Steal the Stars [REWRITING]

Annabelle - Why Me

To say the boys weren't happy when we got home would be an understatement. The sky was already turning a deep purple, shadows stretching along the pathways like clawed things. It had been my fault, of course. After we'd gotten our masks, I'd insisted on stopping for kiyucuri, which I hadn't had since my last visit to the city two years previously.

And it was totally worth it.

"Where have you been?" Leo said, his voice the very definition of 'I'm-not-mad-I'm-just-disappointed.' James didn't look happy either, though I doubted that was over concern for our safety; he just didn't like waiting.

"It wasn't her fault," I said, stepping further into the room. "It was mine. And look! We got all our stuff. Can you say the same?"

"Yes," James said. "And we did it in a timely manner." He pointed at the suits spread across the back of the couch, accounting masks nearby. I was pleased to see one was blue and the other was red; my telepathy skills were clearly excellent. Of course, this meant I'd be stuck with James, but I could make sacrifices.

I shrugged, twirling a strand of my hair around my finger. "These things take time, Jamie. You can't rush them. You've got to be prepared. You've got to make sure everything's perfect. You've got to–"

"I think we get the point," Leo interrupted, holding up a hand to stop me. "But, as enlightening as that was, it doesn't explain why you thought it was a good idea to be wandering around Koyia in the middle of the night. It's dangerous out there." He was looking at Nicole when he said it, who was noticeably not looking at anyone in the room. The 'getting in trouble' thing was a walk in the park for me, but she clearly disagreed.

"Please," I scoffed. "Koyia is filled anytime, day or night. We were perfectly safe. Besides, Nicole is so covered in knives you can barely touch her without getting hurt, and she's more than capable of defending herself. As for me," I whipped a pillow towards James, "I think I'm pretty capable."

"Pillows aren't exactly lethal weapons," James snapped, as the pillow smacked me back in the face.

"Ow," I complained.

"You literally just did it to me!"

"Yeah, but–"

"Stop," Leo said. "Trust me, I know you're capable of handling yourselves. That's not the point. The point is, we've been sitting here with no way of knowing if you were dead or alive, or in trouble, or anything."

"Yeah, because James looks real concerned." His feet were propped up on the table as he lounged back in his chair, looking bored. 'Concerned' was not something I'd use to describe him–not now, not ever.

"We're sorry," Nicole jumped in, before James could snap back. "We lost track of time, and I'm sorry I didn't get word to you."

"But we can still take care of ourselves," I added. "And I think we've earned enough respect to be allowed to do our own thing for a while; and going missing for a few hours is no big deal. Now, if we had still been missing the next day, then I would have given you permission to freak out."

Leo didn't even grace me with a response, at first. He just put his head down in his hands and sighed, which he did a lot. "Okay. Okay. Just please don't do that again. I was...I was worried."

"Sorry," Nicole whispered, her voice thick. She looked like she was about to start crying. Leo looked up, and I got to my feet.

"James, come with me," I demanded.

"Huh?"

"I want food, and apparently, I need a chaperone or something." I roll my eyes in Leo's direction, who wasn't hearing a word I'm saying. "Let's go."