The quiet didn't last long. For a few days, we'd been holed up in the cramped apartment, keeping a low profile and hoping the chaos they'd caused would blow over. But there was no such thing as luck in their world, and trouble had a way of finding us. Whoever we'd stolen from clearly knew more than they'd let on. It happened fast. Too fast. 

We'd ventured out cautiously, sticking to side streets and shadowed alleys, when the ambush hit them like a freight train. A fist to Dominic's gut sent him staggering, while Alex barely dodged a blade that whistled past his ear. The attackers moved with precision, their faces hidden beneath hoods, but their intent was unmistakable. Adrenaline surged as I shoved Dominic toward cover, my mind racing. We weren't going down without a fight—but this time we were unprepared and I yelled at my roommates to run.

My legs screamed with effort. My chest ached. I cast a quick glance behind me. Run! Don't look back! Where the hell was I? Where the hell were the others? Just keep running, damn it, they'll be fine.

I made a right turn, behind a house. Then left, up and over a fence. My wrist twisted, and the pain stabbed me like a knife. Ignore it, just run. Just keep going. Run or die... run or die...

The taste of blood filled my mouth, this time my own. My body screamed louder with every step. How long had I been running? The pit in my stomach grew heavier with each stride. What the hell happened? What the hell had we done? I could hear them behind me, too damn close. Run faster. Damn it, Bel, run faster! I threw myself over trash bags, knocking over furniture in my wake. Another fence. I landed on the grass and rolled. Get up! Get up, damn it! Run! My legs burned, but I couldn't stop now. They'll give up soon... they have to. 

 I unlocked the apartment door and burst inside. "NICO!" 

No answer. Damn it. 

 "ALEX!" I shouted, slamming open the door to his room. Empty. Nico's room was just as vacant, as were the living room and kitchenette. Damn it. I pulled out my phone—no missed calls, no texts. Shit. "Pick up... pick up... pick up!" Pacing back and forth in the hallway, I listened to the ringing tone, but no one answered. I hung up and waited. 

 A quick glance in the hallway mirror showed me just how deep in trouble we were. I was bruised and bloody all over, but the adrenaline pumping through me kept the pain at bay. With a frustrated yell, I sank to a crouch, running my hands through my hair. Where the hell were they? Dark thoughts started to creep in—guilt, regret, fear, and shame. I was better than this. I should've taken every one of those bastards down, but I ran. We all ran. I should've stayed behind to find them. I should've helped them. 

If Clock had been here—no, stop it, Bel! Damn it, stop! I rubbed my scalp furiously with my fingertips. If he'd been here, none of this would've happened. We were a bunch of idiots. Naive little idiots. Slowly, I sank to the floor, leaning heavily against the wall. 

 "Pick up, Nico... please pick up..." I whispered, tears burning in my eyes. My pulse was slowing, and the adrenaline was fading, leaving my body wracked with pain. I pressed my hand against my stomach, where the pain was sharpest, and my fingers were covered in blood. Had they hit me? I couldn't remember. My head was spinning, and I felt dizzy. My legs ached, my feet throbbed. I was so damn tired. 

With my phone still in hand, I drifted off for a moment. Just for a little while. The lock rattled, and I heard voices, distant and muffled. Footsteps halted before rushing toward me. 

 "Shit! Belmont!" Nico's voice echoed through the hallway. Hands pressed against my stomach.

 "Hey," I mumbled, my voice thick. "Why didn't you answer?" 

 "Shut up!" 

He was wrapping something tightly around my torso. I glanced up at his blue eyes, wide with worry. "I'm fine. I'll heal soon," I muttered. 

He nodded, biting his lip. 

 "Damn, you scared us, Bel," Alex grinned faintly from behind him. "You looked dead." 

 My laugh turned into a coughing fit. "I'm immortal." 

 "Yeah, I see that," Nico muttered, holding out his hand. Gratefully, I let them haul me to my feet, draping an arm over their shoulders for support. 

The hallway floor was red—was all that my blood? They dropped me onto the bed with a thud, and I groaned in pain. I'd heal, but it wasn't going to be easy. 

 "He needs blood," Alex murmured. "Stay with him, I'll get it." 

 Once Alex was gone, I grabbed Nico's wrist and pulled him down onto the bed beside me. "Who were they?" I whispered, closing my eyes. 

 "No idea," he sighed. "But they weren't low-level idiots like us." 

 I managed a small smirk. "We'll have to lay low for a while." 

 "You kidding me?" he muttered. "We need to get the hell out of here." 

 I nodded wearily, resting my head against his shoulder. "I'm glad you're alive." 

 "I'm glad we're alive," he sighed, holding me a little tighter.

Laughter and shrill giggles echoed from the kitchen, cutting through the quiet. I groaned, rolling off Dominic, who remained blissfully asleep beside me, his face half-buried in the pillow. Damn Alex and his entourage of girls. 

 Sitting up, I yanked at the bandage wrapped around my torso. Three days, and the bullet wound was nearly closed, the skin a jagged mess of pink where the hole had been. I tossed the blood-stained gauze into the trash, wincing at the pull of tender flesh, and grumbled at the noise spilling out from the kitchen. It was too early for this much chaos. 

 Dragging myself to the bathroom, I barely made it to the door when— "Belmont!" My name came in a screech, high-pitched and manic. 

I froze as a blur of movement launched itself at me. Arms clamped around my neck, and legs wrapped like a vice around my waist. "Surprise!" Marianne cackled, her wild, mismatched eyes gleaming as she dangled from me. Her face was so close I could see the smudged streaks of glitter around her lashes. "Miss me, Honeybun?"

"Marianne?" My voice came out in a mix of disbelief and laughter as I held her as tightly as I dared. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

 She grinned, leaning forward to rub her nose against mine before planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. "Missed you, duh! And, oh! This place is horrible. So drab, so boring, so you. Ugh." She leaned back dramatically, her legs still locked around my waist, and studied me like I was a science project. 

 Before I could say anything, Dominic shuffled into the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "I called her," he said, his voice gravelly with sleep. I shot him a questioning look, but Marianne grabbed my face, forcing me to look at her instead. "Didn't you miss me, Bellie? Huh? Huh? It's been, what, forever? You didn't even call. You're so rude!" She narrowed her eyes before breaking into a lopsided grin. "I mean, you could've called, but surprise reunions are so much better, right?" 

 "Yeah, sure," I muttered, setting her down before she could snap my spine in two. 

 Before I could interrogate Dominic further, Alex's voice bellowed from the kitchen. "Breakfast!" 

The smell of waffles hit me like a punch to the face, and Marianne's nose wrinkled in exaggerated disgust. "Waffles? That's the best you people can do?" she scoffed, but then her tone flipped, sing-song and teasing. "Okay, fine, I'll grace you peasants with my presence." She skipped toward the kitchen, leaving me staring after her. 

 "Do I want to know why you called her?" I asked Dominic under my breath. 

 His lips twitched into a smirk. "You looked like you needed her." 

Two hours later, we wandered the crowded streets, Marianne practically bouncing at my side. She clutched a melting ice cream cone, most of it already dripping onto her mismatched socks and scuffed boots. She didn't seem to care. 

 "Look at this place!" she exclaimed, spinning in a circle with her arms spread wide. "So... gray. So dull. How do you live here, Bellie? I'd lose my mind." 

 "You have lost your mind," I muttered. 

 She gasped, clutching her chest like I'd mortally wounded her. "Rude! Take it back. No, wait, don't. I kinda like it." Her grin was crooked, almost dangerous. 

 I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head. God, I'd missed her. For all her chaos and unpredictability, she meant the world to me. 

 "Why don't you ever call?" she asked suddenly, her voice sharper now, cutting through my thoughts. 

 I nearly choked on my coffee. "I thought you were busy."

 "Busy?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Lu's been calling you. You don't pick up. That's not busy. That's avoiding us."  I said nothing, the weight of her words settling like a stone in my chest. "Are you trying to forget us?" she asked, stopping dead in her tracks and spinning to face me. Her mismatched eyes bore into mine, uncomfortably intense. 

 "Why would you think that?" I sighed, looking away. 

 She smirked, tapping a finger against her temple. "Hmm, let's see. You disappear, don't answer your calls, and hole up in this." She gestured broadly at the street. "Looks like forgetting to me." 

 I sighed, shaking my head. "I just wanted to start fresh." 

 "Fresh?" She snorted, her grin turning wild. "Bel, that's adorable. And a complete failure. Do you miss him?" she asked, her tone suddenly soft, like a knife wrapped in silk. 

 "Marie—" 

 "Do. You. Miss. Him?" Her head tilted, her eyes gleaming with mischief and something else, something darker. 

 I bit my lip, the words stuck in my throat. She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I do." My chest tightened, and I couldn't meet her gaze. "So fucking much," I admitted quietly. 

 Her expression softened for a moment—a rare crack in her manic energy. "Yeah. Me too." 

 I sighed heavily. "If I just knew why he left... it'd be easier." 

 She nodded, her tone uncharacteristically somber. "Lu says... his powers broke him. Ate him up from the inside." 

 My stomach twisted, and I tossed my coffee cup into a trash can. "Then why didn't he say anything? I would've understood if he needed space!" 

 Marianne's fingers toyed with the buttons on my jacket. "Do you want me to find him for you?"

 "No," I said firmly. Her grin returned, wicked and gleaming. "Liar." 

The rest of the day was a blur of shopping and chaos. Marianne darted in and out of stores, buying everything she could get her hands on—clothes, trinkets, whatever caught her eye. 

 "I didn't pack anything," she said with a laugh, arms full of bags. 

 "Of course you didn't," I muttered, shaking my head. 

 "Stop looking so grumpy, cupcake! You'll get wrinkles!" She stuck her tongue out, pulling a necklace from one of her bags. It was a cheap, pink plastic heart. She snapped it in two, hanging one half around my neck and the other around hers. "BFFs!" she declared with mock seriousness. "Take it off, and I'll kill you." 

 I stared at the little heart for a long moment. "Can you find him?" I asked softly. 

 Her grin turned sly. "Do you want me to?" 

 "Yes," I whispered. 

 "Now we're talking," she said, skipping ahead, dragging me along with her chaotic energy.