AERYN
Aeryn walked into Cressida's house without even knocking, striding straight to the group of people set up at the table. "Grant? Have you seen Cressida anywhere?" She stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

Grant looked up from his newspaper, sighing loudly. "I don't know what that girl does anymore." He picked the newspaper back up, continuing his crossword.

Aeryn blinked her eyes and then sat down next to Cressida's brother, Marx. "Marx. Have you seen Cressida?"

Marx took a sip of his orange juice. "No idea."

"Sweetheart, the boys are still not talking to her." Cress's mom, Amelia, shook her head as she set a mug of hot chocolate in front of Aeryn. "Why do you ask?"

Aeryn rubbed her eyes when she realized that she was almost crying. "I saw something." Aeryn paused to take a deep breath. "I didn't see something, I heard something."

Marx was looking at her now, interested in what she had to say. It was odd, Marx was never interested in what Aeryn had to say. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I woke up last night because I heard someone scream. I shook it off because, kids in this pack always scream. But... that was last night. And I haven't seen Cressida since." Aeryn looked over at Cressida's father.

It was rare that kids in Weeper Packs knew their parents. It wasn't for a sad reason though. Packs as a whole raised the kids. One home was everyone's home. Nobody was left out or left behind.

Aeryn herself didn't know her parents, but Cressida did. And Aeryn had been best friends with Cressida for a long time. Cressida's family, was practically Aeryn's family.

"And you didn't say anything?" Amelia massaged her temples as she ripped the newspaper from Grant's hands.

Grant stood up and pulled it back angrily. "No, like I said, there's always screaming." He closed his eyes and took an agonizingly long sip of his coffee. "Did you check the river? She's always at that stupid river."

Aeryn had never been. "I— I don't even know where it is. The only person who does is Westley and he's... he's dead to me and Cress."

Grant looked up at the ceiling, begging the moon for a peaceful morning. "Well then you don't need to know where she is that badly." He put the newspaper under his arm and walked up the stairs.

Grant used to be the funniest person Aeryn knew. And then Cressida's sister was taken. Everything went downhill from there.

Amelia set a hand on Aeryn's shoulder. "If you're really worried, talk to Westley. And if not... I'm sure she's okay. If I don't hear from her by tomorrow night I'll give you a call and then contact a Hunter. I'll contact a Dawn if I have to." Amelia smiled.

Aeryn felt a little better, but something in her gut told her to be worried. She'd have to talk to Westley.

LENNOX
When we got back I pulled my bag up from the ground and tucked away all the blankets, shaking them out first. I looked up at the tree and put my hand on the trunk.

I looked over at Cressida, who was biting her fingernails as she sat on the ground. "Do you have any food?" She asked.

I shrugged. I winced. She couldn't see that. "Not really. We'll have to go to the store later." I climbed up the tree and grabbed my stuff out of the hammock that hung up there. It was maybe fifteen feet up in the air. I wondered if Cressida could make it up here.

Where would she even sleep? I doubt up in a tree would be a great place for a blind person.

I shook my head. I had to stop underestimating her. "Can you climb trees?"

She stood up and tilted her head at me. "If you guide my hands and my feet maybe. I see light, I could maybe move my head around and see where the shadows go."

Not to self, Cressida sees light. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'm leaving. If you want, you can come with me."

I figured I'd just leave. I had a feeling that no matter what happened, I wasn't making it out of here. Martear would always be over my shoulder. I could live in a tree somewhere else.

"He'll track us down." Cressida complained as I climb down. I jumped the last couple feet and landed in front of her. "He'll kill us."

"No, because then Hunters will kill him for killing you." The only reason I might've stayed is because I needed to know what happened to my coven.

But at the same time, I haven't known and still don't know and am doing fine. Learning the truth... was it worth my life?

"He'll track us down, kidnap us." She grabbed my arm. "We can find another way out of this."

She was so reassuring. And yet, somehow, the thought of staying longer with freedom so close made me bite my lip. "Fine. You still hungry?"

She nodded. "Yes. What do you have?"

"What do you want?" I asked, raising my eyebrow up.

She smiled skeptically. "Italian?"

I grabbed her hand and she pulled it away from me, slapping me. "Don't touch me!"

I grabbed my cheek, glaring at her. "Damn! I was touching you so we could teleport."

Her cheeks went red as she shot me an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry."

"Can I hold your hand, now?" I asked, my cheek still burning. "And don't slap me this time."

She reached forward, missing my hand and grabbing my side. I lurched to the side, giggling. I clamped my mouth shut as tight as possible.

"What was that!?" She mocked, poking my chest.

I lightly pushed her hand off of me. "Don't touch my sides." She poked again, poking my thigh. I pulled my leg up. "Okay that's enough! Do you want to eat or not?"

I put my hand on her shoulder, sliding it down to her hand. Her body shuddered and I smirked. This whole thing was going to be easier than I thought.

She was another Amandine.

Amandine.

I closed my eyes and blew away the memory.

"Mugitor." And in an instant we were in an alleyway, hidden behind a trash can.

Cressida gagged. "What is that?" She plugged her nose, breathing through her mouth.

I didn't let go of her hand as I guided her through the alleyway. "Take a longer and higher step, there's a line of trash bags."

Cressida was still wearing my t-shirt. Over a dress. A thin slip, not even a dress really. "Do you trust me?"

She shook her head. "No."

I rubbed my temples. "I'll be right back. I'm going to buy you some clothes."

I took a step away and she grabbed my shoulder. "Do not leave me in a filthy, stinky, alleyway, alone."

I hummed. "Here, I'll make you invisible. Give you a million dollars. And make you a small house for right here." I gave her a dumb look.

She perked up. "You can do that!?"

"What? No. Just..." I looked around the alleyway and found the a ladder to some fire escapes above us. "Here." I jumped up and brought the ladder down. "Hop up here and sit on the little platform. I'll push the ladder up after you.

Cressida huffed out a breath. "Why can't I go with you?"

I was trying not to argue, trying not to be rude, I was trying. "You look like you're going to stand on a street corner and ask if anyone wants to have some fun! You're not going into a store with me."

She scratched the side of her head. Her hair was brighter than anything in the alley, the only thing that smelled good. "What's wrong with partying and making friends?"

Oh God. She was so naive. She hadn't seen the world. She hadn't seen the darkness in the streets. She was so... pure.

And yet strong. She didn't cry when most adult men Weepers would have. How was she so strong, a strength only built through hard times and pain, and yet so oblivious?

"You look like a hobo, is what I'm trying to say." That was nicer than my first comment. Although, a stripper was definitely closer to what she looked like.

A loose T-shirt over a thin, short, Lacey edged, nightgown. I'm not sure what kind of stripper would wear that, but it was enough to make any guy take a double look.

And I couldn't even mention her hair. The fiery red curls that were so messy it looked as though she had just crawled out of bed.

I shook my head. I couldn't take her out looking like this.

"Please? Just do this," I begged.

Cressida started at me blankly, pun not intended, and then jumped up to the ladder. She couldn't reach. "A little help?"

I pulled a box from the side. It must have been a cooler box, or an outdoor freezer, it was huge. I tapped the top. "Jump up."

"What a gentleman," she said cynically.

I tipped an imaginary hat and put on a fake 1920s accent. "Only for the best, ma'am."

She got up onto the box and climbed up the ladder. I shoved it up and waved. "I'll be back!"

***

Was she a yellow clothes person or a black clothes person? I held up two shirts. Multiple girls turned and looked at me, batting their eyes. I heard a couple remarks about how cute I was, buying clothes for my sister.

That's what I told them I was doing anyways.

I walked up to one of the girls, a heavyset brunette. I smiled at her, flashing my white teeth. "Hi. Can you help me?" I played with the back of my hair, flexing an arm. "I'm trying to pick out an outfit for my sister and I..." I paused to laugh lightheartedly. "Well I just suck at fashion. You seem to know what you're doing."

The girl was ecstatic just talking to me.

That's what I did. That's who I was. I was an actor, a shit show of different personalities and a list of fake flirts. My looks got me to their eyes, but how I spoke and how I moved... that is what entranced them.

"What's her favorite color?" She asked.

Wait... I almost smacked my forehead. I don't think color mattered to someone who couldn't see. "She's blind," I blurted. I didn't mean to say it. I meant to just say blue or pink. But what was on my mind came out.

The girl softened. "That's so sweet. Okay, what color is her hair?"

"Red. Like red red." I thought about her ringlets.

The girl held up a finger and came back with a dark grey dress. "Try this. What size is she?"

I looked down at the dress, a plain dress with a v-cut neckline. It had a tighter top and then a loose bottom skirt. "Perfect, thank you." I took the dress from her.

"Hope she likes it," The girl blinked a little too quickly. Was something in her eye?

I smiled. "Yeah me too."

I walked over to the checkout stand. "Irudimen." I whispered and pulled a hundred dollar bill out of my pocket. I handed it to the girl.

She took the fifteen off of the 100 and handed me the change. The one hundred she held was a fake. It was a piece of imagination, nothing. The 85 dollars she was handing back to me, however, was very real. How she was going to explain that 85 dollars was missing, wasn't my problem.

The girl bagged the dress. In about an hour, that hundred dollar bill would disappear.

I returned to Cressida and took out the dress, smiling. "I know you can't see it, but it's really cute," I said. Smirking.

I pulled the ladder down for Cressida. "Cress?" I asked.

I started climbing up the ladder and when I got up there, she was gone. "Cressida!?" I yelled.

"I'm up here, loser!" I looked up and saw her leaning over another platform. Next to her, an old lady smiled at me.

I had almost died, almost given myself a heart attack. "Don't do that," I laughed, climbing up the steps to stand next to her. "Hi. Umm..." I stared at the old lady. She had tanned, wrinkly, skin and eyes bluer than any ocean.

"You are a terrible boyfriend. You can't just leave a blind girl alone in a alley!" She smacked my arm. She had an accent.

I raised one eyebrow. "I'm not her boyfriend. My options were leave her or take her with me. And then I'd be in trouble for having a near naked girl with me." I crossed my arms and stood against the wall.

I wasn't sure how the old lady crawled out of the window. Maybe she was more flexible than most grandmas.

I looked at the window seat Cress and her were sitting on. It was just a little wooden box, but the blankets that covered it reminded me of home. Quilts.

"I can take her if you don't mind." I held my hand out.

Cress rolled her eyes. "I guess I should go." I put my hand down after realizing that she couldn't see it. This was going to take some getting used to.

"You be safe, hon. Don't forget about that hair trick!" The old lady patted my shoulder. "And you take good care of her." She winked at me as she sat back down on her box, pulling out a book from inside.

I smiled as I helped Cressida down to the ground.

She changed into the dress, me completely turned around and covering my eyes. She had to trust me to not watch.

And wow. Some people looked good in grey, but she looked great. For some reason the grey brought out her hair, made it more defined and fiery. Grey could've been my favorite color right then, but the red was to overpowering to get me to strip my eyes from it.

We walked next door to the Italian restaurant, my eyes averted from her. "Hope you're super hungry." I laughed. "They serve big plates."

When I walked in, the smell of garlic bread and warm pasta filled my nose. Memories flooded into my head. Ones of my mom and dad, ones of my friends. We'd always go out to eat Italian to celebrate, any reason my mom could think of to celebrate.

I loved Italian. But I couldn't bring myself to go out alone. It would be too different from my history. I always came with people.

The lady at the walk in desk smiled when she saw me. "Hi! How many?" She asked.

I held up two fingers. "Okay, right this way." I followed after her.

She sat us down next to the window and handed us menus. "What can I get you to drink?" She asked.

"Lemonade." Cressida said, smiling at the waitress.

She looked to me and I just shrugged. "A water."

She pointed the pen at us and then to the kitchen. "Alright, I'll be right back with those."

Cressida cleared her throat. "I can't read the menu."

I silently smiled and picked it up. "Do you have an idea of what you want?" I asked.

She smiled softly. "Pasta."

Pasta was my favorite. Chicken Alfredo, to be exact. "Like lasagna? Or..."

She nodded. "Lasagna sounds good."

I tapped my fingers on the table, making a beat with my hands. "So, Cressida. How are you enjoying being stuck with me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh it's just lovely. You're wonderful company." She looked out the window, her chin resting on her palm. Her cognac eyes glimmered in the sunshine.

"Why are you looking out the window?" She couldn't see, so I didn't understand why she would be looking outside.

She turned back to me, not exactly looking at my face but near it. Her face was so calm, gentle. "I like the sun."

The waitress came back with the drinks and two straws. "Do you know what you would like to eat?" She asked, a smile on her face.

"I'll take a lasagna." Cressida smiled, picking her menu up and handing it to the the waitress. She was coordinated with her hands, almost seamlessly handing it to her.

I picked up my menu and also handed it to the waitress. "Calzone, for me, please." I politely nodded as the waitress left.

"So you can see—"

"Light, yes." She turned back to me "And therefor shadows." Her eyes looked normal. She didn't look blind. "And invisible witches." Cressida nodded out the window. "You can't see them, but there's one across the street."

Wherever I went... wherever she went... Martear kept an eye on me.

"What do we do?" I asked.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Stay and eat. They're not bothering us." She stretched her arms up. "I'm not scared of witches."

Cressida Ross was a strange character. And I didn't quite understand her. Maybe that was a good thing.