Skylar's POV

The moment I woke up from my short, fitful nap, I was literally counting down the seconds until Caden came by. Until we were out there, together, searching for Chicken. Mom was still somehow convinced that Chicken would come back herself. I couldn't exactly tell her that that alone wasn't comforting at all, not when she hadn't seen the guy lurking outside our backyard last night. She knew nothing about that letter.

Give me back what's mine, it had read. I didn't even know what he wanted.

"Maybe this is about that metal disk," I murmured, glancing over at Caden as we walked alongside a nearby park. I used to take Chicken here a lot. Maybe she'd lost her way, somehow. Maybe she was-- "Do you think it's about that?"

Caden met my gaze and frowned a little. Cold morning air swept his dark hair in a disarray. "I don't think it's that, Sky."

"Then what is it?" I asked him. "There's something..." I trailed off when a girl walked by us, her hand on a leash as her dog trotted by. Once she was gone, I looked back at Caden. "There's something that he wants from me. That's what the letter said."

I shivered when I thought about it, about Chicken and where she was right now. "Don't you think this is such a low blow, though? Like, kidnapping my cat goes way too far. Stalkers don't do that. They don't threaten to kill your pets, for fuck's sake."

Caden took my hand in his, warm fingers wrapping around my own, and I relaxed a little. "Are you cold?" He stopped momentarily at the corner of the street, looking down at me.

I stopped too and shook my head, nervously glancing around us on either side. "What if this is Blake?"

"Sky." Caden tugged on my hand and when I finally met his gaze, I noticed the exhaustion under his eyes. He looked tired. Like he'd barely had any sleep since the last time I saw him. "It's not him."

"Where were you last night?" I asked him instead.

He blinked, a little surprised. "Out of town."

"Why?"

"Some stuff to take care of." He answered, but that wasn't enough. His vague answers weren't ever enough. But then his phone rang and I didn't get to ask him to elaborate a little. He took out his phone and let go of my hand. "Stay here."

I did. Not like I knew where else to go either. I leaned back against the concrete wall and watched as he answered the call. Cars passed by and it was a normal morning out here in Crestmont. If only Chicken hadn't gotten herself kidnapped. If only I could call this normal.

Closing my eyes, I stuffed my hands in my hoodie pockets, breathing out a sigh. A second or so had just ticked by before, amongst the low screeches of tyres and chatters of people, I heard an unmistakable mewl. A loud one at that too.

And I literally froze.

"Oh fuck." I straightened and looked around, my eyes wide. Caden was still talking on his phone, frowning at something, and I think he hadn't heard it. Not even the second time, I realised, when I heard a meow again.

Heart starting to race, I took a few steps away from the corner of the street and followed the direction of the voice, hoping Caden had seen me leaving and would follow me. It had sounded like Chicken. God, I hoped it was her.

Slowly, I crossed the street, looking around and whispering softly. "Where are you, Chicks?"

There wasn't any cat in sight. Not one with the soft brown fur. Not one with that unmistakable mewl. Just passersby and their cars. For one moment, I thought I'd mistaken it. I'd been hearing shit.

My stomach clenched and I staggered to a stop. Chicken, I thought. She wasn't here. Maybe I'd never even get to see her again. It was dreadful to even think about that. Perhaps this is exactly how Timothy (everyone in our primary school used to call him Moth) felt when his dog died.

"No." I was technically standing in the middle of the street, talking to my own self. "She's not dead. Chicken's not dead."

And perhaps that worked--my immense belief in my cat. Because right as I was about to head back towards Caden, I saw a big ball of fur wagging its tail in the middle of the road. Chicken, I realised. Yet she wasn't crossing over but just stuck there.

Stuck! She was stuck. My eyes widened and I ran all the way towards her, my heart lurching in relief.

"Chicken!" There weren't many people around to give me looks as I fell down on my knees and wrapped my hands around her body. "Jesus Christ, you nearly killed me!"

She let out a soft meow when she saw me and I might've probably cried out loud in joy if I hadn't noticed how I couldn't pick her up. She was stuck.

"Fuck." I cursed, trailing my fingers around her paw and a beaded string tied around it. The other end was knotted along with the maintenance hole cover right below her. Chicken purred and rubbed her face over my knee. "Stay still," I told her, trying to yank the string from the manhole cover. Someone had left her here. On purpose. Someone who was probably that creepy hooded stalker.

A car drove by us, having to swerve around since me and my cat were right in the middle of the road. I yanked and yanked and by the time the string snapped, I think it was a little too late.

The sudden adrenaline rush made my heart thud painfully in my chest as I eyed the large truck heading our way. Fast and clearly not planning on stopping. I only managed to wrap my arms around Chicken, who surprisingly froze just as much as I did.

The truck was going to hit us and I was probably going to die. Would've. I might've tried scrambling out of the way but I didn't really have to. Not when a hand fisted into the back of my hoodie and hauled me out of the way.

I staggered back in surprise, my grip on Chicken so tight and my knees nearly giving up on me before I was pulled into a pair of arms, warm and solid and pulling me impossibly close.

"Fucking hell, Skylar." I heard Caden. His heart, I realised with the aftereffects of panic, was racing as wildly as my own. "What in the bloody fuck were you thinking?"

Chicken let out a meow, almost squished in between us, but didn't bother to squirm out of my hold. I closed my eyes and pressed my face into Caden's neck, breathing deeply.

I was about to die. I would've died.

"Fucking hell." He whispered and pushed me away to grab my face in between both of his hands. His green eyes were wide. I think mine were too. "Don't ever do that again."

I managed a meek nod before he was pulling me close once again, his lips pressed into my hair and his arms tight around me. Scared. The only other time I'd seen Caden like this was the only other time I'd almost gotten myself killed. And ended up in a hospital.

"You're crazy." He told me and pressed another kiss into my hair. And Chicken seemed to agree since she snuggled closer against me.

My life was crazy. And the one playing with it was doing a pretty good job.

•••••

Caden managed to call me five times, plus a hundred more texts (which I couldn't quite believe since that was usually Alex's thing) while I took my train back to Pennsylvania. He was worried, I suppose. Especially after that little incident in the middle of the road. I made sure to text him that I was fine and wouldn't get myself killed (at which he called me on the phone--the sixth time--and told me that he would kill me himself if I ever joked about my death again) as I made my way back to my apartment.

Everything was fine.

I spent the rest of the day unpacking some of the stuff that I'd taken home, giving Chicken a whole lot more cuddles since I was still pretty shaken from everything. By the time I left my bedroom and had taken care of the bits for my classes tomorrow, the lounge outside was empty.

Nova was out, I supposed, since she usually came back late at night. Going inside the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of water. I had almost forgotten about her brother, Kyle, enough to get startled when I heard his voice from behind me.

"That was a rather quick trip to Crestmont."

Turning around abruptly, I gave him a look and he responded with a smile. He strangely looked cosy in sweats, like he'd been lounging on the couch all day today. I hadn't seen him lounging on the couch all day.

"That's strangely none of your business, Kyle." I gave him another look. Now that I knew about him, most of the important stuff anyway, I was much warier around him.

"Hm. It isn't." He shrugged, leaning a bit against the counter and picking up his phone. "Had any fun?"

I kept staring, then spoke a little slowly. "I know about you, Kyle. Stop pretending around me."

His gaze flicked me up and down. "Yes?"

"Yes." I gritted out. "Caden told me about you. You used to be pals with Blake."

He smiled again. "Good old days. What else did he tell you?"

"Everything."

The look he passed me was laced with humour. "I suppose he did, didn't he?"

I placed my glass aside and crossed my arms. "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked and I could've seen Chicken walking out of my bedroom, slowly circling her way towards the couch.

Kyle chuckled. "Nothing, love."

"Don't call me that."

He raised his brows and advanced towards me. I grew a little stiff. "Right. Don't really want to get on the bad side of your boyfriend. I've heard he's got anger issues."

I pressed back into the counter and Kyle's gaze found mine. "They haven't found Blake yet." He spoke a lot slower, a lot more carefully this time.

"The police? Yes, I know that."

"Have you ever wondered if someone else might be looking for him too?" He asked and I frowned.

"Caden is--"

"Someone from his gang. The East Gang." He cut me off.

I swallowed uneasily. Blake's gang. Kyle used to be a part of it. Someone else was looking for Blake. "You mean..." I looked at him, furrowing my brows. "Blake's minions are still going at it? Even when he was thrown in jail?" What was the point? To free him?

Kyle raised his brows again and a curl fell over his forehead. "I left. Doesn't mean everyone else gave up on him too."

My eyes rounded in surprise. "They're looking for Blake?"

"Maybe." The smirk came back. I stiffened once again when he leaned towards me. "Or maybe not."

He reached out beside me, his forearm brushing my side as he pulled away with a glass of his own. And his eyes were laughing at me. Perhaps at the way I'd frozen.

"Night night, gorgeous."