"Zeth, I need you to tell me everything you know about my dad and my mum because... Zeth?" Jade asked once she closed the door of Evie's apartment. "Zeth!"
"Why is Alex unconscious two floors below and why didn't Evie tell me? She is right there!" Zeth grumbled, peering down from one of the hall's arcade arches, "And Frank is carrying him bridal style. Maybe I should go check that out. EVIE!" Zeth shouted and she looked up, palming her face, "Oh yeah, young lady! I caught you! Wait there! I'll tell Everett to pick up Alex and take him to the Solar."
Jade was already getting sick of this.
Zeth said they should talk, but instead they stayed in Evie's living room while Zeth spent several minutes on the phone with Egor and a few other important people while Jade sat waiting in an elegant couch.
And now he was calling Everett on the phone.
"Fuck! Evie! Everett's not answering!" Zeth shouted from above.
"I can carry Alex, Zeth!" Frank shouted.
"We will enter the Solar through the kitchen balcony!" Evie shouted too.
"Fine! I'll meet you at the Solar and I want an explanation!" Zeth grumbled, turning to face Jade, "Fine. Shall we go?"
"Shall we?" Jade rolled her eyes, walking towards him, "Zeth, I need to talk to you about..."
"Wait, I got a message from the hotel," Zeth said, his eyes on his phone.
"Zeth, I'm tired of you ignoring me," Jade said, walking down the long hallway with Zeth by her side, still looking at his phone, "Every time I ask for five seconds of your attention, your mind is on what you need to do next, not on what I'm telling you."
"I'm just replying a message from the hotel manager, it will take a second," Zeth texted at full speed, "I'd send an audio but the manager's brain works as a list." The rest of the way out of the hallway was silent, and once they reached the Heart of Lyonfort, Zeth's phone buzzed again. "Perfect, the first three trailers have already arrived at the hotel, now I just need..."
"Zeth," Jade grumbled, stopping short as they reached the massive stairs that would take them up and straight to the Solar door, "Zeth, I'm breaking up with you."
Zeth stopped walking.
He turned back slowly, eyes half-shut.
"What?"
"You never pay attention to me. I think I've had enough," Jade crossed her arms over her chest.
"No, wait. You don't understand... You can't break up with me because you and I are not..."
"Yes I can! You don't even look at me!" Jade snapped. She was trying to keep herself calm, but the fact that his phone buzzed again wasn't helping at all.
"It's not like that! And I can't get distracted right now, Jade, my job is important," Zeth finally spoke, his voice hardening, "My life is stressful, okay?"
"Maybe if you weren't always busy working then your life wouldn't be as stressful!" Jade threw up her hands, "Maybe then we could have some fun together! Maybe then you'd be interested in me more than your job!"
Zeth blinked, his jaw slightly dropping before his expression twisted into something ugly.
He took a step closer to her.
Jade's breath hitched at the sudden change and she tried to swallow her rising emotions.
"Fine. I see you have the wrong idea of what you and I are, so do what you want." Zeth nodded.
"What? No! We're not done!" Jade protested.
"What the fuck are you talking about, woman?" Zeth raised an eyebrow, "If you're going to stand here arguing with me..."
"I didn't come here to argue with you, Zeth." She took the phone from him quickly, putting it behind her back, "Having a girlfriend is not about arguing."
"Give me my phone back," he reached out but she took a step back, "Jade, I'm serious. I need the phone."
"Then get a new phone! And a new girlfriend too!" She snapped and started walking away without another word.
She wasn't sure where she was going if she was being honest. All she knew was that she needed to get away from him.
"Jade, stop!" Zeth shouted, but she did not, "Jade! Don't make me use my powers on you!"
She stopped.
"Now you are threatening me?" She looked over her shoulder at him, "You know something, Zeth? I used to think you were perfect, you were my idol, my crush, and when I met you I was disappointed. But you acted nice to me for two or three days, and I changed my mind. And now you are being an asshole again."
"Jade, I'm working. You and Finn are being dramatic."
"And you're acting like someone who's not in a relationship with me, you know?" Jade scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I am your girlfriend. You know that, right?" She held up her hand before he could speak, "No. I don't want you to talk. I am the only person that matters right now."
"And what about the band?"
"Zeth, I understand you have work to do, but I don't like being ignored," Jade said, his phone buzzing in her hand, "I don't think you care enough about me because you never have time. It's that easy. I respect your work, I respect you as the leader that you are and I know that thanks to you Monster Mash has grown exponentially, but I want a boyfriend, I want you to be my boyfriend. I want your attention and not just your presence. So, you must choose. Your job, or me?"
"What?! The Hell are you talking about?!" Zeth threw up his hands, "Do you think I have time to follow you everywhere? Because I ain't a Romance Book Millionaire! His company would have gone to hell for wasting so much time with his 'Submissive' to begin with but of course! That's fiction! And just so you know, I am not and never was your...."
"If you think that's what having a girlfriend slash boyfriend means, you're very wrong. I don't expect you to be a millionaire stalker with a lot of free time, I just want you to put your work aside and give me the attention that I deserve for being your girlfriend, Zeth." Jade stepped towards him, but his eyes were glowing gold, "What are you doing? Will you use your powers on me? What for?"
"Give me my phone, Jade," Zeth's eyes returned to their normal sapphire tone, and he shook his head, holding his temples, "You're acting just like Finn. And I'll tell you the same thing I told him... You don't know me, and I don't know you."
"And you're the only one to blame," Jade roughly put the phone on Zeth's chest, "No one knows anything about you because you don't want to."
"That is not true! You can ask Evie or Draco, they know everything about me. My past is not a secret, I just don't talk about it because I have a lot of work to do," he immediately checked the messages on his phone, "This job is why we are all who we are now, Jade."
"Do not think I owe you anything, Zeth Rahman. I will not allow that." she shook her head, "I know what you're capable of, but you should think about how I feel, not about what you're doing."
"Because of this job we have money, because of this job Lyonfort is now a better residence than it was when Draco and I and our people moved here in 1918, because of this job we have no worries and because of this job..." he blushed and looked away.
"What?"
"Because of this job I found a family that I just denied out there while I was arguing with Finn." Zeth looked at the top of the stairs, as if he were looking at the Solar, "And it's because of this job that I keep my mind busy and away from my demons."
"Oh! Now you will play the victim with me," Jade said crossing her arms, "Well guess what, Zeth?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't care about your job anymore. I am not your girlfriend anymore, and I have nothing to do with you," Jade said firmly, "I'm not going to separate you from your work, I'm just going to distance myself, I'm going to put a healthy boundary between you and me. I know there's a lot at stake, and I'm not going to get in the way of that, but I'm not going to let you get in the way of my happiness either. I don't know you, that's true, I don't know anything about you. This job is tearing you apart, everyone, and you are supposed to pay attention to me even if you have a lot of things to do. I'm not going to stay if your job is more important to you than..."
"Then fucking leave!" He shouted, and even when her heart hurt, she stood strong, "If you don't like my job, guess what? You can leave now and forget about us because this job will forever be a part of our lives! And yours now too! And just so you know! I'm not, and never was, your fucking..."
"I'm not going to give up on everything for a blank page like you, Zeth," she looked him up and down, "And you know something? It's stupid! It's absurd that you say you don't know us, it's absurd that you don't let anyone in. But I guess that's just who you are. You hide your pain by pretending you're busy, you push everyone away because you don't want anyone to see you crying. Well you're not fooling me, I see right through you, all of us can," she took a long, well needed breath.
"And I know you want to help me," he nodded, "But maybe Finn is right. I should never have committed to a relationship. It's not even a worth it."
"No, you're the one who's not worth it, Zeth!" Jade turned red with fury, "Do you really think I wanted to date a guy with such horrible manners, or such shitty attitude, or with a personality like yours?!"
"Hey, hey, hey." Zeth rushed to grab her arm, stopping her from storming away, "You think I am not a worth it?"
"You said I wasn't," she pulled away from him.
"No, I said a relationship is not even a worth it," Zeth corrected himself.
"Yeah? Well then, maybe a relationship with you isn't worth it."
Zeth clenched his teeth.
"You don't understand, do you?" he muttered under his breath, "You and me? Do you think we're something? Do you really think you're breaking up with me?"
"For something to be over, there must have been something first. If your so-called family means so much to you, then stay with them and don't look for me because I'm not your girlfriend anymore." Jade walked past him, not looking back at him once.
"Jade!" he shouted, "Jade!" he called again, but she was already going up the stairs to the Solar, "Jade! You and I were never in a relationship!"
She stopped ascending.
Had she just heard correctly?
"What?" She just couldn't believe it.
"You heard me right. You and I have never been a couple and I don't understand where you got that idea from." he said, rushing up the steps, "I understand you want attention, I get it," he stood a couple steps below her to be eye level, "I know the problem is that I'm always busy and I agreed to have a relationship without having enough time or commitment for it. But that's the problem. I never had a romantic relationship with you."
"No. You just say that so I think I'm wrong and you're right as always," She looked down at him, unable to tear her eyes off of his.
"Jade, you and I are not a couple."
"But we kissed!"
"No. You kissed me," Zeth replied firmly, "And a kiss is not synonymous with a relationship, Jade."
"Well, I don't care," Jade said, "If I'm nothing to you, it doesn't matter. The other guys want a poly relationship with me and..."
"What?"
"Frank invited me on a super romantic date and..."
"Frank planned the date for Evie and you came instead," Zeth replied and Jade froze.
"Oh. Nevermind! Frank can stay with his toxic ex then. But Alex proposed the poly relationship at the club and..."
"Alex asked you if you, being a girl, would be okay with it. He never said you would be the girl. He asked because he's in love with Evie."
"Evie! Evie! It's all Evie!" Jade fumed, "And what about the date with Everett, huh? That was for Evie too?!"
"Everett clearly stated that it was a Test Date," Zeth frowned, "And he actually asked you to give him feedback."
"No, it can't be," Jade was turning pale, "And what about the gifts you gave me?"
"I told you it was to help you blend into this environment. Can't I be nice to you as a friend?"
"And last night? It was very romantic how Draco asked me for help with the song and even sang for me! He put the whole Solar in darkness and even lit a candle to make it romantic!"
"Well Draco's been romantic with everyone then because he does it all the time when he writes songs," Zeth crossed his arms. "He says it helps him express what he feels when he writes."
"What about Finn?" Jade frowned, "I mean, he gave me his number!"
"Have you never given your number to a friend? Do you think people still send letters with carrier pigeons?"
"So that means this was all a lie?!" Jade shouted, "But you guys fought for me in the forest!"
"It's called testosterone, Jade," Zeth rolled his eyes, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
"No! You have a lot of explaining to do!"
"Do you realise that you are asking me to put aside my responsibilities just to explain what needs no explanation?" Zeth lowered his eyebrows.
"Don't try to manipulate me now," she whispered, closing her eyes, trying to avoid him. "You are mine, you belong to me just like the other guys. You are all supposed to always be aware of my needs regardless..."
"Hey! Are you even listening to yourself?" he grunted. "Are we just trophies for you?"
"Boyfriends are supposed to pay attention to their girlfriends, Zeth."
"But I'm not your boyfriend, none of the boys are," Zeth looked very disappointed, "And I'm not going to let you talk about my friends as if they were objects that you own."
"Then what would you do if you were me?" she peeled her eyes, staring straight at his, "Tell me, Zeth, what would you do if you were in my place?"
"I'd stop seeing romance where there is only friendship," he replied, "Finn was angry that I agreed to have a relationship without having time for it, and he's right. But why does it seem that you are only interested in living your Wattpad Fantasy? Where does this protagonist syndrome come from?"
"It's not a protagonist syndrome, Zeth. Just give me some time and space to clear my head." She took a step back, turning away from him. "You just ruined everything."
"Jade, I'm sorry, but there was never anything between you and me to ruin."
"You are an asshole, Zeth," she mumbled.
"I know," he said. "And I know you don't want to believe everything I just told you."
"I understand everything," she said, "But I think you should give me a chance. I'm a very interesting girl and I was there for you when Evie wasn't."
"When?"
"The Opera House? She left for the bathroom and didn't come back until the show was over. Is that what you want? A girl who leaves at the most important moment of your life?"
"You do know that Evie was fighting a hunter who wanted to ruin our image during the show, right?" Zeth asked. "And she was the one who discovered that Paul was dubbing Anton's voice?"
"I still think I'm worth more. Oh! What if you let the guys help you so that you can pay more attention to me?" Jade put her hands on Zeth's shoulders, "Everett has a great memory, he can help you a lot with dates or things you have forgotten, and have you seen how he jumps? He could save us a lot of time carrying things too! Finn is a very capable boy, he has all the potential to solve problems and manage time, he was literally in charge of scheduling this entire day and everything is going perfectly well. Draco is very creative so he can help you find solutions that maybe you didn't see like the strip club idea, and he is very good at writing songs and giving life to the lyrics. Paul has the gift with words so he can help you with public relations. Frank is an expert in robotics, and he can greatly help you lead staff members to set up everything for the shows, from lighting to audio and screens. Alex is an expert at flirting, have you thought that maybe he would be useful to handle social media and fanmail?"
"Oh no, Egor already takes care of social media and we all check our fanmail weekly," Zeth said and Jade cocked her head, "What?"
"Well, you're lying," she blinked rapidly, "Because there is fanmail in the library and no one has checked it. Zedrick told me."
"What?" Zeth looked at Jade with eyes filled with sapphire blue terror, "What do you mean?"
"Well, there's fanmail according to Zedrick," Jade moved her shoulders, "Why?"
"Because no one knows we live here, Jade!" Zeth raised his voice.
"Ooookay, then you tell me who sent those letters and I'll call the police." Jade crossed her arms, leaning against the railing to support herself.
"Follow me, we will take the north hallway that leads to the Bigfoot Tower and turn left to go to the library," Zeth said, walking down the stairs quickly, but when Jade didn't follow him, he pointed a finger, "It's this way, Jade."
"Who can know we are here?" Jade asked, slowly walking down, "Who could have told anyone we're here?"
"No idea," Zeth was trembling, "That doesn't make sense. The angry blonde maybe? Or..."
"I didn't say anything," Jade was offended that Zeth thought about her being the snitch.
"Come on, come with me."
"Do you think those letters have anything to do with the murderous waiters?" Jade asked walking quickly alongside Zeth down the dark hallway with large arches, which was very similar to the hallway that led to Evie's room. In fact, she could see that one from here, to the right, parallel to this corridor.
"If that were the case, we would have more waiters at the door already," Zeth turned left into a hallway of stairs, very dark and grey, "But I'm sure it has something to do with it." Zeth took out his phone, dialled quickly and immediately someone answered, "Hey, hello. It's Zeth. Excuse me, did fanmail arrive at the hotel by any chance? Thank you very much. The letters arrived by crow? Do you think you can open one and send me a photo to this number? Please have the other letters ready for when I arrive at the hotel. No, no, that's all. Thank you." Zeth then searched through his contacts and found who he was looking for, speed dialling, "Clyde? Hey, quick question, can you ask your dad if any letters have arrived at Kade Fort? The university, that's what it was called before. Okay, send me a message as soon as you can and a pic of an open letter if any arrived. Are you at the hotel? Oh good! Please tell... Wait, Finn sent Damon, Deadgar, Boomer, Kato and Anton to the hotel? To help? Oh! Thanks for telling me. Can you ask them to make sure everything arrived in one piece as well? Thank you!"
Zeth hung up the phone, and continued running down the stairs with Jade following close behind him.
As they reached the bottom, Zeth ran across the hall to the entrance of the library. Jade caught up to him and pulled at his black tank top.
"What?" Zeth asked.
"Do you think we're in danger, Zeth?" Jade asked and he nodded.
"I don't know what those letters could be about, but I think they are definitely related to the Hunters who have tried to kidnap us all year long."
"Zeth, are you okay?" Jade had never seen him shake or even tremble, but the look on his face made her feel uneasy.
His phone then buzzed.
"Hello? Who is this? Maddox? Oh! Clyde and Jeyk Hill's father! Right. I haven't talked to you in years. Thanks, I will save your number. Wait, what are you talking about? The letters had House Rahman's seal on them? No. Wait, what other letter? With an unknown seal? How strange, I'll ask her. Thanks, bye." Then he hung up, swallowing hard, "It seems that another bunch of letters actually arrived at the school just a few weeks ago. Maddox will send me a photo, he has them in his studio."
"Zeth," she put her hand on his shoulder and he flinched, "Why are you so afraid?"
"I can't run from the past anymore apparently, it is coming straight at me," he said, looking at her, "There are so many things I wanted to tell you, but I can't do it while we're standing here in the dark. Come on, I need to know what the letters say. But first... Maddox told me that a letter arrived at the university a few months ago, and he told me that the letter was addressed to Erich. Did your father say anything to you about it?"
"Not really," Jade frowned.
"Well, what would my life be without a thousand mysteries to solve?" Zeth sighed, turned and pushed open the wooden doors, quickly stepping inside the library.