Okay so you guys have convinced me. I'll keep writing this, but I'm not sure how good my updates will be, considering I haven't even figured out the ending or anything yet. BUT your lovely messages were very touching, and I forced myself to keep the word document open to write in.

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Tara is long gone and I am curled up on the bed with my back facing the wall when Fang and Iggy get back. My eyes are closed and the blanket is pulled up to cover my nose. I hear the hushed voices of Fang and Iggy slowly subside as Iggy heads off to his own bed. I crack my eyes open and see Fang still hunched over the laptop, the screen dimmed down so as to not be a disturbance to me and Iggy.

I can't make out his murmurs from across the room, but I can easily read into his tension, as his shoulders bunch up and his jaw is clenched. When I squint, I can see a blob of red and orange on the screen along with some white. It reminds me of the fire back at the School, and I quickly squeeze my eyes shut. Fang had told me that someone set fire to the School, but it was from the wing where I was found. Now, it hits me that it may have been me who had set the fire. I don't know how to feel. Should I feel good that the School is at least half burned down? Or should I feel dread that it could happen again at any time, if I don't learn to control it? How will I ever learn to control it?

I don't get any answers from the blank expanse of my mind, so after a few moments, I open my eyes again. I seem to expect to see the soft glow of the laptop, but Fang has already turned it off and the room is dark. So I close my eyes once again and try to get some sleep.

I wake up in confusion. Fang and Iggy are on their feet, at the door. I can see Tara on the other side of it, hands on her hips in defiance.

Nick and Leo are inside the room, Leo biting his lip anxiously and playing with the end of his black tail, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes glowing a dull orange. Nick is glaring at the doorway, and I'm not sure who he's glaring at. He catches sight of me and approaches. "Hey," he says quietly, and there's a slight tone in his voice that I can't quite place. Later, I will understand that it's the depressing acceptance of betrayal.

"She plays with fire," I can hear Tara hiss from my place at the bed. My eyes grow wide. With everything that happened last night, our brief conversation, I didn't realize that Tara thought I was dangerous. "If the School doesn't take her back soon, she'll kill us all."

My breath comes out in a shaky exhale. Leo hears this and turns his head over. Something like pity flashes across his features and he gets up gracefully, like a feline would, and comes over to me. He sits on the bed next to me, and while he says nothing, the light touch of his hand on my knee gives me his reassurance. It tells me that he doesn't share Tara's opinion.

"This had nothing to do with her chip, then. You led them here." Iggy's voice is filled with hatred, and I've never heard him sound so menacing before. Tara seems to shrink before puffing up again. "So what if I did? They would've taken her if you guys didn't swoop in to save the day." There was so much venom in her voice that I flinched involuntarily. She was buzzing so loud I could hear it. "You know what screw you guys. If you want to stay with that ticking time bomb, then suit yourself. I'm getting out while I still can." Tara threw me a vehement look before disappearing from sight.

Iggy stalks back to his own bed, muttering under his breath. Nick and Leo exchange tense looks, and I let out another shaky breath. Fang stays immobile for the longest time, the door still open, and a slight breeze entering the room. Then, he strides out the door, leaving it to slam behind him. The loud noise draws the attention of the other three and they look up with a start.

I look at the door for a few seconds, and after another moment of hesitation, I get up from my place at the bed. Nick and Leo look at me expectantly, like I'm about to break into a speech, but I have no words for them. I walk to the door and push it open.

"He's on the roof," I hear Iggy's quiet voice and turn. He's staring calmly down at his feet, but his hands grip the metal bedframe like his life depends on it. I want to go over and comfort Iggy, if I could, but something about his posture suggested that he didn't want comfort. So I walk out of the room, closing the door quietly behind me.

The climb up the fire escape is quiet, but my mind is buzzing. When I get up to the roof, Fang's sitting on the ledge, his legs dangling off the edge of the building. A few months ago, I would've made a joke about how he should be careful. Now, I take a seat next to him, letting my own legs swing off the building. He doesn't look surprised at seeing me here. He probably heard me the moment I started climbing up the fire escape.

"What happened?" I ask after a few moments. Fang stares into the bright sky for a moment, "Tara sold us out." I blink, then fix my eyes on him, trying to read into his body language.

"She made a deal with the School. They wanted you back, and she wanted you gone." There was a bitter undertone in Fang's almost emotionless voice. "It wasn't your chip that led them here."

A small wave of relief washes over me, but that's quickly replaced with dread. If it's not a tracker, then what is my chip?

"I don't know why she would willingly turn to the School, and why she didn't like you. We're all dangerous, in one way or another. That shouldn't have been a factor." Fang narrows his eyes, "I don't know who we can trust anymore. I know I trust you, and I trust your judgement about Iggy. But I don't know if we can trust Leo and Nick. They seemed distraught enough with Tara, but I just… I don't know."

Fang brings his hands up to rub at his eyes. I blink in surprise. This is such an… obvious sign of distress, something I had never seen from Fang before.

"I just don't know what to do." He turns to me and for once I see defeat in his eyes. It shocks me so much that I place my hand gently on his knee. He starts in surprise, but a small smile appears on his lips.

"We'll figure things out," I say, sounding more confident than I feel. Fang nods a little, "We'll have to."

I tap his elbow after a few moments of silence, "What are we going to do about the School? We can't stay here anymore. The School knows we live here." Fang seems to relax, the tension flowing out of his shoulders. I don't understand. Shouldn't he be even more stressed? The School just raided our home yesterday.

"I have a bunch of other places all around the city. We'll go there," Fang's voice is slightly smug, like he's proud of himself for figuring all that out. "The problem is what to do with Nick and Leo," the tension is back, but not as intense as before.

I shrug, "I think they're trustworthy." Fang gives me an incredulous look, "How do you know?" he asks with a small smile. I shrug again, "Something about them." Fang still looks at me curiously.

"When I'm with them, I feel… protected, like I do when you and Iggy and close," I explain. "I know it's not much to go by, but-"

"But nothing. I trust you. Besides, they haven't done anything to get in my bad book yet," Fang interrupts me.

I laugh, the sound barely audible, "You have a 'bad book'?" Fang shrugs, "I do; it's filled with the people who've done something to wrong me, and it's a little splattered with blood." He says it so matter-of-factly I'm not sure whether or not to be a little afraid.

Fang gets up from the ledge, teetering on his toes and heels a little, like he's contemplating whether to fall off the roof or not. Finally he steps down, and takes my hand to lead me off the ledge. "Let's go. Time to move into the new house," he smiled a little at me.