It had been a few hours and I was string again. No longer weak, I don't even know how it happened. But it did feel like I was strong again. Maybe even stronger than before. Nico had told us that Topher wasn't who we thought he was so we had to interrogate him. "When I tell people I grew up in the suburbs, they always ask what that was like. And I tell 'em, it was great, if you like coyotes. 'Cause that's how my parents were. They were predators who traveled in a pack. If they spotted any weakness, they'd tear you apart. It's like they were born mean, and nothing I said or did could ever make it better. So one day, I- -I ran. And never looked back." Topher said to us, we didn't care about that.

"I'm so sorry." Molly said to him making him chuckle.

"Everybody got a story, right?" He asked we did.

"We don't care for your sob story." I said to him being honest.

"And that's a good one, but you still haven't answered my question about what's in here and why its so important." Nico said to him while holding up the vial.

"Why do you care? You don't see me asking questions about your magic wand, mm? Or those metal gloves One Direction here carries in his backpack. Or how Blackpink here can move stuff without touching it and can also create things that aren't there. Or the dinosaur? Anybody want to explain that? 'Cause I'm all ears." Topher said to us and he wasn't getting any answers.

"This is about our questions, ok, not yours." Alex said to him.

"And accusing us of hypocrisy is not gonna get you off the hook. That is called 'Whataboutism,' and it's a logical fallacy." Gert said to him.

"She was on the debate team, and we're not as trusting as we used to be. Also, was the One Direction thing an insult or a compliment?" Chase said to us I looked at him.

"Take it as a compliment." I said to him with a smile.

"If you want me to go, I'll go. I'm taking that with me." Topher said to us, good at least he'd be gone.

"No, that's not what we want. Well, that's not what I want. Don't leave. My parents are gone, Graciela's gone. Just answer the question, please." Molly said to him while walking downstairs.

"Ok. I'm just afraid my answers are gonna let you down." He said to us, they probably would.

"Try me." Molly said to him before he sat down. He sighed.

"Little while after I left home, I, uh I was digging in the trash downtown. Hungry, cold, just...wondering if I could even survive on my own." Topher said to me making me yawn of boredom.

"'Dark and stormy night', we get it." Alex said to him.

"Fast-forward to this part about this." Nico said while showing the vial.

"I found one of those...how do you say, Um...terrarios." He said while looking at Molly.

"A terrarium? Like, for a lizard?" Molly answered him confusedly.

"Exacto. Inside were these rocks. They were glowing. I picked them up. And the second I did, I felt freaking incredible. Then I saw myself in the glass. My eyes. They were yellow. I felt like I could do anything. That rush. I went from wanting to die to just...never feeling better. And it wasn't even just me that was fuerte. Just for a minute, it..." He started before stopping.

"Everything was right with the world." Molly said to him, she knew exactly how it felt.

"That sounds like something that should require a prescription." Gert said to him. It kinda did.

"Except there's nothing like it. I took those rocks, I ground them up. I've been stretching them out since then. But, as you can see, it ain't gonna last forever." Topher said to us, Molly seemed to be a bit hurt.

"When we first met, you told me you just came into your powers like I did." Molly said to him, so he'd lied.

"Lo siento mucho, hermanita. I...I wanted you think that I was like you, not some...some dumpster-diving junkie." He said to us before it all went silent, we all looked at each other. "Look. What you're holding is all I have left. Then I'll stop, en seco." He said to us, we all looked at Molly.

"He means 'cold turkey'." She said to us, he was willing to give up.

"But until then... por favor, what you have is the only thing that's making my life bearable. Please. I won't cause any trouble. I swear." He said to us before it all went silent again. Nico threw him the vial.

"Still, you guys are like each other. Yellow eyes, super strength. I mean, Topher found rocks, and so did your parents." Chase said him, they kinda were.

"Yeah, but the Hernandezes' rocks came from the dig site. They were only ever there and in the lab. So how would they have also ended up in a lizard cage in the garbage?" Alex asked us, that was an interesting thought.

"It would be impossible unless they were moved." I said to him, that could've been the only logical reasoning.

"I think Topher gets to stay. Nico's OK with an honest junkie, and Chase, Y/n and Alex want to solve a mystery. What about you, Gert?" Molly asked, at least she knew what I wanted.

"I just want to know what happened to the lizard." Gert said I was kinda interested in that as well.

"One day at a time, right?" Nico asked making Old Lace roar in response.

"My guard dog is watching you." Gert said before she roared again. We all then split off, I went with Chase. I was wandering where Karolina was. I decided to take another nap, I needed to make sure that I'd be at my full strength. After a while I was woken by Molly.

"I've been looking for him for the past 15 minutes! Topher's gone! His room's empty! And he left because of you! You made him feel like he didn't belong here!" Molly shouted at Nico. Topher left on his own accord.

"He left because he thought you'd lead him to enough rocks to refill his vial. And you didn't." Nico said to her, he must've thought that. If he didn't he wouldn't have followed her.

"Thats bullshit!" Molly shouted, Chase looked at Gert and I.

"Did Molly just curse?' He asked.

"Sure did." I said to him.

"Yep. PG-13, but definitely a curse word." Gert said to him, it was hard to believe that she sweared.

"He cares about me!" Molly shouted but really he didn't.

"He cares about getting high." Nico said to her. He only cared for himself.

"Ok, enough! Let's not jump to any conclusions, all right? Maybe Topher's just out there. Raiding Cheesecake Factory dumpsters for breakfast." Alex said while outstretching an arm to point outside.

"I'd even settle for Islands. For Molly's sake." Chase said to me making me shake my head.

"Guys, he could just be out getting things for people that they need, like toothpaste." Gert said to all of us.

"Who knows he might even be getting clothes." I said to them all.

"Hey, guys. I don't think he's coming back here." Karolina said while appearing beside Alex. We then followed her to the makeshift board.

"Shit, he took the map to the dig site." Alex said to us, he was going to get more rocks.

"And the card about the rocks my parents found. He asked me a lot of questions last night." Molly asked, he had a plan the whole time. He was using us.

"Questions about the dig site?" Gert asked her, had he been asking her questions as well.

"What? We were trying to figure our connection." Molly said to her, there was no connection.

"Oh, no, I'm- -I'm not mad, I'm just- -" Gert started we couldn't be mad. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"He's gone to find more rocks." Nico said to us, that was the only thing he could be doing.

"We gotta do something." Chase said to us, but what could we do.

"Do you think he would try to get in the hole, because that's not safe. For him I mean, because he might get hurt." Karolina said to us.

"That would be a suicide mission." I said to her with a nod.

"Of he gets high and he hurst someone else." Gert said to us, another possibility.

"If he gets caught, who knows what they'll do to him? Which is the same thing that I did to Graciela." Molly said to us, Topher was nothing like Graciela.

"No, she was a sweet, innocent lady, not some shady rock molester." Chase said to us, I agreed with him.

"Look, what happens to Topher is on him at this point, ok? But no way he can screw up our plan." Alex said to us, I wouldn't put it past him to.

"We gotta get down there. Fast. You ok?" Chase said before realizing that Gert was ok.

"Yeah, I'm ok, I think..." Gert answered.

"Just as long as you are." I said to her with a smile.

"Are you? You seem a little spun out." Nico asked Karolina.

"I'm fine. Let's go." Karolina said before we left to go to the dig site. I was dreading what could happen. Just as long as that earthquake wouldn't come any quicker. When we arrived police and ambulance were there already.

"Holy shit." Chase said as we saw the scene.

"We're too late." Nico said as we say them unburying a man that was in the dirt.

"Oh, my God, what is wrong with him?" Gert asked us, everything.

"He's fucked up big time." I said to them all.

"Oh, Topher, what did you do?" Alex asked as they started pulling the man out.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Gert asked before we saw Topher in front of us, he had rocks.

"Look!" Karolina said to us, we saw him start to run.

"Guess he found what he was looking for." Nico said before he almost got hit by a car. The car stopped at Topher pulled the door open and threw the man out.

"Oh, my God, he's carjacking that guy!" Gert said to us all.

"This is some GTA shit." I said while watching it all unfold. Topher then drove off.

"We gotta stop him." Nico said, it would be impossible to.

"Or maybe we let him go, worry about what's happening at the dig site." Alex said to us, had he seen what was happening.

"Dig site appears to be a little occupied at the moment." Nico said to him.

"How far into the hole do you think he got?" Karolina asked us, I don't think that mattered.

"I'm not sure that's the most pressing issue here." Gert said to her at least someone was thinking like me.

"He gets caught, kinda knows everything, including where we live." Chase said to us, we had to go after him.

"Follow him!" Molly shouted we had to go now.

"I-I only agreed to drive 'cause you said I could stay in the car!" Gert said to us, we were all staying in the car.

"There's no time to switch seats. Gert, you can do this." Chase said to her.

"Gert, let's go!" Molly shouted at her.

"We're running out of time." I said to her.

"Come on." Nico said before she drove off. We were close behind.

"He's driving like a maniac!" Gert shouted, he probably had a loose screw as well.

"Stay on him!" Karolina shouted.

"He's not using a turn signal!" Gert shouted, signals didn't matter at this time.

"He's gonna kill somebody!" Alex shouted.

"Nico and Y/n, you're not wearing a seat belt!" Gert shouted while looking back.

"I don't need one!" I shouted at her, I never wore my seat belt. I wasn't gonna start now.

"Because Alex is wearing two of 'em!" Chase said while looking at Alex.

"Because I've ridden with Gert before, thats why!" Alex shouted at us.

"Can I just say right now, being the driver was supposed to be the easy job! This look easy, what I'm doing right now? This is illegal and unsafe, and you're really undermining my self-esteem. That was totally an illegal left." Gert said to us, laws don't matter at this point.

"This is L.A.! Two cars turn left after the light turns red!" Nico said to us, I will say Gerts driving was terrifying.

"Just go faster!" Molly said, our final destination appeared to be the suburbs.

"I think we lost him." Alex said before I saw his car.

"No, there's his car." Karolina said before Gert parked up.

"This must be where he lived." I said to them all. There was a door on the lawn.

"Yeah, this looks like the place." Nico said to us.

"I'm- -I'm thinking I'm gonna just stay here and keep the engine running." Gert said to us.

"I'm staying here as well, if he goes around back I can stop him." I said to them all.

"Good idea." Chase said before the rest all got out the car. I was just hoping that all of this would be fine. It was all silent until we heard glass breaking followed by Molly screaming.

"No, Molly!" Karolina yelled before we saw Molly fly outside. I could even catch her in time.

"That's it!" I shouted before getting out the car and slamming the door.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit!" I heard Gert say.

"Molly, are you alright?" I asked her as I ran over to her, she was coughing.

"Hey, you ok?" Chase asked while going over to her.

"Are you hurt?" Karolina asked me.

"You all right?" Alex asked her.

"Yeah. We just need to calm him down." Molly said while looking at Topher. Who was trying to run.

"Forget it, Molly. He'll hurt you." Nico said as we helped Molly to stand.

"You couldn't hold me before, you can't now!" Topher shouted and Nico raised her staff. I was focusing on a tree just in case.

"No! Nico, don't do it. It's not him, it's the rocks." Molly said trying to get Nico to stop.

"You need to calm down!" I shouted at Topher while pulling the tree out the ground.

"It might not be the best place to do this." Alex said, I looked around and saw people watching. I put the tree back down.

"Go ahead, watch! I don't care!" Topher shouted at them, as he was distracted Molly tackled him.

"Chase, blast him!" Alex said to him.

"No, I can't get an open shot. I might hit Molly." Chase said to him, there wasn't a clean shot.

"Stop it, Topher, please! You're one of us!" Molly shouted at him before they both started fighting.

"Nico, Now!" Alex shouted before Nico managed to push him away. He went airborne for a few seconds.

"No!" Molly yelled. He hit the dumpster when he landed, I picked the tree back up. Topher then picked the dumpster up, I moved the tree to be above us for protection as Topher threw it at us. Chase used the Fistigons but the dumpster was headed for the car. I didn't have enough time. I tried to put the tree back down in the ground.

"No! No, no!" Topher yelled before pushing the car away. The dumpster was moving to fast for me to grab. It landed on Topher.

"No! Help! Help me!" Molly yelled as we all ran over.

"Get it off of him." Chase said to us.

"Is he ok?" Karolina asked, I managed to get ahold of it but I needed help raising it. I was losing energy.

"Karolina, help him out." Alex said before she started pulling him out.

"I got him." Karolina said to us. I heard sirens approaching.

"Call 9-1-1!" Molly shouted, there was no point.

"Somebody already did!" Alex said to her, he was in a bad way.

"Molly we can't stay here." Nico said to her, if we get caught this is over.

"We can't leave him!" Molly said, we could.

"Yes, you can. You can't help. I'll stay here with him." Topher's sister said to her. She looked like she was a nurse.

"No!" Molly shouted.

"Go bury these rocks somewhere no one will find them." His sister said to us.

"We will." I said to her with a smile.

"That's...that's mine...that's my...backpack...no..." Tophe said as we started getting ready to go.

"Molly, I'm sorry, but we have to go." Alex said while trying to pull her up.

"Molly, let's go!" Nico shouted before we all got in the car and went. I when I looked I saw that Topher was unconscious. I was just hoping he wasn't dead. The car ride home was silent and unsettling.

"Well, that was a really quiet car ride home." Alex said when we walked in.

"Home? This isn't our home." Molly said to us, this was though.

"I'm so sorry, Molly. We all are." Karolina said to her, I admit I wish I was nicer to Topher.

"Really? All of you?" Molly asked us, her eyes landing in Nico.

"Of course I am. This is what I wanted to protect you from, from seeing some messed-up shit you can never unsee. Again. From losing someone you care about. Again! From getting your heart broken." Nico said to her.

"We understand what that's like and we didn't want it to happen to you. Hell, even anyone here. We were doing it for your own well-being." I said while walking over to where Nico was stood.

"Those are just words. You hated him the minute he showed up." Molly said to us.

"We didn't trust him, and we were right." Nico said to her, we'd had a few discussions while he was here.

"You were both wrong! I begged you not to use that staff on him! He was scared and out of control. He needed help!" She said to the two of us, we did what was right.

"Mols, I think he was beyond help." Chase said while walking over to me.

"He sacrificed his life to save Gert. There's good in him." Molly said to us, there probably was.

"Of course there is." Gert said to her.

!no one's saying that there isn't good in him." Alex said to her but I don't think she was listening.

"We're the ones hurting people now. He was suffering!" Molly said to us.

"Topher may have been suffering, but he was also dangerous. And you are my family, not him!" Nico shouted at her, it went silent.

"Do you know who you sound exactly like right now? Your mom." Molly said before walking away. It went silent.

"Nico, your nothing like her." I said to her, I knew she wouldn't believe me. But she had to. When night set I went to do some practice again, of course I was training harder than I ever did. I needed to know that next time falling objects at a fast rate would be easy for me stop. I wanted to prevent something like what happened with Topher again. Who knew who it could be next.