Chapter 6: Bigger Things

"My mom... is a demon."

The emo boy's voice trembled with fear, his wide eyes fixed on the floor as though the words themselves might summon something sinister. His face was pale, twisted in quiet horror.

"I started noticing the difference after my father left," he murmured.

Kara rubbed his back soothingly, though her attention flickered toward the raven-haired girl in the corner, who was barely holding back laughter.

"What differences?" Raphael asked, leaning forward with mild curiosity.

The boy hesitated, looking up through his thick bangs. "Well, for starters, she doesn't go out as much anymore. She curses all the time, drinks a lot—"

A quiet snicker broke his sentence. Ethan.

Blue nudged him sharply, but the damage was done. The boy's lip quivered as he wiped away fresh tears. "Is something I said funny?" he asked, voice cracking.

Blue straightened, forcing a serious expression. "No, nothing's funny. Keep going."

Raphael, however, was done. He sighed and stood, making his way toward the door. "Call me when you guys get a serious case," he muttered before walking out.

Kara exhaled, turning back to the boy. "I'm sure your mom isn't a demon," she said softly, taking his hands in hers. "You just need to talk to her. Be there for her."

He ripped his hands away, anger flashing in his eyes. "I'm telling you, that is not my mom."

"And I'm sure your father is a dragon," Ethan quipped.

Blue burst out laughing.

The boy's face crumpled, and he bolted from the room, tears spilling down his cheeks.

Kara shot both of them a glare. "Can you two at least pretend to be sympathetic?" she snapped, gathering her things in frustration. Without another word, she stormed out of the clubroom.

Blue turned to Ethan, unfazed. "So, movie later?"

"Movie later," he agreed, hopping off the desk.

As they headed into the crowded hallway, Ethan glanced at Blue. "Should we start looking for Aria?"

"Where would we even start?" she replied.

He sighed, nodding his head in agreement. "Anyway, Jessie's throwing a party on Saturday. Please come."

She shook her head.

Ethan swiftly stepped in front of her, blocking her path with a playful smirk. "If you come, I'll lend you my credit card."

"No."

"Please."

She let out a sigh, crossing her arms. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

His grin only grew. "When have I ever?"

Blue hesitated, studying his face for a long moment before exhaling in defeat. "I'll think about it."

Ethan's eyes lit up as he pumped his fist in excitement. "You won't regret it!" he declared.

Before she could argue or change her mind, he spun on his heel and jogged toward his friends, already caught up in their conversation as if he hadn't just bargained his way into her weekend plans.

A black SUV was parked in front of her house. A guard stood beside it, scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze.

Blue sent him a nod as she opened the door leading into her home, but he did not return her greeting. "Rude," she said with a small pout.

She closed the door behind her, and unfamiliar voices echoed from the living room. She glided into the living room and smiled awkwardly at the guests.

"Afternoon," she greeted and turned her attention to her brother Jackson. "Did you cook?"

Jack scoffed at her tone. "Do I look like a maid?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I guess I'll just starve to death and join our parents."

A quiet chuckle slipped from one of the men. He had dark brown hair, sharp light-green eyes behind thick frames, and an easy smirk. "I take it you're the ungrateful brat he was talking about."

"Ungrateful doesn't even begin to cover it," Jack muttered, downing his beer in one go.

Blue tilted her head, feigning confusion. "Would blood-sucking parasite be a better fit?"

The man snorted. "I've got one of those," he said, jerking a thumb at the other man beside him.

Blue turned her attention to the second stranger. He had neck-length sandy-brown hair and striking emerald-green eyes. Handsome. Too perfect.

His expression, however, was cold—his jaw tight as if he had no patience for idle chatter.

"Go to your room," Jack ordered.

On a normal day, she would have put up a fight. But she had plans with Ethan, and defying Jack now would make leaving the house impossible later.

She groaned but obeyed, stealing one last glance at the blond man before heading upstairs.

Instead of going to her room, she sat at the top of the staircase, ears sharp.

Eavesdropping was one of her many talents.

"I trust the Bureau won't be a problem," said one of the men.

"It won't," Jack replied smoothly. "As long as you keep the money coming."

Blue clamped a hand over her mouth.

'Jack is a traitor.'

She scrambled up into her room and shut the door behind her. She marched back and forth, anxiously.

Turning in her brother to the Bureau would lead to his death. The Bureau did not take kindly to traitors. Sure, she had a few problems with him, but betraying him would be bad. Extremely bad.

Once the people left, she marched down the stairs. Putting on a brave face, she got up from the living room, popping open a can of booze.

"Pay for my club's fund, and I won't turn you in to the Bureau!" she demanded, her sapphire eyes burning with determination.

He simply nodded his head. "Okay."

Her jaw dropped. "What?"

He ignored her and shoved her aside. He had bigger things to worry about. "Combat training starts next month."

Her face lit up completely. She squealed excitedly and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You're the best!" she yelled in glee, running past him and into her room.

****

"Human!"

A loud voice shattered the silence, and Ethan barely had time to react before a boy with messy dark hair sprinted into the room. Except—it was his room.

His eyes widened as he took in the figure halfway through his window.

"Aria?" he blurted out. He stared at her in shock. He never thought he'd see her again, let alone like this. "What the hell are you doing?"

She wiggled in place, struggling to squeeze herself through the narrow frame. "I'm stuck! Pull me in!" she ordered, stretching her hands toward him.

Ethan crossed his arms, unimpressed. "You do realize there's a perfectly good front door, right?"

"Just pull me in!" she snapped.

Sighing, he grabbed her hands and pulled—hard.

Nothing.

He gritted his teeth and yanked again. "Damn it, Aria, your butt is too big!"

"Excuse me?" she snarled.

Ignoring her, he braced his feet against the wall and pulled with all his strength. With a sudden pop, she broke free—

And they both went crashing to the floor.

Aria landed on top of him, her face inches from his.

Silence.

Her blond hair sparkled under the brightlight. He stared into her bright red eyes, and his breath caught in his throat.

'Was she this pretty before?' he wondered. His eyes moved from her eyes to her plump lips. He began moving in, but before their lips could touch,she pressed her hand on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"You really couldn't use the front door?" he muttered.

Aria smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

She pushed herself off him and extended a hand, pulling Ethan to his feet. He didn't let go immediately, studying her with cautious curiosity.

"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice quieter this time.

Aria let out a long yawn, completely unbothered. Without answering, she strolled over to his bed, flopped onto the mattress, and burrowed into his blankets like she owned the place.

"Wake me up when Blue gets here," she mumbled, already half-asleep. "For now, I'm taking a nap."

Ethan frowned, but before he could press further, her breathing had already evened out. She was out.

With a sigh, he pulled out his phone and fired off a series of texts to Blue.

"Get here. Now." "Not a joke." "Aria's back."

No response.

Ethan exhaled sharply, tossing his phone onto the nightstand. His gaze drifted back to the girl curled up in his bed, her face peaceful.

He sat beside her, watching the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest.

After an hour, Blue arrived at his house. She rushed up to his bedroom, and Ethan gently caressed Aria's long blonde hair.

"So what happened?" she asked immediately, confused and excited when she spotted Aria sleeping.

"I don't know," Ethan replied coolly. "She just showed up and has been asleep ever since she returned."

Blue shook her awake—rough, impatient.

Aria's eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly as she registered her surroundings.

"Where were you?" Blue demanded, her voice sharp with suspicion.

Aria sat up, shoving Blue aside with little effort. "I don't answer to you, human," she shot back, her tone cold and dismissive.

Ethan and Blue exchanged baffled looks.

"But I am investigating a lead," Aria added, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off sleep.

Blue exhaled sharply. "What lead?"

Aria strode toward the window, her gaze distant. "The Carrington family," she said. "I'll return once I've gathered enough information. In the meantime, you two should investigate everything—even the smallest cases."

Blue frowned. "Wouldn't that just waste time?"

"No," Aria said, glancing back. "It'll make your investigation precise."

And with that, she leaped out the window, vanishing into the night.

For a moment, silence hung between them.

Ethan stared at the window, then muttered, "She's so weird."