Where Tears Fall Like Snow

6

-Lizzie-

Everyone stops. I look at Oli, then Alex, then Ari.
"Violet was too, right?" I ask eventually, remembering her talking to Reed and Donnie.
"Yeah." Alex says coldly
"Alex and V don't really get along." Ari says
"Oh yeah, Violet said something about how you don't trust her or something." I say
"Yeah, I don't." He says
"I don't see why you don't." Oli says, "She's nice."
"I prefer not to discuss this right now, Oliver." He says in between his teeth.
"Fine, but only because you kinda scare me." He says.
"Ha, good." Alex laughs.
"Hey guys." She sits down next to Oli.
"Yammy?" I ask, "It's been, like-"
"Nine years, three months, a week and three days? Yeah." She says
"I was gonna say, like, ten years but that works too." I say what happened to you.
"Same as Oli." She says, "So you guys are going to Et ex purpureo et Aurea Puer Natus?"
"Yeah." I say
"Can I come with?" She asks, "I have some stuff I need to do, and I know my way around."
"Sure, if everyone else if fine with that." I say
"Can I come also?" Oli asks
"Sure." Callum says

"So why are you guys going to Et ex purpureo et Aurea Puer Natus for?" Oli asks
"A girl named Ivory told us we need to find her." I say, "And I'm trying to find my boyfriend, Joel."
"And Jess." Callum says. Yammy almost spits out her drink.
"Jess... Jess Hedley?" She asks
"Yeah." He says.
"Please tell me you guys were just really good friends." Yammy says
"No, she's my girlfriend." He says. Oli nearly spits out his drink this time.
"You had a girlfriend?" He ask
"Yeah- Wait, had?" He asks
"Oli!" Yammy says
"He was gonna figure out eventually." He says, "To be honest, I always thought I was was gonna be the last one of the three of us who would get a girlfriend."
"You got a girlfriend?" Callum asks
"I mean, we've gone on some dates. I hope we're dating." He says 
"Just you now, Scott." Callum says
"Hi." Alex walks in.
"What're you talking about?" Ari asks
"It was a productive conversation, now they're just talking about how Scott is alone forever." Lauren says
"If Alex got a girlfriend, so can you." Ari jokes
"You guys were playing truth or dare? That game never works with mind readers." Alex says
"You guys are mind readers?" Scott asks
"Yeah, most of us are." Alex says, "Don't worry I don't do it much."
"Ok." He says
"Why, what are you hiding?" He asks
"Don't worry, he's joking." Ari says
"I am?" He asks. Ari elbows him in the ribs.
"Yes, you are." She says

-Ari-

"Can't sleep?" I ask. Scott shakes his head.
"What's on your mind?" I ask. I pour to mugs of tea and hand one to him.
"You said you're a mind reader..." He says
"Technically, Alex said that, but yeah, I'm a mind reader." I say
"Have you ever read my mind?" He asks
"Yeah." I say, "I'm a little cautious when it comes to who I invite into my house."
"How much of it did you read?" He asks, "Is that how it works?" I shake my head.
"How far in did I look." I say, "The whole thing, secrets are in every part of someone's head."
"So you know everything in my head?" He asks. I realize what he's talking about.
"Yes." I put down my mug.
"And you-"
"Yeah." I say, "Your secret is safe with me."
"Oh thank god, that's been worrying me for the last few hours." He says
"Why?" I ask, "I'm part of the community, you didn't think I would out you, did you?"
"I didn't know." He says, "I just... not really the way I expected someone to know."
"And I'm sorry I figured out before you were ready to tell people." I say
"I mean, if anyone was to find out, I'm kinda glad it was you." He says.
"Wait, look at me." I say. He looks up at me, "Holy hell." I say, "Your eyes..."
"What about them?" He asks
"What color are your eyes?" I ask
"Blue." He says
"Well, kinda, I guess..." I say
"Wait, what do you mean by kinda?" He asks
"They're, like, half blue, half gold." I say
"You said half-races don't have gold eyes." He says
"They don't." I say, "Can I see your left finger?" He holds out his finger.
"What're you gonna do?" He asks
"Sorry about this." I prick his finger and put his blood on a slide.
"Ow." He says
"You're a righty, yeah?" I ask
"Yeah." He says.
"Then the blood I just took from your finger should be red." I say. I show him the slide.
"It should be red." He says, "Why is it purple?"
"I can analyze this, one second." I say. I close my eyes and put my hand over the slide.
"What the-"
"What?" He asks
"Well, your blood is almost pure." I say, "There's barley any traces of red blood."
"What does that mean?" He asks
"You're sister, Ursa, was one of the infected." I say, "That means she wasn't born into to race. Siblings will always have the same mutation so if she wasn't a Child of Purple Blood and- we need to get a shorter name for that, then you-"
"Aren't either." He says
"The infected's eyes will turn gold and all their blood with be purple." I say
"So I'm one of the infected." He says
"Most likely." I say.
"Aren't the infected dangerous?" He asks.
"Most of them are." I say
"And I'm not?" He sounds worried.
"I don't think so." I say, "If this much of your blood is already purple and you aren't dangerous then you might not be."
"How would you know? Like, how does it start?" He asks
"Blanking out, loss of focus, thoughts about hurting someone, which could include yourself, and actually hurting someone." I say
"Blanking out?" He asks
"Yeah..." I say, "Have you been blanking out lately?"
"Kinda." He says
"Alex and I are both in you head, if any of that happens, tell us." I say