"So, are you gonna tell me what happened the other night?" Kenny asked as they waited outside the takeaway coffee stand, impeccably positioned a hundred yards from the main campus lecture hall. A straggled line of other students was already forming, lured by the smell and the promise of caffeine.

"I told you," Luke muttered, looking down and making a show of examining his shoes.

"You did." Kenny nodded sagely. "And I told you that you were yanking my chain."

He frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets as he tried to think of a sensible answer. As it transpired he'd made it back to the dorm at a little after 3 am, exhausted, shell-shocked, smelling of woodsmoke and aching from his ordeal with the poachers and the Karkadda. There weren't a lot of good reasons for that, especially when as far as his room mate knew, he'd been out watching movies with Oaklynn.

Their coffees appeared in the front of the stand a moment later, buying him a few more precious seconds. Kenny took the pair of steaming takeaway cups and handed one to him as they turned towards the lecture hall. They moved at a slow, meandering pace, giving Kenny plenty more time to twist the knife.

"You're still gonna stand there and tell me movie night just dragged on and turned into a little domestic?" he challenged. "With everything that's going on around here? With her history with all this?"

"What do you want me to say, man?"

"Hey, look, what you guys get up to is your business, but the kid who wiped out at three in the morning didn't look like he'd been out for a nice date-night, okay?" Kenny took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. "With all that stuff we found out, you know, the guys are still worrying about you."

Luke gave him a withering look. "The guys?"

"Alright, and me."

"What exactly is it you're worried about?"

"Well, Kasper and the goon squad for a start." He made a vague gesture to their surroundings. "Kyan isn't always going to be around to knock the guy on his ass. If I were you I'd be keeping my head on a swivel."

"I can deal with Kasper."

"And we're catching whiplash from you two," Kenny continued. "One minute you're friends, next minute you're avoiding each other like the plague, then you're boyfriend-girlfriend and living it up. Now it looks like we're back to keeping a radioactive safe distance. It's a little hard to get to grips with."

"Believe me, I know."

"So what happened?"

"It's... complicated." Luke felt a twang of frustration as he said the words. How many times had Oaklynn said the same? Now here he was, staving off his friend with the same meaningless dodge. He wanted desperately to tell Kenny the whole insane story, to let it all come spilling out like a waterfall, but he knew he couldn't. Besides Gallie Parwood's ultimatum, his room mate would never believe it.

"Well that figures," Kenny snorted. "Gotta be honest with you, man, she seems like a lot more trouble than she's worth." He looked around suspiciously. "Speaking of which, where is she? Normally can't drag her away from a good cup of coffee. Don't you guys have a seminar this morning?"

Luke fumbled for an answer. Would Oaklynn even be in class today? They had a seminar, but with the previous night's events he wondered if she would even show. Even if she did, would they be able to sit together? Were there other Karkadda in their classes that he didn't know about? A creeping sense of paranoia seeped into his brain.

"That wasn't meant to be a trick question," Kenny said quietly.

"She's probably there already," he managed.

"Not even walking to class together any more?"

"Apparently." He took a gulp of his coffee without thinking and cursed as he scalded his tongue.

Grimacing in pain he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get a lid on his rising irritation. He didn't want to talk about this, not with Kenny or anyone else. The confusion of others didn't rank very high among his concerns when he still hadn't managed to get to grips with it himself. He'd spend two days already looking over his shoulder, trying to spot any sign of the supposed watching Karkadda, or worse, any trace of Simon DeVergne and his associates. So far no-one had jumped out of the shadows at him, but he made a point of not being out too long after dark on campus regardless. The memory of the bag over his head, the van and the shining blade of DeVergne's knife sent fresh chills up his spine every time he thought about it.

"I've gotta go," he said. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Kenny sighed helplessly. "Okay. Just, don't be a stranger, man. I'm around if you need to get anything off your chest."

"Thanks." Luke forced a smile and raised his coffee in a toast.

He turned and walked away, his stomach turning as he wondered what to expect when he arrived at Maresfield's anthropology class. The first day there had been the start of everything, the first time he and Oaklynn really connected. For weeks it had been something to look forward to, but now Luke dreaded what he might find there.

Approaching the door of the classroom, he exhaled a sharp breath, one hand tightening on the strap of his backpack. He drained the last of his coffee and sent the empty cup into a recycling bin with a deft flick, before steeling himself for whatever might be waiting inside. He reached out, gripped the handle and twisted.

Luke stepped over the threshold into the familiarity of the anthropology seminar. The smell of whiteboard ink, the varnish of the desks and faint chemical tinge of floor cleaner washed over him, followed by the pre-class hum of chatter from other students. His desk at the front left sat empty. He pressed his lips together tightly; gave a half-hearted wave to a couple of the other students that noticed him enter.

Doing his best to maintain his composure he walked forward, forcing a smile at the tweed-clad Maresfield before sinking down into his seat. On automatic, he pulled out his notebooks, his laptop and his textbook and laid them out in front of him, leaving space for Oaklynn on his left. Then he leaned back, staring at the clock. Minutes ticked by; the clock hands slowly but surely converged to mark nine am, the start of the class. Maresfield rose from his desk, his voice rising with him but Luke didn't hear.

The chair beside him remained empty.

*

Late that afternoon he'd just about managed to get his mind off things. The class with Maresfield first thing was a bust; he barely took anything in, his mind occupied with Oaklynn, the Karkadda and the poachers.

As the day wore on, however, other things slowly overtook his brooding. Lunch with the others helped – they tactfully ignored Oaklynn's absence and instead focus shifted to the upcoming regional archery contest he and Gabi would be taking part in. Through all the strangeness he'd managed to keep his scores consistently high enough to make the starting team, right on Gabi's heels as she snatched one of the top spots (something she was only too eager to remind him of).

One of their crossover seminars between archaeology and anthropology followed, and by the time he and Gabi stepped from the classroom Luke was feeling a little better. With Oaklynn missing in action and no sign of the other Karkadda for now, things suddenly felt a bit more normal. He walked alongside Gabi, not having to wonder what might be lurking under her skin; not worrying if someone might be out to kill her.

They trekked out of the humanities building, out into a sunny but cold autumn day. He breathed deep of the crisp air, happy to forget about the torrid last few days, at least for now. Idly he wondered if it was all worth it. Did it really make sense, putting himself through all this just so he could date a girl?

The voice in the back of his head chided him for that. What he felt with Oaklynn surpassed juvenile infatuation, of that he was certain. There were so many questions he still had, so many debates he wanted to have, so much he wanted to say to her.

But it could all wait for another day.

"You and Kenny coming to the Growler tonight?" Gabi asked, walking with a spring in her step. "They've got an open mic session on. Should be little higher quality than our karaoke."

Luke smiled; shrugged. "I don't know. I'm feeling pretty beat."

"Ha, yeah, he told me you had a pretty wild one the other night." She shot him a mischievous look.

"I swear that guy's mouth could run in the Olympics."

"Oh, like you're the greatest keeper of secrets?"

Luke frowned. Wouldn't you like to know.

"There's no big secret to tell. Just was out later than I thought I'd be, that's all."

"So it's got nothing to do with why you and Oaklynn are off the rails again?"

"God, you too?!" Luke snapped, rolling his eyes. "Can I just get through today without getting interrogated about every little decision I've made with her?"

Gabi flinched back in surprise. "Jeez, it's just a question."

"Oh, of course. Just a question. Just another question, as if anything that goes on between me and Oaklynn is anyone else's business."

Her expression darkened. "Well, maybe it is other people's business. It affects more than just you two, you know."

"It's my life."

"You don't exist in a god-damned bubble, Luke! Actions have consequences. We're your friends. We've put ourselves in the middle of this for you and it's like you don't even care."

"C'mon," he scoffed, images of the poacher cabin flashing in his mind. She had no idea that real danger was. "So you and Kasper traded a couple of barbs – big deal."

"Kyan was ready to fight that prick for you, and that's all you've got to say?"

"I didn't ask for any of you to get involved! I can handle my own problems, Gabi." Luke's voice hardened into a bitter snarl. "You want to walk away, nobody's stopping you. If you're just going to stand there and judge me then maybe you should just shut the hell up and leave me alone!"

But Gabi wasn't about to let the matter lie. Her eyes blazed with disbelief and she took a decisive step towards him, her voice leaping in volume as she gave full vent to her feelings.

"Reality check, Luke," she yelled. "You're not living in a fairytale! Oaklynn's not special! She's just another girl on campus. And, I'm sorry, a girl who apparently likes messing with any guy who shows her a little bit of interest. Don't you get that she's just stringing you along? It's all just a stupid dream that you wanted to believe, but it's done now. She's gone and frankly we're all probably better off for it!"

Her voice cut sharply through the air, high and clear and echoing across the campus. Several heads turned as other students passed them. Her cheeks reddened and she took a deep breath, steadying herself as she waited for him to reply. Luke just stared at her, transported back to the Karkadda home in the woodland. The memory remained raw like an open wound in his mind. Oaklynn standing there in the doorway, helpless against the forces of the world.

It was a dream. And it's over now.

The anger went out of him like a deflating balloon. His indignant, self-righteous tirade sank back down his throat and he blinked, feeling tears welling in his eyes. Jaw tight, he shook his head and turned away from her. His knees felt unsteady all of a sudden and he shuffled over to a nearby bench, tossing his bag down and collapsing into a sitting position, eyes boring into the ground. He could feel his hands shaking.

Gabi watched him for a few seconds before her expression softened. In slow steps she followed him and stood loitering at the bench for an awkward moment. Then, slinging her satchel around between her legs she sat down beside him, her fingers fidgeting with the strap awkwardly. Her lips pinched into a thoughtful twist as she searched for the words.

"Sorry," she said eventually. "I didn't mean that."

"It's okay," Luke replied. He raked fingers through his hair in frustration and forced himself to look at her. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have gone off at you like that."

"Apology accepted."

"I know it doesn't make a lot of sense from the outside. I just... it's hard to explain. It's complicated and there are things I just can't tell anybody. Oaklynn and I have to steer clear of each other, even though we don't want to. It's a mess."

"Is that because of Kasper?"

"Not really." He tossed his hands up resignedly. "It goes a little further up her family tree. Long story short, they took one look and me and her together and said 'nope'. None of them really care what we want."

She nodded sympathetically. "Sounds rough."

"It sucks." Luke clasped his hands together, elbows resting on his knees as he gazed blankly at students that passed back and forth in front of them, all going happily about their lives. Oblivious to an unseen conflict that simmered beneath the surface of what they thought was normal.

"I don't know what to do," he said after a moment.

Gabi bit her lip. "Do you remember what I said to you, the first night this all kicked off?"

"Karaoke night?"

"Yeah."

"You said I needed singing lessons or I might kill someone."

She grinned and slapped his arm. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah." Luke nodded, smiling thinly. "You said you wanted me to be careful."

"And are you? Being careful?"

"I..." He let out a defeated sigh. "I guess not."

"Right." She curled up on the bench, tucking her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Resting her chin on her arms, she continued. "Look, honestly, I never really understood what was going on with you guys – maybe I never will – but that's not really the point anymore."

"Then what is?"

"Whatever this is, it's not good for you, Luke," Gabi said, sounding as though she was the bringer of some particularly bad news that he needed to hear. "I mean, look at what's been happening. We've almost had fights with her little fan club three times already. She's got you all snarled up in this freakin' murderfest. Now you won't talk to Kenny, or me, about what happened the other night, you're miserable, you're tired and you're taking it out on your friends." She shook her head. "Whether she means it or not, she's messing with your head. You can't keep going on like this."

He spread his hands with a shrug. "I'm open to suggestions."

"I don't have any," she told him. "I just think that maybe it's time to let it go."