Autumn sat in her car, in the parking lot of the Hillview Community College. Inside that building, which was the setting of so many bad memories, Piper and Felicia were waiting for her.

The anxiety of her long shift the day before, of not knowing what was waiting for her when she finally looked at her phone to see how the plan went, had returned in full. She didn’t know what awaited her when she went into that library, and she was stalling for time before she found out.

Felicia had accepted the job she was supposed to say no to. And Piper, for whatever reason, had chosen not to tell her about it.

A charitable interpretation would be to assume that Felicia was playing it safe, that she had done too well with the resume and interview, and that Summer offering her the job then and there hadn’t been expected. Saying no to a position that she was ostensibly trying so hard to get would have been suspicious. Perhaps her and Piper had decided not to mention it because they were going to take care of it, and the plan would progress fine after they did. That explanation made sense.

But Autumn couldn’t afford to make such assumptions. Not with what was at risk.

If Felicia was compromised, she might have told Summer everything already. That lunch in the food court, where she’d been fishing for information from Summer, might have simply been a game the whole time for the vampire. Autumn could picture the amusement on Summer’s face, talking to her while secretly knowing everything she was planning.

The plan had been formulated and executed so fast, and just as quickly it had gone wrong. Already she felt she was no longer in control of what was happening. She’d been tempted to call it off after she got that phone call, and Piper had told her it was now or never. And now, she wished she had.

It was too late now. The bug was in place, or so Piper had told her. The interview had happened; Summer and Holly knew Felicia’s name. There were threads that led back to Autumn that she couldn’t sever now.

She had to go forward now, and have that conversation. She had to take the risk that her two partners in crime were compromised, that Summer might already know of the conspiracy against her. She could even be waiting in that library where no one could see, ready to ambush Autumn and convert her.

She shivered. The thought of that scared her, because she knew it wouldn’t hurt. It would be enjoyable, and by the end of it, she would thank Summer for ‘fixing’ her.

Her fingers found her grandma’s cross necklace. This would protect her, at least long enough to get out of a life-threatening situation. She would have to hope that was enough.

Autumn took a deep breath, and got up and out of the car.

“There you are,” Piper said, noticing Autumn enter the study area. Beside her, Felicia looked up from a book.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Autumn said. “There was traffic, you know.”

Piper and Felicia looked normal. And there was no Summer hiding in the shadows, no spirals on screens ready to capture and brainwash her.

Play dumb. They don’t know about the lunch. They don’t know what you found out from Summer. See if they’re honest with you.

If they aren’t, you can’t trust them any more.

She took a seat at the table, again across the table from Piper. Even after all this time, it still felt weird to sit somewhere that wasn’t her old seat.

“So,” Autumn said to them, “let’s get right to business. How did it go?”

The two girls exchanged looks. Piper bit her lip. Felicia closed her book, and Autumn saw the title: Vampires: Facts and Myths.

Piper looked to Felicia, and gave her a slight nod.

“For the most part... it went well,” Felicia said. “I went in at the time I was supposed to, and she was already in the back waiting for me. She was having a lot of interviews that day and I was the last person she was seeing. We sat down, she went over my resume, asked questions. I’d prepared, so I had answered ready. I’ve worked retail jobs before, so I had enough experience that I didn’t even need to lie.”

Autumn nodded.

“Two minutes after Felicia went in, I followed,” Piper said. “I looked around for something to ask about. Eventually I found a Stranger Things shirt and asked if they had it in a larger size. Said I was looking to buy it for a friend. The girl went in the back to look.”

“Okay,” Autumn said.

“It wasn’t enough to get Summer out of the back room,” Felicia said. “But the girl needed help looking, so she excused herself and stepped away for a minute to help. I was able to quickly find a place to hide the bug.”

“Where was that?”

“On the desk, where they had the computer that they clock in and out of. There was a stack of papers and books in the back corner. It was really dusty, so I don’t think they use that very often. When they weren’t looking, I quickly slipped it in.”

“Alright,” Autumn said. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than leaving it on the floor or behind a box or something.

“She came back and apologised a bunch for keeping me waiting,” Felicia continued. “And then we finished up the interview.”

Autumn frowned.

“Anything else?”

“Well, on the way out I got held up by one of the staff,” Felicia said. “She was super cute and nice and I ended up chatting with her for longer than I wanted. Summer came out and was surprised I was still there. The cute girl said they were going to have lunch, which I thought was odd, since it was nearly six by then.”

That was only minutes before they met me in the food court... Everyone and everything had been so close together.

“And well...” Felicia hesitated. “There is one last thing.”

Here it is.

“The cute girl stepped away, and I was alone with Summer. We talked for a minute, and she just offered me the job right there.”

Piper looked down at the table, wearing a perturbed expression. She was chewing her lip so hard Autumn half-expected it would bleed.

Felicia played with her ponytail, idly twirling it with her finger. “And uh... I was put on the spot. I didn’t think I could say no without it being suspicious. So I accepted it.”

Autumn sighed.

“Alright,” she said. “That’s not the outcome we expected. But we can work with it.”

Felicia looked surprised. “Huh. We thought you’d be more upset about it.”

“It isn’t what I would have preferred,” Autumn told her. “But so far, she has no reason to suspect anything of you. The important thing is that the bug is planted; we have ears in the back room now. If Summer takes anyone else back there, and repeats what happened to Holly, we’ll be able to hear the whole thing. It could give us valuable information as to how her powers work.”

“And...? About the job offer...?”

“Simple,” Autumn told her. “Just call her and say you can’t take the job after all. Tell her you got a better offer somewhere else, or a family member just got sick and you need to take care of them. Hell, you don’t even need to give an excuse, really. People go to interviews and change their minds afterwards all the time. I’m sure a place like that has lots of trouble keeping people. At the end of the day, we got what we needed.”

Felicia hesitated.

“She’s right,” Piper told her. “You got the bug planted. Once you give Autumn the password to access it, we’re done. We’ve done our part.”

“I know that, but... think about it,” Felicia urged them both. “This is an opportunity. You said it yourself: she doesn’t suspect me, and she doesn’t know that I know about her. If I stay there, this could be a chance to find out more than that audio recorder could.”

Piper sighed; the sort of sigh that one makes after an argument you’ve had many times already comes back up.

“I don’t like the idea of you taking that risk!” Piper exclaimed. “This was already more than I was comfortable with.”

Autumn said nothing, silently considering.

It was too risky. They had already taken too many chances by rushing to get the bug planted. And now she wanted to go work there? Being around Summer all day, five days a week? It was foolishly reckless: everything would unravel. Summer would take over Felicia’s mind with ease, and she would happily explain everything about them and their plan. Autumn would step out of her house one day to Summer grabbing her and biting into her throat.

“I want to take this risk!” Felicia insisted. “I want to do this just as much as Autumn does. I came up with the plans before even meeting Summer, I was ready to put myself at risk to... you know, stop her.”

“Are you sure you do?” Autumn asked her. “Or is it her influence already twisting your desires to suit her? You might think you want to be there to stop her, but it could already be your mind coming up with excuses, lying to itself, to be closer to her.”

Felicia grew quiet.

“We can’t be too careful with her,” Autumn continued. “Summer was able to take control of my friend’s mind after only a single day together. She had just finished dealing with a manager who was so terrible it made her nearly quit the job she loved. Her desire for a work boss who could also be a friend and a mentor made her an easy target. That’s how she works. She twists what you want, making you obsessed with her, until what you want is just her.”

“I didn’t feel that,” Felicia insisted.

“It’s there. You just don’t recognize it. You have to question your impulses and desires, or you’ll have no chance. You’ll be hers before you realize it was happening. And if you fall to her, so do the rest of us. As soon as she figures out there was a conspiracy, she’ll come after us.”

Felicia grew quiet.

“We can’t afford to risk it,” Autumn said. “Give me the information for the bug. After that, call her and tell her you can’t accept the job.”

“Here,” Piper said, sitting up. She slid a folded piece of paper across the table. “That’s the address for the drive folder where the bug will dump all its recordings, and the username and password to access it.”

Autumn opened the paper. It contained a handwritten url, followed by two strings of clearly autogenerated letters and numbers.

“That’s the only copy,” Piper explained. “To be absolutely safe, we deleted the info off our computer once it was set up. After you log in for the first time, you can change the password. Then you’ll know that only you can access it.”

On the other side was a paragraph explaining how to use the password to de-encrypt the audio. The process was complicated, and perhaps a bit overkill, but better safe than sorry.

“You can also use a command in the drive to brick the device,” Piper said. “It’ll wipe all of it’s memory and functions right off the hardware, turning it into a paperweight. This will happen automatically in a few weeks either way, when the battery runs out.”

“Thanks,” Autumn said, sliding the paper into her pocket. “Let me know how much this thing cost, and I’ll send you some money when I get paid again.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Piper told her. “Just focus on making sure that bitch gets what’s coming to her.”

Back in her car, Autumn sat down, letting out a sigh, and with it, a lot of built-up stress.

That conversation had made a number of things she’d suspected clear: Felicia had not gotten involved because she wanted to held Autumn and Holly, or to stop Summer from hurting anyone. Her interest in vampires was obvious, and it meant she’d jumped at the chance to get near one. She was not taking the danger seriously; the plans had all been her doing, and Piper had only reluctantly agreed to any of it.

While she probably wasn’t as compromised as Autumn had initially feared, the fact remained that she couldn’t be trusted any more, regardless of her intentions.

Autumn idly felt the folded paper in her pocket.

She waited, for an agonizingly long time, watching the entrance of the campus library. Finally, she saw the two girls leaving. Piper held Felicia’s hand, the brunette looking troubled. They did not see her waiting in her car as they left, walking towards the apartments across the street.

Once they were gone, Autumn rose and went back inside.

Aside from the bored-looking librarian, there was no one around. Autumn found a computer in the corner, sat down, and unfolded the paper.

Luckily, she did not need a login to use the library computers. She opened the web browser, typed in the long url, and hit Enter.

Autumn waited, but nothing loaded.

A cold feeling settled in her gut.

“That lying bitch.”

She closed the browser, grabbed her things, and dashed out of there.

Her heart pounded as she ran. How much of what Felicia had told her was true? Had she even bothered to place the bug at all? What would have happened if she’d tried accessing that web page from her home computer?

Had she already told Summer everything?

She ran back to the parking lot, got in her car, and started the engine.

Okay. Time for Plan B.

She’d calmed somewhat by the time she was back home. Her hands had stopped shaking, and she felt she could breathe somewhat.

Take it easy. You have a new plan. There’s no need to jump to extremes.

She let out another sigh.

In the passenger seat sat a plastic bag of supplies she’d grabbed on the way home.

You know what to do. Head inside, pour yourself a drink to calm your nerves, and get started. It’ll be fine.

She went to get out of the car, and froze dead in her tracks.

Summer was coming down the stairs of her apartment.

She knows.

Instantly, Autumn panicked.

She knows and that’s why she’s here and not at Hot Topic. She came here specifically to catch you at home with no one around and no way to escape. Get away, get away, get away now before you don’t have a chance-

Summer was drawing closer. She waved.

Autumn told herself to start the engine again, and drive out of there while she still could. How fast could Summer run? Did she have superhuman speed like those shitty TV shows where they speed up footage of the actors? Could she catch Autumn even as she drove away down the road?

Summer reached the car.

What do I do? Do something!!

She rolled down the window.

“Hey there!” Summer said cheerfully. “Sorry, this is weird timing. I figured you’d be home.”

I bet you did.

“What’s up?” Autumn asked.

Just play dumb. She doesn’t know what you know. Not yet. She won’t do anything right away if you don’t give yourself away.

“Well I had the day off, and I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air,” Summer told her. “I went past your place, and I remembered that you were off today too, and I figured I’d see if you wanted to take me up on that offer from yesterday?”

“Sorry, I was out running errands,” Autumn said.

“Yeah,” Summer chuckled nervously. “Sorry. I know it’s kinda weird to drop by like that. It was kind of an impulse thing.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Autumn told her.

Autumn considered the bag in her passenger seat. It was folded up, so Summer wouldn’t be able to see what was inside.

How much does she know? She seems genuine, but I know I can’t trust her. Anything she says can be a lie. The very nature of who she is and what she can do means I can’t afford to believe anything she says.

“But, you know,” Summer said awkwardly, “if you’re done with those errands, my offer stands.”

Autumn frowned.

How do I get out of this? I can just say, ‘no I’m busy’, right? That wouldn’t be too suspicious? Unless Felicia has told her everything already, in which case it absolutely would be suspicious. What’s the smart thing to do in this situation?

“I totally understand if you can’t!” Summer said quickly. “Please don’t feel pressured to-”

“I can,” Autumn said.

If she doesn’t know, this is an understandable thing to do. If she does know, this is a move she wouldn’t expect.

Summer just smiled, giving no indication how she felt. If she was surprised by that answer, it didn’t show.

“Just a few drinks, right?” Autumn asked.

“Yeah,” said Summer.

“At your place, though. Mine’s not really presentable for company.”

Summer giggled musically. “I understand.”

Autumn got out of the car, locking it behind her. The bag on her passenger seat remained there.

“My house is just down the road,” Summer said.

“Lead the way,” Autumn told her.

Her heart pounded like a drum as she followed the goth woman down the street. She took note of her surroundings; a few people were out on the street around them. There were witnesses now, so she wouldn’t dare doing anything. But once they were alone...

Autumn felt the cold steel of the necklace on her chest. She had that to protect her, if Summer tried anything physically. As for her mind...

You have a way out of that, too. Something that will bring you right back down to Earth if you let yourself forget what you’re doing...

Autumn pulled up her phone and tapped a few commands in.

Don’t think about it, just set it up and leave it be. The less you think about that, the better.

Once she was done, she slid her phone back into her pocket.

Be careful. Once you’re in her house, you might never be able to leave. Be ready to run.

Her heart was pounding so hard she was worried Summer could hear it. Could Summer hear it? Maybe she had enhanced senses and could literally smell the fear on her. Maybe that was making Autumn tastier to her. Perhaps she was taking her time with Autumn, toying with her food the way a cat does with a mouse it has cornered...

“Here we are,” Summer said suddenly.

Autumn looked up. The building was unremarkable, an older building probably built to hold a family. Some trees and bushes grew in the yard around it, giving it a touch of nature that many of the other buildings didn’t have.

“You have this place to yourself?” Autumn asked.

“Yeah,” Summer said. “Come on inside.”

As the other girl unlocked the front door, Autumn hesitated. This was her last chance to escape; once she set foot in that house, she would be truly alone with Summer for the first time. If Summer wanted her dead, it was probably going to happen.

If she wants me dead, there’s easier ways to do it. I can’t let myself be afraid, or I’ll never get a chance to stop her.

And if I do die... it’s not like anyone will miss me. So what does it matter?

Summer opened the door for her, letting her go first.

Autumn stepped inside, and Summer followed behind, closing the door behind her.

The wooden floor creaked under their footsteps, and Autumn immediately felt like she was within an old haunted house from a scary movie. The vampire behind her flicked a switch, and a dim light came on.

“If you don’t mind, could you take your shoes off?” Summer asked, as she removed hers. “It helps keep the floors clean.”

Not able to argue the point, Autumn complied. Of course Summer was asking that; it would make it harder for her to escape.

“Welcome to my lair,” Summer giggled. “Bedroom and bathroom are upstairs, and the living room and kitchen are down the hall. Make yourself at home.”

“I could use that bathroom, actually,” Autumn said.

“Okie-dokie,” Summer replied. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

After removing her shoes and leaving them by Summer’s in the hallway, Autumn made her way up the creaking old stairs. Upstairs, there were two rooms open: one was clearly the bathroom, while another - from what Autumn could see where she stood - was Summer’s bedroom.

I couldn’t possibly search there. She would hear every step I took.

Quashing her curiosity for the time being, she went to the bathroom. There was nothing special about it from what Autumn could see, save for the staggering amount of makeup products scattered around the shelf under the mirror. Either Summer was exceptionally skilled at applying makeup to a face she couldn’t see, or yet another legend about vampires was wrong.

Autumn took care of her business, her heart racing the entire time. It was always a nerve-wracking experience to use a bathroom away from home, but this time she had even more reason to worry.

Once she was done, she made her way back downstairs.

As soon as Autumn emerged into the living room, her impressions of a scary haunted house were dispelled. The space was open, centred around an old 70’s-style conversation pit. Instead of a fireplace, there was a flat screen television, before which was a table containing various video game consoles. A large couch and table sat in the corner, beside some large speakers, a very old-looking record player, and a bookshelf that was packed corner-to-corner with sleeved records. Various framed posters lined the walls, most of them bands that Autumn didn’t care for; one that stood out was Warhol-style pop art of Samus’ sprite from the original NES Metroid game.

Separating the living room from the kitchen was a long wooden counter. The kitchen had a large fridge and plenty of counter space, as well as spice racks and shelves. It was well-stocked, with plenty of ingredients and no ‘quick meals’ like Autumn usually ate. The idea of making complex meals there made Autumn feel a pang of jealousy she had not expected.

“Any preference on wine?” Summer asked her, heading towards the refrigerator. “White? Red? Green?”

“Uh, red,” Autumn said. She wasn’t much of a wine drinker.

“Good answer,” Summer said, flashing a toothy grin. “Red is my favourite.”

An image from Autumn’s nightmare came to her mind, of herself kneeling naked before Summer, blood running down her neck; Summer pulling away to reveal lips and chin sparkling crimson...

Autumn shuddered.

If she wants to kill me, there’s not much I can do to stop her. She must have some other goal here.

“Take a seat, make yourself at home!” Summer insisted from the kitchen.

With some reluctance, Autumn went to the couch by the record player and sat down. A moment later, Summer returned, with a bottle of deep red wine, and two glasses in hand. She joined her at the couch, setting down the glasses and opening the bottle.

So close to Summer, Autumn could smell her perfume; the scent was subtle, but it made her head feel light. She wanted to get more of it.

What am I doing?! Why am I in her house? Am I insane? I’m going to die!

After pouring two glasses, Summer set the bottle to the side. She handed one of the glasses to Autumn, the contents swirling within.

The red of the wine was so deep, Autumn could just stare and get lost in it.

“Hold it like this,” Summer said, taking her hand in hers, and moving it from the base of the glass to the narrow stem. “It will keep the warmth of your hand away, keeping the wine cool.”

Summer’s hand was warm. Autumn would have expected a vampire to be ice-cold, but she felt no different than any other woman.

Was it possible she was wrong somehow?

“Cheers,” Summer said. They both drank.

Autumn, being so used to her cheap rum and coke, was not prepared for the taste of the wine. It was both pleasant and unpleasant, and it lingered on her tongue, but the immediate effect was familiar.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or the fact that she had made it this far and nothing had happened, but Autumn felt at ease. She knew she was not being careful, but the built-up stress of the past week had worn her down. If she’d lost her advantage, and this was where it ended, at least it would be pleasant.

This was how it always was for her; she fussed and fussed and let herself go mad from worrying and stressing, until she hit a point where she just gave up. It was too much to take all the time, and she knew it, but somehow she kept putting herself through the same vicious cycle. She’d lost jobs, friends, opportunities she’d never get back. Here she was, five years older than her coworkers, with no future to look forward to and too tired to start anew. It was fitting for her that she’d fail so badly at stopping this vampire, just to willingly march into her house and let herself get killed.

But the attack never came.

Summer watched her as she sipped her wine. “Are you alright?”

“Not really.”

“Do you want to talk?”

“Not really.”

“I understand. How about we put on some music?”

Autumn shook her head. She wasn’t in the mood to go back to painful childhood memories. Instead, she looked to Summer. “Why did you invite me here?”

Summer frowned, and looked away. Was it a look of guilt?

“Can I tell you something personal?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“The thing is,” said Summer, “I have all this nice stuff, I have a place to myself, I have money. But I don’t really have any friends. I mean, yeah, there’s everyone from work, but... y’know, those are my employees. There’s a relationship boundary there that shouldn’t really be crossed.”

Autumn took another sip, not saying anything.

“Sometimes, when you’re in a position where you, you know, have power over people... You don’t want that to just be your life. You want to be able to step away from all of that sometimes and just... be a normal person once in a while. And it can be... difficult.”

“You want to make friends that aren’t also your coworkers?” Autumn asked.

Summer took a long sip, finishing her glass. “Yeah. Friends.”

Something about the way she said that bothered Autumn.

“Finish your drink,” Summer told her.

Autumn took another sip from her glass.

“I’ve seen the way you look at me,” Summer said. Her black-painted lips curled into a smile. “The way you get so flustered and tongue-tied when I’m around. It’s adorable.”

Summer reached over to Autumn, adjusting a bang on the redhead’s forehead, and then running her finger down the side of her face, coming to rest at her chin.

“Uh...” Autumn attempted.

She was so close, Autumn could feel the warmth of her body, the scent of her perfume. It was impossible not to be aware of it. Her round, large breasts, which Autumn had tried to avoid looking at the first time they met, were impossible to ignore. And her eyes, those deep amber eyes, nearly as red as the wine they were drinking.

Summer took the glass from her hand, and before Autumn could say anything, she had filled it again and returned it to her hand.

“Drink,” Summer commanded.

Autumn did so. She didn’t think to argue; it would be suspicious not to, right?

Summer watched her, smiling in amusement as Autumn finished the wine. Her head spinning, she returned the glass to her.

Summer looked her right in the eyes, and suddenly, it was like the whole world went away. The view of Summer’s eyes was all Autumn could see. There was nothing else to worry about, to consider, to fear.

“Tell me,” said Summer, “do you think I’m pretty?”

“Yes,” Autumn answered breathlessly.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“Yes.”

Summer smirked. “Good.”

And then, Summer kissed her.

Her lips were warm, and so incredibly soft. Autumn was paralysed, unable to think or even consider anything but returning the kiss. With one hand, Summer held the back of her head, while the other went to the small of her back, exploring the curve of her waist.

It had been so long since Autumn had been kissed; so long she’d forgotten what it felt like.

It was heavenly.

If this was just a kiss, what more was waiting for her?

She belonged to Summer. This was a moment of ownership. Summer was claiming her. Autumn melted, accepting her place. She would do anything for her.

Summer broke the kiss, trailing small kisses across Autumn’s chin, to her ear. Autumn couldn’t help but let out a moan.

“You want this,” Summer whispered to her.

Instantly, Autumn panicked.

“No!” she screamed, pushing Summer away.

The other girl stared at her in silent shock.

Autumn struggled to breathe. Her hands were shaking violently. She wanted to run, to scream, to cry...

And then, as quickly as she’d started, Summer changed tracks.

“I’m so sorry!” Summer said. “I-I didn’t think you... I mean, I thought you would...”

Autumn just focused on getting herself under control. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

“I thought you were giving me signals,” Summer said shamefully. “I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry...”

“N-no, I-” Autumn cleared her throat. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I shouldn’t have been so forward.”

“No, Summer, I...” Autumn searched for something to say. What could possibly fix this?

Did it even need to be fixed? Did she actually care, or was that more of Summer’s manipulation?

“You’re very beautiful, Summer,” she said. “I’m sure lots of girls would have loved what just happened. I just... I’m straight.”

Even as an excuse - a potentially life-saving one, at that - she felt dirty saying it.

Summer looked at her, with an expression that was hard to read. Was she trying not to cry?

“I see,” Summer said. “If you can’t forgive me, I understand. I won’t bother you again.”

Part of her wanted to tell her to do just that. And another part wanted to rush to her side and console her. Autumn felt so conflicted.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Autumn said. “We can still be friends.”

Frowning, Summer nodded.

Autumn rose from the couch awkwardly. “I um, I think I want to go home.”

Back home, Autumn closed her apartment door shut and immediately slid down to the floor.

“Idiot!” She exclaimed, smacking herself on the forehead. “Stupid idiot! Why did you do that?”

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. She’d convinced herself that it was smarter to do it than not to. And from that point on, she’d just been swept along by Summer’s charm.

I need to be more careful. If she hadn’t said those words...

Well, it wasn’t a total loss. She’d learned a bit about Summer now; where she lived, for one. She’d been planning to find that out from Holly later, but this was perhaps a more natural way to get that information.

She drew herself back up, and went to her little kitchen corner. She set down the plastic bag, which she’d grabbed from her car on her way up, down on the counter. Her head was pounding from that wine, and probably from the stress of what had just happened.

Autumn’s phone buzzed, and she reached in her pocket to check. It was from Holly.

And then it buzzed several more times, as a series of texts from her came rolling in at once.

“Wha-”

Finally! The power’s back! Took them long enough >:{

Autumn scrolled up, reading the previous texts. Just Holly talking about meeting up again soon, followed by her complaining about power in the mall going out.

“Wait a minute...”

Autumn rushed to her computer. After digging out Piper’s note, and typing in the long url, a very plain site came up asking for a login and password.

I’m an idiot.

The mall’s power had been out. Holly hadn’t been able to tell her because nobody got service in the middle of the mall, so with no wifi she couldn’t send texts. The bug at Hot Topic hadn’t been working because there was no wifi for it to connect to. Felicia had planted it after all, and all Autumn’s stress and worry today had been for nothing.

Autumn stood up and paced the length of her apartment.

No, this wasn’t a waste. Because it had made something very clear to her. She couldn’t do this on her own. Exactly as she’d feared, she lost sight of her goals as soon as Summer was near her, with those pretty dark eyes and that soft warm skin. She couldn’t trust that Felicia wasn’t compromised, but she also couldn’t trust herself.

As for Summer... she was exactly the sort of monster as Autumn had initially thought her. The moment the two of them had been alone, Summer had assaulted her, and if she hadn’t been lucky, she would be happily serving her right now.

Autumn scoffed. ‘Lucky’ was a funny way to put it.

How could I have believed that I would one day consider myself lucky for what that piece of shit did to me?

Autumn poured herself a drink, and once her hands had stopped shaking enough, she took her phone and typed a message to Piper.

Has Felicia called Summer about the job yet?

She drank while she waited, and several minutes later, the bottle was empty, and her phone buzzed with a reply.

No, why?

Autumn typed.

Good. Don’t yet. Let’s meet tomorrow.

She poured herself another glass and took a long drink. Her throat burning, and her head spinning, she wondered if she was making the right choice.

It was getting harder and harder to tell all the time.