Mom and Michael looked at each other before they looked at me, looking very grave about something, and I couldn't help but frown because I didn't like the look on their faces.

I shook my head and pressed my lips onto a thin line, my heart aching just a tad and became filled with pain and sadness. "Please," I said and shook my head, biting the inside of my lip. "Please, don't tell me that you aren't going to tell me what's going on and keep me in the dark."

They stole a quick glance to each other before they looked at me, and I could tell that that was what they were planning on doing.

My heart broke into a million pieces, and I bit back a small gulp while I looked between them, blinking back tears while a wave of defeat and pain washed over me. "Bu-"

Mom bit back a tired sigh and shook her head, interrupting me, and I closed my mouth and bit the inside of my lip while my bottom lip started to quiver. "It's for your own safety, Alexandria May, and for my own peace of mind." She tucked her head and stared at me with hard, sad eyes.

Don't fight, Ruckur said. Agree and apologize.

Bu-

Do as I say, Alexandria, Ruckur said sharply, and I had to make sure that my face was blank and didn't give off any emotion that I was feeling, especially the flinch that I wanted to do when he snapped at me.

Ruckur sighed and seemed to sink in on himself while his guilt seemed to mix in with my own. She doesn't need to know that we will be doing things on our own and behind her back, with or without Michael's help, he said softly.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and didn't say a word, not letting the hope in my heart grow because I had no idea what his endgame was and where he was getting at.

"Please, Alexandria," Mom begged ever so slightly. She tucked her head closer to her chest while she pressed her lips into a thin line. "Leave this alone." She gestured toward the body of the dead girl, and I looked at the girl before I looked at my mother. "Just be the young girl that you are meant to be."

I shook my head and cleared my throat, pressing my lips into a thin line. "But I am not just a young girl, Mom," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I am a Director, just like you and Michael. I cannot let this be and forget about all of this."

Alexandria, Ruckur warned in a sharp tone, but I ignored him while I set my jaw and pressed my lips into a thin line. Don't. You'll regret it later.

"If you don't want me to keep you in the dark or guide me into becoming the best Director that I can be, then fine, you don't have to, but I am not going to be in the dark while you both work out what is happening. I cannot do that because that is my twin, and I will be damned if Carith takes him away from me."

"A-"

"No, Mom," I said and shook my head, raising my hand to stop her from saying anything. I took a step back and made sure that my face was blank while my heart continued to break. "I am doing this; I have to do this. I am sorry, but I cannot agree with leaving this alone. If you aren't going to help me, then I will do this on my own."

Tears pricked the corner of my mother's eyes, but I didn't say a word or let her know that I was feeling guilty about her crying. She didn't say a word and stared at me, and I had a feeling that she was either trying to get Ruckur to tell me what to do or for me to change my mind on my own.

I shook my head and pressed my lips into a thin line while my bottom lip quivered. "Ruckur can't even change my mind, Mom," I said softly. "I am sorry, but..." I shrugged and grimaced, shaking my head. "That's just how it's going to be."

Mom set her jaw and narrowed her eyes just a tad. She didn't say a word while she folded her arms across her chest, tucking her head closer to her chest and studying me with something in her eyes that I didn't know and didn't like.

I stared at her and held my ground, not saying a word. I didn't pay attention to anyone but her, not even caring about Ruckur, who was muttering something under his breath about me being stupid and stubborn.

"Are you sure that you are going to attempt to do this on your own?" Michael asked, trying but failing to keep the relief out of his voice, especially since my mother didn't want me to be in any part of this.

I set my jaw and slowly nodded. "Yes," I replied coldly. "I will do this without anyone's help, including without Ruckur's help, even if he is stuck in my head, and there is no way I can escape him."

Alexandria... Ruckur said with a soft warning in his tone.

No, I said and set my jaw tighter together until my bottom lip quivered. A wave of emotion washed over me, and I couldn't help but try to keep myself from crying, even though all I wanted to do was cry. If you don't want to help, then don't, I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I'll do this on my own.

Or at least attempt to...

My mother set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. She didn't say a word while she stared at me, her eyes hard and filled with unshed tears, and her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly.

Michael sighed and moved a hand through his hair. He looked at me before he looked at his mother before he looked at me again. "Let me talk to your mother alone for a bit," he said. "As much as I don't want you to do this, there is a reason why you are a Director and why there are three Directors at one time." He looked at my mom before he looked at me again.

"But what about this?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I gestured to the dead girl in front of us. "I want to help with this and see what's going on, a-"

"And we will let you know what's going on at a later time," Michael said and raised his hand to silence me, and I instantly closed my mouth. "Go ahead and leave for a while, Dia. We will reconvene with everything at a later date. Is that understood?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes before I let out a tired sigh, moved a hand through my hair, and shook my head, relenting. "That's fine," I said tiredly, with my voice barely above a whisper. "Then I am going to find my way home by myself with no one with me."

Mom stirred and set her jaw while she narrowed her eyes. "Abso-"

"I am," I said, interrupting her while I looked at her and narrowed my eyes further. "I need to, Mom," I said, my voice cracking ever so slightly. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, and my bottom lip quivered. "Please, I need to do this. I have to go home and go home alone." I licked my lips and blinked back the rest of the tears that wanted to fall. "I need to go home, and I don't want someone to go home with me."

My mother bit back a tired sigh and slowly nodded, relenting, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from crying. "Ok," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Contact me when you get home, please?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper while she raised an eyebrow in question.

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded, grateful that she stopped fighting me and was letting me leave. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "Excuse me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

And without another word, I left with tears pricking the corner of my eyes and bottom lip quivering, my heart breaking into two because I had no idea what my future would hold and prayed that I wouldn't be left out of it because I knew that if I was, then my brother and I wouldn't be alive to see our eighteenth birthday, no matter what they tried to do.

Oh Gods help us...