***(Kai's POV)***

My mother places a hand to her chest, tearing up. "It was so wonderful being able to spend the summer with you two." She hurriedly swipes her finger under her eye.

I smile charmingly and pull her into a side hug. "It really was, wasn't it? It was like we were all a family again."

Nya – also known as my horrendously annoying younger sister – narrows her eyes at me. Her expression says I see right through you.

And I'd hazard to guess she does.

She crosses her arms and sighs. "It's not like we're leaving forever, Mom. It's just the start of a new school year. We'll be back this afternoon."

"I know," Mom nods, wiping away yet another tear. "But after being separated from your brother for so long..."

My sister raises an eyebrow. "Okay, then." And she walks off.

I can't help a smirk as I glance after her. She is so jealous.

When we were kids, we were separated from our parents in a tragic turn of fate. My parents were framed and mutually convicted for a first-degree murder of a public official. They both had government jobs and were near the crime scene at the time of the assassination.

I know, it sounds crazy.

Both my parents were sentenced to a good forty years in prison, and because Nya and I had no other family, we both ended up in foster care. I was a year and a half older than Nya when it happened, and I took it so much better, so I was more socially and emotionally stable. It was pretty easy to find an adoptive family for me.

Not so with Nya. She came with a host of problems from being separated from mom and dad. She bounced around among foster families and a local girl's home for a long time. Apparently, she got into fights with kids in her foster families or something.

But three years ago, this guy named Clutch Powers discovered evidence pointing away from my parents as murderers. He brought it before the law, the real murderer was caught, and my parents were freed. Their next step was to get us back.

It was easy to get Nya back. She was never adopted, so she got to come home to my parents three years ago.

I, on the other hand, was in an adoptive family.

Needless to say, we had a bit of a messy issue. My bio-parents could take the adoptive family to court to try to get me back, or we could work out some sort of a compromise for Kai rights.

In the end, I decided I'd stay with my adoptive family until I turned eighteen and come live with my parents for my senior year of high school. I don't think either my adoptive family or my biological family was completely happy, but it's not like I was going to just choose one over the other.

I turned eighteen back in May, and since then I have become the favorite child in my biological household. Though Nya had our parents for the past three years, she now has to share them. And they feel like they have a lot of catching up to do.

As I said, I'm the favorite.

I give my mom a sloppy kiss on the cheek before heading down our front porch steps. "Love you, Mom," I call to her over my shoulder.

"I love you too, sweetie!" she calls back. "And I have work this evening, but your father will be home for you when you get back!"

I swivel toward her, walking backward toward my sports car (the one my adoptive parents so graciously bought me for my seventeenth birthday). "That reminds me," I smile innocently at her. "I plan on inviting a few friends over this evening. Is that all right with you?"

"Oh, I'd love to meet your school friends!" Her face lights up at the prospect. "I get off work at eight. Make sure you keep them here long enough for me to see them before they go!"

I appease her with a gracious laugh. "Of course, Mom. See you later." I extend my fingers in a wave, then pop open the front door of my convertible and slide inside.

And look over to see Nya in the opposite seat.

I release a quiet expletive. "What the – Nya, what are you doing?"

She blinks, unimpressed. "I'm riding with you so you can drop me off at school. Dad's already left with the car for the morning, and Mom thought it would be great for us to go together for bonding time." She makes those little-quotey fingers that always carry an air of sarcasm.

I snort, raising an eyebrow at her. "Seriously?"

"Yep." She pops the 'p' at the end of the word.

I release a long breath between my teeth. "If you haven't forgotten, I can't be seen with you."

She closes her eyes and rests her head back against the seat. "Believe me, I don't want to be here any more than you do. Just take me to school and go do your own thing, please."

I bite my lip on another curse and start the car. Great.

I pull out of our driveway and onto a quiet stretch of neighborhood road, debating my next steps. I'm not driving Nya to school and gracing her prissy little girls' school parking lot with my presence. That's, like, breaking every code of laws I live by.

Ah, yes, the girl's school. Nya goes to the Graceton Institution for Gifted Girls. I know, the name is stupid. So is the school. It's this antiquated all-girls academy that's big into feminism and egalitarianism and all that. They also happen to hate my school, the Ridgewood Boy's Academy.

Okay, I admit, as names go, these places both sound stupid. But I promise it's only Graceton that needs to go.

I run a hand through my gelled hair, sighing in annoyance. "I'm not showing up anywhere with you, Nya."

"You mentioned that." She shakes her head. "Look, just get over yourself and your stupid reputation, Kai. At some point, you aren't going to be able to hide me from your friends anymore. How long do you think you can keep this up?"

My lips twist into a grimace. Nya has no idea why I have to hide her, and I can't tell her why.

I approach the main drag and slow my car to a stop. "I don't bother you about your friends. Don't bother me about mine." I look both ways, then blanch when I see another vehicle pulling up behind mine.

"Get down," I hiss, spreading the bulk of my body into the console area between us.

She blinks. "You've got to be kidding me. I am not hiding from random drivers around us to lower your chances of being seen with me."

I clench my teeth. "Just for a moment, Nya? I know that guy. Goshdarn it, I forgot he took this route to get to school."

Nya snorts. "You know, your friends are going to have to learn about me at some point."

I peek out into the intersection. "Look's like a lane's about to open up." I spare a quick glance at her. "Get down. This is your last warning. I'm not letting him see me with you in the car." I slam on the gas and zip out into traffic.

Nya pales and grabs the door for support. Her fear is almost amusing, but I'm too distracted to really care.

I chew my bottom lip and debate my next steps. "If we're on the same route, he'll probably see me stopping by your school, too."

"There's a gas station up ahead," Nya points out after a moment, releasing a tense sigh. "Just pull in there and wait for him to pass you."

I rap my knuckles on the steering wheel. "I guess that could work." I flip on my turn signal.

"I'm smarter than you give me credit for." She looks in my rearview mirror. "He was in a blue pickup truck. I don't see one anywhere behind us."

I pull into the gas station parking lot. "He'll be headed this way soon enough." I shoot a scowl her way. "I am not driving you anywhere after this."

"Like I want to put up with you anymore than I already do." She stares out her window, watching traffic pass us. "I'm saving up for a car, Kai, but I need a few more thousand before I can buy one in semi-good shape."

"I can't help that." I agitatedly stare out the window. "Where is he?"

Nya angles her head toward the intersection we sat in only a moment ago. "I can't see our road from here, but it's possible he's still waiting to be let into traffic. If he's driving a pickup truck, he doesn't exactly have the get-up-and-go of a sports car."

I scowl. "Why are you so frickin' smart?"

"When I said I wanted you to acknowledge my intelligence, I didn't mean do it as an insult," she sighs. "Look, I get that you don't like me, but I don't think I'm embarrassing enough that you have to hide me."

That's not why I do it.

"Don't you have a comeback for once?" she asks, glancing at me with a raised brow.

"Not like you'd understand," I mumble.

"Excuse me? First I'm 'frickin' smart' and now I'm stupid?" She lifts a hand in the air. "For the sake of all that's holy –,"

"Wanna get gas while we're waiting?" I suddenly ask, jerking my head toward the fuel pumps.

Her face contorts in frustration. "Look, I'm actually trying to work things out with you for once, and you're avoiding the subject!"

I put the car in reverse and back out of my parking spot. "You should fuel up the car for me."

She crosses her arms. "That's your best coping mechanism?"

"I'll pay you to do it," I try to bribe her. "You said you were saving for a car."

Her expression closes off, and she heaves a sigh. "Fine. If that's what you want."

I let out a relieved breath, park the vehicle by a fuel pump, and hand her a twenty. "I forgot my gas card at home, so..." I shoo her in the direction of the gas station.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Using cash will take us even longer, and then we'll both be late for school. I'll just put in a few gallons with my debit card." She shoves open her door. "I'll take the twenty for reimbursement and a tip though."

I roll down my window as she comes around the side of the car. "Thanks. And one last thing – since I'm having friends over, I'm going to need you to stay out of the house until after nine tonight."

Her posture tenses, and she whips around toward me. "I love how you think you can make the world revolve around you, Kai. Just be glad that I have dinner plans with my friends tonight anyway, or I'd end up crashing your party."

"I'll respect your space if you respect mine." I put the car in drive. "See ya, sis."

"Wha-,"

And with that, I press my foot to the gas pedal and gun it out of the parking lot.

***(Nya's POV)***

I stare openmouthed as my brother flees the gas station lot. He pulls to the exit and, without waiting for a break in traffic, speeds in front of an oncoming car to get into the next lane. The pleasant sound of a horn blaring ensues.

I drop the gas pump and ball my hands into fists. "You jerk!" I yell into the void.

But it does no good. I watch his car zip into the fast lane and drive away from me – far and fast.

And as usual, Kai has decided to leave me in vain pursuit of his own insecurities.

This time, though, he's left me with no way to school. I left my phone – and backpack – in Kai's car, so it's not like I can call Dad or any of my friends. Or the police.

"Crap," I growl, rubbing my forehead.

I wonder if the gas station has a payphone? Or if the attendant inside would be kind enough to let me borrow a cellphone?

I hear the rumbling of an engine and look up. I need to cancel the transaction I started and get out of the way of the gas pumps. I forgot people actually use these. Kai apparently doesn't.

That's when my eyes fall upon a beat-up blue pickup truck – the vehicle I saw behind us at the stop sign earlier.

What are the odds...

I quickly step out of the way so I can cancel my payment. No need to just stand here like an idiot while Kai's stupid friend waits around for me to fuel my nonexistent car.

As I turn toward the pump, I hear a window roll down behind me.

No, no, no. Do not talk to me. If you're a friend of Kai's, I just became your worst enemy.

"Everything okay?" asks a friendly voice.

I shake my head. "Everything's fine." In the same way that getting the flu is 'fine'.

"Okay," the driver says slowly. "But it kind of looks like you're trying to fuel up an invisible car. I mean, that's not a big deal if you tell me where the bumper is so I don't hit it, but...I'm thinking that's not the case."

I don't answer, cursing the gas station as the pump screen flashes with the words 'see cashier'.

Great.

The door to the truck opens behind me, and I tense.

If this is part of Kai's elaborate plot to kidnap me and silence me forever, I should warn you that I am well-skilled in the art of screaming bloody murder.

But then, Kai wouldn't include his friends in a plot to kidnap me. He doesn't even want them to know about me.

I turn toward the driver and study him, arms crossed. He's about my age, rather athletic, and boasts bright blue eyes and a head of auburn curls.

In other words, he's disgustingly cute. Probably takes shirtless photos in bathroom mirrors and posts them on his social media whenever he gets the chance.

"Can I help you?" I ask, keeping my tone cordial yet clipped.

He stops short, his messy hair bouncing in the slight breeze. "I was going to ask you the same thing. Did you run out of gas for your car or something?" He smiles congenially, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his leather bomber jacket. "I have a plastic gas tank you can borrow."

I cross my arms over my stomach and sigh, feeling absolutely defeated and hating it. "No, I didn't run out of gas." I shake my head. "Just...here, I'm done with the gas pump. You can use it." I step out of the way.

His smile falters a little. "O-kay? Um, thank you." He doesn't move, instead opting to stare at me with a somewhat confused expression.

"You're welcome." I glance toward the gas station's convenience store and spot a payphone. Score.

"Uh...is everything all right?" he asks, his tone a bit weirded-out. "Like, if you weren't here for gas, then...why were you here?"

I turn back toward him. "Does it matter?"

He hitches a shoulder. "Um...I'm just getting kidnapped-girl vibes from you, that's all. Perfectly normal."

I snort. "I wasn't kidnapped. My ride dropped me off and left me here." I raise my hand in a wave. "Anyway, nice talking to you." I start to cross over toward the payphones when I realize I have no quarters.

Drat.

I do a quick glance of the ground, hoping magical pocket change will appear before my eyes.

Nothing does.

Double drat.

And the parking lot is deserted.

I'm running out of drats here.

Feeling my cheeks flush, I spin back around toward Kai's friend. "Hey, um...I hate to ask, but could I by chance borrow a quarter? Um, permanently?"

He stares at me as though I've sprouted a second head.

I point toward the payphones. "I'm going to call a friend to pick me up."

"Oh," he nods slowly. "Um, well, I might have some change in the dash, but..." He shakes his head. "Sorry for my manners. Can you explain what happened again?"

I release a long breath. "I was riding to school with my brother, but he made me get out here and left me, so...yeah." I raise my hands in a 'what-can-I-do' gesture.

He furrows his forehead. "He...left you?"

"Exactly." I swipe a hand through my locks. "Listen, I'll just go search the parking lot for change. Thanks anyway." I start to step away.

"No, wait." He fishes around in his back pocket. "You can use my cellphone." He retrieves a dark blue device and hands it over to me.

I bite my bottom lip and take the phone from him. "Um...thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiles again – genuine, in a confused sort of way – and approaches the fuel pump to pay for his gas.

Meanwhile, I make a desperate attempt to dial my one friend who gives me rides in times of desperate need – Skylor. She's in my senior class at Graceton, but we've known each other since middle school.

The phone rings. And rings. And rings. And rings.

And then the line clicks.

"Hey, this is Skye. I'm not at the phone right now, so you can –,"

I – barely – resist the urge to call down curses upon my brother. Instead, I try my next victim: Seliel, the mayor's daughter.

Seliel is another close friend of mine from school, and though she doesn't usually drive herself anywhere, I know she can find someone with a vehicle to give me a ride. She's persistent like that.

I dial her number, and the phone rings once. Twice.

"Do I know you?" Seliel's voice suddenly asks over the other end of the phone.

I release a long-held breath. "Hey, Sel, it's Nya."

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"I'm stuck at a gas station because my stupid brother left me here. Any chance I can get a ride to school?"

"Bro, for real?"

I try not to snap at her. "Yep. Life is pretty much a crap disposal right now."

"Let me ask PIX." The line rustles, and she shouts, "Hey, PIXAL!"

PIXAL would be my third friend. Yes, I can count them on one hand. I know quite a few people at school – Skylor and Seliel are socially popular – but I'm more of a school paper, work-weekend-nights kind of girl. The number of actual friends I have is small.

I hear muffled voices over the line before Seliel picks back up the phone. "Nya?"

"Yes?" I hold my breath, waiting for her response.

"PIXAL is showing new students around this morning."

I clench my eyes shut and heave a sigh. "Is Skylor around?"

"She's not even here yet, bro." The line crackles. "Hey, whose phone are you using? I don't recognize the number."

I look over to where Kai's friend is nonchalantly pumping gas. "It's...one of my brother's minion's phones."

He keeps on putting gas in the car. It doesn't look like he heard me.

Thank the Master.

"Wait – I thought you didn't know any of Kai's minions," Seliel stops me. "Like, he wouldn't even let you around them."

"It's...a long story." I run a hand through my hair. "So what do I do?"

"I say you call Kai and tell him off on his friend's phone. I'd pay to watch that."

I sigh. "Sel, I mean what do I do to get to school?"

"Make Kai come back and pick you up."

"He already left me alone once today, Seliel. He'll do it again."

"Walk to the shady part of town and tell him to pick you up from there. He won't want you to get murdered, so he'll definitely come get you."

I raise a hand in the air. "He doesn't care whether I'm dead or alive, Sel!"

"True," she says slowly. "But hey, I'd come to your funeral. Maybe the school paper would write an autobiography in your honor."

"We all know I'm one of the only two people who try for the school paper." The other one would be Antonia, and she's more interested in writing advice columns than obituaries.

"Maybe I'd write an autobiography in your honor." The line shuffles. "Class is about to start. Why don't you just catch a ride with your brother's friend? Does he go to the same school as Kai? Graceton is five minutes from Ridgewood."

I cast a glance toward him as he gets his receipt from the pump. "I don't even know his name."

"Ask him."

I roll my eyes. "That's not the point, Seliel. The point is that he could be a serial killer for all I know. He's Kai's friend. Anything's possible."

"Call Kai first and ask him if his friend has any murderous tendencies."

"Kai wants me dead. He won't tell me."

"Well, if all else fails, I know what number you called me from. The authorities can track down this guy using that after you die." The line shuffles. "Listen, I have to go to class. I'll let Skylor know you need a ride if you still haven't showed up by second period."

"But –,"

"Talk to you later. Bye." And she hangs up.

I look over to Kai's friend, who casually leans against the door of his truck. He smiles at me when our eyes meet.

"Any luck?" he asks sympathetically.

I hate sympathy.

I hitch a shoulder. "Not exactly."

"Oh." He bites his lip. "Well...goshdarn it." He runs a hand through his curly locks. "My parents would kill me if I didn't offer, and I might kill me for leaving you here alone by the side of the road...where do you go to school?"

I blink. "Huh?"

He sighs. "Do you want a ride to school? I'm going to be so late, but you're completely alone in a remote parking lot, and I still feel like you're going to be kidnapped, and...yeah." He looks up at me as though he's completed his sentence.

I raise an eyebrow. "Um...I don't really know you, no offense." Weirdo.

"I don't know you either. But I did notice earlier that you look kind of familiar." He squints, then shrugs it off. "But anyway...do you want a ride or not? I mean, I think I'm an all-around nice guy. I'm seventeen, I play soccer, I go to Ridgewood Academy, I work at the dairy bar in Nom...you know, normal stuff."

So he goes to Ridgewood. I guess that pretty much confirms that he's Kai's friend.

And that means that...

Oh, what the heck? I guess I'll take my chances with him on the off chance that Kai doesn't associate with murderers and kidnappers.

But if this guy dares try anything, Kai's going down with me. Serves him right for having shady friends. Not that this guy seems shady, but you never know.

I nod slowly. "Okay."

"'Okay?'" he asks, frowning. "Does that mean you want a ride?"

I take a moment to finish persuading myself. This guy is friends with Kai, he's my age, he let me use his phone, and he looks legitimately concerned about me. A killer could do all of those things as well.

I sigh. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Let me just clean out the cab really quick." He jogs around the front of the truck. "I'm Jay, by the way."

Jay. Kai's mentioned that name before. Not that I care what my brother has to say, but I think he mentioned that Jay was his friend who was pretty much a jack of all trades.

"I'm Nya," I counter, punching in Kai's number on his friend's phone. Might as well do one last background check on this guy.

Sure enough, my brother's contact comes up within typing the first few digits.

I hold the phone up to my ear, steaming over Kai's actions while waiting for him to pick up. And pick up he does – it takes only a moment for the line to crackle.

"Hey, Jay," my brother greets. "What's up?" His tone is much more jovial than when he speaks with me.

"Oh, this isn't Jay," I say, smiling through gritted teeth.

There's silence for a moment, then a hurried swear. "Nya?"

"You guessed it. Hey, I just wanted to ask if your friend is a murderer or not. I'm riding with him to school."

"What the – no, you're not!" Kai exclaims.

"Um, yes, I am."

"I'll turn around and come pick you up," my brother says quickly. "You're not allowed to be around –,"

"Unless you have a good reason why I can't be around your friends, I'm hanging up," I threaten him.

"They can't know we're related!"

"I've heard that line before. Look, I'm growing bored of this conversation."

"Nya, I forbid you from –,"

"Have a nice day!" I hang up the call with a tap of my finger and a sickly-sweet smile. Jerk.

"All good?" Jay asks, coming around to the driver's side of the truck.

I look up, feeling like I've been caught in a crime. "Oh, sorry. I hope you didn't mind, but I just wanted to call my brother really quick and tell him where I was." Not that he cares for me other than how I affect his reputation.

"No offense, but by what you've told me of your brother, I don't like him very much." Jay slides into the driver's seat and turns on the truck. "Hey, where do you go to school? Just so I know where I'm dropping you off."

"Graceton." I come around to my side of the vehicle, then yank open my door. "Thank you for the ride. I'm sorry about my crappy attitude."

"I mean, you did get left here alone." He studies my face. "I'm sure I know you from somewhere. Some of your facial expressions are really familiar."

"Maybe it's a friend-of-a-friend kind of situation," I shrug.

He laughs at that, putting the truck in drive. "Most of my friends go to Ridgewood, which is basically the He-Man Woman Hater's Club. I think my only two friends who don't gag when they see girls are..." His eyes bug. "Kai. You look like Kai! Ha!" He pumps his fist in the air. "That's who it was."

"I don't know who that is." Why are we talking about this?

He smiles brightly at me. "Kai Smith-Garmadon. Are you related to him?"

I look out into the intersection before us. "The name doesn't sound familiar."

"Oh, really?" he frowns. "Because you look so much like him. I guess he's never mentioned any bio-family, though. Maybe you guys are cousins or something and don't know it. That'd be so cool!" He pulls the pickup truck into the right lane of traffic.

"I don't have any cousins," I shrug. "Maybe we just share some similar features."

"I don't know. Maybe." He punches the button to turn off a low-volume static radio station. "So what year are you in school?"

I frown. "Um...you're not going to ask for my bank account number, right?"

He laughs. "I'm just trying to make conversation. I like to talk, and I think it's better than riding in total awkwardness."

I reluctantly nod. "Oh, well, I'm a senior."

"Nice. I'm a senior, too." He gives me a pleasant smile. "What extracurriculars do you participate in at Graceton? I know they have a lot of sports teams and organizations and all that."

I stare out the windshield. "I write for the school paper. I played softball last year, but I don't have the time for it anymore." Not when I'm trying to avoid as many car rides with Kai as possible.

"Oh, cool! So are you a journalist?"

His genuine interest touches me. "Um, yeah. I go behind the scenes and get the scoop on school stuff, then I write about it for the student body."

"Nice. You're like the insider." He brushes a hand through his locks. "I've never been part of anything like a school paper, but I do play soccer. I'm also part of my school's robotics club."

"A robotics club?" I ask.

"Yeah. We basically just take apart different kinds of electronics, then build our own models from those. It's more of a tech club than anything, but our school had already claimed the name tech club for our videogame nerds. Believe me, I'd love to be part of that club too, but with work and all, it just isn't an option." He wrinkles his freckled nose. "Did I tell you I worked at Nom's dairy bar?"

"I think you mentioned it earlier." I let out a breath of relief as I see us approaching my school.

So he's not a serial killer. He's just a nice guy.

"Working there isn't so bad," he rambles. "I mean, you get free ice cream on break and stuff, so that's cool." He chews his lip as he signals to turn into the Graceton parking lot. "Um...it's been really nice meeting you, Nya. I don't know much about the Graceton-Ridgewood rivalry, but you seem really cool."

I try not to smile. "Ridgewood's never liked us since we started a football team back in the eighth grade."

"Oh! I've heard about that a time or two." He chuckles, scratching the back of his head. "Um...well, your brother is a jerk for leaving you at a gas station alone."

I frown. Why does he care? Is he trying to stroke my pride or something? Butter me up before he lures me back to his killer-cave?

Oh, gosh, I'm in my head too much.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" he says hopefully.

Probably not when my brother acts like I'm Rapunzel and I have to be locked away in a tower. "Maybe."

"I'd like that." He turns into the Graceton parking lot, then pulls up to the double front doors. "Well...hey, I'm glad we ran into each other."

"Yeah." I nod slowly. "Thanks, um...for the ride." I shove open my door.

"Any time." He offers me a grin.

And I timidly smile back before closing the doorand trying not to bolt for my school.

***This is a long chapter, folks LOL Thoughts?

Next chapter should be out soon!***