_Who has seen a small-sized girl?

" I am not with my checkbook right now. I'd have written you the cheque." Farris said to the sheriff who ceased the words from coming out of his mouth with a hand.

" You all go sort that out amongst yourselves in private since you have dismissed the case." he jeered then turned to Asher. " You are lucky this time boy. Better be sure of what your eyes see before proclaiming wrongly" he had his index finger shaking vigorously at Asher before he sent them all off.

Just when they were about to walk out of the door. "Will contact you when the forensic results are out. Has your brother been successfully treated?" the sheriff shouted behind them.

They all simultaneously turn to him except for Asher. He was already out of the door.

" Our brother will be fine sheriff" she saw the strained smile Farris shot the man before turning back to face the door.

Abruptly, they all did the same and immediately, they were out of the Sheriff's Office and soon out of the precinct.

Rune was more than glad the cops were finally out of the picture. Now, they could deal with the real problem.

When they got out and were on their way to get their car, she saw a cop about to herd Asher into a police car.

Without thinking it twice, she ran over to them.

" We will take Asher home" she offered and was about to hold the handle of his wheelchair when his voice stopped her.

" No!" his voice was sharp. " Please, take me back home," he told the police officer who looked confused.

He was angry, probably mad at them for being pinned in a tight spot back at the sheriff's office.

She understood his pain quite well so, she decided to give him time. If she was going to convince him even, it would not be in front of this cop.

So, she backed away and downheartedly walked back to their own car.

" I thought you were going to bring the cripple to go with us?" August said to her as she sat in the back seat of their Grand Cherokee jeep.

It was the type that could accommodate their nine-number family.

" Asher! His name is Asher!" she snapped at August, upset at him for calling the poor boy a cripple.

Calliope chided in gingerly. " The sheriff calls him LSR"

" Asher, LSR, or whatever, he's a cripple too!" August fired back at her.

Oh, she was in no mood for any silly argument at all. Her mind could still replay the way he looked at her, the pained swirl of emotions and disappointment she saw in them. She felt bad, really bad, and awfully ashamed of herself and her family too. But, they did save them all, didn't they?

" Be nice August!" Luna scolded but all of their voices were becoming surprisingly distant in her ears.

Her head was suddenly ringing, a factor caused by her illness but yet again, she strived to keep the pain to herself without alerting the others.

" If people were nice, would Vidal create ferals and dump us all into this mess?!" August howled at Luna in return.

Rune wondered how that statement would sound to Vidal. To hear his friend throwing painful words at him obviously because he was mad at him for hiding things from him.

They were all currently mad at Vidal but couldn't dispute the fact that they had all done things in the past which would one day come to haunt them.

" August is a month of un-niceties" Calliope growled. " No pun intended!" she laughed after.

If her head wasn't working against her and threatening to explode right there and now, maybe she would find the arguments of the other funny but she wasn't.

As soon as the jeep pulled to a stop inside the parking lot, she opened the car door and dashed out of it as fast as she could.

" Now, where did that cat hide her manners!" she heard Luna nagging behind her but that wasn't important.

She needed a glass of water and that was about it.

Miraculously, just as always, the water worked. Her head throbbed less but the pain hadn't completely evaporated. It was mainly bearable now. Enough to make her active in the family's matters.

" Give an in-depth description of how she looks like. The chameleon" Farris instructed Vidal immediately they stepped in, throwing his coat on the couch.

" I thought you were smarter than that Farris. Smart enough to know the original won't stay in the same form when she can easily take another to deceive the eyes the more!" Luna hollered.

Amadio pulled Luna closer and placed a hand on her mouth. Now, Rune laughed.

That was hilarious.

" She is deceitfully small in size. Probably stopped aging in her early twenties and is… is just.. small, I guess" was all Vidal could say.

He had been silent since the beginning of the day, perhaps wondering what his fate would be after this.

Gizem raised a question that was coincidentally in Rune's mind also. " Has anyone seen a girl around then? A small-sized girl" there was a trait of mockery in her tone.

Oh, her sister!

" We can ask around though" Vidal gulped.

" I stand to believe she cannot remain in that form. I'm sure she's looking like someone else now. She is playing a game with us, don't you all see?" Luna who had successfully removed her partner's hand from above her mouth spouted.

Farris punched the poor sofa in frustration and the poor three-seater furniture released all the foam stuffed in it in retaliation while the planks inside of it broke. " We need to find this damn chameleon! Fender is fucking dying!" He grunted angrily.

" And… now we need a new sofa" Calliope chided.

Rune's lips slacked in amusement. Her family was one hell of a family.

" Just how do we find her huh?" August turned to Vidal questioningly.

Since Rune has been in the family, she has never seen any hostility between those two friends but now, August was more than hostile to his friend.

Things secrets could do to a healthy relationship.

Amadio had his hands placed over one another under his chin. " Why don't we wait till she makes her next move? She will definitely do something else since her plan failed and we all did not get poisoned like she wanted"

" Yes, and every more moment we spend waiting, the closer Fender gets to dying" Calliope scoffed.

" Let's not argue further. If we do not see anything before the evening today, I will go back to the healer to hear the updates on Fender's health. Who knows? They could have gotten a step ahead of us" Farris said a little more calmly now.

He was right, they shouldn't eat each other out on matters they have zero power over.

" Right" Luna agreed with him.

The air was tense amongst them now. Everyone dispersed and went about their other business.

" I can't believe those cops came banging on our door so early, I couldn't even get a proper bath!" Calliope nagged as she went in the direction of the rooms.

" Rune?" Farris called out to her and she turned to him. " Can I see you outside for a moment?" he demanded.

Okay, was she surprised and in wonder of the reason Farris wanted to see her privately?

No!

He was the one she leaned into the most in the family and such private talks were not a strange element between them.

She had a hand stuffed into the sleeve of the other hand as they walked out. The weather was getting colder as each day passed by.

" You know you will ruin that beautiful sweatshirt" Farris grunted as he crossed a hand over her shoulders until they were outside and he let go.

Rune rolled her eyes. " Yes," she said. " Remember you got me this last Christmas? I guess it's time to receive another" she chuckled.

" I am going to set a reminder that goes off whenever I plan on getting you a sweatshirt. One that says - don't! She will ruin it!" Farris joked and made a face that caused Rune to laugh.

The only genuine laugh she has given since the beginning of this mess in their new home.

" Hmm, I will remember to steal your biggest coat and set it on fire when you do so" Rune joked too but Farris only laughed and went quiet for a moment.

" From the convex mirror of the car, while driving, I saw you grab your head. As if you were in pain. Is it getting worse?" His voice was coated with concern now.

That wasn't what she was expecting when Farris called her out. She had to gulp- hard to tell a lie she had been caught red-handed.

But then again, she had to lie.

She wasn't the one the others should be worried about now but Fender.

The slamming of the door from the next house caught their attention and simultaneously, they both turned their heads.

Whoever was the architect who designed the burnt haven should be awarded a medal now for not making the fences a tall one.

Hopping on a bike was a girl who looked like she was barely eighteen. She was running her legs on the pedals in a bid to hurry to where?

The store?

She had a grocery bag hung on the bike's hand pedal as she drove it off.

Worst, she came out from the house of the boy next door.

Asher, are you truly guilty of lying? Rune thought and gulped deeply.