Spades and Angels

That's Your Solution?!

Lolita

Looking down at the piece of paper in my hand I feel my body shake, the beginning of a panic attack starting the more I think over what it could mean. Mads seems to notice when he pulls me toward him with an arm around my shoulder, a soft kiss on the top of my head as I close my eyes until the world stops spinning.

"Come on, we need to see the others about this, unless you want to open it here?" He gives me a look but I shake my head. "Ok, then come on." He gives Ash a look and I see the other person nod. "Come on, outside."

I nod mutely and follow him out to where the others all wait with worried expressions. Keeping the paper in my hand I didn't see who gave it to me but was starting to see something else. Where before my friends had been worried about me now they seemed cold. Reserved. My former friends turned their backs on me with a warning that despite being unspoken had me worried. Worried our lie was running out of time. Our alibi seems to lose credibility a little more each day.

"What happened?" Ash asks the hard question and Hali watches me from next to him. Her eyes worried. "Mads? Lo?"

"I-this," I mumbled, holding up the piece of origami-folded paper with a shaky hand. "It appeared under my books on my desk after English class and I...I don't know what it says. I didn't open it."

"Ok, want to do so now?"

I nod and shakily unfold the paper, smoothing out the creases to read the bold words written there in handwriting that I can't help but subconsciously recognise even if I can't name why. The words shocked me into silence.

THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT. WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID. SOON THEY ALL WILL. THEN YOUR DONE.

"Oh shit," I hear Mal mumble where we'd all seen the message where I'd held it up in the light. "Wait, why do I feel like I know the handwriting?" She muses as my eyes snap to hers. "You good?"

"You recognise the writing too?" I ask the question in a rush, any discussion of what we talked about in English gone from our minds in light of the note slipped to me at my desk. Mal nodes, dark eyes warily watching me. "I-I thought I did too. Maybe it's someone we know."

"One of the Spades?" Ash mumbles, thinking over the words "It could be but how would we check? Can we check?"

I shake my head with a shrug, "I-I'm sorry Ash I don't know maybe not." I sigh, "But between this and the fire message last week they're stepping up their chase. Caging us in but why so early? And why when they still either don't know or won't reveal whatever my dad threatened to tell about us?" I look at Mads then and see my partner sigh, eyes troubled. "What....oh hell no," I say spying the look on his face,

Mads frowns, "What? Hey, what Lo? I didn't say shit."

I shake my head with a laugh, "Nope but you didn't have to. I can read that expression and it does no good if you do it." He frowns and I sigh, "Whatever you're thinking - whatever vendetta revenge plan you've half cooked up in there - don't do that." I tip my head toward his, knowing he'll understand. "Please, whatever you do, don't make this worse and react." He gives me a mock wounded look but I can tell he's angry. The darkness in the back of his eyes was familiar but not frightening me, not that time. Instead, it just worried me since I know what he's like. How far he'll go to defend those he loves, and I worry he'll take this too far. Hurting himself and putting a bigger target than there already will be on his back in the process. "Please promise me you won't do something stupid that'll attract the wrong kind of attention?"

He sighs, looking like he's about to make a joke to diffuse some of the tension before I fix him with a stronger look than before, arms crossed and face serious. Making his mouth snap shut and eyes close for a second. When he opens them again he sighs and nods, "ok, I promise."