Via rubbed her eyes and internally groaned as she waited in line at the coffee shop. The dagger pressed against her arm on the inside of her sleeve was a reminder of the night's events. Like seriously, who does Will think he is jumping off rooftops like that? Batman?

More students filed into the coffee shop as the buses rolled by the windows. The coffee shop across the street from the school practically lived off of high schoolers every morning. After all, they were probably the most sleep-deprived people in town. Not to mention the fact that most of the kids in the shop that morning were kids from the previous night's party. You could just tell based on the look on their faces.

Via looked around the shop searching for Alex with no such luck. Instead, she found Will in a corner booth surrounded by twenty other kids. How the heck he had become so popular amongst the medium and lower levels of the social ladder, Via had no idea. After all, you would expect people to be able to tell that something is off about someone who secretly runs around at night and tries to commit suicide per gunshot wound but then again, in Via's experience, people could be as oblivious as fish. But Via supposed that was why they liked him so much. Because he was so mysterious and people always loved a good mystery. Not to mention he won the genetic lottery with his emerald green eyes and dark brown hair.

Via didn't know what Will's problem was. Via could tell that whatever he was doing during his nights was personal but she didn't understand why he insisted on running headfirst into danger. She expected Will to be smart enough to not confront a person with a car and three armed guards. The best move would've been to put something on them to track them. Nothing fancy. Could've even been his phone and then he would've been able to track it using the Find My Phone app. If Via hadn't saved his butt he wouldn't have been able to dig out of his makeshift grave much less laugh with his friends at a coffee shop.

Suddenly, Will looked up and their eyes met. He nodded her way causing about a dozen other people to turn around and look at her with newfound interest. Via's face went red as she nodded back. She hadn't realized how long she had been staring at him. As the group ignored her again, their interest quickly evaporating, Via turned back around to be met with Brooke's sleepy face.

Brooklyn Rani Sanders had been Via's best friend ever since she had moved to Ashwick. She had piercing blue eyes that were brought out by her tan skin and black hair that was in a different style every day. Today it was tied back into a long braid. Her eyes were droopy and bags hung under them. Via figured she probably stayed up until three in the morning but unlike it wasn't because she spent the entire night at a party. It was most likely because she was trying to work on forming some "Save the White Elephants" club or something.

"I don't understand how you do that," Brooke said as she fidgeted with her backpack.

Via blinked, "Do what?"

"Look so energetic in the morning. It's like you got ten hours of sleep when I know you only got like three."

"Actually, I got around five hours of sleep last night."

Brooke waved her arms around, "Still! Like what are you on?"

"Fake it til' you make it," Via said, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. "It always works."

"If it always worked then I would be considered completely normal."

"You have no idea," Via mumbled.

"What was that?"

"What's wrong with being considered super smart?" Via asked.

"Nothing. It's just that everyone assumes you're smart and nerdy because you're half-Indian."

"But you are super smart!"

"No," Brooke snapped. "I'm just regular smart." Via rolled her eyes.

The girls placed their order. Coffee for Brooke and then hot chocolate for Via. As they waited, Will and his friends headed to the door. Brooke did a fake cough and Via turned to find her raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Via asked.

"You're staring."

"I was not!"

"At Will."

"I was watching him leave like a normal person."

"Normal people don't watch someone intently without blinking."

"Shut up," Via said as she nudged her shoulder. They picked up their orders and headed out. A breeze tickled their faces as the crisp autumn smell hung in the air. The multi-colored leaves swept through the air around their feet.

"Seriously though. What's going on between you two?"

I've run into him quite a few times at night and happened to save his life by throwing daggers at people and he doesn't even know it's me, was what Via thought but instead she said, "Nothing. We're just friends."

Brooke sighed. "Good."

Via raised her eyebrow, "Good?"

Brooke shrugged and didn't reply. Instead she said, "I'm tutoring this evening so I'm gonna need a ride back home."

"Sure," Via said as she noticed that Brooke was fingering her coffee cup. It was something that Brooke tended to do when she was nervous. She would finger the notes of her viola on a circular surface. "Who you tutoring?"

"I can't tell you that! But it is for math," Brooke spoke as she fidgeted with cup some more. Two minutes passed in complete silence until Brooke finally sighed and said, "Jason Kane."

"Jason Kane?" Via asked. "As in basketball team captain Jason Kane?"
"Yeah."

"As in the son of business tycoon Jonathan Kane?"

"Yes!" Brooke said as she looked around them. Some people on the sidewalk were watching, clearly trying to eavesdrop. "Quiet down! You know I'm not supposed to tell you about this!"

"Yes, I know but... wow. How did you get the one person in this school you wanted to avoid?"

"Who said I wanted to avoid him?"

"Everything else is like a classic teen romance novel. I mean good girl starts secretly tutoring the popular guy, they start to like each other, popular guy girlfriend doesn't like it, the guy chooses the good girl, they fall in love...ow!"

At that point, Brooke was smacking her upside the head.

"Anyways," Via resumed after Brooke stopped, "Usually in these classic tales the girl doesn't like the guy at the beginning and hates the fact that she has to talk to him. So, I just figured that it was the same here since, you know, everything else seems to line up."

Brooke sighed, "This is why I can't tell you anything."

"Hey!" Via said. "You know I'm the best at keeping people's secrets. I might make fun of you for them a little, but I keep them."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we talk about something else please?"

The two girls walked into the school and started talking about grades and other school-related stuff. In the hallways, they passed many familiar faces. Will nodded at them again. Liv, one of her project partners and the new girl who incidentally shared the same name as her, gave a cheery wave. Finally, they walked to their classes, Via dropping Brooke off first before heading to her class. That's when Alex sidled up to her.

"Ready for the presentation?" Via asked as he fell into step with her.

"Honestly, I don't know. But I do know something for sure."

"What's that?"

"That I'm not hungover and Josh didn't send you anything."

Via smiled a little while looking ahead, vaguely aware of the smirk that was forming on his lips.

"Surprisingly."

Alex laughed a little before continuing, "We're gonna do fine. Liv is pretty good with the graphics, I'm amazing at talking..." Via rolled her eyes, "... and you're super smart."

"And really good at public speaking," Via added.

"Of course," Alex said with a wink. Via used the opportunity to roll her eyes again.

"We're gonna be fine. Just chillax. Stop being so stressed."

"I'm not being stressed. I was just asking to make small talk. You do know what small talk is right?"

"Of course. But it really hurts my feelings."

Via blinked and said, "What does?"

"The fact that you have to use small talk. I mean come on. After everything that we've been through?"

"Everything as in a three-week project?"

"Exactly. That was so harsh and long and it was so much work. We... we went through a lot," Alex said, sounding like a five-year-old. "We shouldn't have to use small talk. We should be friends."

"Haynes..."

"See," Alex interrupted. "Now you're getting it."

Via gave him a confused look. He dramatically sighed and rolled his eyes before turning back to her.

"Giving nicknames to each other is what friends do."

"Haynes isn't a nickname. It's your last name."

"But it isn't Alex, is it?"

Via kept walking silently. She wasn't sure what to say that would stay in Alex's brain.

"I'm sorry, but is Olivia Prince speechless?" he said as he put a hand over his chest and gasped dramatically.

"You're talking?" Via retorted back.

Alex shrugged and said, "I talk to cheer people up."

"Right...."

"You talk to verbally punch people in the face," he said as he made a punching motion in the air in front of them.

"I don't verbally punch people in the face."

"As far as I've seen, unless you're working or in a super good mood, you do."

"I only do it to people who are mean or rude to me or have offended me."

"So I am mean, rude, or offending you?"

"Yeah, you offended me on the first day of the project."

"By doing what? Trying to be nice?"

"By acting like I'm a baby! I hate it when people do that. I'm not a delicate flower."

"You look like one."

"A baby?"

"No, a delicate flower."

"Just because someone doesn't go to parties or constantly act like a jerk doesn't mean that they're fragile."

"You've never been to a party before?!" Alex asked, a shocked expression overcoming his face.

"Do I look like I have?"

"Well, I thought that nerds have some sort of parties," Alex stated. Via bit down the urge to say something about his nerd comment and simply said, "Nope."

"Dang, Elsa. That sucks."

Via choked on air.

"Elsa?!"

"What? You're not the only one that gets to give someone a nickname," Alex said. His face was beaming, clearly amused at Via's reaction. She felt the sudden need to punch him in the face. What has gotten into him? What happened to her reign of terror? Did he really not fear her witty remarks and death glares anymore? She needed to up her game.

"I was gonna choose Ice Face originally but then it felt too long to say so I chose Elsa. But Elsa's too sweet so just remember that every time I say Elsa I actually mean Ice Face."

Via internally groaned as she branched away from Alex and walked into her classroom.

Just as she reached the doorway Alex called, "Hey, Via?"

Via turned and folded her arms to face Alex who was now nervously playing with his fingers. "Yes?"

"I didn't realize that when I started talking to you in that type of voice that I was offending or annoying you and I apologize."

"... Ok?"

"But that was a long time ago. I don't understand why you're still bothered by it now. You really shouldn't hold grudges over something so small for so long. It's not healthy."

"I don't hold grudges."

Alex smirked and started making his way down the hallway. "Sure."

"I don't!" Via shouted after him but he just winked and disappeared around the corner.

Via groaned again and headed back into the classroom. It's gonna be a long day.

Via walked into the JC Penny store, her black boots clicking against the marble tile floor as they hid two knives. She had another knife hidden up her sleeve and one in her pocket.

Via casually walked into the women's section, looking at clothes that were definitely too big for her but if anyone thought it was unusual, they didn't say. Finally, she spotted who she had been looking for. In the corner was a twenty-year-old woman with flaming red hair. She was inspecting some leather jackets though Via doubted she needed any since her scarlet red jacket looked brand new. Via made her way to the jacket section, stopping occasionally to look random shirts and dresses. Finally, Via was standing next to the red-haired woman.

"Olivia Prince," she whispered as she kept her eyes on the jackets. Via did the same and said, "I go by Via."

"I know."

Via waited a moment before saying, "You're Jane Urich, right?"

"The one and only. What took you so long?"
"I was trying to be covert."

"I have red hair and a scarlet leather jacket. I don't think we are covert."

"You're the one who asked me to be covert."

Jane shrugged, "Not that covert. You were asking for more information on one of my articles. Why? I'm an online blogger that people write off as a conspiracy theorist. How would any information that I have helped you?"

"You weren't always considered a conspiracy theorist. There was a time when you were one of the most respected bloggers online."

"Yeah," Jane scoffed. "Back when you were probably still learning the ABC's."

Via gave her a look, throwing covertness out the window. "I'm seventeen."

"When you were still in middle school. Same thing."

"The point is that you knew what you were doing. Then one article came along and destroyed everything you built."

"The Saudi Arabian desert factory explosion," Jane mumbled and Via nodded. "Why is a teenager like you interested in a Saudi Arabian factory explosion?"
"I know that it is something bigger than what they say it is."

"And..."

"I owe it to someone to figure it out."

Jane looked suspicious but she didn't press. Instead, she said "There are dozens of other bloggers that said that it could've been something else and that it could've been covered up. Why did you choose me?"

"A number of reasons. You had a name before and you took your job seriously. You used to be so well trusted and respected enough that you made millions just on the ads viewed from your website."

"As much as I love talking about myself," Jane said as she took out a black and gold leather jacket and held it in front of her, "I already know all of that. Tell me something new."

"Plus, your article matched perfectly with some of the facts discovered."

Jane's arm fell to her side as she looked intently at Via. "You're saying that what I posted might've been true?"

Via shrugged, "I'm not sure, but it seems viable."

"So, I was right. I was chasing something real, something big."

Via nodded. "And I don't think what you published was all that you found out."

Jane studied her for quite some time before saying, "I was about to be the biggest reporters of all time and now I've reduced down far enough to give a bored teenage girl all of my information on what's possibly the world's biggest mysteries. A mystery that no one even knows exists."

"We know it exists. That's enough. Besides, I'm not a regular teenager."

"Oh, I can tell," Jane chuckled. "A normal teenager doesn't hide knives in their jacket."

Via could feel the blood drain from her face. "What are you-"

"I may be young but I've worked in the field long enough to know when someone is hiding a weapon. I'm guessing you're carrying two in your boots, probably another one stuffed up your sleeve from the look of it. Then the one in your pocket."

"How could you tell?"

"Knives in pockets usually weigh down a bit differently in pockets. Quick tip, only places a knife in your pocket if you don't have a choice. Most trained eyes will catch them."

"A few years as an independent investigative reporter taught you all of that?"

"I was a teenager before, too," she said and pulled out a flash drive before Via could respond. She hid behind a rack of clothes and moved on. Via pretended to be inspecting the clothes and pocketed the flash drive quickly.

"That contains all the research I've done for every single article I've ever done. I did place all of the Saudi Arabian factory things in one folder but I decided that maybe you could find other clues that I missed in any of my other research."

Via nodded, "Thank you."

Jane pulled out another piece of clothing from the racks and said, "Be careful with that. Don't let anyone know you have it. After what they did to me... they destroyed me so well, it was scary. And trust me, I've been destroyed many times."

"Wait," Via said. "If something goes wrong and people find out that I have this information, then it can't be too hard to figure out it came from you. And we stopped being covert a long time ago.."

"Don't worry about me. They already took almost everything besides my good looks and personality. They can't do anything else. Besides," she said with a smile, "there is only one person left who they could use against me. And trust me, he can take care of himself."

Via nodded, "Thank you, again."

"One last thing," Jane said before Via could walk away. "When you're out there, on the streets, people will use everything they see as an advantage. And you," she wadded a finger at her, "stick out like a sore thumb."

"I don't!" Via protested. "I can take care of myself and fight people..."

"Maybe you can," Jane interrupted. "But it doesn't matter. Because all trouble, whether you handled it or not, is trouble that has the risk of getting you killed. How do you stay away from this trouble?"

"By not being stupid?"

"True. But the most important part," she said as she leaned forward a little, "is blending in."

Via blinked as she pushed the black leather jacket into her hands. It looked like Via's size. There were gold designs lining the arms and the back of the jacket. It wasn't too heavy but not too light. The texture felt smooth at the touch. Via noticed that it had many pockets on the inside. She looked back up at Jane who had a gleam in her eye. "If you want to achieve that, you'll need this."

Via looked back down at stylish black and golden leather jacket. It screamed pretty but deadly. Via wondered how it would look on her... then she snapped out of it. She would never be able to buy something like this.

"I-I'm sorry. I can't..."

"Shh," Jane said as she took out a wad of bills and placed it in the pocket of the leather jacket. "It's alright. I got you covered."

"What? No, I-"

Jane interrupted her, "Pay me back by kicking some ass."

Jane walked away, her flaming red hair bouncing against her jacket. Via could've sworn there was a skip in her step. Via stood still, holding the jacket in her hands, still gaping after her. Via looked back down at the jacket in her hands. It was already in her hands, there was no point in backing out now, right?

Via turned to the mirror and put the jacket on.