We all moved back into the old ticket-booth. After a quick greeting to the newcomer, Kat resumed her position sitting against the wall near the door. Mouse and Stallion appeared to still be recovering from their most recent argument and took it upon themselves to continue the ritual by giving each other the cold shoulder and sitting in chairs furthest from one another.

It left me with the unpleasant task of being alone with Mutt, in the center of the room, trying to decide what to do.

            I could now remember how Mutt's presence alone used to lighten up a room. Or anyplace, really. His carefree, jovial nature was as cheery as it was infectious. I tried to will the memories away, but the more I saw the Mutt hunched over before me, the more they fought to stay.

            Mutt clenched the straps of a green, over-stuffed backpack with one hand. The other still held on to a crutch he was using to support himself. He was dressed...oddly, to say the least. He had on a bright blue shirt with a white handkerchief tied around his neck as well as a pair of navy blue dress pants. I glanced over the spot where the bottom of the right pant leg was rolled back and buttoned in place when Mutt shifted awkwardly in place as he attempted to take off the backpack.

            "Need help with that?" I asked, already reaching out and grabbing on as he eased out of it.

            "Thanks," he said.

             I nearly dropped the thing when it was free from his back. It was much heavier than I expected.

            "What the hell is in here?" I said in a quick breath as I set it down.

            "Clothes," he answered. He raised his voice to address everyone in the small room. "Clothes for everybody. Mr. Copper sent me with them."

            I opened up the bag as the others slowly got up and wandered closer. There were several, vacuum-sealed, plastic bags with an assortment of variously colored clothes in each one. There were four bags in total and each one had one of our names written on a plain white sticker on the front. 

I passed each one to the appropriate person until I was just holding my own. It just looked like a bunch of black material stuffed in the plastic. For a moment, I was reminded of that clingy, silk crap they always had us wear back at the community headquarters.

            "You can't be serious," came Stallion's voice.

            All heads in the room turned to him. He was the first to open his bag and all he had in his hands was a pair of brown cargo shorts.

            "That's all that was in here," he said before shooting a worried look at Mutt. "This can't be right, can it?"

            Mutt had found a seat in a nearby chair and merely shrugged to Stallion's demand. I could only guess, by the lack of his own plastic bag, he was wearing what his Master wanted him to wear for the meet-up. Between his get-up and Stallion's...lack of one, I was beginning to fear what horrors lurked in my own bag.

            "This can't be right," Stallion repeated, shimming out of his attire. "...I'm keeping my shirt on."

            Kat and Mouse were getting undressed too. It usually wasn't a big deal. Fawn had us naked around each other more times than I could count during our first year as a team. But something was different today. My skin felt hot and my heart was beating rapid in my chest. I stared down at the dark void in my plastic bag as I heard the unzipping and the soft, gentle, shoving around of fabric.

            I thought about first seeing Kat in those torn jeans and that cartoon cat shirt. Mouse in her frilly dresses whose colors matched the seasons. The first time Kat got close to me, in front of her tree behind the school. How forward Mouse was with her feelings— how she held and kissed my hand when she pretended to be a knight and me her princess. How Kat cried over me when she thought I was dead. How relieved Mouse looked, how tightly she hugged me, when she discovered I was alive. When Kat kissed me in a junkyard and when told me she didn't have the same feelings that I did for her. When I thought Mouse would kiss me in that tunnel, but instead asked if I was still with her.

            My hands were getting numb again. I was going to drop the bag. The blackness was consuming all I could see. A single trickle of sweat rolled down from my forehead and into my eye.

            "Hey, Foxy, are you going to get dressed anytime soon?" 

I quickly wiped my face before looking up. Everyone's eyes were now on me. I subconsciously gripped the bag to my chest.

Mouse walked up a little closer, tilting her head. She was in a dress. A dress of all things. It was a pale yellow color with green trimming and silvery designs of butterflies flying up one side. Her curious gaze wouldn't quit so I shot my head to the ground. She had on silver sandals that matched the butterflies. I suddenly wished she had on the ugly brown suit still.

I lowered the bag again. Still as black and unidentifiable as it was the first time. Before I could decide what to do, I felt the presence of someone sliding down on the floor next to me and snatched the bag from my hands in one swift motion. I was fixing myself up to protest, but when I saw Kat, I felt deflated. Like a balloon filled with hot hair.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. It was Kat. Past Kat. Kat wearing tattered jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and her shoes. How could I have forgotten those shoes? Black leather boots with zippers that swirled all the way around. For a split second, I thought I was back in school, in the hallway. But then Kat pushed some hair back behind her ear— brownish-blonde hair— as she studied my plastic bag and the fantasy was ruined before it even really began.

"Black. Your Master has good taste," Kat mused, opening the bag. "You look good in black."

"Could you not..."

I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't stop looking at her. Once the plastic was open, she pulled out the first thing her hand caught hold of. A suit jacket, one of those with the tails in the back.

"Guess you're going to be more of a butler than a familiar," Stallion commented with a snicker.

"At least he's wearing something," Mouse retorted.

"I'm keeping my shirt on..." Stallion mumbled again before falling silent.

Kat met my eyes, smiled, and handed the jacket over. "Try it on."

"I...'kay...um..."

I was fumbling with my words. I cursed under my breath. What was happening with me?

Kat's smile widened and my face went hot.

I took the jacket away from her. It had a fancy white button up dress shirt to go along with it. As quickly as I could, I discarded the tattered long-sleeved shirt I had on and attempted to get the new clothes on. It was more complicated than I thought. I had to stand when I miss-matched the buttons on the shirt. I cursed more audibly when my second attempt led to another failure.

"Still used to just throwing on any old thing, huh?" Mouse commented. She walked up in front of me and undid the buttons with her small, delicate fingers. "Here, let me."

"I...uh..." I struggled again for words as I watched her hands. "...Thanks."

She giggled while nodding. I was starting to feel dizzy.

Just what in the hell was happening with me?

She buttoned up the shirt with practiced ease and was about to help me with the jacket when Kat called out: "Hold up, the monkey suit comes with a tie."

She then tossed up a red, dangly thing that Mouse caught in one hand. We both studied it. Shiny and red, like an apple. With her free hand, Mouse stroked the material of the tie. When she looked back up to me, my stomach was twisting around in all sorts of uncomfortable fashions.

"You're going to look pretty good in all this, you know," she whispered.

I held my breath when she reached out and fixed the tie around my neck. Those words. The way she said them. I was back on the sidewalk again. Dragging her from the near death collision with a truck. It was all the same. The way she was looking at me, the soft way she spoke.

She flipped and twisted and tugged the tie faster than my eyes could follow. In seconds, she was tightening the newly formed knot against my neck. Perfectly done. It was a trick I could only ever hope to master. The jacket was on and buttoned shortly after.

Next was a pair of black dress pants. Stallion whistled when I took off my jeans and I stared at the ground trying not to break into a sweat the entire time. He must know how weird I was acting. They all must have known. It was a testament to our lasting friendship that they never said anything about it.

I was able to work out the mechanics of both the pants and even the belt on my own, but when Kat handed me a pair of shiny black dress shoes I felt like I was looking at the complicated wiring of a bomb.

"C'mon, man, it's like riding a bike. You never forget!" Stallion jeered, obviously enjoying every second of this.

"Let's go sit down," Mouse said, taking my hand and leading me to a nearby chair. I grumbled along, avoiding Stallion's big grin and Kat and Mutt's concerned looks.

I was able to put the shoes on my own feet, thankfully, but the laces were like staring at a puzzle. I rattled by brain trying to remember what to do with them. Why didn't Fawn teach me this? She didn't teach me anything other than survival. What was I supposed to do with shoelaces?

"Need some more help?" Mouse asked as she knelt down in front of me.

I lowered my head in defeat. "Maybe."

She laughed a soft, airy laugh. She even placed her hand in front of her mouth.

How long has it been since I'd seen her laugh like that? I'd seen her happy. I'd seen her smile and joke around. But this was the first time she laughed since...

Mouse might have realized the same thing as she cleared her throat and set to work on the laces. She tried to instruct me on how to do it, but her hands were moving too fast again. When I asked her to slow down, she realized that she couldn't do it if she went any slower.

"I guess it's more muscle memory than actual memory," she admitted as she finished off tying the other shoe. I stared in wonder at the knots.

"Well, thanks anyways. Maybe I can just never take off these shoes again and my Master won't notice."

"I'm sure your Master can just teach you, don't sweat it," she said.

She stood up and patted me on the shoulder. She was smiling, but didn't laugh her laugh again.

Damn.

When I looked around the room, I was surprised to see Stallion had moved over to sit with Mutt. They were talking in hushed voices with serious expressions, but seeing them together sent another pang of nostalgia through me. Kat hadn't moved and her eyes were closed. If I didn't know any better, I swore she was sleeping.

"How does she act like that?" I wondered.

"Like she doesn't care?" Mouse asked, shocking me until I realized I was talking out-loud. Again.

"Y-Yeah."

"Kat's an expert at acting like she doesn't care," Mouse said, regarding Kat with somber eyes as she sat down in the chair beside me. "Ever since I've known her...Well, maybe we shouldn't talk about it."

"You're the one who wanted to talk about this crap," I pointed out.

"That was before I caught you two rolling around on the ground like a couple of horny school children."

"That wasn't—"

"Doesn't matter." Mouse held up a hand. "Maybe it was wrong for me to stop you. We probably should be getting any withheld feelings out of the way, while we can."

I watched Mouse for a moment, but she remained motionless in her chair, watching the dozing Kat.

"I forgive you," she said.

My throat tightened and I didn't even know why it did. "For what?"

"For dragging me back into this mess all those years ago," she said, turning to me with a faint smile. "I was actually pretty pissed at you for those first few months when you were out of it. But, when you woke up, you seemed even more pissed than I was. I don't know if you ever blamed yourself, but I just wanted you to know...no hard feelings, alright?"

"I..."

I didn't know what to say. It felt like my own throat was trying to strangle me.

Mouse gripped my hand. I couldn't feel it. She squeezed until I could feel it.

"Hey," Mouse said.

Our eyes met. Where were her glasses? Did she ever really need glasses?

"You're still with me, right?"

I couldn't speak. I knew if I did, I would start crying. And if I started crying I couldn't go back. So I swallowed and nodded.

Almost immediately after I did, there were three firm knocks on the door. Kat jolted awake and Stallion and Mutt looked up from their conversation. Mouse let go of my hand and stood up.

"That's my cue," she said, turning to me and, with a smile, she bowed. "Until we meet again, my fair princess."

I still couldn't speak. She turned away and made her way to the door. She nodded a farewell to Stallion and Mutt, who returned with nods of their own. When she passed by Kat, they shared a glance and nothing more.

I caught one last fleeting look of her yellow dress before the door closed and she was gone.

Gone.

I shot up from my chair. I took a few steps across the room before Stallion was in front of me, hand on my chest.

"Whoa there. What's the rush?" he asked.

"I have to tell her that I'm sorry," I said, trying to pull away. "I have to."

"Whatever you did, man, it's in the past," he assured, placing both hands on my shoulders and locking me in place. "You have to let it go. We all have to let the past go now. They can't catch on that we still remember, remember? If you go out there in front of all those Knowers and tell Mouse you're sorry...you're gonna wind up having a lot more to be sorry for."

I wanted to hit him. I wanted him to let me go.

But he was right. I missed my chance. I would have to hold on to this feeling of guilt forever and pretend that it was never there.

I flinched when Stallion rubbed a thumb under my eye. Something cold and wet smeared across my cheek. I looked up at him, prepared to hit him for real that time, but froze when I saw just how wet his own eyes were.

"Hey, man, no crying," he said, smiling as tears streamed down his face. "If they see you crying, they'll know something's up for sure."

"Hey, Stallion, how about giving Foxy some air?" Kat asked. She was standing up now, close to where Stallion and I stood.

Words continued to fail me as Stallion dropped his arms and turned away. He sunk back into the chair beside Mutt and buried his face into his hands. Mutt's hand hovered over Stallion's heaving back, but he seemed uncertain as to what to do with it.

I wiped my eyes and turned away from the painful scene. Kat was standing in front of me now, arms folded and a wry smile on her face.

"Our Masters and the other Knowers debated for months whether they should keep us all in the same room or not," she mused. "Little did they know their worries were justified...just for all the wrong reasons."

My throat loosened a bit as I choked out a small laugh. "Yeah, no kidding."

Kat stretched her arms up over her head and yawned big. In a way, it reminded me of how she used to laugh. Loud and without holding back. I bit my lip as I thought about what Mouse said.

Finally, I cleared my throat."I forgive you, Kat."

She held her hands on her hips as she leaned back in an attempt to stretch it out. She regarded me with half-open, green eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," I coughed, suddenly feeling very warm. "For, uh, dragging me into all this..."

She raised an eyebrow. I took a step back. She straightened up and her face became an unidentifiable wall. I was about to start rapidly apologizing, when her face cracked into a huge grin moments before she burst out into fits of laughter.

Stallion's head shot up and tried to shush her, but her laughs were too loud. Mutt watched her, his face impossible to read. I could only stand in awe as Kat bent forwards, holding her sides, her face red.

"You forgive me, do you?" she managed to get out as her laughing began to subside. I straightened up a bit, tried to regain my composure.

I was then catching myself from falling over when Kat lurched forward and smacked me on the forehead. I stumbled backward and landed smoothly in my chair before the chair itself started to fall backwards. Kat stopped its inevitable descent by bracing the part of the seat between my legs with her boot.

She kept me and the chair balanced in such a way as she leaned in close to my face, the smile gone.

"Let's get one thing straight before we walk out that door," she said in that deadpan voice I knew so well. "I was the only person back then who tried to help you. I tried to convince Mallard, as well as these other two jack-offs, that bringing you in late in the game was a bad idea. When they didn't listen to me, I did my best to distance you, to keep you from forming attachments, to make this whole process easier for you. But no, you had to make it difficult. You and Mutt and Stallion had to be all buddy buddy with each other because none of you guys had the balls to do the right thing.

"But I tried. I really did. So don't forgive me, Alex Foxy. You should thank me for everything I did for you and for putting up with your screw ups and how difficult you made it every step of the way."

She let my chair drop back into place on the ground before turning to Stallion and Mutt who were stunned silent.

"You guys should be thanking me too," she went on. "I didn't have to follow after you two like a worried mother, but I did. I didn't have to say yes when you asked me to join you, Stallion, but I did. I looked after you guys for years. I've been looking after a bunch of kids for years. And now I'm about to be best friends with a little girl who puts pyromaniacs to shame."

"Kat," Stallion said, half getting up from his chair. "I'm so sor—"

"I don't want to hear that you're sorry," she interrupted. She looked between the three of us and sighed. "You bunch of bozos did what you did and so did I. Nobody's fault. Figured you three should know what the score is. Just say 'thank you, Kat' and we can move on."

Kat then folded her arms, closed her eyes, and waited. Mutt, Stallion, and I all exchanged looks. Stallion seemed like he was either about to cry again or burst into another angry rant. Instead, he bit his lip and bowed his head.

"Thank you, Kat!" he exclaimed.

Mutt half-smiled before bowing his head too. "Thank you, Kat."

Kat's eyes opened and trained on me. I flinched for a split moment before bowing my head as well. "Thanks, Kat."

I looked up at her, held her eyes as best I could. "Really."

She nodded once before making her way to a wall close by the three of us. She leaned up against it and folded her arms again.

"Anything else anyone has to say?" she asked. "Probably will be your last chance."

It was silent for a short while. Stallion appeared to be struggling with what to say while Mutt appeared un-inclined to say anything at all.

I sighed. I wasn't too motivated to speak up again after Kat's reaction, but to hell with it.

"I got some more I want to say," I announced, slapping my hands on my knees to get their attention. "I know we gotta play dumb and act like we don't remember what all we've been through together. At least not the good stuff. Our meetings with the club, going to the graveyard, the mall, the movies. All the things that, well, that brought us closer together...closer than most people would want us to be..."

I shot a look to Kat, but saw she was watching me with the upmost attention. They all were. I took that in for a moment before clearing my throat and continuing.

"...And, well, that's fine, I guess. That's the way it has to be, for now. But, I just...I guess I just want you guys to know that if anything goes wrong...if any of you are in trouble...or maybe just need to talk...I'll be there for you. I'll find a way."

Another moment of silence.

"That's just...crazy, man," Stallion spoke up. "You're going to have duties— responsibilities to your Master. How in the world would you—"

"I'll find a way."

"Our Masters don't like each other, Foxy," Mutt said, smiling a hopeless kind of smile. "Things are different. How can you—"

"I'll find a way," I finished. Mutt's smile faltered and he started to stare at his hands. "Look, I know a lot has changed between us. A lot is different with the world we live in now than the one years ago. Just a few hours ago, I was in the same sinking boat with you guys, too. I thought we had to let go of each other. Go on into that dark night and forget everything."

I paused. They all had their heads lowered. I gritted my teeth and glared down at the hands that were shaking and gripping my knees so tightly the knuckles were white.

"I wanted so badly to forget. I worked so hard to make myself forget when Mr. York's tea didn't work. After months of hardly seeing you guys, I thought it was starting to work. But I see the truth now, just like I'm sure you guys do. Last night at the asylum, today at this train station. A night and a day is all it took to make me remember everything again. And..."

My vision was going blurry, but I rubbed my eyes. I refused to break down.

"I don't want to forget you," I whispered before looking up at the rest of them and speaking more clearly. "I don't want to forget any of you. Like it or not, you guys are my friends. I refuse to think of any of you as anything else just as much as I refuse to believe today is the last day we'll see each other on less than friendly terms. I'll be there for all of you. My Master can try to control me, but she won't be able to make me forget any of you. If you guys ever need my help, just ask and I will help you. I will find a way."

I sat back in my chair and let out a deep breath. My hands relaxed and it felt as if I would never be angry again. I felt lighter than air.

"That's all I wanted to say."

"You know, you might be signing your death warrant if you're that committed to helping me," Kat said, a playful grin on her face.

I shrugged. "After everything you 'supposedly' did for me, maybe just saying thanks doesn't quite cut it. For me, anyways."

"It doesn't cut it for me either," Stallion said, sitting up straight in his chair and leveling Kat with a look that wiped her smile away. "Elizabeth, I was a terrible boyfriend...but even worse than that, I was a terrible friend. I won't say I'm sorry, but I will say I will make it up to you, however I can." He then clapped a hand on Mutt's shoulder and looked between him and me. "You guys too. There's a lot of things I have to make up to both of you. If you guys ever need a helping hand, Stallion is your man!"

"Hey now, don't think that changing around the words doesn't mean that you aren't just copying my idea," I jested.

"Man, I'm just improving on the foundation you left behind," Stallion countered with a grin. "You should be honored that I thought your idea worthy enough to improve upon."

Stallion and I laughed up until Mutt nudged his way out from under Stallion's hand and stood up. "You guys are being stupid," he said.

"C'mon, Mutt," Stallion said, his forehead crinkling. "We're just—"

"NO!" Mutt shouted, limping across the room until he had the three of us spaced evenly around him. "Pretending like this is stupid. Lying to yourselves is stupid. Nobody is going to help anybody else. Stop acting like it's going to be different than how it really is!"

"We aren't acting, or pretending, or lying," I said, standing up slowly from my chair. "At least, I'm not."

"I'm not either," Stallion assured, standing up from his chair as well. "Mutt, man, we can keep this a secret. If they don't know about it, they can't stop it. We can still help each other. We can still be there for each other."

"Stop it! No we can't!" Mutt shouted, putting his hands over his ears. "You guys are just gonna get in trouble! They're going to know and...and..."

"They won't know if we don't let them," I said, edging closer to Mutt, Stallion following suit. "We can still be friends, Mutt."

"Hey, man, you're still my friend, aren't you?" Stallion asked.

Mutt sniffed. I stopped moving. He started crying. Big, fat tears. He lowered his arms.

"That's why I don't want them to know," Mutt breathed between heavy sobs. "If they know they'll make...they'll make us all forget for real." Mutt then whipped his head to me and I froze even more. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Foxy. All the times I hurt you. I never wanted to. Never. I just can't...I couldn't..."

"It's okay, buddy," I assured. I remembered Mutt's attacks, the recent one as well as the ones years back. "I know it's never cause you wanted to hurt me. It's...complicated, right?"

Mutt nodded. Stallion had come in close by then but whatever he planned to do was halted when Mutt spun back around to him and wrapped his arms tightly around his midsection in a fierce hug.

"And I'm sorry I made you come with me," Mutt wailed into his chest. "I'm sorry, Stallion! I was just...I was just..."

"You were just scared," Stallion finished, returning the hug and glancing up at me with a sad sort of smile. "It's alright, man. We all do dumb stuff when we're scared."

"Never apologize for being scared."

Something in my chest twisted and tightened.

What did she say? Why did it hurt so much when she said it?

"Kat..."

"I want to help!"

A voice, crying out in my head. 

"The fox is our prize, duck. Get your own!"

Another voice. Different voice, but it rang through my brain the same way, leaving behind a dull ache.

"What's—"

"Don't let him hurt me! Don't let the fox hurt me!"

"Yeah, you're making us look uncool."

"You're a liar, fox! A big fat liar!"

"I won't let you crush my sister!"

"Stand up! Stand up!"

"Don't fall, idiot!"

"Don't fall."

The voices shouted at me. Accusing me. How could I have so easily forgotten them?

My head was going to split open.

"Foxy?"

I rounded on Kat as Mutt continued to sob into Stallion. "Kat, the kids, what's going to happen to them now that you're leaving them?! Who's going to watch them? Who's going to raise them? Why...?"

My aching head couldn't keep up with the words I wanted to say. There was so much more I still wanted to say. So much I should have been saying these past two years.

Kat looked at me with wide eyes and a half-open mouth.  When I failed to say anymore, she settled into a gentle smirk. "So, the past Foxy has finally rounded out completely, huh?"

She got up from against the wall and paced a bit in front of a darkened window before continuing:  "Until Leaf, Lilly, and Trout reveal what, if any, magical powers they might have, they are the property of the Community of Wildwood and will be staying with Edgar in his wonderful, decaying mansion."

With Edgar? The kid who didn't even seem like he wanted to be there? What kind of guardian would he be? What did he know about taking care of kids?

"And if they never show signs?"

Kat shrugged. "Won't know until they do. And, until they do, the children stay as property of the community."

"But for how long?"

"'Until further notice'."

"Kat—"

"'Until further notice'," Kat repeated, stressing the quotations. "Until they know for sure that none of the kids have adopted their mother's love for man-eating vegetation, or any other dangerous powers for that matter. They aren't going anywhere until they are officially 'adults'. And even then that's only for the ones who have shown their non-threatening colors."

I felt like sitting down again, but I could not move my body.

"I never even tried to see them again," I choked out. "After that night, I acted like I hardly knew them...like we hadn't been through hell and back together."

"Mr. York's tea wasn't completely ineffective," Kat pointed out. "And you were acting irrational, wanting to see them days after they lost their mother, father, and sister. They needed time, you needed time, everyone needed time. And, as you know, the more time a Knower has the more potential their Knowledge has. The more potent it can become. Most of the kids understand, Foxy, in their own way, and the ones that don't stopped caring a long time ago."

My heart was beginning to sink into my stomach when Kat walked up and punched me lightly in the shoulder. "Hint: none of them stopped caring about you."

She was smiling again. Had it always been this easy for her to smile?

"Really?"

"Gust tries to act like he doesn't care, but he comes up with a new nickname for you almost every week. It might seem like a bad thing, but it only tells me the kid still thinks about you. A lot."

I lowered my gaze slightly. "That doesn't necessarily mean—"

Kat punched me, harder, in the shoulder again.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"You helped saved their lives, idiot," she admonished, threatening to hit me again if I spoke. "Just because they haven't seen you since then doesn't mean they forgot. Just like how you didn't forget. The twins still mention you at least once a day. Trout has to say the word 'Foxy' at least once a day. I always had to act like I didn't know who you were, but it was a bit irritating hearing them sing praises about you all the time."

She winked and my face burned up.

"How come you never told me?" I asked.

"You never seemed interested until today," she said. "Had me believing you were as disinterested in them as much as you believed it yourself, I guess."

"I guess."

I clenched and unclenched my hands. The ringing in my head had gone away. "Maybe, next time you see them, tell them I plan on visiting soon."

Kat let out a quick gasp of a laugh. "I think you have a better chance of seeing them before I ever do."

I fidgeted where I stood. I really needed to sit down again. "Right. Sorry."

"It's fine. I've been preparing for this for a long time, Foxy."

"Right."

It was quiet for a moment. I glanced over to see Mutt and Stallion standing nearby, watching Kat and I's exchange. Stallion looked like he was going to say something until Kat spoke up again.

"You'll see them again when we walk out that door."

I shot my head back to her. She wasn't looking at me. I must have misheard her.

"What?"

She took in a deep breath with her nose and slowly let it out again from her mouth before facing me. Her eyes were that glimmering wall of unreadability. Not a solidly built wall. This wall was flawed, cracked, too quickly made.

"Part of Maple's requirements to reveal herself is that her siblings are there for the exchange," Kat went on, her arms, her legs, her entire body rigid. "She wanted proof that they are safe, alive, and—"

"And in easy distance for her to steal away?" I asked, stepping forward. "Or kill, or hurt, or...or..."

"It's gonna be fine, Foxy," Stallion spoke up, stepping in-between Kat and I."There's gonna be three other free witches, the Stalwart, and us. Maple's powerful, but she isn't stupid, man. She won't try anything if we're all there."

I tried to control my breath. I clenched and unclenched my hands again to keep the feeling. There was no point getting angry. Losing control. Keep it together.

"We'll stop her if we have to," Mutt said, his eyes hard, his voice ringing with conviction. "I'm stronger now. You guys are stronger, too. She won't be able to hurt us like she did before."

"Somebody's confident," Kat commented.

"Yeah, man, you're starting to sound like Foxy," Stallion joked, nudging Mutt with an elbow.

But Mutt didn't share in the joke. He locked eyes with me and I could just see how serious he was being.

"How exactly do you think we'd stop her?" I asked.

"We'd find a way."

Stallion laughed. "Tell it to me straight, man, are you asking Foxy to write your lines now or something? I'm beginning to wonder who's who."

            "And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked Stallion, eager to break the serious staring contest with Mutt.

            "Oh, you know..." he said, smirking and not finishing.

            "No, I don't know."

            "He means how you talk big with nothing really substantial to back it up," Kat answered.

            "When have I ever done that?"

            Stallion, Kat, and even Mutt looked between each other. I was seriously starting to boil in my own fancy duds when similar grins came over each of their faces.

            "The witch and the cabin," Stallion said holding up one finger.

            "Mr. Mallard and us," Kat said, holding up two fingers.

            "When you fought me a few months ago," Mutt said.

            "Okay, okay I get it," I broke in before they could continue.

            "The list goes on and on," Kat added.

            "Yeah, man, this isn't the first time we talked about your crazy ways," Stallion said before chuckling. "Except, you know, you weren't around to hear."

            "Nice, thanks."

            "Mouse said we should get this stuff out of the way," Kat reminded, her mocking smile not leaving.

            I was about to retort when an idea hit me. It was my turn to grin wickedly. I tried to quickly push it down with a calm face before I spoke.

            "Of course, Kat, you're so right, like always. Hey, Stallion, remember all the times we talked about how right Kat always is?"

            Both Stallion's and Kat's smiles were wiped from their faces. Almost at the same time. I couldn't keep my own smile from surfacing. Stallion went slightly pale and froze up while Kat walled up again and shot him a suspicious glare.

            "I, uh, I don't know what you mean there, Foxy," he tried.

            I smiled wider. Too good.

            "Oh, come now, Stallion. You mean you don't remember those evenings after our club meetings where you would go on and on about how Kat always had an answer to everything, how she was always too quick to correct you when you were wrong?"

            "Is that so?"

Kat's glare appeared to be melting Stallion with the amount he was sweating.

            "Kat, that's not...Wait. How would you even know that, Foxy? I didn't say that crap to you..."

            Stallion's face went blank as the pieces clicked together. He whirled on Mutt who was obviously lost.

            "You told him what I said about Kat?"

            Mutt processed the question for a moment before nodding.

            "Why, man?!"

            "You talked about Kat all the time, Stallion," Mutt said. "I wanted to talk to Foxy about it."

            Stallion gaped at him with an open mouth. Kat's face softened as she moved her attention over to me.

            "How often did Mutt complain about Stallion?" she asked.

            I smiled. "All the time."

            Kat started laughing. Her loud, all consuming laugh. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I laughed with her. Stallion tried to keep up his horrified look, but a grin soon cracked through and he was laughing with us. Mutt smiled along but we could all tell he had no clue why we were laughing. And that only made it funnier.

            "Guys, we gotta stop," Stallion said between fits. "If they hear us...they're gonna kill us!"

            For some reason, that only made us laugh harder. Even Mutt was starting to chuckle. I started a bit when Kat put her hand on my shoulder, but it was only to keep herself from falling over. But, before I knew what I was doing, I had my hand on her as well, caressing the side of her face.

            Her eyes opened. Her laughter died down. But she didn't stop me when I moved my hand down the side of her neck, settled behind it, and pulled her face closer to me. My lips were dry, my heart was banging around in my chest, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

This might be my last chance.

            She kept her eyes open. I wished she would close them, but pushed on regardless. When our faces closed in, she put her hand on my chest. I thought she was stopping me, but the touch was gentle, encouraging.

I swallowed. She smiled and finally closed her eyes as our lips met, for the briefest of moments.

...

*Author's Note*

Well, ain't that sweet? Or, maybe a little out of nowhere. You gotta be careful with those urges, Foxy! Kat might have just easily smacked you if you weren't so darn fetching in that outfit!

Also quick apologies for the length of the chapter. When you put all of the main characters in one room, it's hard to get them to keep their lips closed...in more ways than one, it seems. Hope yall enjoyed it nonetheless!