was slipping anyway. Almost got caught a couple weeks ago. Actually thought that clown would take this more seriously, but then... Anyway, try not to worry too much. You kinda did me a favor, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to kinda do you one."

"What?" Alex repeated, his voice beginning to crack.

"Right now, I'm waiting on the papers that will allow me — the proxy of my dear orphaned friend, Turtleneck — to get him transferred to another hospital closer to where I live. An hour after he arrives, the police will then come into some incriminating photos and surveillance of him in the act of dealing. But it'll be too late to even begin a case because about fifthteen minutes later, his heart will have stopped beating due to some mysterious drug that ended up in his I.V., and left no trace."

Alex's heart raced, pounding against the inside walls of his chest. It felt like he was in some climactic scene of a thriller movie. "Wha... What are you..." He had a sudden thought. "Are you...?"

"Am I what?"

"...what's your name?" The words were out before Alex could even think about it.

The boy's was guttural, dark, yet hushed. "You sure that's something you really wanna know?" Alex nodded, another decision he didn't take time to discuss with himself. "Eric Hyve," the boy revealed. "Since I told you my name, I think it's only fair you tell me yours."

Alex hesitated, and he thought it was the best decision he'd made since first laying eyes on the sinister boy.

"Oh wait...nevermind," the boy went on. "It's Alex Prior. Right? Right." Alex's heart was skipping beats again, threatening to burst right out of his chest this time. "But like I said before, don't worry. I won't get into your life if you don't get into mine. Although, I do have this annoying itch at the back of my head that we'll actually see each other again — sooner rather than later, unfortunately. If that happens, I hope you'll be sane enough to look the other way if you see me whistling, or doing anything else for that matter."

Eric turned away as he and Alex both heard other voices coming down the hall. He straightened his jacket, swept a hand over his red hair, and started over to a nurse that came into view. He didn't look back at Alex, but Alex kept looking at him. The nurse was accompanied by a doctor, who shook hands with Eric, and Alex overheard his praises of Eric for being a good friend. He listened to Eric humble himself, thanking the doctor instead for allowing him to do this.

Skelkin stirred inside of the gown pocket, so Alex placed a gentle hand over the fabric to try and calm the amphibian. He watched as Eric signed a thin stack of papers, and then disappeared down the corridor with the doctor and the nurse.

With the hallways quiet again, Alex decided to slump back to his room and wait for Lev. The skin on his arms prickled uncomfortably, his heart still unsteady after, but maybe cuddling with Lev would help it go away. He hoped it could. As he drifted back to the room, he noticed a clock on the wall across from the door.

The time read: 12:07.

Alex would never forget that he had just witnessed the face of evil.