Shades of Gray

Dan

Dan didn't know if he had ever cried more than he had during the week that that went by with no word from the police on where Henry was. In during which Echo had developed into a sort of pen-pal; an evil pen-pal. They had dropped two more letters during that time, one had pictures of Henry tied and gagged, a little burnt, but living. That had relieved Dan immensely. In terms of school, Dan had gone for the first two days Henry was gone before realizing that he was only going to get fake sympathy and concerned fangirls. No one really cared that Henry was gone. They were all worried about who would protect them if not Exodus. It made his blood boil. On top of that, the police, as Dan was learning, were not very good at their job. He had done as Echo had demanded and not told them about the letters, even if they could have helped find Henry. The whole town was running amok after the reveal of a new villain and the loss of their hero. He hadn't seen much of Maggi, but he hadn't really been seeking her out. He felt bad about how wrong he had been in assuming that Maggi was the villain. Even thinking about it made him sick, for it reminded him of the stakeout, and how wrong it went. He sunk onto the couch and curled into a ball. He could feel tears stinging his eyes and spilling over. It just made him sink even lower. He was completely helpless. At the whims of whatever Echo wanted him to do in order to keep Henry safe. He closed his eyes and felt a whisper of wind. He knew the windows were all closed, so he jolted up. He found a piece of paper on the cushion next to him, in the same parchment Echo was fond of using. It read : 

My dearest Dan,
I hope we haven't worried you too much over the last week. It would make poor Exodus all the more feisty if you were. I have a proposal to make. You know fully well I have the ability to travel to where ever I like, but it comes at a cost. I can only go where I know. I want you to meet me on the roof of the New Moon club tonight. Midnight. Wear something nice, please, it will be a nice reunion, after all.
Echo

He knew he had to go. But, New Moon club? That rang a bell in his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to remember why. He shrugged himself up and crept to the bedroom. He glanced at the clock and sighed when he saw he only had half an hour to get ready and go. At least he wouldn't have to wait. He changed into a forest green Hawaiian shirt and dress pants. It would work. He locked his front door, though he knew it wouldn't do much against a certain intruder. He sighed and started his car, his perfect, old, car. It drove as smoothly as it could to New Moon before pulling over and parking. He rushed across the street to the club and made his way inside. There were two things he noticed right away : the lack of security, and the lack of people. He felt the hairs on his neck stand up as he walked into the empty building, usually overflowing with people. He made his way to the second floor and from there to the roof. He glanced around a moment and settle on the edge of the roof. He closed his eyes, which were heavy with lack of sleep. He heard someone settle beside him and opened an eye. The person before him had a black half face mask that was concealed any features. The eyes were barely an indent and he couldn't even see the color of them. Their clothes were also black, along with a cloak that trailed over their shoulders and down to their ankles, but they had the faint tint of cyan towards the edges. Like an echo, he thought unconsciously. He shook away the thoughts as he turned to face them fully. 
"Ah, Dan. You lovely to see you in person. When you can see me as well, of course." Their voice was deep and masculine, but that barely registered as his thoughts focused on one question. 
"Why did you ask me here?" He had recognized the building when he had first approached, but it was only in that moment when he realized how he knew it. It was the club Maggi had taken them to, the one in which she had ended up with a girl. Echo shook his head. 
"Now, now, Dan. I asked you here tonight to see how badly you want Henry back. How far are you willing to go for him?" Dan tensed at the question. How far was he willing to go? He didn't know. He must have seen the answer in his eyes as Echo began to smile. He was unusually pale, almost like Maggi, but she was a girl. Echo was clearly masculine. His broad shoulders, his tall form. If he wasn't evil he might have been Dan's type. "I want to you follow me. I'll bring you to what you want." Dan was as tense as a cat about to pounce. He was prepared to run at the slightest hint of hostility, but he followed nonetheless. Echo led him down the roof until they got to where the roof ended. Then, they jumped and landed on a roof about ten feet away. Dan pulled back a few steps before running and jumping as well. He landed ungracefully at Echo's feet. He had a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. It irritated Dan. He pulled himself up and followed Echo for a while longer before they stopped at a door. It was slightly ajar with a small flame flickering on the other side. Dan didn't wait for Echo to open the door, he raced through it not even bothering to check if it was a trap. He felt a hand on his shoulder as he went through the door. Echo's touch sent a shiver through Dan's body, not a pleasant one. Dan looked around the room until his eyes found who he was looking for. Henry was tied to an armchair, gagged pleading with his eyes. He knew Henry had most likely seen Dan through the crack in the door, and he wondered if Echo had meant for that to happen. He raced to Henry's side and moved to unbind him. 
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice didn't come from Echo, it was a familiar voice. He realized with a resigned grumble that it wasn't just the three of them anymore. A girl held a flame in her hand, the flickering he saw through the door. He realized as he gazed at her suit, that it was Kadence. He jerked when he realized, and he prayed he wasn't right. He prayed she wasn't teaming with Echo. He tried to see the good in everyone, but he was starting to realize, there were always shades of gray.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I will try to post again tomorrow (if I don't fall asleep :'D).