2 Chapter 2

Salem looked over the print again. He was certain it was Hikaru's group. He put the paper down and ran to Hikaru's apartment. He knocked on the door, onoy for there to be no reply. "Hikaru! Please open up! I need to talk to you!" Salem exclaimed. Suddenly, the door opened and white tubes wrapped around Salem, dragging him inside and lifting him into the air. No, they weren't tubes. It was hair.

Salem looked down and saw the person who looked like a girl with white hair and blue skin was awake. She was holding a baby were-cat in her arms. "Who are you and how do you know Hikaru?" she asked.

"We're childhood friends. Wait, where is he?" Salem asked. Hikaru came bursting out of a room and grabbed the girl's shoulder. "Eight, put him down! He's on our side!" Hikaru exclaimed. The girl, Eight, sighed and dropped Salem. "You still haven't told me who you are," she said.

"Salem. Salem Morph," he answered. Eight looked at him oddly.

"Did you say Morph?" she asked. Salem nodded and felt nervous. "Oh no. She must've been from the lab! Of course she was! She goes by a number!" he thought. Eight started to laugh.

"That's the weirdest last name I've ever heard!" she laughed. Salem felt relieved. She doesn't know who he is. He got up and brushed himself off. Hikaru ran up to him and looked him up and down. "Seems like you're okay. Sorry about Eight. She doesn't trust many people," he said.

"Hikaru, what were you doing!? You and your friends made the front page and now everyone knows you were the last to see them!" Salem exclaimed. Hikaru's face paled and his hands started to shake.

"Dyla ratted me out. Now everyone knows the cryptics are here," he muttered.

"Dyla. Of course it was him who wrote the paper. He can't seem to keep quiet about cryptics!" Salem thought. The male cryptic with stitches look at Hikaru. "Who's Dyla?" he asked.

"Our neighbor. He writes papers and has been obsessing over interviewing a cryptic," Hikaru explained. Salem looked at each of the cryptics.

"If you're staying with Hikaru, then please tell me your names," he said. Hikaru pointed to the girl with nine tails.

"She goes by Seven. The baby is Kaen, the guy back there is 0667, and you already know Eight," he introduced. Salem smiled.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Salem," he announced. The cryptics still looked hesitant. "Okay? Well, I best be going. See you around!" Salem left the apartment. "That was too awkward for my liking!" he thought. He left the complex and wandered the streets to clear his mind. "I wonder what that dream was about. Could Keith really be alive?" he muttered. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Get a hold of yourself, Salem! Keith's never coming back!" he thought. He saw the hiking trail leading into the forest and decided to walk down it.

He took the path and found an old park covered in vines and weeds. He walked around and saw Nana sitting on a bench. "Miss you," she said, slowly. He sat next to her. "What are you doing?" he asked. Nana jumped and looked at him.

"I-I'm trying to learn to read," she answered. She showed him the book she was holding.

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked.

"Yes, please!" she exclaimed.

He spent the next half hour teaching Nana how to read. Before he knew it, it was growing dark. "Already?" he muttered. Nana looked at the sunset. "It's pretty!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, a bush moved behind them. Nana got up and grabbed a sword from beside her. "Who's there?" she asked, sternly. Before Salem knew what was happening, something ran by him and pinned Nana to the ground. He turned and saw a man with dark brown hair and covered in bandages on top of her. He was laughing like a mad man. "I got you!" he laughed.

"Todd, we need her alive. Remember?" another man said. Todd pouted and nodded his head. Salem turned and saw a man with red hair and green eyes approaching. "It's been a long time, Salem," Keith said.