Zero

Chapter 12

Calum's POV

"Daddy!" Zara screeches, running over to me as soon as I get into Michael's living room, "Look what Auntie Crystal and I did last night!" She holds up a single strip of her dark brown hair that is currently light blue.

"Oh wow," I laugh, kissing her temple as I pick her up, "It matches mine now."

Her face lights up, "I know! That's what Auntie Crys said."

"Zara," Michael calls, "That's what I said, not Auntie Crys." Crystal lightly smacks his arm, making Zara laugh loudly. Ash and KayKay walk into the house and over into the living room.

"Hey Z," Ashton calls, "Why don't you go play with South and Moose outside before lunch?" She nods and wiggles until I set her down on the ground. I watch as my daughter runs outside.

"Why'd you send her outside, Ash?" KayKay inquires, frowning.

"I think it's only fair that everyone gets the warning that our lives may be in danger again," he starts, making me roll my eyes. I sink down on the couch beside Michael.

"Come again?" Crystal calls, frowning.

"Calum?"

"Oh no, go on Ashton. Since you want to tell it so badly."

"Someone just tell us what the fuck is going on," KayKay urges.

"Calum slept with Blaze last night," Ashton elaborates, making me wince and everyone else gasp.

"You saw her without the mask?" Michael demands.

"Yeah," I admit.

"What?" Ashton cuts in, "You said she kept in on while you fucked."

"Kinky," Michael pipes up.

"Michael!" I snap.

"That's what I said!" Ashton shrieks.

"Yeah that's fascinating honey," KayKay assures him, "Cal, why'd you see her without the mask?"

"I thought she may be Molly. I noticed that she and Molly have a lot of the same mannerisms. Then I noticed that Blaze has an eerily similar birth mark and scar to Molly. And the location of both matched with Molly's. She had a 5SOS ring and a Z charm on a necklace. It was weird."

"But she wasn't Molly?" Crystal double checks, frowning, "That's just weird."

"I-"

"Hey guys!" Sierra calls.

"Sorry we're late!" Luke adds.

"No one say anything about this to Luke," I command, my voice hushed. They all nod as Luke and Sierra move into the living room.

"Cal, why didn't you drop Zara off at our house yesterday?" Luke frowns, "We were gonna take her to the arcade."

"I, uh, I didn't have time," I answer honestly, "I had to be somewhere, so I just left her here."

"Where'd you have to be?" Sierra inquires, genuinely curious. Everyone watches. I mentally curse Michael, Ashton, Crystal, and KayKay for not helping me out at all.

"I went to the Blaze ceremony thingy," I finally spit out, unable to come up with anything better.

Luke tenses slightly, "Oh? How was it?"

"Pretty lame," I lie, "I got mugged after. Two cops saved me though."

"Shit Calum," Crystal jumps in, "Are you okay?"

"Daddy!" Zara screeches, running back inside before we can get too far into this conversation.

"Yeah honey?"

"I got a boo-boo," she cries, climbing up onto my lap to show me her scraped knee. Thank God I can get away from this conversation.

"Let's go get a band-aid," I tell her, standing up.

"Race you," Zara shrieks, taking off upstairs.

I turn to my friends, "I'll be back in a few minutes. But if you want her tonight, you can have her Luke. I don't have anything planned and know she'd probably rather hang out with you two at an arcade than me."

"If you're sure-"

"Daddy!" Zara yells from upstairs, "I can't reach!"

"Positive," I reply before I head upstairs to help my daughter, a plan slowly forming in my head about what I need to do about Blaze.