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Please note: All Kali's (Kalisha's second personality) words would be italicized to prevent any form of confusion. Thank you!

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HIS DEEP-SET HAZEL EYES seem more puffed up now. Though they hold so much more intensity and strength in them, even with the fact that he'd just been walking out of the prison gates. Then there's his hair or lack thereof. He'd shaved it all off.

Whether it's because he wants to amplify the medium-length wiry sideburns he'd gotten in prison to get some sort of sympathy or because he wants to let that new look pop up his dominating allure. Or maybe it's because he's had too much time on his hands and has been watching too many Dwayne Johnson movies or he just can't let something as insignificant as his hair obstruct whatever revenge he's got planned. I'm not quite sure but I guess I'll just have to ask him when I have him right at my fingertips and he's not threatening my life anymore.

My eyes flicker from one picture pasted on my wall to another, comparing an old one my dad had of him to the one he was able to get of him from just a month ago when Uncle Aiden was released from prison.

A light knock on my door behind me snags my attention as a little creak follows it.

"Lee?" Reagan's voice rings through the otherwise dead-silent room.

I whip around to face her, my eyes adjusting from staring intensively at the pictures to the dimly lit room.

"You okay? I heard a couple of crashes."

I glare at a relaxed Kali seated on top of my bed-turned-table, exercising her hands nonchalantly. Like she hadn't been the one who'd walked into my room and started throwing things around to 'refurnish' the place to suit matters at hand. And then, when she was done, she decided she wanted to relax and leave the 'boring' brainstorming part to me.

The door creaks even more and Reagan steps inside, only to stop dead in her tracks as her eyes sweep through the state my room is currently in.

There's the flipping of the bed to become a table, but there's also the stack of papers, the pictures, the red ropes, the markers, my laptop, my printer, and the pins that are scattered all over it. And there's the fact that Kali moved every other insignificant thing in the room to the bathroom to give the illusion of free space.

Reagan whips her head to face me. Those close-set sienna-brown eyes open wide. "What have you done to your room?"

"I'm refurnishing, you like it?" I say, stretching my arms out with a smirk. Though I feel no thrill from the change, and I resist another urge to glare at Kali.

"Yeah, she probably will if you actually had any refurnishing skills."

And though the smile on my face becomes strained, I pay her no attention. Not when Reagan has her eyes narrowed on me, or rather the clear wall behind me.

"You took down your robots-rocks-humans-suck poster?" she asks, her voice a bit strained.

My nerves twitch again, but I keep my nonchalance in place. "Well, I mean, considering my last encounter with robots, they definitely don't rock to me right now. So yeah, I did."

"Yes, let's take all the credit for my handwork, why don't we?"

Turning around to where I have Uncle Aiden's pictures pinned down, right in the very middle of said wall, I ignore Kali's remark again. "Besides, I need the space for something more urgent."

"My words again," she sings this time and I whip my head to her, heat racing through my body.

"Would you cut it out?!"

Kali freezes as do I. though while I groan realizing the mistake I just made, a smirk grows on her lips. My eyes shut close and I take in a deep, low breath before turning to Reagan, who's staring at me with her forehead squeezed so much together. She turns to the table and then looks back at me, her eyes squinting.

Oh, fantastic, my best friend already thinks I'm crazy too.

Thankfully, before she can comment on my sudden outburst, the door slams open behind her, and Kalasiah grunts, stepping in. Walking straight inside the room, undisturbed by the change in the place and carrying a huge carton filled to the brim with different papers.

"Siah, what are you...?" My brows crease as she drops the carton onto the table.

"Woah! Careful there lady!" Kali says, scurrying out of the place before the carton can crash into her.

I roll my eyes at her but keep my attention locked on Kalasiah, whose chest is rising and dropping.

"Gosh that was heavy," she breathes, flapping her hands around her face.

"What are you doing, woman?"

"Oh, yeah. I brought you a buck load of information I thought might be useful," she replies with a grin, her eyes twinkling with pride. "Once Dad told me you asked him to get a recent picture of Uncle Aiden, I figured you were searching for him and I know you'll need all the help you can get."

I stiffen. "Did dad conveniently forget to tell you about the part where I don't want anyone's help?"

"What do you mean, you don't want anyone's help?" Reagan asks, finally walking further into the room herself.

"Yeah, I don't think I heard anything of the sort." Kalasiah shrugs.

She definitely heard that.

I scoff at her and then the piercing questioning look Reagan's sending me.

"I spoke in English, guys. Don't want your help. I don't know what Uncle Aiden's capable of, and I'm not about to risk it all and put any of your lives in danger."

"It's not like they don't know what they're getting into." Kali purrs, bending over the carton on the table right before she plucks out a piece of paper and holds it up to me. "Besides, you want to send off Siah who brought us all these goodies?"

"That's our choice too, Lee," Reagan retorts with a challenging undertone. "Do you expect us to stand by as you choose to battle someone hell-bent on getting back at you? You really don't think much of us, do you?"

I open my mouth to contradict but no words make it out as my chest tightens. Of course, I thought the world of them, how could I not? Even when Kali had in not too many words, let them know it was a waste of time to even think of going to report this to the police, they'd supported me with no further question.

A bit of that I will have to credit to Kali's sass and dominating aura.

But besides the support, things are going to be messy. That much I know. Putting my family in any more danger right now...

"Look," Kalasiah says. "Whether we pull away now, I'm very certain Uncle Aiden already has information about all of us. So why not try to make sure he doesn't get any of us?"

"She's right on point again. Why didn't dear Lee think of that? Oh right, she's slow."

I release a sharp breath, taking in the determined yet pleading looks on both Reagan and Kalasiah's faces. My muscles quiver and my skin feels like it's on fire, burning from the sheer amount of uncertainty that's swirling in the air.

My eyes flick to Kali as my chest tightens even more. There's so much more at stake than just Uncle Aiden getting to me. Even if I get to him first, with the undiluted hatred that radiates in him for him the moment Kali takes over, I'm not so sure this will be a bloodless journey on my part, either.

But I also can't deny that the weight of the whole thing feels so much lighter with other people around.

And so I turn to them, my shoulders sagging. "Fine," I say even as I take mental notes that once things begin to kick, I'm pushing them all out and away.

Kalasiah squeals and drags a seat, settling down in front of her carton, Reagan following suit. "That's the spirit, girl! Accept help once in a while, yeah?"

"But..." I narrow my eyes at them. "You guys are out at the very first sight of trouble. Deal?"

Kalasiah and Reagan share a look before looking back at me. "Deal."

And I just know right away, they don't mean it in the slightest bit, but I let it go. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Even if it means locking them all up somewhere until things die down.

Reagan rubs her hands together as she draws my laptop closer to herself. "So, where do we begin?"

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