Dancing in the Dark

"I'm not there yet!"
 This page contains ***major spoilers*** for the series. If you're not caught up, stay back! Av's not gonna be too thrilled if you react to spoilers prematurely...

## Dancing in the Dark

### Air date

October 31st, 2020 (original)
December 10th, 2022 (re-release)

### Director

Potato Flakin

***Dancing in the Dark*** is the sixth episode of *The Adventures of Evie and Mya* in Season 1 and the sixth episode overall.

## Synopsis

When Evie is invited to a picnic with Mya and her family, she is delighted by the opportunity, but when her friend's naivety puts the two in deep trouble, each face their own conflicts - one proving to come with an unfamiliar weight for Mya.

## Transcript

*Daytime in Pineshadow. The sun filters through the windows of the Ly family living room, leaving spots of bright light scattered across the table, potted plants, bookshelves, and sofa. The TV is on, having gone to ads a few minutes ago, and while the Ly parents are in their bedroom, on the sofa sits their thirteen-year old daughter, Evie, who is absentminded and has her head in her hands. Next to her is her cat, Holly.*

Evie Ly had a *lot* of thorns and vines clouding her mindset right now, and by a lot, they were *everywhere*.

It had been a solid *week* since she and her friend, Mya, had learned from their new friend, the elusive, short-tempered, and secretive Winterlyn "Winter" McCormick, that infamous, despotic school bully and their number one enemy, Daniela, was her ex-girlfriend. The detail was a huge omission from Winter's backstory and for *good reason*, reasons which Evie now perfectly understood just as much as Mya did.

*Daniela was the one to destroy Winter's life. She caused her father to turn against her. Made her live a life on her own too early. Making her live under a belt of lies. And now she's threatening her with vulgar speak. We should have seen it sooner, damn it...*

The girls had been aghast when the revelation was first dropped, briefly unable to accept that a horrid scourge like Daniela could have a soul, a *heart*, any form of feelings for the beautiful, unique Winter. But what was in the past was in the past, and what happened in the past happened. Nothing could be reversed.

At the end of the day, Winter had her reasons and her fears, which is why she didn't come forward sooner. What she had told Evie and Mya had only brought them closer together, and from here, they were going to keep navigating life and stop Daniela - and put an end to the ugly Snowblind bullying plaguing Winter for months.

Shaking her head, Evie shifted her thoughts away and blanked her mind - that was enough recounting of the headache that was last week, and she wanted to move on.

Holly pawed her thigh, staring at her with quizzical green eyes, and Evie patted her on her head, scratching her behind the ears.

"I think I'm gonna spend the whole day relaxing. How about you, Holly?" she asked, booping her nose gently. The cat laid down and tucked her tail over her legs.

*Same, Holly. Same,* Evie thought, stretching out her legs and flopping down on a pillow. Thinking about last week was a doozy, and rest would ease her racing mind. After all, her mother did preach that the more she got sleep, the more she'd be dilligent on work.

*Of course she'd say that. Mom and her obsession with education. Alright, stop thinking Ev, get to sleep.*

Just as Evie shut her eyes, preparing to enjoy her mid-day slumber, her phone buzzed.

Her eyes bolted wide open.

*God fricking dammit...*

Sitting up, she grabbed her phone off the coffee table, hoping that Mya had not just sent her another meme she found off the internet for the thousandth time this week.

Instead, it was a small reminder she had set an alarm for.

*It's your turn to wash the dishes, you idiot*

*Oh.*

In the Ly household, responsibilities were frequently mapped out, mostly by Opal, so everyone got their fair share of work and chore completion in. Opal wanted her family to be straight to the point and organized - she had OCD, and when *one thing* was slightly out of place, she'd lose it and try to find the family member to blame. Not herself, obviously.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Opal would do the dishes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it was Anderson.

And on both Saturday and Sunday - today being a Saturday - the responsibility fell on Evie.

Sighing, she tucked her phone into her pocket, plucking her earbuds as well and sticking them in said pocket; she'd need them in a second. Holly, curious as to what her favorite human was getting up to, jumped up to the edge of the sofa.

Evie, surprised, turned to face her. "Want to be my helper in the kitchen, Holly?" she questioned, tickling the cat under her chin.

Holly *murrped* in agreement.

"Alrighty, let's go!" she called, stepping into the kitchen and gliding across the white tile in her socks, Holly following from behind her, tail swishing side to side.

Evie glanced around, noticing a list taped to the fridge door:

*DISHES TO BE CLEANED:*

*All silverware*

*Soup ladles*

*Andy's pots*

*Everything else you find in the sink (make it spotless or I'm going to make you wash the dishes for a straight week)*

-*OL*

"Of course, mom. I'm not letting you get on my ass for missing a speck of dirt on the dishes," Evie muttered, cracking her knuckles and preparing to get to work.

First task: get the cleaning supplies. Evie grabbed a sponge - bright pink, which Anderson claimed was to just annoy the hell out of Opal with the color - and ran it in warm water, soaking it. She then grabbed some dish soap and a spare bottle, observing that the main bottle was almost empty.

*Gotta tell dad to go shopping later.*

Second task: locate the dishes in question. That was quick to find, as Evie found them all sitting in both sides of the sink. On the first side was the pots, the ladle (sitting in mucky water contained by a huge pot), and the pans. The second half had the silverware, mostly knives, spoons, and the occassional fork.

While there were at least twenty items, it was no hassle for the hard-working, tenacious Evie.

Third task: in order to work, there had to be motivation, and for there to be motivation, the teenager needed *music*.

It was so *dull* and so *lifeless* doing housework and schoolwork - especially under Opal's prying dark green eyes - without the calming, peppy beats of music to satisfy Evie. Music was one of her many homes and her escapes from having to constantly follow commands and instruction.

Today, she wasn't just going to do the dishes. She was doing the dishes *with extra flair*.

She pulled out her phone, entered Spotify, and turned on her playlist, making sure it was on shuffle before tucking a sole earbud in her ear. She didn't dare put another one in out of the nagging suspicion her mother would get onto her.

If she hadn't evidenced it enough already, Opal Ly was a rather strict mother. She didn't like it when Evie listened to music with both earbuds, which she found a prominent "distraction," believing it made her miss the extra marks on her chores and classwork. She also didn't want Evie listening to music half the time, once again claiming that it was a petty and frustrating distraction.

Opal didn't want Evie to stray off her duties and her responsibilities. As a Ly, she had to work hard. She had to be at the top. She had to be *perfect* at everything. And she had to be independent at a young age.

Which meant that Evie *always* had a lot on her plate.

Taking a breath, and ridding herself of her thoughts, she started with the ladle, covered in a brown substance. Her music came on, and with that, Holly jumped up on the countertop, ready to watch her get down to business.

The butterflies from my insides have all gone away

And I don't long for the danger, but I'm here to stay

Evie, humming along, picked up the ladle, silver in color, and scrubbed it furiously in a circle, top and bottom. For solid measure, she also scrubbed down the black handle, knowing Opal would be pleased. After a minute, it was glimmering and smelled of lavender, and in the middle, she could see her crystal-clear reflection.

She gave herself a thumbs-up.

"What do you think, Holly?" she asked, her tone a sweet chime, and she presented her with the ladle. Holly tilted her head in confusion and flicked one of her ears back, then put a paw on the silver before pulling it away.

I fall even deeper when the lights, they don't keep me away

You wanna know my secrets, so you keep crashing into my waves

"Yeah, it's clean now," she responded, scratching the cat on her head and setting the ladle next to her. "Watch where I put the dishes, okay? I'm gonna be real busy for the next few minutes."

Holly blinked, her tail curling around her paws.

Evie returned to the dishes and ran a white plate under the water, warmth water sloshing all over it and tickling her hand, which then became soaked in suds as she squirted detergent on the plate, soaking the sponge and clearing the day-old grime. Her tune picked up, and she danced along to it, as well as hummed, as she cleaned.

The plate soon gleamed, and she set it next to the ladle. Holly approached it gingerly, sniffing it, and the smell of detergent flooding into her nostrils, she stepped back, eyes dilated.

I don't have the patience for that

And I don't care, we're waiting for that

In less than a minute, Evie bounced over to the countertop and stacked a second, fresh, clean plate onto the first. Holly let out a half-grunt and moved behind the plates, sitting by the coffee machine.

"Holly, come on. It's just soap, silly goose!" Evie teased, flicking a few of her fingers in the direction of the cat. Holly flattened her ears slightly.

*Someone's not having it today.* Evie skipped over to the sink and grabbed a pot, noticing how orange it was on the inside. *How much vegetable broth was mom using for that one dish again?*

Disgusting.

I don't know what's changing my head

Let's go somewhere and never come back

Evie filled the pot to the brim with warm water, then poured it out. Some of the grime and stains had loosened up, but there was still a way to go, so she loaded up her arsenal with more detergent and applied it all around the pot.

She turned the water back on, making sure it was hot (a quick test with her finger confirmed this). This time, she only filled the pot halfway and grabbed her sponge, scrubbing along to the buildup of her song.

Tonight we lose control

No matter where we go

*No matter where we go, oh oh oh oh!* She didn't realize it, but Evie was immersing herself in a steady rhythm. Her hands moved deftly and her body swayed to the future bass tune. She skipped to the beat of her song, her mind completely enveloped in the fog that was its juicy, enticing lyrics, promises of adventure.

The song was right. She *was* losing control, and it slipped through her fingers like grains of sand.

Now the pot was cleaned and was back to its original pristine silver, so Evie put it near Holly, who glanced at the buildup of clean dishes suspiciously, almost asking her, "Hey, are you going to put this back or what?"

We're never going home

And you don't even know

When I get you alone

You can lose your halo

"And you don't even know, when I getcha alone, you can lose your *halo*!" Evie sang in a whisper, tapping Holly on her head, the first drop of her song playing in all of its glory.

Holly stared at her unamused, demanding the answer to her silent question - she didn't even *know* what a halo was, being a cat and stuff, and her green eyes narrowed.

"Ohhhh right, you don't know the song or what halos are. I'll put the dishes back when I'm done, and maybe then I can give you a treatttt?" Evie offered, bending down to be on her cat's level.

Holly finally got onto the same page as her, as she chirped and made a circle on the counter, eagerly awaiting her delicious salmon treat that was stored in a cabinet.

She was impressed and she was appeased.

*Okay. Let's wrap this up.*

Evie reached for the other smaller plates and cleaned them in less than thirty seconds with her grace, the future bass tune echoing through her ears and boosting her motivation to the high heavens. Next up was another pot, which was easier said than done, and lastly was the basket of silverware.

Evie cleaned forks, knives, spoons, and a stray ladle in the other sink that had a reddish stain on it. A sponge flew there, scrubbed there, scritch, scratch, wish, wash, rinse, repeat.

Two minutes later, the sink was empty and cleared of all gunk, and the dishes, along with the silverware and ladles, were all neatly stacked next to Holly, who sniffed them warily and tapped a plate with her claws.

You can lose your halo

The dishes had been done, effortlessly and seamlessly, and they rested beside Holly, who, still, desired a fish treat.

"One second, darling!" Evie shouted to her as she plucked the plates, storing them in the cabinet. She then returned for the pots and the ladles, placing them near the stove and another countertop. Lastly, she picked up the silverware and sorted them in a drawer, placing the basket in another cabinet.

The kitchen was spotless and organized - just the way Opal had wanted it to be. Evie hoped that with her efforts, her mother would be satisfied and would give her the praise she had been longing for.

Truth be told, Opal wasn't exactly an expert at giving praise, nor did she seem to enjoy giving it unless she thought Evie had worked herself to *death* to earn it. Even if she did, it was blunt and usually meaningless - and sometimes, it left Evie feeling low.

*Sometimes I'm not good enough for mom.*

Flicking that darker thought away, Evie grabbed a sticky note and a purple Sharpie, scribbling a small note in her typical, neat handwriting:

*Dishes are all done and spotless as requested. You can see your face in them =D*

-*Ev <3*

She stuck the note to the fridge.

You can lose your halo

*Hopefully mom gives me a compliment for this,* Evie thought to herself, longing for more appreciation for the hard work she contributed in her family.

She was perfect and did everything she was told to do, even if she disagreed, because arguing with her mother, for the most part, was taboo in the Ly house.

Opal had her standards.

Distancing herself from that recall, she went to the treat cabinet and reached into a box of Temptations treats, plucking out a chewy salmon square for Holly. She then got up and approached her.

"What a good girl," she praised, her voice cutesey, allowing Holly to lap up the treat from her hand. She let out a rumbling purr and rubbed against her damp, cold skin. Melting upon seeing how cute and utterly *precious* she was, Evie scooped her into her bulky arms.

I don't really, I don't really

I don't really know

Her purrs grew steadily louder.

"What a baby you are. That's my sweet lil' Holly, yes you are!"

As Evie held Holly in her arms, her thoughts drifted back to Winter and the past week. She and Mya, true to their everlasting promise, had consulted Principal Rex about stopping the Snowblind bullying during one of their shifts as Office Aides. Rex told them that she'd look into it and discipline any student who dared utter the taunt name heavily.

She and Mya also became hallway monitors when they walked with Winter; anyone who tried the *slighest* move to harm her or rip into her with antagonistic words had to get through them - and it wasn't pretty, especially with Mya having to consistently tell dumb jokes to protect her friend.

*She has her methods, I'll give her that.*

What you waiting, what you waiting

What you waiting for

Evie and Mya had also worked on building their bond with the aloof Winter, each spending their own individual time with her and getting to learn her better now that she was comfortable openly speaking about her past with them. Evie had recently taken a walk around the Piney Woods with Winter after school, and the previous Sunday, they hunted for the mysterious person who filled up Winter's cabin with items - stumbling upon an old woman.

Woo, that was *fun*.

Unfortunately, that fun just *had* to get killed by Evie's mother, who, as always, had to form *some* excuse as to why her daughter couldn't have more than Mya as a friend. She didn't even believe Winter was *real*.

*Even though I've mentioned she's a real human being multiple times. A picture had to prove I wasn't lying! And I. Don't. Lie!*

Evie snorted in exasperation, causing Holly to glance up at her.

I've been feeling, I've been feeling

I've been feeling hope

"You know what it's like being misjudged and treated like a fabricator, hmm?" she asked. Holly grunted and placed a paw on her shoulder.

A hint of sadness flooded through Evie's veins, and she recalled the many times her mother had outright dismissed her or tried to curb her life so that it was molded in her favor. To her, she was her spitting image and should live the life *she* lived growing up.

Standards. Education. Perfection. Small social life, more hard work. Staying on the very top of everyone else.

The pressure was enough on Evie as it was, but she didn't want to think about that, let alone Winter's plight and Daniela's uprising.

Won't you give me, won't you give me

Won't you give me more?

*I want to go on a freaking vacation.*

"So for a future vacation, should I go to Hawaii, Holly? Or Maybe Iceland? South Korea? And drag Mya with me on a grand adventure?" she proposed.

Holly did not reply and pawed at her chest, sinking her claws in.

And I fall even deeper when the lights, they don't keep me away

You wanna know my secrets, so you keep crashing into my ways

*Ooop. Time to put her down.*

"Well, that's a no." Evie gently placed her on the ground. Holly trotted around her legs and sat by her socks, lapping at the fur on her left paw.

Suddenly, a head peered into the kitchen. "Future vacation? What's this talk about, Evie?"

Startled, Evie jumped upon hearing the sound of her *mother's* voice.

"Uhm, mom, I was doing the dishes! And talking... to Holly."

*Oh god please god not today not ever-*

Turning herself quickly, she shut off her music and yanked out her earbud, tucking it neatly into her pocket.

Opal walked into the kitchen, nose wrinkling, and saw the empty, no longer dirty sink. Then, she moved to the fridge, staring at the sticky note her daughter had left there.

"Mmm. The dishes are all clean, and I can supposedly see my face in them? Well, I'll be damned. Great work, Evie."

A wide smile formed on Evie's face, the praise causing flowers to bloom in her stomach. She had done something *right*! "Thanks, mom. She wanted to help too." She pointed to Holly, who now sat in front of Opal and gazed into her soul.

"Aww, that's sweet of her." Tensing, Opal's facial features narrowed. She sensed something was amiss, and for a split *second*, Evie became paranoid that she had *somehow* done something wrong.

*Oh shhhi-*

"Andy, if you're going to talk to Ev about what we *just* discussed in the bedroom, then you're welcome to stop being a gargoyle and *vào đây*."

Evie raised an eyebrow as her father entered the kitchen, his brown hair a mess. "Ah, sorry Opal. I thought you were busy." His wife snorted.

"Anyways, Evie, we got a text from the Heartley parents - we've been invited to a picnic at Geiger Heights!"

Evie gasped in disbelief. A *picnic*? With the *Heartleys*?

The last time she had a picnic, it was with her dad when she was younger and more carefree, having not been swamped in the work she consistently had to do to hone in on her skills.

That day was the *perfect* picnic.

But a picnic with the Heartleys was going to be a *blast*. More people, delicious food, a chance to avoid housework and chores...

"And, the cherry on top is... the Heartleys wouldn't be having this picnic without Mya..."

*Oh my god. Mya asked her parents if they could go on a picnic... WITH US!*

Evie's heart wasn't only skipping beats, it was running laps. Her face broke out into a toothy, delighted, overeager smile.

A picnic with her best friend, the one person who could *always* make her laugh her ass off, the one who dreamed of flowers and was soft as flowers... it was *wonderful*.

"Sign me up!" she exclaimed. "Sign me up sign me up sign me *up*! There is no *way* I'm missing out if Mya's orchestrated this!"

Anderson chuckled, ruffling his daughter's bangs affectionately. "Pfft, of course you're going, Ev! We just need to make the food, we're meeting them in Geiger in a few hours."

"You're helping me make the food. He can't cook," Opal said matter-of-factly, and Anderson scoffed.

"You accidentally gave me food poisoning once."

"I didn't know the bell peppers went bad!"

Evie rolled her eyes. Her parents loved fighting each other and throwing quips around over the *strangest* things.

Her family was fun.

*Very* fun.

Mostly.

Stepping in between her parents, she shoved them both aside. "Alright, alright, enough of that. Food poisoning or whatever, I'm helping mom, and dad can help pack. Are we cool?"

Both Ly parents nodded.

Sometimes, Evie was the perfect mediator they needed.

"Okay. Dad, get the car ready," Evie instructed, and nodding, Anderson dashed off. This left her with Opal, who, sharing a few brain cells with her, knew what they had to do next:

*Cooking*.

Opal immediately moved to the fridge, digging out the gray compartments that held the food. She moved her hand to the section that contained the meat, searching for something.

*Bun cha. Vietnamese meatballs. Sounds tasty, actually...* Evie's mouth began to water, those damn meatballs were delicious if cooked right and seasoned, in addition to having those *savory* scallops served with them.

A nagging question, however, entered her mind.

How come Opal had agreed to this picnic if she constantly had Evie doing housework? Something had put her in a decent mood today, let alone give her the incentive to go full speed ahead with the picnic.

"Hey, mom? Why did you agree on the picnic? Didn't you just tell me a few weeks ago that I shouldn't be prioritizing my social life so much?" she asked carefully, pulling out a cutting board and placing it on the counter.

Opal backed out of the fridge, a plastic bag of pork in her hand, and she set in down on the countertop. "Ah, I had a feeling you were going to prompt me on that," she started, going over to the pantry to get her spices.

"Well, I'll be real, Evie... I've felt a lot of guilt for the incident last week, me not believing in Winter and bashing you for trying to acquire more than one friend. You *do* deserve to have a social life, go outside, play, take a breather. I still want you to succeed and be a responsible person - I have expecations that I want you to meet. But today, go frolic in the sunshine and hang out with Mya. You've been working really hard... who's to say I haven't been impressed with you?"

Millions of stars flashed across Evie's green eyes, her face turning just a faint tint of pink, her legs making an excited shuffle on the ground.

Her mother was *proud of her*.

She had been watching her succeed and flourish. She thought she *deserved* this trip.

*Mom is satisfied with me!*

And with a new, iron will in her heart, Evie became dead set on making this day count, for her and for Mya.

The food would be dope, and the picnic vibes would be *knocking*.

**SEASON 1, EPISODE 6 - DANCING IN THE DARK**

**A FEW HOURS LATER**

When the sun had reached the middle of the lively blue sky, the Lys had set out on the trip to Geiger Heights, Anderson behind the wheel and Opal sitting in the back with the salad, bun cha, and noodles she and Evie had prepared together.

Evie sat up front, face glued to the window of the car, as she watched the sights change. From the small neighborhoods, cul-de-sacs, and quiet of Pineshadow to a bustling, more industrial-scale Geiger Heights.

Geiger Heights, also commonly known as Airway Heights, was in close proximity to two airports - Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport. A plane flew over the car, and Evie heard the rumble of its mighty jet engines, her heart and ears following the sound.

Geiger, like Pineshadow, wasn't that enormous of a town compared to the nearby Spokane, but it had plenty of local businesses and supermarkets that had packed parking lots. It was a nice town.

Evie hadn't been here before, so as her father kept driving, her eyes were glued to the sights.

Eventually, after fifteen more minutes of driving, they pulled into a local park and parked the car under a set of hemlock trees. The first to get out was Evie, who went flying out and admired her *new* surroundings.

This park was far bigger than Pinelake Park and was surrounded by forests - lush, tall ponderosa pines, lodgepole pines, western white pines, Douglas-fir, all the trees she could name, their canopies intersecting perfectly, leaves of all shades, color, and sizes flooding the branches with life.

In front was a gigantic, mowed field of lime-green grass that was dotted with multiple flowers, sword ferns dotted there, dahlias near the forest, and in a spot under an overhanging red cedar were a patch of shasta daisies.

Their angelic white petals drifted in the afternoon breeze, making the flowers do an upbeat dance, and Evie crouched down, measuring the area.

*Wide enough for the blanket, shade, beautiful scenery... yep, this is the spot!*

"Mom! Can we picnic here?" Evie called out to Opal, who was holding the food in her hands, and she approached, containers in her hands squeaking against each other.

"Hmm... sure. Looks very pretty," she murmured. "Andy, do you have the blanket?"

"Yes!" he shouted back, pulling the blanket out of the trunk of the car; his head hit the top and he grunted, but he managed to carry the red and white cloth in his arms, throwing it on the ground.

Opal then kneeled down, flattening out the rougher edges against the grass and daisies. Pleased, she got up and went to retrieve the plates and plastic silverware from the back of the car.

While she and Anderson continued on with the final preparations, Evie once again stared at her new surroundings, dark green eyes entranced by the lush, vivid forests and the wide grounds she stood before. In the distance, she could see the Cascade Mountain Range, which she had learned about from state history geography lessons, its distant snowy peaks being a powdery blight in the cloudless blue sky.

She held out her hand, shutting one eye and imagining her hand coming in contact with the jagged rocks.

*Wowee... this isn't like anything I've seen in Pineshadow.*

Craning her head, she focused on her right and saw something *unique*, eye-catching, and intriguing. Beyond the forest was a building that looked like a small castle, its brick or wood structure being comprised of mahogany and other pale brown shades.

*Is that a mansion?*

She squinted, attemping to make out more of its fine print.

"**HELLO**!"

Screaming, Evie whipped around and fell down onto the dirt, landing with a *thump*, her skin burning with anxiety.

Groaning, she shook her head and looked up at someone with lively leaf-green eyes, shoulder-length auburn hair, and a light blue jacket.

Her shock instantly faded into happiness.

"Mya! You goofy *dork*! Do that the next time and I'm going to *decapitate you*," Evie greeted, heavily amused by her antics, jumping up to her feet and pulling her best friend into a tight hug. "So you're the one who wanted us to picnic today, hmm?"

"Yes, that would be correct," remarked an older voice, and up to the girls stepped Mya's mother, Nita. "Mya, how many times have we told you not to *jumpscare* people? You almost gave Evie a *heart attack*!"

"Someone can't contain her excitement..." Patrick teased, glancing at his daughter fondly.

"Potato, *potato*, I don't care!" Mya fired back, sticking her tongue out at her father, and Evie shrugged.

"Anyways, I can't wait to share the salad with you and the Lys," Nita whispered to Patrick. "Mmm, the croutons and the ranch dressing... how I'd kill to eat a meal *that* delicious every day."

"So you'd kill to eat Olive Garden every-"

Patrick leapt in front of his daughter and shushed her. "Hush up!" he said in a shout-whisper combo.

"Mya, do *not* tell Evie's parents that we got takeout from a restaurant. We're trying to come off as fine upperclassmen here!" Nita warned, her yellow-green eyes betraying how anxious she was, and Evie raised both of her eyebrows.

She had known that the Heartleys weren't as uptight as her family. When had they felt the need to be on the same level as them?

*I hope that's not my mother's fault...*

Suddenly, someone whistled, and approaching the girls and Mya's parents were Opal and Anderson with the drinks and the rest of the food.

"Opal! Andy!" Patrick welcomed the two, an earnest smile on his face, and he scratched the back of his head. "How have you been doing?"

"Well, thank you," replied Anderson, and he pulled him in for an awkward side hug. "Sorry, I'm holding a lot of food."

"Put it *down*, then," chided Opal, who set her food down on the blanket. Blushing, her husband did the same, all while the girls watched cumbrously.

"Are they typically like this around my parents?" Mya inquired.

"Right back at you," Evie responded.

"Alright, the picnic is set up, everyone!" Nita called. "Come on down and pick out some food!"

Dashing up to the blanket, the girls kneeled down and looked at the gorgeous display of food in front of them. On the Heartleys' side was their takeout from Olive Garden - Italian breads and salads, as well as a bowl of pasta and some basil lasagna. On the Lys' side was some sizzling cake, Evie's favorite, the bun cha, and some mini sliders made by Anderson.

Evie, eyeing her favorite food and stomach *yearning* for nutrition, picked up two slices of sizzling cake and put them on a paper plate. Mya grabbed some sandwiches and a Caprisun, chucking them onto her plate and bouncing with it, soon locating a patch of grass near the picnic blanket and sitting down there. She faced Evie, expecting her to join.

"One second!" she mouthed, finishing her froth-at-the-mouth combo.

"So, you guys interested in the recent news in Pineshadow?" Anderson asked, chewing on a slider and almost mumbling at how enthralling the taste was.

"Oooh yeah. I've heard Forever 21 is coming to the outdoor mall. It was about time they got a store catering to fast fashion!" Nita stated, sipping her bottle of water, a finger tracing the muscle defining her chin.

"I might take Evie if she scores high marks on her upcoming tests. I think there's some stuff she'll enjoy in there," Opal chimed thoughtfully.

"Would you get me the jeans with a few rips in them, then?" Shocked, Opal found Evie reaching over to the cooler to get a smaller bottle of water, her plate stacked with sizzling cake and a small side of bread. She'd liked jeans with rips in them, thinking it would compliment her sweater well.

"Maybe. Do well on your tests first and I'll take you the minute it opens to the public."

"Done deal." Evie, delighted and joyous at how friendly her mother was being without engaging her strict persona, picked up her plate and headed over to Mya, sitting down beside her and bumping her shoulder.

"Sizzling cake again? You have an addiction, sister!" Mya remarked, leaf-green eyes judging the cake as if it was made on a cooking show.

"We hold sizzling cake with high honor in this household, for they are crafted with care in my ancestors' homeland and served as a popular snack. Mine's more for dining size, though." Evie proceeded to bite into the cake and sighed. "Mmmpf. Delish."

Mya, leaning in close to her, tore into her sandwich ravenously and downed half of it in under a minute. "Peanut butter and blackberry jelly sandwiches are the *best*."

"You just ate HALF of it?? Mya, are you trying to choke yourself to death or what??"

"Nope, *nada*. I was too busy preparing for this to eat breakfast."

Evie facepalmed. "Do that in my household and mom would have cut your ear off with her working scissors."

"I'm not letting her van Gogh me, no siree!" Mya retorted, returning to her sandwich and finishing it off, then sipping her Caprisun more slowly. That berry punch flavor definitely *was* bringing the punch.

Swallowing the liquid, she shoved her other sandwich toward Evie. "Want a bite?" she offered, tapping the bread with her fingernail.

Evie nodded, grabbing it and taking a small bite. *Heaven* landed on her tongue. The tang of the blackberry jelly melted perfectly with the peanut butter, and desiring more of this holy concoction, she ate half of it.

"Damn, look at you! Gulping it down like a pro!" Mya commented.

"Shut up," Evie said playfully, switching their plates so that her sizzling cake was before Mya. "Take a bite. Only fair you try it if you let me have your *auspicious offerings*."

She slid part of the sizzling cake in between her fingers and raised it, swirling it around Mya, who pretended not to notice until she, too, fell under the trance that was *more food*.

"I know you want itttt," Evie teased, now holding the top of the cake with her thumb. Mya's instincts finally gave out, and letting her hunger go straight to her brain, she picked up the cake with her teeth, leaned back, and put it in her mouth.

"*Mya*! That's so gross!" Evie protested.

"What? You tempted me into eating. Can you blame me?" she answered through chewing, swiftly swallowing and laying on her back.

For a moment, Evie's protests and incredulity at Mya's habits subsided, seeing her friend stretched *adorably* on the ground, pale hands hidden under her head and messy auburn hair, lips curved into a superior, "I'm the boss" smirk.

*You are so stinking adorable like that. I... I like this you,* Evie thought to herself, strange feelings flittering in her stomach.

"Admiring me, your highness?" Mya teased, waving a hand at her, and Evie's cheeks snowballed into shades of pink and red.

"No! I- I observed you were laying there and I thought it was silly!"

"Then come join me!" Mya winked at her, drawing her friend in closer and closer to her web of humorous charm, and this time, Evie couldn't bring herself to say no.

*I... laying with my friend, on a picnic that she crafted, in the grass, staring up at a cloudless sky...*

*Elysian.*

"Okay," Evie conceded, shuffling over to her and flopping flat on her back, long black hair tumbling out and consuming the grass with its silky-smooth tendrils.

She stared up at the cloudless blue sky, taking in the great yonder it was, and skin grazed at her hand. Mya's, warm, gentle, brushing her hand and grass tussocks aside. Evie refused to fight that touch and let it happen, that feeling drift over her in waves.

Something special was brewing.

Mya distanced herself from her thoughts by tapping her tennis shoes on the ground.

"Hey Ev?" *Thump*. "We're gonna be here for a while." *Thump*. "Shouldn't we make this worthwhile and *do* something that doesn't involve food?"

*Thump*. *Thump*. *Thump*.

Evie rolled over to face her, her mouth pointing downward in a sudden frown. "I intended on staying with my parents."

Mya sniffed. "Oh, come on, Evie! That's no fun! You aren't going to die if you hang out with me alone for a little while. Why don't we explore the area a bit? It's mostly forest, nothing's out here to murder us, so... what do we have to even lose?"

Evie sat up, mulling over her friend's words. She did have a point, the area was relatively harmless and safe, just like the comforting neighborhoods of Pineshadow and the alluring charm of the Piney Woods.

But, unlike Mya, Evie had her limit, and she didn't want to go too far into the woods. She feared getting lost in a place unfamiliar to her and her friend, then having to tell her mother that.

*Mom.*

*Shrimp, I don't want her to chuck me off a canyon for this! But I don't want to disappoint Mya, either...*

*You can make this work, Evie. Deal your cards and don't let them slip.*

"Okay, fine. Where do you want to go?" she questioned, smoothing down her hair and flicking a small scrap of a leaf off her jeans.

Mya stood up, her auburn hair drifting in the breeze, and surveyed her surroundings. To her left was an open field and walking trail, and behind her was a clump of woodland that really went nowhere.

*Meh. Pass.*

To her right was a different story, and Mya's eyes were *spellbound* by what she was seeing. A dense forest, full of trees and plants she hadn't seen in her life. It looked daunting, like an endeavor, something she'd want to explore.

But one, particular, defining *detail* caught her eye.

On a hill in the *very* distance was a manor. It was brown and had brown roofing, appearing to have two stories.

*Hold on... a MANOR?? I haven't seen one up close! Not once not ever!*

*I HAVE to see that! And Evie is gonna love it!*

"Evie, I think we're going *thata* way!" Mya exclaimed, pointing to the forest.

Upon seeing it, Evie beamed and gave her friend a small smile, flashing her white teeth. Mya blushed; she looked sweet and innocent when doing that.

"Alright. Fine with me. Let's go ask our parents if it's okay with them, first. Permission is key!"

What Evie didn't notice was that Mya was *enamored* by the sight of that manor, so entranced her eyes didn't leave it.

The forest wasn't just the main priority anymore.

If this day was going to explode like a Fourth of July firework, that manor had to be seen in *person*.

And Mya was going to make it *happen*.

As the Heartleys and Lys indulged in more news and idle gossip, their daughters approached and Evie cleared her throat pointedly, drawing their attention to them.

"Hey, girls! Need anything?" Patrick inquired.

"Can we explore the local forest?" Mya asked, pointing to the treetops nearby. Evie shifted closer to her.

"I mean, sure! I don't see a problem with it."

"In agreement with him," Nita murmured. "You're mature girls, so I expect you to be safe."

"Fine by me," Anderson said.

The only parent that hadn't voiced their opinion was Opal, who's brows were furrowed, her dark green eyes monitoring her daughter's expression and the curiosity that burned within Mya.

Silence burned the grass around them for a minute.

Then, she spoke.

"I'm not sure about this," she admitted, tapping her fingers against her leg, and Mya looked crestfallen. "This is new territory and I don't want *any* of you - especially you, Evie - getting hurt."

Evie saw how Mya looked and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, caressing it with her fingers. She glanced at the forest, which looked inviting in the sun and looked healthy enough to explore.

"Mom, Mya really wants this, and the woods look very innocent as they stand. Also, I'll be on guard and I *will* keep Mya safe. We don't know what's *in* there, but if there's trouble, I'll text you. Is that okay?"

Opal became clouded over in thought again. She was being more lenient with her daughter, but was she being *too* lenient? Was Evie making the right decision? Was this a free inclination to spark up trouble?

"Mom," Evie cut in, knowing full well what was on her mind, "I'm *not* going to get in trouble. You know I'm no imbecile and pride myself on my abilities."

"I'll keep Evie safe too!" Mya swore, crossing her heart repeatedly.

Finally, that was enough to sell Opal out, and letting her shoulders fall, she sighed. "Very well, you two can explore. However, *don't* even try causing *a single kerfuffle* in that forest, Evie Ly. If you jack off, you're doing *double* the work you do in school and *in* the house. *Be* the daughter I *raised* you to be."

"Yes, mom," Evie replied, bowing her head in submission, done as a gesture of respect.

Opal was *dead* serious and she knew it clear as day. Make any mistake, and she'd be dying in a watery grave.

There was *no tolerance* for shenanigans in the Ly household. *None*.

Evie couldn't let her mother down today, for if she did, consequences would drag her down to hell's gates.

Waving a quick farewell to their parents, the girls ran off into the seemingly empyrean forest, never leaving each other's side, their black and auburn hair gliding behind them.

Returning to their picnic, the Ly parents skimmed over the food the Heartleys brought, and Anderson scooped up a slice of basil lasagna and bread.

"Italian? Stellar job there. I wish I could cook as *brilliant* as *that*," he marveled, placing the lasagna in his mouth, letting the taste flood his mouth cavity.

"They didn't cook that, dear. They purchased it from Olive Garden," Opal corrected, and her tone was so straightforward that Nita and Patrick's faces went beetroot red in embarrassment.

"Opal, how on earth did you know that??" Patrick questioned, startled, and it was priceless.

"Um. We ate at Olive Garden a few days ago. And every once in a while, you guys are so intimidated by us that you feel the need to prove your potluck to us."

"You're not mad at us... right?" Nita asked in a whisper, and Opal shook her head.

"Nope. I'm messing with you." Twirling noodles on her plastic fork, she stuck them in her mouth. "Mmm. You got the great stuff."

Nita and Patrick shined with approval, relaxing knowing they were on even ground with the Lys, and they dived back into the picnic food once again.

Meanwhile, in the forest, the romp of Mya's tennis shoes could be heard on the patterned ground. She skipped, her heart on its own trail, jumped, momentarily taking flight, while Evie lagged behind her, guiding herself through her never-before-seen terrain.

Chirps sounded from a tree above, and craning her neck, she found a nest of dark-eyed juncos fine-tuning their home with more twigs and straw.

"So beautiful!!!" she commented in veneration, standing on her tippy-toes to see better. "Are you seeing this, Evie?"

"Yep," Evie replied, taking her position next to her and letting her hand grasp her shoulder. "The junco is a bird species with ties to positivity and communication."

"It's an omen! We're going to have a *rocking* day!" Further made excited by her discoveries and burning devotion to explore the woods, Mya walked backwards, moonwalking and staring up at the sky.

"Mya! Be careful and walk facing forward, or you're going to injure yourself!" Evie warned, running up to her.

"I'm fine, Ev! The path's clear for miles, the forest is stunning, we're gonna be a-okay!" Mya got lost in the forest' beats, the sounds of nature flooding her ears, and shutting her eyes, she vibed to the free-to-use soundtrack worming its snake-like way into her head.

"Mya! Pay attention! Remember what *mom told us*!" Evie stated, attempting to gravitate her friend back into the real world, but the feeble attempt ricocheted right off her.

"I hear ya! Oooh, look at this!" Mya's eyes became drawn to a swallowtail butterfly, its small body landing on a tree branch a stone throw away. Curious, she ran backwards to view it up close.

Without warning, a rough tree root trapped her foot, and gravity gave Mya the cold shoulder. Yelping, she began to tumble into the ground.

"*Mya*!" Evie, gaining the speed of a cheetah, sped up to her friend and clasped her arms firmly with both hands. Mya's head stopped inches from the ground, auburn hair cascading downward, and she panted, anxiety blazing her skin.

Then, Evie pulled her up, almost falling backwards herself, but Mya tugged her in - the two were *nose-to-nose*. The brush of their skin was warm, dizzying, fleeting, something-

Oh god, what were they doing? Evie and Mya's faces had tomatoes splashed on them, and they broke apart, Evie brushing off her shins and Mya clutching the sides of her jacket.

"Mhm, so you were *totally* paying attention. By a *mile*," Evie teased, booping her friend on her nose.

"Yeah... I was," Mya said flatly, amused, and she hung close to Evie. "Sorry. Continue?"

Evie nodded. "No more walking backwards for you, missy!"

Laughing, she took her hand and dragged her ahead, causing Evie to laugh herself. The two's pursuit of fun and adventure wouldn't end here - no, it wouldn't end at all. They flew through the forest, admiring the flora and fauna and sailing over the ground, their hearts wild and free, life an empty book for them to fill its pages.

Evie turned to Mya, who had the most carefree, angelic, charismatic smile on her face, her eyes gleaming with mutiple green sparks, and she blushed at her figure.

*She's magnificent.*

Mya caught her staring and blushed in tandem, noticing the grin on her face and thrill flickering in her green eyes.

*She's a wholesome queen.*

Their hands were still interlocked perfectly, and the contact had a ripple effect in both girls. Evie gripped harder, Mya gripped harder. They didn't let go - they didn't *want* to let go of each other.

Both needed this contact.

Mya was happy, and so was Evie, and if they were happy, the world could kindly retract its grievances for the time being.

After two minutes of frolicking and romping, the duo came to a halt in an open clearing where the trees parted, breathing raspy and adrenaline surging through their bodies.

"That. That was *awesome*!" Evie said jovially, high-fiving Mya ardently.

"Hell yeah! I like it when you're all soft and tender. See? You had to loosen up." She tapped Evie on her nose, referring to earlier when she did the same, and bounding forward, she studied the new area.

The clearing was a wide expanse of tall grasses and open air. Dark-wooded trees flanked the area, their roots gnarled and thorns blocking the way through the masses. But up ahead, Mya set her eyes on the cream of the crop, and her eyes were *so dead set* they could have been *literally* bulging out of her head.

The regal manor she found earlier was *right there*. It was brown with darker tiled-roofing, slightly tinted windows with crooked tops, and two *imposing* wooden doors with faded golden handles.

*The manor! It's so fascinating!*

"Ev! The manor! Let's explore it!" she declared, picking up her hand, and surprised, Evie came crashing down from her high.

"Wha?" Evie squinted, examining the manor and noticing that the window frames looked dilapidated. *Extremely* dilapidated. One seemed to be hanging off-center by inches. The doors were *very* old, paint was peeling off the sides of the manor, and roof tiles were missing on the front.

Her mother's words from earlier entered her mind.

*Don't jack off, or you're going be in huge trouble.*

Evie promised to keep Mya safe. Mya promised vice versa. Whatever they did, it couldn't involve pissing *the tiger* off.

"Are you... sure? It might be dangerou-"

"Yes I'm sure! C'mon, we got time to kill!" Just like that, Mya had begun to haul Evie away out of her excitement.

The fleeting, accomplished feelings Evie had before shrunk and diminished until there was nothing but worry left.

The manor, from a closer perspective, was tall, imposing, crooked, slanted, and in better terms, it was *strange*. It looked *way* out of place in a modern, developed town like Geiger Heights; it was falling apart at the seams, looking like the creepy house in *Coraline* and *Monster House*, and the flowers around the manor were dead and shriveled dry.

"Eeegh," Evie muttered to herself, backing away, fingers twitching.

Mya, undaunted by the grisly appearance, softly padded up to the doors and caught sight of a plaque by the left door.

"Hmm, what could this be?"

*CRACKLOG MANOR*

*Airway Heights, WA*

*Designated as historical landmark*

*Cracklog Manor, built in the 1880s, is-*

Frowning, Mya saw that the rest of the plaque's text had been scratched out, likely due to the age of the property, and she shrugged.

"Ev! We've got a *historical landmark*, mama mia!" she proclaimed. "From the eighteen-heckin'-eighties too! We scored a *big* W on the bingo card!"

"Yayy," Evie unethusiastically cheered, clearing her throat. "Okay. We've seen Cracklog Manor up close, you read the plaque, can we *please* go back to the picnic, Mya? This place is giving me the jeepers... we really shouldn't be *touching anything*. I don't wanna make mom pissed today."

"Oh, don't be a Debbie Downer," Mya retorted in response, slinking up to her friend, "I know Opal has high expectations for you to look after me as she does for me to look after you. What she doesn't realize is that we're the *brains* of the bunch! I'm smart enough to know when there's danger, and Cracklog is *harmless*, even if it's... falling apart a bit.

"Evie, we've got this! We solved the mystery of one Winterlyn McCormick, and we thwarted the Wicked Witch of the West when she locked us in a closet. We survived that, and we can survive this *manor*! Trust in me!"

Evie crossed her arms, an eyebrow raised high. Mya had merit once again; they were more intelligent than the average kid their age and got into frequent adventures - or misdaventures - where the stakes had ranged from peaceful to incredibly dangerous. Things could go awry at the manor...

*And that would mean mom would tear us limb from limb.*

But was she simply being too paranoid over what Opal had said? She was a serious mother. She took her job as a parent so seriously that *everyone* in the Ly household was *compelled* to obey her.

*The tiger's hymm is one you must heed.*

*Yet, I want Mya to be happy... I can't ruin the day we're having so far! She'd hate me!*

Evie blinked, trying to summarize a response.

"Ev? Are the lights on downstairs?" Mya asked, waving her hand in front of her face rapidly.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Evie flinched. "Uhm y-yes! You're right, I'm thinking too far ahead. You can explore, I'm gonna stay right here and.... watch," she finished awkwardly, taking a step back.

"Alright! Suit yourself!" Mya trotted back up the manor and peered through the tinted window, gaining her first glimpse into the interior, and she was blown back *miles*.

There appeared to be a small living room with old, lavish furniture and two grand staircases leading to rooms upstairs. Although it seemed dusty and worth a sneeze or two, the manor was relatively polished and clean.

*Fascinating!*

"We have found a living room, Evie!"

"Goodie," Evie commented, sarcasm abundant in her tone, but her friend failed to pick up on it.

"C'mon! Let's go in and unpack these secrets!"

Startled, Evie tore up the dirt and bolted right in front of her. "Mya, *no*!" she exclaimed. "We are *not* going into a *historical site* to *explore*. You're being *way* too naive *again*!"

Wagging a finger at her, she added, "Geiger is new to *the both of us*. So is Cracklog Manor. A fricking *historical* landmark. We are not gallivanting, nor are we *trespassing*, which, mind you, is *against federal law*, into this *decomposing trashpile*. Didn't you learn this when we met Winter?"

Mya, surprised at her authority, appeared to have a sullen look on her face, but it vanished like fog wisps. "I did. I wasn't thinking that day. Yet this house is *historical*. It's on a historic register! The state of Washington is protecting it and maintain- well, somewhat maintaining it. We'll be safe if we find a way to get inside - no girl with a pocket knife is gonna jumpscare us and cut off our heads."

She attempted to reach for a doorknob, but Evie stamped her foot, affirming her defensive stance, and she blocked the door with her whole body.

"**No**, Mya," she snapped, anger radiating off of her in waves. "I'm not going to listen to you act heeby-jeeby about *breaking and entering*. You're wanting to not only endanger *yourself*, but endanger *me* too. Shan't I remind you of what **my mom said**!?"

"Evie, I-"

"Mom **SAID** she would give me *double the amount of classwork* if *I* got in trouble exploring with you. What do you think will happen if we go in here, have the cops called on us? Mom is going to unleash her inner *beast* on me! To add *insult* to injury, she's going to *jettison you* off a *bridge*."

Mya gasped, the extent of Evie's words a plane crashing into her at full speed, and anxious, she peeled herself away.

Evie had just gone on a perturbed *rant* with her on refusing to explore Cracklog Manor. Her words dug into her skin, latched on, and didn't let go.

*It's just an exploration... I don't want harm.*

She had seen the *best* and *worst* of Evie's mother. Loving and doting, but also furious and ferocious deep in her heart.

Evie had expectations to live up to and her rules to abide by.

*If I cause her to lose her privileges because of my hunger for adventure...*

*I'd be a terrible friend.*

Besides the imaginary plane, a stack of bricks also toppled onto her head, and she dragged her shoe across the dirt.

*Evie's mom could murder me.*

Evie watched her, confused.

*I didn't hit a nerve, did I?*

"Mya... I'm sorry if I came off as mean to you. I'm trying not to be mad, but I don't want *myself* - and more importantly *you* - to get hurt! We're educated and have common sense. Our parents would most *certainly* not want us to *die* a miserable death in the manor. Let's go back for our sakes."

Mya reluctantly brought herself to meet those embery dark green eyes, staring deep within them, sheepish and smaller than before.

Evie, worried she had upset her, picked up her hand and gently touched it, and her friend's cheeks instantly warmed.

"I'm sorry," she apologized for a second time.

"You're right, Evie. I know fighting you is useless. You're more rational than me, you're more tactical than me. But..."

Evie stiffened.

*Oh no don't say it... please keep the moment sentimental...*

"I want to explore Cracklog. On my own. I don't want Opal blaming you for misfortunes, not on a day like today... so I'm going to ride solo."

*Cry me a river...*

"Mya, I'm *not* letting you do that," she murmured, squeezing her hand tightly. "Exploring by yourself is mongering for bad luck. I won't let you go in."

"I want to explore it! And I promise you, I'll be cautious!" she protested, voice high-pitched.

Evie sighed, and resorting to a new tactic, she used her other hand and put it on Mya's shoulder, gripping it.

"You're a jack of many trades. But you *aren't* thinking of the reverberations. What happens if you get found out? What happens if it's found out that I *enabled* you to explore alone? We *both* get dragged down. We *both* get scorned. We won't see each other for a *month*, and you won't be able to take back the damage."

*You won't be able to take back the damage.*

The words resonated in Mya's stomach and made her feel queasy. She was sensible, right? She wouldn't let herself and Evie get hurt, *right*?

She was second guessing herself, and mumbling, she fidgeted.

She glanced at the manor. If there were security cameras, none were present.

If there were defense measures, an alarm surely would have gone off.

Cracklog Manor - with its exterior flaws - was safe.

*I can do this alone.*

Then Mya made eye contact with Evie again, and her heart fell when she saw those somber, glazed over eyes, an amazing shade of holly, piercing her soul and cracking it.

The touch of skin against her own skin was igniting flames. Flames she wasn't sure if she wanted to let in, flames she didn't understand, flames that had something *new*.

What was Mya if she didn't *have* Evie?

Who would she *be* if she marched into Cracklog Manor, her friend outside and separated from her by two old doors?

Mya squeaked.

*I'm not gonna go into Cracklog without Evie! I need her more than air right now!*

At that moment, Mya threw her body into Evie and hugged her, not letting go and pulling her in, and in, and in, drinking in the warmth, which soothed her aching heart and mind.

"Evie... *please*. Just this once, and it'll be quick, I swear. There's no cams and no security system. We're gonna be fine. Please... for today?"

Evie was lost in Mya's leaf-green eyes, pleading and wide, drawing her in, and although she tried to build up her walls, she had already let them fall.

And Mya's gaze was a shotgun bullet to her heart.

She'd do anything for her, even if she hated it.

*Mya deserves to smile. Oh, son of a mother.*

"Okay. Fine. I'm going with you because you being laid to rest at a morgue is a concept I want to bury alongside a hatchet."

"Oh thank you Evie!" Mya thanked, squeezing her again. "Let's see if we can go inside!"

Evie, alarmed, put a hand on her shoulder. "Mya, wait, we should only do a perimeter walk-"

Mya put a hand on a doorknob and turned it.

*Click.*

Sweet mother of *Jesus*, they had won.

The inside of Cracklog Manor was *theirs* to capture.

"Awww yeah!!! Interior tour! Interior tour, valet access!!" Mya pumped her fist into the air.

Anxiety spiking beyond the height of the Empire State Building, Evie tore her feet away from the grass and pale dirt and begrudgingly trailed her friend as they headed inside the mysterious manor.

In her head, she was signing her final will - lord knows if they were going to *die* in the next hour.

Within the next few footsteps, the door had closed behind them.

The inside of Cracklog Manor, close and personal, was a whole cloud nine of *astounding*.

In the middle of the living room was lavish. Old, dark green sofas surrounded a patterened marble table, supported by swirling black metal stands and framing. Mya's eyes widened, and she took in the surroundings and interior in amazement.

Around the dark walls of the manor were portraits - of people, of objects, and of the landscape the manor occupied. She twirled around on her feet to see them all.

Evie lacked her joyous atmosphere and had her arms stuck to her waistline. She did *not* want to be here on someone's private property, less a historical landmark.

*How many times am I going to say that today? I feel sick.*

She glanced around apprehensively, on her face sheer unamused-ness.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a portrait of an old woman in elden attire, and to the rear of her was a man appearing to be in his fifties, wearing a long, oversized overcoat over a vest with a tie.

*The owners of the mansion, perhaps?*

She dusted off the small plaque, which said:

"Merial and Fowler Cracklog. They must have founded the place!" Mya exclaimed, charm within her tone.

"I do confess, it's rather fascinating," Evie said quizzically.

"Is anything they own still here? I wonder..." Mya, humming, bounded off and slunk between a sofa set and the marble table, peering around and feeling things.

"Mya, don't do that, or I'm pouring hand sanitizer on your hands," Evie scolded.

"Nuh! I'm doing it for the sake of *questing*... ooh, a lamp!" Mya sprung over to a smaller black stand, on it a black lamp with a dark pink, blue, and green shade.

"Maybe there's a secret paper..." She reached into the lamp and touched the lightbulb.

Evie, hair standing on end, shrieked, marched up to Mya, and *slapped* her hand right out of the lampshade.

"Mya! Don't go around touching the furnishings or *anything* in the manor. There could be *cameras* watching us in here. And then, we'd be in *kiddie jail* for breaking and entering."

"But there are no cameras! Take a peek!" Mya, huffing, grabbed Evie's cheeks. Alarmed, they turned bright red.

Mya then moved Evie's head around left and right, up in the corners of the mansion. No cameras, not one mounted, not one on the ground.

Nope and a nada.

"C'mon, Ev! Relax! Absolutely *nothing* is going to slay us in Cracklog."

"And what if it's true?" Evie shot back, voice escalating with the fear that there was, which meant...

"What if that *footage* gets sent to police? Our parents? **My mother**?"

Opal entered her mind and flooded her entire brain, and Evie, letting out a short gasp, could see her dark green eyes boring like a drill into her soul, scolding her vehemently, punishing her brutally...

*No! We can't be caught! If mom finds out-*

Mya saw her friend was beginning to panic, and unsettled, she draped her arms over her shoulders and patted her back.

"Evie, whoa. Steady," she whispered, and her calm, her passion, her pride, seeped right into her. Evie's skyrocketing breathing eased to normal, and she managed to stand without quaking.

"We won't be found out by police or your mom. I'm *confident* we're going to be okay. I'm okay, you're alright, and if we're okie-dokie, then we're free to continue this neverending quest!" Mya assured, genuinely smiling, and she dusted the top of her friend's head.

Evie brought herself to nod, even if she thought they were trudging through sludge. "Alright. Let's go."

Mya walked ahead, turning back briefly. "Don't worry. I *won't* touch anything more."

That helped Evie settle even more, and this time, she didn't leave Mya on her own and instead grasped her hand, letting her guide her around Cracklog Manor.

She had to keep Mya happy whilst also staying true to being the girl her mother wanted.

Mya, murmuring at the other wall, dragged her there and grabbed her index finger, pointing it at a timeline of the area.

"From forest to community to industralization, Geiger Heights has seen much growth and evolution over the years. Starting from forest and barren dirt in the 1850s, settlers from coast to coast, chasing Manifest Destiny, chose to build their homeland here. It was around this time that Merial Dowherty, 36, contacted construction crew to build her the manor of her dreams..."

Evie, lost in the story, read along from her sentence, leaning onto her shoulder. "...and one of those crew members was Fowler Cracklog, 23. He fell in love with Merial, and after a luxurious private wedding, they built Cracklog Manor to what it is in present day."

"Wowww," Mya murmured.

Evie chuckled. "That was actually... nice to read."

"Glad to hear you're having fun. Wanna keep exploring, me friendo?"

"Sure," Evie agreed, though glared knife tips at Mya. She was relaxed for now, but that didn't mean she wasn't exactly enjoying her stay and wasn't still longing for escape.

She kept her guard on and hackles raised as she followed Mya's lead, settling into her unpredictable, bright-spirited rhythm, never letting go of the skin and the tingling sensation she received when she *felt* that skin rub her hand.

Mya's travels took her to the right stairwell. Chocolate-brown banisters climbed to the top floor, and smack dab in the middle of said banisters was a faded red-and-gold imperial carpet, worn at the edges, dusty, and missing stitches in places.

"Fancy!" Mya commented, kneeling down to peer at the intricate patterns, swirls, stops, dots, lines, diamonds, and circles, interwoven with fine craft and perfection.

Evie noticed as well. *How on earth did they receive this? Asian trade in later years?*

Suddenly, a tickling sensation made a *tap*, *tap*, *tap* on her shoulder, and shrugging it off as an itch, Evie scratched.

The itch subsided.

But then that same itch returned down her elbow, shoulder, through the tiny, near-invisible hairs on her arm, and finally, onto her hand.

Evie faced down, and to her *horror*, a spider the size of a *fingernail* was crawling on her palm.

"'*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH* *get it off me get it off me get it OFF ME*!" she screamed, panic rising and blood swishing and swashing in her ears, startling the living *hell* out of Mya, who jumped at least three feet backwards, her leaf-green eyes disturbed.

Evie flung herself and her spider-infested hand into the staircase wall with a *thunk*, sinking to the ground. She panicked, bad, gasping in and out and in and out.

"Evie?! What happened?? Are you okay??" Mya asked worriedly, fingers curling around her shoulder blade.

Finally, Evie gulped down fresh air and unfurled her hand. The spider was gone; she probably killed it using the wall.

"A... a spider... was on my hand. This place probably has a lot of spiders, and I have arachnophobia..."

"Oh, Ev... I'm sorry. Is it gone?" Mya inquired gently.

"I probably killed it. Can we go outside?"

"Hang in there, buckaroo. Just a few more minutes."

Evie sighed. "Ooookay."

Her patience with Mya was beginning to wear thin, and her mask of happiness and acceptance of Mya's naivety was cracking. Should a few more blows or straws snap it, the *real* Evie, the one Mya hadn't seen that day, would be set free.

This Evie was *harsh*, and she wasn't exactly congenial.

*Fight it, Ev. You vowed to make Mya smile.*

*But mom isn't one to take to disobedience.*

Mya, helping her friend up and giving her brief shoulder pats, went back to traversing the mansion, stepping out onto the middle floor and straining her head to see the ceiling. The planks were done in a shape of a cathedral and were squares and triangles overlapping, creating uneven, yet fitting patterns that boosted the atmosphere of the manor.

Evie saw it as well, internally tracing the labyrinthine details.

"Hmm, what's back there?" Mya pondered aloud, skipping over to two rooms underneath the stairwell. "Open sesame!" She spun the knob of the first door around, but it didn't budge.

"Mya. *Careful*. You told me you weren't going to lay your hands on anything in the manor *going forward*," Evie warned tersely, her voice gritty.

Mya didn't heed the warning and tried the opposite door, which creaked a tad but also didn't budge.

"Drat, I wanted to see what was hiding... oh well. Wanna try the living room again?"

Evie forced herself to nod, balling her left hand up into a fist.

*You're testing me, Heartley... but I'm going to remain amiable for your sake, because I care and seeing you giddy makes me feel giddy.*

Oh, it was taking her *nerve* to not scream and shout and let her misery out.

Mya crouched down, peering under the sofa, and she coughed. Yikes! Dusty and full of cobweb. Evie bit back a sigh seeing cobweb sticking off her nose.

"Mya, let's be real," she stated softly, kneeling down and staring right through those green eyes. "There's nothing here for us to see. We saw some history, read it, and had a decent amount of fun. I'm getting uncomfortable, and this place is giving me the wrong vibe. Can we please go back to the picnic so mom doesn't grow suspicious?"

Mya frowned. "You agreed that we could keep goin' minutes ago. Buck up, Ev! I swear, I'm gonna keep you perfectly safe. I have worth to prove to Opal, after all!" Mya sprung up like a springtime daisy and searched under the table.

"Mya..." Evie started, her annoyance becoming visible, and she crossed her arms.

Mya didn't listen, instead feeling the sofa, breaking her vow to no longer lay her fingers on the manor's possessions a second time. Evie was going *paranoid*.

"Mya!" Evie shouted again, the tension in her rising up so much that she had two fists clenched, and her eyes started to burn with a stinging sensation.

"Hang in there, Ev! I wanna try something. Geronimo!" Mya, making the one move that made Evie want to hurl, shake her friend, and call her excessively *foolish*, leaped onto the sofa and bounced.

A spring popped out from one of the cushions. Stray stuffing fell to the ground.

"Umm... I didn't intend for that to happen... I'm just gonna-"

Evie stopped listening.

She was, by now, past her limit.

*Beyond* her limit.

Not only had Mya gotten them into a run-down historic site, not *only* was she breaking and entering and getting her to be her partner-in-crime, not only was she touching and *damaging* private property and belongings...

Mya wasn't considering Evie's view. She never even considered it at *all*.

She had made the picnic, their actions, and their trip all about *herself*.

It stung.

To Evie, multiple stones dropped in her stomach. The heat rose, and rose, and rose, until the temperature became unbearable. Her eyes watered, the flames cultivating peaking into an inferno.

"Evie?" Mya prompted nervously, alarmed by her friend's state.

And her words were the tipping point for Evie, who had *finally* had enough.

*You thought about yourself. Not me! You didn't care for me, you didn't listen to me! That isn't like you!*

*You're too naive. You can't think for anyone but yourself. You don't know that you could be breaking the law. You. Could. Get. Me. In. Trouble. WITH MY MOM!*

"***STOP***!" she screamed, and the sound was *so* ear-splitting that Mya squeaked and backed into a wall, hands high above her hand, and she was shivering madly, disturbed.

Evie stared at her, and the gaze was *brutal*.

She wasn't going to play coy any longer.

"*What* the absolute **hell** is **wrong with you**, Mya?" she questioned heatedly, the words blinding her friend in haze. "I made it *abundantly clear* to you that *we shouldn't be here*. You don't listen to me. I point out my objections. *You don't listen to me*. You insist we keep *exploring a deadbeat site* when I'm uncomfortable? For *valid reasons*? Mya, **THIS ISN'T OKAY**!"

Mya gasped, her heart shattering, the strength and brevity of her friend's words smashing into her at full force. The words she had wanted to say tumbled out of her mouth, and she couldn't get them back.

"Evie... I-"

"I *don't want* to be in Cracklog Manor. I **never** wanted to. Hell, I only **went in here** with you because *I didn't want you getting killed*! I care for you *that much*, Mya, but you can't seem to *care for me*. You're obsessing over *yourself*, and you *never do that*! Was this picnic about my family eating with yours or was it about yourself, hmm?"

"I thought you were okay with it!"

"I *never was*! Did you *think* that smile was genuine? It was fake. It was *completely* fake! I wanted to make you happy! I did it for your sake! Sometimes I only *do things* for *your sake* since I'm a *compassionate person*! Yet you had yourself in mind, not me!"

"Evie, no! It was never supposed to be like that!" Mya begged, her voice cracking. "I... I didn't mean to make it appear that way, I just wanted us to have fun."

Evie stamped her foot on the ground, making the floorboards creak. "Mya, you *don't understand how damaging this trip is*! You can't even wrap your head around it! If there are cameras or security devices here, *someone* is going to indict us for *breaking and entering*, or *conspiring* to breaking and entering. Do you realize that could cause our parents to get *in legal trouble*?"

"Ev! Please, I didn't know-"

"Oh, so you didn't *know*? Mya, I've *warned you* about this since the *very start*. You were being way too naive. Way too dismissive. You... you don't get it, I thought you did..."

Mya, sniffing and using all the muscle left in her body to stop her from crying, shook her head.

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

Evie's anger didn't leave her, not even with her vents and her faux side, her faux personality, splintering. A major talking point was still in her head.

"Mya. *Mom*. Mom is going to **take me away from you** if she **ever** gets wind of this. She didn't want us getting hurt, or in trouble, or jacking off. You've known her for *three years*, and she doesn't take kindly to when *I* step out of line! She's *already* called you a *bad influence* on me... and after today, she'll treat you like you've committed the seven deadly *sins*... why can't you see that *every step we take in here* is *every step* that could mean my mom could **BREAK US APART**??!"

Mya gasped again, the words knocking the air out of her body and tearing open ghastly wounds in her skin.

*No! I... Evie's mother... I didn't...*

"**Mom** is going to **loathe you** and **remove you** from *my life*, Mya. She won't play nicely with you, and she won't with me too. I can't stray from the *girl* I'm meant to be - coming here was a *mistake* from the get-go... and I just wished you didn't shut me out and actually heard me... isn't that how a friendship works?"

Opal Ly wasn't the definition of a kind and doting mother. That's what Mya had known for years like Evie had said. Opal was strict. Opal was demanding. Opal had *no tolerance* for insidious motives, insubordination, or Evie doing *anything* that wasn't *her* will.

Evie was right and had *always* been right. Especially with her last point about friendships requiring proper communication, which she refused to give.

The truth hurt, and it hurt more, so much she couldn't try coming to terms with it.

Evie, like her, was stuck in similar turmoil. She panted, having exhausted herself of the pressure and discomfort she had swallowed down and bottled up. The battlefield was quiet, a thick line in the sand dissolved between her and Mya.

Mya didn't move. Her heart was beating out of her chest.

She and Evie exchanged stares. Anguish. Misery. Disbelief.

Holly-green fire versus leaf-green ice.

They had exchanged *far more* than words.

*Have I gone too far?*

*Have I been a bad friend?*

The silence grew, and grew, and then it became so silent and still that the creak of the roof in the wind could be heard.

Two minutes passed. Evie, breaking the silence by crossing her arms over her anxious, taut frame, brought her gaze away from Mya and toward the door.

"I want to be alone," she whispered, her tone conveying that she *ached* to go home and forget this day even happened. Shamefully, Mya looked down at her shoes, knowing she was as good as guilty.

*I've humiliated my best friend... and because of me, I tarnished her day as well...*

Evie went to the door and gripped the handles of the doors, pushing them back.

But none of them budged.

"**WHAT**!??" Evie screeched. "No, no... get me out of here! Get *us* out of here!"

Her heart jumped leaps and bounds and skipped, and the world blurring out in her vision, Evie fought back tears and cracked her knuckles, doing everything she could to dislodge the doors, break them, *move* them. Mya watched her fall apart, knowing this all too well.

When Evie fell to her lowest point, she reacted this way.

A part of her wanted her hand to reach out, to touch Evie's shoulder, tell her she'd be okay, that she'd listen to her from now on, would go back and get seconds from the picnic.

But Evie didn't want her right now. She didn't want her *at all*.

She was the only one to be blamed.

Evie's panting grew more rapid and out of control, and pulling away the doors, frozen in place, she faced the ground, hands flexing in and out.

They were trapped and could be trapped *for the entire day*.

*Eons* spent isolated from the world.

Their parents would suspect that they'd be in trouble.

And *then*, her mother would kill her, tear her apart, hit her, lock her in her room, and force her to write more papers than she could ever manage, punishing her with great heights.

Opal would make *sure* she'd *never* see Mya *again*.

Because of Mya, they were here.

Because of Mya, they'd be *permanently* ripped away from each other and would never see each other's *faces*.

Time was ticking, and so was the time before Opal would sense her daughter had engaged in the *one* thing she loathed the most: misconduct.

She wailed, letting tears fall, and Mya, heart *shattering*, disregarded her thoughts and approached Evie, offering her the treat of a warm hand.

"Evie... I'm sorry," she apologized, hanging her head low.

Evie stared at her wordlessly, remorse flickering in her eyes.

However, she didn't take up her hand and didn't relish in the comfort Mya wanted to bring, marching upstairs and vanishing from Mya's view. A door slammed.

The door slam was another nail in the coffin for the already trounced, dismayed Mya, who sniffed, rubbing her eyes and hugging herself, comforting herself the best she could, but she could not deny that what Evie had said had scorched the vulnerable parts of her.

She knew with certainty that she was right.

*I made too many mistakes.*

*I put my own beliefs over Evie's, and now, she could hate me.*

These mistakes were *even worse* than the mistakes she had made trying to confront Winter and get her to come out of her shell.

Mya paced, and paced, and paced around the living room, Evie never exiting her mind and staying firmly there, reminding her that she had failed her.

She heard the *fire* and *intensity* in the words she spoke. She heard how *pissed* she was. How distraught she was.

Mya had put her, along with *herself*, in danger.

The jail cell in juvie could be being made *that very minute* for her and Evie.

*Breaking and entering. A major crime.*

*I'm a criminal who roped her accomplice into a game of follow the leader. I've...*

*I've lost Evie. She hates me.*

What *if* Evie was beginning to hate her? More so than Opal herself?

*I damaged her trust in me and muddled it. I fumbled the bag...*

*I'm a fool.*

Tears welled in Mya's sensitive eyes, flooding down her pink, sensitive cheeks, and the strength to rub them away ebbed out. She couldn't fight reality and she couldn't go back and change the snob she was to Evie.

Her head was abuzz with shame. More shame. *Incredible* amounts of shame and a guilty conscience she had never *felt*.

She was split into two pieces of a broken heart.

*I need to clear my head...*

Sighing, Mya, yearning to get lost in a different world, trudged upstairs - opposite from Evie, and found an open door that led to a small, windowless room. Since there was no window, it was shrouded in darkness.

Gulping, she walked in without looking back, pulling the door closed, and the world consumed her in endless blackness.

The girls may have gone on a temporary split in paths, but it didn't mean that both *still* didn't have each other on their minds.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Evie sat down on the floor, letting a small path of light from a window paint her fragile soul, and she shut her eyes, her thoughts swallowing her and nibbling on her brain.

*Mya made me uncomfortable earlier and she beyond pissed me off with her lack of sensitivity. She didn't care for how I viewed Cracklog. She didn't listen to my warnings. We could be in grave danger now, I know it, she knows it.*

Mya *had* crossed the line. Mya *did* cover up the problems and went at them her own way. She brushed Evie's concerns under a rug and touched property she shouldn't have touched. She led them here and caused them to get trapped, even if it was unintentional.

She invalidated her best friend.

*Yet... I feel like I was such a jerk to her. She's tactful. She always has been. She doesn't think the way I do; she's less advanced in thought processing and likes making life more fun for herself. That's part of the reason she did what she did. She has to be held accountable, but... I went too far, didn't I?*

Evie spoke with so much *rage* it rivaled that of *Winter's* own. She had held an invisible knife and cut into Mya's outer layer, piericing her firewalls of caution and friendliness and reaching her heart, where the emotion was prevalent.

She *blamed* Mya for the whole excursion being a disaster. For the pain inflicted on her, the misery, and the lack in communication.

But was it really her entire fault? No.

Evie didn't do *enough*. She could have stopped her and changed her path if she had just *fought harder* and forced her away from Cracklog.

*I should have done more to stop Mya! I'm not a good friend if I can't look out for her properly! I broke my own morals, and...*

*I... I let her down too...*

"I don't want to push you away, Mya. I... I need you," Evie whispered to herself, scrunching her eyes closed for a second time. Her heart, plummeting into an abyss, kicked harder as it clawed, heaved, *longed* for Mya's embrace.

Then, a thought blighted Evie's mind.

*Mom isn't the only one who's going to kill me for this! The Heartleys and dad will too!*

Opal was going to be pissed and would berate her, *mince* her into a pie, scream at her, and slash at her with her heavy, *violent* tiger claws.

Although he was reserved and nowhere close to vicious, Anderson would be disappointed.

And Mya's parents? They'd be *incredulous* she'd let their *own daughter* guffaw at a *run down* place and *get access to it*.

The blackness grew deeper and deeper in Evie's field of vision. She heard... glass shattering?

"*Evie Ly*! What *jackassery* is this! This blatant tomfoolery, violating *my curfews*??!!"

*No! Mom! I... I failed!*

"No!" Evie told herself, shaking herself clear and re-opening her eyes. She wouldn't fall and neither would Mya. She'd make sure of it.

History wouldn't be repeated, nor would it continue this way.

*I owe you an apology, Mya.*

Evie strutted toward the door and pulled on the knob. However, the door didn't budge, or move, or even make a squeak against the ground.

She gasped.

*She had been trapped in a prison within the manor*.

In the other room, Mya groaned and slammed her back against the wall, allowing herself to sink to the ground, exhausted from minutes of grueling pacing.

Unlike the composed and somber Evie, she was a nervous *wreck*, and she wrung her fingers inside and out on repeat, refusing to stop or relax.

*I've made Evie hate me. I'm a fool! Why can't I do anything but constantly believe we're gonna be okay in iffy situations and I only put us in danger! Why do I constantly make mistakes???*

A remorseful arrow pierced the middle of her heart, making Mya sniff. Evie was truly correct when she said she was naive. She *was* blind to her own judgment, the harsh truth of her wiles.

"I could've hurt Evie. Oh, who am I kidding, I already *have*!" she muttered despondently. "Everyone at school tells me I can't do a single thing right. I'm a coward. I'm..."

*I'm foolish!*

Immediately, chants of old and yesteryear returned to Mya's mind, taking over every nook and cranny and ripping, *drilling* into her kid-glove, glass body.

Kindergarten.

First grade.

Second grade.

Third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh grade.

*Get out of school, outta school, Mya Heartley is a fool!*

*Get out of school, outta school, Mya Heartley is a fool!*

"No! Get out of my head, stop!" she pleaded, compressing her head with her hands, but her efforts were null. The voices kept on.

*I don't want to be your friend! Go away!*

*You're too annoying! Be quiet!*

*Get out of school, outta school, Mya Heartley is a fool!*

"*Stop*! I get it, I'm a fool, I hurt Evie! Get out of my head!" she pleaded miserably, burying her head in her knees, and a wet sensation trickled onto her knees.

Tears.

They had escaped their cage.

*You're only trouble, Mya, can't you see that?*

*The more you reach out, the more people are you going to hate you, dummy!*

*You're ugly! And obnoxious!*

*Your rants hurt my head!*

*Dummy!*

*Shut up!*

*Who asked for your opinion?*

*Haha, she's alone!*

*Get out of school and go cry to your parents about your misgivings!*

Mya paused, biting her lip.

*My parents... oh my fudging god, they're going to despise me for this! I'm an idiot! You're an idiot Mya, a stupid, dumb, ugly one at that! I hurt Evie, I could lose my frienship with Evie, and we're going to have a wall between us and it's my fault because I put ME ahead of EVIE.*

*This... this usually happens when I try to reach out to someone...*

*Every time I talk, there's someone that seeks to bully me. Am I really so dense...*

*Oh, shut up. I'm denser than a sponge.*

Mya couldn't fight her inner turmoil. Not like this. Letting out a small cry, she curled into a ball, feeling more unwanted by anyone than she had ever felt. Not even Evie would want her.

*Evie...*

*We were so close, and then I miffed it all...*

The pressure grabbed her throat and choked her with its invisble snakey vines; air slipped away, tears slipped down, and nails gripped the floorboard until...

"*Why* does *everybody* always **hate me**???"

The pressure turning her guilt into alarming fury, Mya shoved her hand into the dark and came in contact with something *long*. *Cold*.

*Clank*.

Something moved. Something tipped over.

A thin rod *fell* toward her and *whacked* her on her forehead. The other poles clunked and *thunked* to the floor.

"*Ow*!" she hissed, crawling backwards, hand on her sore forehead, the pain temporarily alleviating her stress and the voices stampeding in her brain.

But the tranquility wouldn't last.

Mya backed into another dark corner on unsteady feet and landed in something sticky, webby, thin, and knotted.

It covered her eyes.

It stuck to her skin.

Something tickled her face.

Mya blinked.

A blur of black and brown appeared on her nose.

It had eight legs.

"**SPIDER**!" she shrieked in horror, flailing her arms about and thrasing and hitting the wall and feeling multiple amounts of pain course through her body.

Mya kicked. Screamed. Swatted. Pawed. She tripped over her ankles and landed with a *thud* on the hard floor, busting her chin.

Ouch... that was definitely leaving a bruise later.

Her heart scaling to her neck and skin itching, Mya clambered over to the door and turned it.

It didn't open.

"Come on! Get me outta here damm it!" she cursed.

She tried again. Nothing.

She threw her shoulder against it. Nothing.

Wailing, she bashed it with tired knuckles, again and again, over and over. Nothing. Her arm began to throb, and she realized that she pulled a muscle. She grunted, chewing on her lip.

It was hopeless.

Mya was trapped. In Cracklog Manor.

In a *room* within Cracklog Manor.

And she was nowhere near the soothing glow or positive, delightful ray that was Evie, her best friend.

*Evie...*

At the thought of her name, Mya shivered, eyes wet. That name, her name... suddenly sounded so... *pretty*.

Her beautiful, pale skin, the dorky little freckles that defined her rounded, tapered cheeks...

*I...*

Her long, shoulder-length jet-black hair with a distinctive sheen, her glasses hiding her smooth, simple bangs...

*I...*

The deep holly and intelligence reflected in her dark green eyes, made cuter by her glasses...

*I want-*

No. Mya didn't *want* Evie.

*She needed her*.

Nothing else in life mattered, not the room possibly packed with spiders, not the darkness, not the evil voices in her head.

Mya.

Needed.

Evie.

The thought of her gave her vigor. It gave her strength. Mya mustered up her vocal chords, and then, making what she *yearned for* clear:

"**EVIE**!"

Evie, jolting, stood upright, shaking with electricity.

*Oh my goodness, was that... it's Mya!*

That was *Mya*. It sounded like her shout came from the other side of Cracklog, and she seemed frantic, desperate...

Whatever Evie knew, something *awful* was happening. She had to break out of here!

Mya's life was *depending* on her.

Her senses spiraled into overdrive, just what she needed, as her adrenaline was pulsing and flaring with *fire*.

She was awakened.

"Don't fret, Mya! I'm coming!" she shouted. She took a few steps back, composing herself and recalling crucial tactics, tactics that would have the door shattered.

Her martial arts training.

Evie, since her childhood, had been trained by her mother in martial arts. It was defense and offense mechanisms that were beyond vital to her success. There were many bad guys out there, rotten, vile people, and Evie had to be aware of herself and how to defend herself should she cross paths with those *grimy* people.

She flexed her arm muscles, shifting her legs apart. She took a deep breath in, relaxing her body and loosening her frame.

Then, Evie proceeded, soaring into the air and swirling her right leg in the air. Her foot came in clean contact with the door.

*Slam!*

The whole thing had busted open, revealing the interior of the manor to Evie once more, and oddly enough, she was *relieved*.

She may have hated the place, but being trapped in a dark, dimly-lit room was a fate *far worse*.

"*Evie*!" Mya screeched again, and Evie heard a *fumble* and a *thunk*, then an exclamation of pain.

"Mya! I swear I'm almost to you. You're okay!"

Evie could *not* fail her again. Failure was *never* an option.

*You can't hold me down, Cracklog! Go on and try to, but I will fight tooth and nail and give Mya all of me!*

In her room, Mya had thrown her head against the door and ricocheted right off. She doubled over on the floor, clutching her head and rubbing the sore creases of her forehead.

She *wanted* Evie, *longed to see* her, so much so that her cheeks were beginning to turn pink.

*There's nothing I need more than to see that smile, her adorable laugh, her intelligence, even her speaking in Vietnamese is cute...*

*I want Evie to hug me... would it be okay if she didn't let me go?*

"Evie! Please hurry! *Ow*...!"

"You're *hurt*?!" Evie called out as she approached the door, muscles tense and bulky.

"Yes! You're going to have to kick the door down... I'm not strong enough to do it!"

Evie nodded, heeding her friend's instruction. "Alright. *Back up*. If wood goes flying, I don't want it to fly at your eyes. Do you have room to back up, Mya?"

"Yep!" Reluctantly, Mya backed into the outer wall, her surroundings mired in pitch black, but she made sure to stay away from the spiders.

Evie was on the *other side*. Freedom was on her tongue.

She'd see Evie again, be wrapped up in her arms... Evie would be her *hero*.

Her cheeks went red.

With a sharp intake of breath, Evie steadied herself and squared herself up, drawing her kicking foot back on the ground a few times.

She was strong, her leg ready to bash the old wood, and satisfied, she swung it.

*Crack!* Part of the door splintered, and Mya jumped, shocked, but excitedly. Feelings *coursed* through Mya's veins, hope, relief, joy, passion... and feelings she had *never* experienced before. They made her stomach flip upside down, and her heart felt like it was a roaring *flame*.

*Crack!* The door was nearly off its hinges now. Evie wiped sweat off her forehead and shook out her arms.

"Watch out! It's gonna come down!" Yowling, Evie swung a third powerful kick at the door.

*Crack!*

The door completely fell over on its side, kicking up dust and allowing light to torch the dark room, lighting it up. It appeared to be a storage room, with boxes on the right and old light poles on the left, some tipped over. The back corners were shadowy and uninviting.

But, in the very back, stood Mya, her jacket dusty. Her legs were wobbling. A bruise appeared to be forming on her forehead.

Evie gasped. Mya had gone through *hell* to get out of here, and she looked much tinier than she was earlier. Her auburn hair was ruffled and covered in more dust.

For only a *second*, there was quiet.

And then, Mya soared, flew into the air, flashing her teeth and *finally* leaving the hellhole she had been trapped in behind. She glided towards Evie, her hero, her savior, her best friend, her peace in her ordeal, and more importantly, her *everything*.

"*Evie*!"

Suddenly, she tripped over her own feet, and she tumbled face-first into Evie's face. Evie, unbalanced and yelping in surprise, collapsed to the ground, Mya on top of her.

They were tangled up on the *floor*. Mya couldn't move; strange feelings were abuzz and rising up rapidly.

What *were* these feelings? They seemed... so *comforting*.

She glanced down, and to her *horror*, she found her lips stuck on *Evie's lips*.

*Her lips*. On *Evie's*.

*They were kissing*.

Mya, petrified and *deeply* embarrassed, pulled herself off, their lips disconnecting with a pop, and she stumbled into the wall, out of breath and panting. She hid her tomato-red face with her arms and sneaked a stare at Evie, who got up and looked at her, incredulous, her cheeks also tomato-red.

The humiliation grew *more* immense. *No god I've screwed everything up! Now she thinks I LIKE her like her!*

"OhmygodIamsosorry!" she stammered shakily, shaking her head and backing away. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that I really didn't! It was an accident I didn't mean it I'm-"

She shut her eyes, bracing for a cold-hearted rejection.

"Whoa, Mya! Sssh, you're okay, sssh," Evie assured her gingerly, removing her hands from her face and draping her arms over her shoulders, and her breathing slowed.

*Those eyes... they're so... delicate.*

*Evie doesn't despise me...*

"Mya. Look at me," Evie guided. Mya obliged, her heart thumping anxiously.

"It was an accident. You didn't mean to kiss me. There was nothing meaningful about it, accidents happen, and besides, you wouldn't *dare* do such a thing to me out of nowhere, especially to me. I'm not pissed at you. *Lặng*."

Carefully, Evie tucked her hand under Mya's chin and left it to caress the banged-up skin, causing Mya to blush, and her eyes watered with more tears, except they were of sheer *joy*.

Baby get lost in this moment

Burning bright in the night sky

"Evie," she mumbled lightly, pressing closer to her. "I'm sorry. For *everything*. Getting us trapped here, never listening to you, treating you like dirt... you had every right to snap at me. I... I made you uncomfortable..."

"Oh, Mya," Evie whispered in turn, sneaking her hand behind her neck while the other gripped her hand. "I'm sorry. For snapping at you. I forgot how sensitive you were... you hate when people yell at you, and I took out my fury on you... you didn't deserve that. We had a bad lapse in communication and didn't express ourselves clearly..."

Said, we can get lost in this moment

Coming alive in the night time

"Let's share the blame. Together."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

Baby get lost in this moment

Burning bright in the night sky

Mya tugged Evie close, wrapping her arms around her back and hugging. Evie, smiling, embraced her fondly. Warmth flooded between the two, and flames were rekindled, burning bright and giving light to the darkness of Cracklog Manor.

Flowers blossomed, trees grew, and sunlight poured through the windows.

Mya was at home, against the warmth and passion radiating off of Evie's body.

Evie was at home, against the compassion and sugary-sweet body of Mya.

Said, we can get lost in this moment

Coming alive in the night time

Every moment they held on to the fragments of each other, it felt like an hour had passed.

Eventually, the two reluctantly broke away, but their stares were forever locked on one another, green on green, light on dark.

"We need to get out of here," Mya stated urgently, and Evie nodded.

Finally, at long last, they were on the same page.

"Let's go." Gripping Mya's hand, she led the way downstairs, each step generating more hope.

When they reached the bottom, the earth was still.

Without warning, the doors began to move, and keys jangled.

"Get down!" Evie yelled, throwing Mya down with her and protectively shielding her with her body. Both closed their eyes, expecting the *worst*.

The doors then sailed open, revealing a scowling man with a beard that appeared to be in his sixties.

"What are you *young'uns* doing on my property?"

He eyed them, in his eyes no more than suspicion, and Mya gasped, her nails digging into Evie's shoulder.

"Sir! This was a mistake, an honest mistake!" Evie said remorsefully. "We got in on accident and didn't mean to loiter in here... or cause damage... we mean no harm, I-"

The man cleared his throat. "I'm sure you didn't see, but I have cams installed on the manor grounds-"

"*No* you don't! No cameras are here! We searched ourselves..." Mya remarked, flabbergasted. Her eyes didn't deceive her!

"And did you bother looking in the darkest shadows near the roof? This manor is *owned by me*. Yes, I own this, and yes, it's my responsibility to monitor it for the city. Black-haired one, I presume the auburn-haired one roped you into these shenanigans, correct?"

Mya squeaked, burying her entire face into Evie's shoulder and quivering profusely. She couldn't face this man, fearing that he'd do everything to paint her as a criminal.

A low growl rose from the back of Evie's throat, and she held on to her friend more tightly.

"*Don't* harm an *inch* of her body. She's already suffered *enough*," she warned, her lips pulled back. If push came to shove, she'd teach this man a *lesson* to protect Mya.

The Cracklog owner leaned back on the doorframe, eyes narrowed, and he scanned the girls meticulously. Something wasn't adding up...

These children were *petty*.

His look unsurfaced Evie's brutal honesty, and sighing, she spoke, hoping to break the stiffness in the air.

"Look, sir. It was my friend that got us here... she wanted to explore. I went in here to make sure she didn't get in trouble. But things went horribly wrong and we got trapped! I had... I had to kick the doors down to s-ave her... we're sorry, okay! We're *sorry*! We won't come here *ever again*, but *please* don't tell our parents! You... you won't understand the consequences that would happen!"

Now the man scanned for a second time, observing that the first girl with black hair had a lot of respectable traits. Bold. Honesty. Loyalty. Ability to form reasonable arguments under pressure. Her friend was weaker and relied on her for comfort, but from the look in her leaf-green eyes and her shaking, she was in agreement.

These two weren't liars, or thieves, or any sort of crooks. They had made a mistake.

And they were children as well. They were okay and still learning.

"Alright. My examinations of you two have proved that you aren't criminals who broke in here willingly or with intent to steal. You have been honest, and I understand your situation since you're children. You didn't mean any harm. But don't be so naive and careless in the future, ladies - a single mistake can change the whole course of your life."

The girls nodded fearfully.

"Where are you two's parents?"

"They're past the forest and near the park," Evie replied. "We can get back on our own."

She got up, arm linked with Mya's, and they walked past the man. However, he ran in front of them and blocked the way forward.

"Hold on!" he shouted. "You are unfamiliar with Airway Heights and its territory. I will be escorting you back to your parents - and *no exceptions*!"

Evie and Mya gulped, anxious, worries stacking up to the brim, and Evie, in particular, knew what was going to happen.

No matter how hard she would fight, the Lys and Heartleys would *still* discover what they had done.

And her mother - the no-tolerance, short-tempered, and strict Opal Ly - would be ready to dismember her and Mya for something she'd consider a pricey misgiving.

Back at the picnic, the Lys and Heartleys were engaging in more conversation, chattering away the day.

"Did you hear about the Riverfront Complex's construction? Sources say it's going to best the mall in Pineshadow. Make the mall dead," Anderson said.

"The mall isn't going to *die*, for crying out loud! It received a Forever 21, and Vineyard Vines opened days ago. That's the definition of *prospering*!" Nita huffed.

"Maybe I should take Evie to VV and see if she likes anything."

"Andy, they're not her type. She's more Forever 21," Opal stated, her matter-of-fact tone returning.

"And who are you to dictate my daughter's clothing choices?" Anderson shot back, an eyebrow raised.

Opal snorted. "I let my daughter pick. Hush."

Nita rolled her eyes, sharing a telling look with Patrick, who nodded. Just then, they saw that a man was fast approaching them, eyes searching them, and Opal and Anderson saw too.

From behind their man, and out of *nowhere*, their *daughters* appeared.

"I'm sorry, *what* am I seeing?" Opal demanded in a heightened voice, her narrow green eyes becoming more narrow.

"Who... are you? And why on earth are *the girls* with you???" Nita asked, appalled, and Patrick put a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Anderson felt as if he ate a fish raw, and glancing at Opal, he noticed how *stony* she was.

Her eyes were *poisonous*.

Evie and Mya, positioned beside the man, had their heads hung down low, Mya more gloomy than Evie, who was somber and hid much of her expression. Opal's eyes darted to her daughter, and the intensity turned *far more* poisonous.

"Evie, **what** is the meaning of this? What have you *done*??" she prompted irritably, and Evie bit hard on her lip, knowing her mother was trying to pin the blame on her when it wasn't even her fault.

"I apologize for interrupting your picnic, good fellows. Your daughters happened to... erm, how do I put this... *break into* my property."

"They **WHAT**??!" the four parents demanded in unison, shocked, astonished, and utterly *dumbfounded* at how their daughters could have *done* something so *illegal*.

Out of the four parents, the one that was most shocked, most appalled, and more importantly becoming *furious* was Opal.

How could her *own daughter* and her *best friend*, innocent as can be, envelop themselves in a shady game? With heavy comeuppance?

"Which one of them *did it*," she demanded flatly, standing up and crossing her arms. Sharp tiger eyes drifted back onto Evie and froze her, crushed her.

Evie didn't betray a single secret and kept her eyes on the grass surrounding her feet.

"*Well*?" she prompted prickily.

"It was me..." Mya admitted, blinking, her form mousy, weak, and overshadowed by the intimidating adult before her.

The Heartleys gasped, mortified. Their *daughter* had broken and entered into private property - and had gotten Evie, the perfect, do-no-wrong poster child - into her misadventure.

"Mya... *why*?" Patrick questioned, his tone conveying clear disappointment, and Mya fought back salty tears. She couldn't bring herself to respond and shook her head.

Evie turned to her, seeing her pained expression and how flooded with regret she was. A part of her wanted to give her a hand, hug her, brush away the tears...

She couldn't move. She was held back by invisible chains.

"Hmm. I should leave your parents to discipline you girls; I need to assess the damage to the manor." Snorting, he headed off and through the forest once again.

There was no going with him - the girls had to face the music and embarrassing chastisings from their parents, with a certain parent's fury steaming hot and ready to *blow*.

To Evie, this was embarrassment, but to Mya, she was in court with "guilty" written on her forehead in red ink.

"*Mya Heartley*, why on *earth* would you *even decide* to break into a mansion!? *Break* into it!" Nita repeated, full of paranoia and extreme worry. "You're *far better* than that! Educated! We let you explore, but you shouldn't explore *someone's property*!"

"You could have **seriously hurt** Evie too. Mya, I want to hear your side about this in the car... but I can't help but be disappointed in you today. There is a point and time where I *draw the line* at being too naive," Patrick murmured downheartedly, and Mya, unable to fight the tears, let them slip.

Her parents, who rarely ever got mad at her, were *mad*.

She had disappointed them.

Sniffing, she accepted the blame. "Yes, mom... yes, dad..."

She refused to hold her head high - she was a moron. A *huge moron*.

And she deserved the shame.

Now that Mya had gotten her disciplining, it was time for the Lys to speak with Evie. Anderson opened his mouth, intending to go first, but Opal beat him to it and marched furiously up to her, a *scowl* on her face, and Evie gasped.

*Oh god! I've unleashed the very thing I didn't want to unleash... no!*

"**EVIE LY**!"

Birds squawked and flew out of the distant trees. What Opal has said was a bullet from a pistol, aimed directly at her daughter's head.

"You were a *fricking dumbass* to *break into a manor*! With your *friend*! A **DUMBASS**! Evie, you could have gotten *yourself killed*! And Mya could have been killed! You engaged in *dangerous* dances in the dark. You *destroyed* part of someone's *property*. **PROPERTY**! Do you even **realize** how **enraged I am**, young lady?"

Evie flinched, momentarily betraying her downcast feelings, but she nodded and kept her head low, respecting her mother's explosive attack.

Opal was far from done, and suddenly, she gripped Evie's sweater collar, burning into her *harder* and *mercilessly*.

"If you caused **ANY MORE DAMAGE**, we could have been in **LEGAL TROUBLE**! Because of *you and Mya*, we could have been in *court* trying to protect you two *jackasses* from going to juvie for **a serious crime**. Do you understand the *consequences* of this, Evie?"

"*Vâng*, mom," Evie stated quietly.

Opal let go of her sweater collar, pleased with the answer, but her eyes did not waver from her deliquent daughter. "You are **my daughter** and you are raised in the blessings of me, your father, and your ancestors. You have **standards** you shall and *will* obey. In this house, there is **no room** for waywardness - and if you disobey me and betray those expectations *I* have for you - your future will be *greatly* jeopardized."

Evie gasped. Talk was frequent in the Ly household about her future; Opal *really* wanted her to be in business, like her, or in medical school due to her intelligence and loyalty to causes. The maternal family in her line was frugal and successful - and Opal *expected* her to follow in her footsteps, be directly cast into her shadow.

But she didn't *want* the futures her mother wanted. She didn't even *know* what she wanted her future to be.

Was this her mother's way of keeping her within the boundaries she'd set for her at a young age?

Regardless, they were working, even if Evie felt insulted by her mother's remarks. She wasn't to blame for this! And she didn't have the same ideals and beliefs as Mya!

*I tried to stop her! I wanted to protect her! But you'll never believe me if I say it...*

Obeying the tiger, Evie silently nodded.

"Strive to be a **better example**, Evie Ly. The events today have made it clear *some things* are a *bad* influence on you," Opal bitterly remarked, and heart dropping, Evie whirled to face Mya.

Mya knew it plain as day, and she was *terrified*, stranded in the open with nowhere to turn.

More so when *Opal herself* stomped up to her and closed the gap between them so fast, so soon, that Mya squealed and backed away.

"Oh, don't think *I don't* have business to settle with you too, *Mya Heartley*," Opal hissed, and gulping, she faced the behemoth that was Evie's mom at her lowest point.

"Mya!" Evie called, taking a step, but a side-eye from her mom halted her.

She was telling her, "You have *no say* in handling your best friend."

Excluded on *purpose*.

The shock and self-reflection in Evie melted, reforming as embers of a fire, and they were beginning to *burn*.

*Don't you dare, mother...*

"Just **WHAT** do you think **YOU WERE DOING**???" Opal screamed at the esteemless Mya. "**You** are an **UTTER FOOL** for luring **yourself** and **my daughter** into a manor and doing the very thing you were raised **NOT TO DO**! Be **ashamed** of yourself and let it *sit with you*. You tried getting yourself and **my Evie KILLED**!"

Mya shrieked, wobbling, and tears dripped down her face, ugly and brutal. "B-B-But I didn't mean to do that! Please, Mrs. Ly! I never wanted to get myself or Evie hurt! It was supposed to be innocent!"

"*Really*? You know the *punishment* for breaking and entering or conspiring to destroy private property. **Months** in prison. *Years*. Not to mention, **YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN US TRAPPED IN A COURTROOM**!"

The roar of the tiger petrified Mya, as she shook her head and blocked her face with her arms. Evie was *incensed*.

How *dare* her mother treat her friend like absolute dirt? How *dare* she accuse her of *trying to get themselves killed*?

*Mya made a mistake! A MISTAKE! And you think she's a felon!*

Evie bared her teeth and stomped her foot on the ground, a raging bull prepared to *charge* at the one person for years she believed she could *never* defy.

"You are **immature**, Mya! *Very* much so!" Opal snarled, glaring at the child she thought had turned her daughter into a *crooked* crook. "Learn to *grow up*. Be a *better influence* on my *daughter*! I would value you more if you weren't so **naive** half the time!"

"Opal, stop it! She's learned her lesson!" Nita pleaded, *disturbed* by the onslaught her friend had unleashed her daughter.

But Opal didn't listen.

Evie saw the embarrassed, stunned look on her father's face - by all means, he didn't expect Opal to be like *this* to Mya.

The Heartleys were dismayed and aghast by her actions.

And, hearing sobs, Evie saw that Mya was shaking her head at Opal, shielding herself, her words tearing her apart. It made her feel guiltier on a scale she hadn't even been on *before*.

Then Evie saw her mother. She had no regrets. She stared down Mya, intending to make sure she knew.

She didn't even try asking for her side of the story.

She had quietly ordered Evie to stay put.

*This fight doesn't concern me, does it?*

Evie stared at Mya again, and those falling tears, the pain, the agony, her noodle legs, and the shock of her father and friend's parents.

No. There would be no more.

Those embers had made flames.

Those flames were *burning*.

Flames built up in Evie's heart, in her lungs, in her body, in her *brain*, and she knew then that wherever she stood, branded as a failure or something else her mother dumped on her, she wouldn't *tolerate* her bullcrap *any more*.

In that moment, the straw broke the camel's back.

Evie did not hesitate for a second as she slid in front of Mya, *challenging* her mother and protecting her best friend *fiercely*, fists clenched, feet squared.

Opal groaned. "Get **out of the way**, Evie. This does *not* concern you."

Evie shook her head.

"**Move**, Evie!"

"*Làm cho tôi*!"

"Tôi cầu xin sự tha thứ của bạn?"

"Tôi nói *làm cho tôi*!" Evie hissed.

"**Watch your language**, Evie Ly!" Opal warned curtly, a finger pointed at her daughter. "Stop attempting to defend Mya! She did wrong! This is loyalist behavior, and you *better* start-"

Without warning, a *loud* growl rose from the back of Evie's throat, and for the first time in her *history*, she growled at her own mother and bared her teeth.

Her stance was clear.

If she touched Mya, she would bring a *storm*.

Opal, astonished, took a step backward. "Evie, what's the meaning of this?" she demanded, her anger leaving in droves. She moved her hand, but Evie stopped her by raising her own hand.

"Stay **away** from Mya," she snapped in fury. "You want the *truth*? It wasn't *my fault* Mya went in Cracklog. I followed her because **I never wanted her to get herself injured**. *Killed*, even! You'd think I'd let my friend go alone? You'd think I'd let you *blame her* for something she very clearly understands was a *mistake*? You're wrong, mom. You should be *happy* we're **alive**, not trying to **humiliate** my *best friend* in front of *her parents*."

Opal, gasping, realized that her daughter had just owned her in front of her husband and Mya's parents. And that, from the rage to the accuracy and precision of her argument, she wasn't a *liar*.

Evie wanted to *protect* Mya. Her loyalties belonged to her.

Turning around, Opal saw the reactions of the Heartleys, and it was the stomach punch she needed. Anderson, sighing, walked up to her.

"Opal... let the Heartleys handle their daughter next time. You had *no right* to overstep like that."

Now, it was Opal's opportunity to hang her head shamefully, which was enough of an apology to the Heartleys, who took it without any more complaints.

"Very well," she muttered. "Girls, five minutes. Say your goodbyes."

With some space lent to them by their parents, the girls stood in the patch of shasta daisies, close to each other and in secrecy. Mya was anxious, gnawing on her bottom lip, and her fingers twitched.

"You're okay, Mya. You're safe. Mom isn't going to attack you or scream at you, and I'm here, and we're standing in daisies... it's okay."

Mya relaxed upon hearing that peppermint, upbeat voice and reassuring, tender tone. She inched closer, erasing the gap and building a bridge. "T-Thank you, Ev..."

She trailed off, looking down, but her gaze returned to Evie.

"I'm s-sorry, a-gain. I put you through hell, and... I m-ade you h-hate me. Opal was right... I was a *horrible* example for you today."

"Sssh," Evie assured, picking up her small, smooth hands. "My... you've already apologized, and we've mended the wounds inflicted in Cracklog. We can put it behind us for good. Not lying to you, I was *mad* at first because you were oblivious and I felt snubbed out by you. But... I get angry because I want to *protect you*. I care. Deeply. More strongly than one can imagine. I'd much rather have the pain inflicted on me than see it inflicted on you."

Elated, Mya smiled, showing off her perfect set of teeth. Her stare, locked on hers, green on green, light on dark, and a blush covered her cheeks.

Evie seemed so *mystical*. A blessing sent from the gods. Her smile, wide and welcoming, her eyes, Elysian and phosphorescent.

*My heroine...*

She grabbed the top of her shoulders, and knowing what she was getting at, Evie pulled her in and pressed her forehead, skin against skin, to hers. The touch was warm and was alluring, just like a moth to a flame.

"Wherever you go, I'll follow. Wherever we travel next, I'll protect you. *Forever*. And Mya? Learn from your mistakes. They won't define you. What mom said *doesn't matter* - the guilt won't weigh you down. Be the interstellar person you've *always* been - that's the you I like the most."

Mya rubbed Evie's shoulders, unable to bring herself to let go. She picked her hands back up, and the touch was *euphoria*.

*I... I don't wanna let go of her. She's...*

"You're a badass, Evie."

Evie blushed, giving a brief eyeroll. "Well... I try my best to be." She then tugged her into a tight hug, hands traveling down her back and up to her neck, where they rested, and Mya's face grew redder at the contact.

What *was* this feeling? This euphorian touch? The graze of their skin, soft, so personal, unlike *anything*?

*Why am I so... drawn to Evie?*

As much as she wanted this moment to last ages, Mya knew that they had to part ways for the time being, and so, she and Evie tore apart from each other and gave each other a powerful stare for the last time.

"See you soon, Mya." Letting out a small chuckle and flashing a smile, Evie turned away and dashed up to her mother and father.

Even with the farewell... Mya didn't move to join her parents. Her feet were glued, and her eyes were glued to something *else*.

Evie.

Her gaze simply couldn't stop *staring*. She couldn't stop, she *didn't want* to stop staring...

Her heartbeat grew more intense the more she saw Evie in discussion with her parents, and she could hear it... it was *racing*.

Mya thought about their reunion in Cracklog, how excited and fleeting she had been to see her best friend. The crash, her skin on hers, the...

*The accidental kiss*.

Mya could see it replaying. Her falling on Evie and her lips attaching onto hers. For that single moment, she had felt *things* that were *strange* and incredibly foreign.

Evie's lips were sugary and tasted... *amazing*.

That feeling was *new*. It was *warm*, *promising*.

It was *tempting*.

*That kiss... it's... it didn't feel wrong...*

Evie, for a split second, turned to face Mya again and tilted her head to the side, waving cutely.

*Her cute little wave...*

Mya, from a distance, still saw those defining freckles on Evie's cheeks. Her sleek, smooth pale skin, her long and silky black hair, the holly color in her dark green eyes...

Evie had an air of innocence around her, and it was an innocence she *treasured*.

She was a *beautiful* human being and one of a *kind*.

Mya didn't want to bring her eyes away from her, but her mind dwelled on their hug in Cracklog Manor once more, and her cheeks grew increasingly warm.

*When she hugged me, she was scented like roses and was sweeter than candy... when she felt me, that touch, she practically undid my layers...*

*No one can do that to me. No one but Evie.*

*I like it when she touches me.*

Mya grew even warmer, the insides of her filling with butterflies that rapidly flapped around her.

*I need her to touch me again.*

*I want her to hug me again.*

Flashes of Evie appeared in her head - her grin, her laugh, her effortless movement, her smarts.

That something...

*I want to accidentally kiss Evie again.*

Suddenly, it dawned on Mya, and it hit her like a rock.

That kiss...

*I want Evie to kiss me.*

Something inside of Mya Heartley had *changed*.

## Cast

* **Peyton Elizabeth Lee** as Evie
* **Lauren Tom** as Opal
* **John Hodgman** as Anderson
* **Dakota Fanning** as Mya
* **Wendie Malick** as Nita
* **Trent Garrett** as Patrick
* **Kimberly Brooks** and **Dee Bradley Baker** as additional voices
* **Gary Anthony Williams** as the homeowner

## Songs

* SMLE (ft. Helen Tess) - *Halo* (snippet)
* Andromedik - *Your Eyes* (snippet)

## Trivia

* The episode was originally published on Halloween day 2020 and was inspired by *Coraline* and the Dev song *In the Dark*. It also had a much different plot:
	+ The picnic would start as soon as the episode began.
	+ The parents played a recurring role in the episode.
	+ There would be two guys, randomly named Jared and Jerry, that would try taking down Evie and Mya in Cracklog Manor and acted with a creepy, unsettling demeanor. One of them was implied to have harassed Mya (Av was uncomfortable with this and took it out two years later, saving it for a plotline in Season 3 instead).
	+ The girls got off without repurcussions.
	+ Av was overall very unhappy and freaked out by the episode's old writing and revised the plot heavily. She now says she likes the episode and what she added to it.
	+ Although *Coraline* is not credited as an inspiration for the current version of the episode, Evie does mention it alongside *Monster House* when she sees Cracklog Manor up close.
* This is the first episode of the rewrites to be released in December 2022.
* It is revealed that:
	+ Approximately one week has passed since the events of *Ex-Girlfriend*.
	+ Throughout the episode, Evie appears to imply that her mother is a tiger parent, a parent in Asian culture that applies heavy pressure on their children to succeed academically, often through scoldings, restrictions, and physical altercations, that can have a damaging impact on the child. Some of the hints in regards to Opal include her frequent critcisms of Evie, not giving her enough praise, her bluntness toward her, her sometimes-negative views on Mya, and trying to have control over the decisions she makes in addition to her future. This also ties in to Opal being referred to with tiger allusions a few times.
	+ Evie's home life is strict and full of responsibility, in part her mother's fault.
	+ Evie likes music, mostly songs that are future bass (such as *Halo* or *City Lights*, which appeared in the previous episode).
	+ Evie and Mya have consulted Rex on Winter getting bullied and have taken on the challenge of stopping the Snowblind name taunt from being used. The two have also spent individual time with Winter, with her and Evie discovering the person who stocks up her cabin with items, although this spawned a conflict with Opal over Evie's social life.
	+ It is hinted that the Ly family is slightly dysfunctional.
	+ The Heartleys wanted to be on par with the Lys at the picnic by bringing Olive Garden, something which Evie hopes is not caused by her mother.
	+ Opal let Evie go on the picnic as a treat to make up for treating her harshly not too long ago.
	+ Cracklog Manor was owned by Merial and Fowler Cracklog.
	+ Evie has arachnophobia.
	+ Mya has been bullied since she started school.
	+ Cracklog Manor is owned by a middle-aged homeowner.
	+ Mya has formulated a crush on Evie, which was previously lightly implied in both *Prologue* and *Daze Runners*.
		- This was hinted at throughout *Dancing in the Dark*, notably after she began to enjoy the accidental kiss she and Evie shared and longed for personal intimacy with Evie even after they parted ways.
		- This also reveals that Mya is queer, making her the third character in the series to identify as queer after Winter and Daniela.
* The song Evie listens to when doing the dishes is the 2016 SMLE song *Halo*.
* Evie notably nearly swears when her mother walks into the kitchen (sh\*t).
* "Vào đây" means "come in" in Vietnamese.
* As Evie and Mya run through the forest in Geiger Heights, it is said that life is an empty book waiting for them to fill its pages. This is a reference to the Tut Tut Child song *Fell Down*.
* Mya asking Evie "if the lights are on downstairs" is an allusion to the Scar song *Be Prepared* from *The Lion King*.
	+ Furthermore, in the scene following, Evie happens to quote Scar when she responds to Mya with "Goodie."
* Evie stating "son of a mother" in thought is a reference to the catchphrase of Minecraft YouTuber TYBZI.
* "Lặng" means "quiet" in Vietnamese.
* After Evie and Mya accidentally kiss and embrace each other warmly, a snippet of the Andromedik song *Your Eyes* plays in the background.
* "Vâng" means "yes" in Vietnamese.
* Opal and Evie's Vietnamese confrontation translates to the following:
	+ Evie: "Make me!"
	+ Opal: "I beg your pardon?"
	+ Evie: "I said *make me*!"
* Mya describing Evie as Elysian and phosphorescent is a reference to the Feint song *Phosphor*.