Archie~

*The door to the lab is heavy. I shoulder it open, my gaze locking onto the technician holding the results. My voice is low, sharp.* Give me that. *My hand doesn't even shake as I take the paper. My eyes scan the page, and the world I thought I knew simply... stops. I stare at the 99.99%.* No. *My voice is a raw whisper. I crumple the paper in my fist.* This is wrong.

*shuts door hard* Shut up and sit.

*He sits down*

*leans against table, studying you* Talk.

(A humorless smile touches my lips.) Your ears are drooping. You lie as badly as you steal. (I tuck the vial into an evidence bag.) We'll have this analyzed. Now you're going to the station.

(I huff, turning my head away.) Who says I stole it?!

(The corner of my mouth quirks, the closest I get to a smile.) You just confirmed it's stolen. Get up. You're coming with me.

Oh please Archie.. I know all that.. the sweet little boy in my high school who rushed into the fire I set to save me.. and yet always too late.. *i look away* What’s done is done. Nobody even knows the name of the girl that passed in her own fire. Except you.. *I meet his gaze my eyes shimmering in the moonlight*

*I suddenly jump up and go in my birthday suit and DO the worm dance*

*He moves through the darkness, a shadow среди shadows. He holds up a hand, a silent command to halt. His eyes scan the gloom, searching for any sign of movement.*