Mist and I are walking back from Mom’s house, teaching Antadon took a lot out of me. But it kinda felt worth it, too. Maybe I should start teaching the Dynamos so Emma can teach other kids! That’d be fun once I come back to Yalev, but we gotta trap the killer before any of that happens. I hope they don’t figure out that Ross is a plausible target too.

  “Mist!” I call, causing her to jump, “whadda ‘bout Ross? He could be blegh-ed next!”

  “What? Enunciate,” Mist’s ear twitches under the bobby pin that holds it down.

  “Ross is a ‘Curio-spawn’, whatever that means. He’s called something with ‘Curio’, sp if the killer overhears anything like that, Ross’ll be next!”

  “Then we could use him as bait for the killer! You’re a genius Cana!” Mist cheers, now speeding into a jog towards the Yoliho Inn.

  “Hold on, when I said I was the one risking their life the most, I didn’t mean to endanger me more!” Ross cries.

  “But they do have a point,” Jyrasck comments, stroking his chin philosophically. “If we’re gonna take this into our own hands, you’re the only reliable bait.”

  “How do we get the killer to target him tho—”

  “Leave that part to me,” Mist huffs confidently.

  “Are we doing this tonight?” Ross chirps, a jittery finger tapping on his notebook.

  “Tonight and the next until we get a bite,” Mist grins deviously.

  After a minute of brainstorming and discussion, we come up with a plan.

  First, we start spreading the word to people we know, Mist being the one to tell us who to inform. We do that the entire next day. Afterward, me and Jyrasck are stationed secretively around Ross’s room in search for suspicious people.

  Though the first few days were bust.

  After the fifth day of this routine, once Jyrasck finishes up the music-y part of the night, Mist rounds everyone up. She held the paper we recorded suspects on.

  “We have three today, Knives, Antadon, and Ms. Soleil. Ross, I want this time to be—”

  “Are we sure this RTU person is even here anymore? We should call it off,” Ross offers.

  “You just’re scared.” Mist jibes, notes of seriousness in underlying her voice. “I feel like this is our last chance with true bait.”

  “Last chance? Great, Imma get killed tonight. R. I. P. the sane person I guess,” Ross fidgets more.

  “You have to take risks for the good of making your lore sick,” Jyrasck rhymes.

  “My old man did my time for me.”

  “Yeah right, just get in there and act like you’re unaware,” Mist rolls her eyes at the conflicted male. “Y’all go, get in position. Killers wait for nobody,” she shoos us both and I head to the alleyway.

  It was late, darkness swamping the majority of my vision. The crisp wind becomes colder as I keep sight on the lit window above my head. Jyrasck is up on the second floor, hiding in Ross’s room. When it comes to whose spot is more dangerous, I think mine takes the prize. I jolt over and over again, hearing every movement, my eyes feeling as wide as an owl’s but not catching anything.

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  Until a rustle catches my attention, my head swivels to the sound. I see a large blur edge ever closer, and amber eyes that stare deep into my own.

  “Knives?”

  “Move aside.”

  I loiter in Ross’ closet, waiting for the door to sound open and a killer’s voice to do some twisted monologue. I may not have full control over my aberra, but hopefully enough to capture another being. One minute, two, three, a long time passes with little noise besides the shuffling and scribbling of Ross’ “unaware” act. Eventually, the shuffling ceases and alters to footsteps, coming closer to the closet. I tense up quickly, getting ready to charge is kinda difficult being decently over six feet.

  Fwak, the door opens and I stumble out. “I think the killer moved on. There’s no need to do this plan anymore, or hide in my closet,” Ross huffs.

  “I get that, but tell Mist, not me.”

  “She’ll call me a good-for-nothing wuss or something,” Ross fall-sits onto his bed.

  FWAK! The door to the room flies open, I quickly jump into a battle stance while Ross jumps a couple inches off his bed. Mist sighs, “Mission’s off. Honeyman didn’t come.”

  “You saw Honeyman?”

  “Gotta vision, doesn’t plan on coming.”

  Ross releases a sigh of relief with a weary smile, I go to the doorway. “Imma call Cana off-duty then.”

  Mist nods for me to go and I do. Rushing downstairs before casually searching through the bar and snatching up the master key ring.

  I mean, it’s not like she’s dying to get off work. At one point she said it was fun.

  I fidget through the key ring a couple minutes more as I walk up to the door. (That was a nice rhyme), I find the key, unlock the door, and head out into the alley.

  I feel a faint heat as I slip into the darkness. My eyes quickly adjust as I walk down. I gaze through the alleyway.

  “Cana, If you’re tryna prank me…” I smirk, waiting anxiously for a snickering laugh or some other answer. There was only silence.

  “Cana…” I search, now with a sense of urgency, my eyes quickly lock onto a slumped up on the inn’s wall. Advancing slowly, I come to recognize a bob-like, blonde head.

  Cana?! I gasp, starting to shake. Is she dead? She didn’t respond to my calls… but she can heal really fast. She’ll be fine… right?

  I quickly analyze her condition. Dirt, dirt, dirt, stained clothes— Blood?! I stumble even further, afraid if I go to carry her in, she’d be dead. But she can’t die of physical wounds, she harps on and on about it.

  JUST GET HER INSIDE!! I hear a voice screech in my mind, weaving my hands under her back and knees before lifting her body. Sprinting in little spurts to get closer to the inn-door, I quickly bang the door open and go to set her down.

  I need more light. And the others. Fast.

  “Ross, Mist, Get down here quick,” I snap to the sky.

  And I thought we were done with the murder mystery junk, “what did you yell for..?” I grumble, Mist at my heels.

  Jyrasck set a candle beside… Cana? “I-I don’t think she’s asleep and she doesn’t feel d..dead and I—” he sputters, containing his worried whimper with as much effort possible.

  I trudge towards the candlelight, she looks fine (besides the no response and dried blood factors). I press around the stained area to find, in the lung area, a lump of… bone? that seems to have pierced her and lodged itself into her lung.

  “I think she was impaled.”

  “Impaled? Did they bayonet-style shank her or– how did you find that out?” Jyrasck spins off question after question, rambling to himself.

  “Feel right here, the spike thingy wasn’t removed.”

  “Can we take it out?” Mist asks, pressing the spot with no response from Cana.

  “You tell me, “ I shrug. Mist soon after orders Jyrasck and myself around… preparing for a makeshift surgery.