After loading me into her sporty blue car, Myst proceeded to tell me about a few of her cases as we drove in response to my questions about her work. Turns out, she had actually solved a few high profile cases that had left even the police stumped, but she admitted there were times she was never able to give her client what they had payed her for. Learning to pick herself back up and move on to the next case afterwards had been the most difficult skill to pick up of all. With that anecdote, I realized she had delivered me safely to my still relatively new home.

"Thanks again, Myst. I have your number, so I'll message you if I recall anything else."

"Oh, you'll do that for me? Then... do you mind if I contact you if there's any particular question I have regarding Quin?"

Looks like she has no reservations speaking about my captor with me anymore. Considering the direction our last conversation ended up going in though, I certainly don't blame her.

"Yes, that would be fine."

"Thanks Norma. And... hang in there. You're pretty tough, and given what you've been through you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, all things considered. Keep it up!"

"I'll certainly try!"

I should have gotten out of her car, but I couldn't bring myself to do it quite yet. She waited patiently, a curious look on her face as she studied my own.

"Umm, one last thing, Myst... If you do find Quin, and you have a chance to talk one-on-one... Could you tell her that I don't hate her for what she did? N-not to suggest that she should ever do something like that again! I just... I can't stand the idea that she might never forgive herself... I want her to eventually be able to move past that admittedly huge mistake, if at all possible."

"Sure thing, Norma. If I get the chance, I'll see what I can do."

I smiled in gratitude, got out of the car, and headed down the driveway to the massive house I now called home. Faye was living pretty well even before she met dad... I guess her sales department work was pretty lucrative.

I stepped through the door and nearly fainted in surprise. Dad and Luna were sitting on either end of the couch watching TV, both of them looking pretty bored.

When she saw me she broke out into one of her trademark 'smiles' and nearly fell off the couch in her hurry to greet me - but then she seemed to remember my dad was in the room with us and barely managed to contain herself. It felt incredible to see that intense expression of hers again out of nowhere like this, but I definitely had questions.

I hadn't been able to get into contact with Luna since my abduction, and dad told me he had shouted her out of the house the last time she was over after trying to tell him I'd been abducted. He really regretted it afterwards, especially considering she had been right, so I guess they must have made up, but... how did she find my new address in the first place?

"Norma! You're home!" She cried, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Hey kiddo! You have a friend over, as you can see, and I told her she could wait for you to come back. I can leave you two to it-"

"No need, dad. I'll take her to my room."

"Oh, sure thing. See you later, Luna!"

He shot Luna with goofy finger guns, and she gave my dad a subdued, lopsided smile and an awkward wave in return before following me to my room. I made sure to lock the door this time.

Unable to restrain myself from her, I tried to lean in for a kiss.

"Wait!" Luna exclaimed, surprising me. Disheartened but concerned, I complied.

"I'm sorry, I just- I really missed you, and I thought we might be able to pick up where we left off-" I stuttered, but Luna interrupted me with a smirk.

"Oh Norma, please don't worry about that. I just really need to tell you something before we do anything else, no matter how tempting that anything else might be."

"Okay, yes, I can focus." I slapped my cheeks a little for emphasis. "My dirty thoughts are gone (but not forgotten)."

She hid a laugh behind her hand, regarding my antics fondly.

"I promise you now have my undivided attention. You know you can tell me anything," I assured her.

"Yes, but you won't like it, darling. I sure as hell don't."

Whatever she was about to say, it suddenly had her trembling. I held her hands in my own and urged her to continue.

"It's... my mother."

This is the first time she's mentioned anyone in her family to me. Is her mom sick or something? No, wait...! Could she be the one who was abusing Luna!?

Another of those hazy memories. I saw Luna kneeling, a wicked looking knife held to her own throat, Quin sneering and urging her on...

I shuddered. I could forgive Quin for everything she had done to me, but if that memory wasn't just a hallucination, then she had gone way too far. I decided now wasn't the time to think about this, though.

"I've never heard you talk about her before."

"That's because I haven't. I'd prefer to forget her entirely, if I could, but she's in town, Norma. And she's come to collect me."

"...collect you? You don't mean-"

"I do. I doubt I have more than a couple of days, at most."

I looked at her in horror.

"Luna, you can't be serious! After all that we did together, all that we said that night before Quin took me from you, you're going to try to leave me again, just like that?"

She closed her eyes, enduring my shaky accusation with frustrating stoicism. Desperation and betrayal were at war for control of my voice as I pressed on.

"Y-you told me there was "no escape" from your love, remember!? Was that just pillow talk to you!?"

"If there was anything to be done, I would do it in a heartbeat. But there simply isn't, not this time. As painful as it is, I'm afraid we're going to have to accept that this is goodbye."

"Fuck that! I won't give up that easily, and I can't believe you would, either! Why is it that every conversation I have with you lately turns out this way? If... if you're not interested in being with me, then just fucking say it, Luna!"

I had her wrists in a vice-grip, afraid of what would happen if I were to let go. It must have been terribly painful for her, but she made no attempt to reclaim them from me. Instead she continued to stare me down with narrowed eyes, and a look of unadulterated rage I'd never imagined her capable of warped her features beyond recognition.

"Not interested...?" she snarled. "Are you kidding me, Norma? I'M COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY IN LOVE YOU!!"

She... she really just said it, didn't she? Well, shouted it, actually, but that only confirmed her feelings even further. My knees went weak and I suddenly felt unsteady. My heart was pounding so fast that I thought it might give out on me at any minute.

"I absolutely hate that it's come to this!" she cried. "I'd honestly rather die than never see you again! I can't stand the thought of living with that woman, knowing the things she'll make me do-!"

Luna began sobbing uncontrollably, and I was upon her in a second, holding her as tight to me as physically possible. I had no idea what to feel right now. Should I give in to the burgeoning feelings in my chest, awakened by her heartfelt words? I wanted nothing more. But if she really left me forever, what could I possibly do with those feelings then?

I continued to hold her close as I lost myself in the whirlwind of emotions that Luna stirred in me. When she finally calmed down enough to speak, I decided I should try to get some answers.

"So... what is all this really about? Your mom didn't live with you in the first place, but now she's forcing you to move in with her? Why?"

Wiping her tears away, Luna led me to my bed, sitting up with her legs curled towards me, then pulled my blanket over our lower bodies before clinging to my side. She wanted me as close to her as possible before trying to explain herself.

"She doesn't think my caretakers are watching me closely enough, nor does she approve of my behaviour ever since I moved into this town with them."

"Well... so what? You're legally an adult, so how can she make you do anything?"

"I'm going to help you understand, but it's not going to be pleasant..."

I cocked my head, unsure of what exactly I was in for.

"My mother is an organized crime lord, Norma. She literally owns half the country at this point. No one can stand against her will, least of all me, because I know better than anyone what she's truly capable of. That's why I'd prefer that she never finds out you exist. And quietly going back to headquarters with her is the only way I can guarantee that."

"I..."

Okay, that was a bombshell. Rationally, I understood what she was trying to say. This woman was Dangerous with a capital D, and Luna couldn't promise my safety if her mom found out I was in any way close to her daughter. But after the initial shock of this revelation... I found that my feelings hadn't been changed in the least.

"...I don't care who she is," I continued. "So my potential mother-in-law is evil incarnate; Whose isn't, am I right?"

My weak attempt at humour fell flat. Luna just kept staring at me with that sad little smile on her face. I decided to get serious, giving her a long, gentle kiss before speaking again.

"I want to pursue this... whatever it is that we have between us, risks be damned! We owe it to ourselves to see where this goes, don't we?"

My eyes pleaded with hers. She sighed deeply.

"I really wish it were that easy, my darling. I'm not only saying that she would hurt you just to hurt me, which is something I could never allow in the first place... I'm also saying that she would utterly crush the will to live of everyone you care about. If they survived, they would sooner kill themselves than risk being associated with you ever again. And all of that is before what she might do to you if you ever really fell under her notice..."

She couldn't even continue the thought, instead shuddering like a little match girl having her last dream. I leaned back against my headboard, trying to wrap my mind around the idea of her mother as this almost comically evil supervillain that Luna had painted her as.

"That's... there's no way she could get away with that, right? People can't just disappear with no consequences."

Luna stayed silent, refusing to look at me. I put my hand on her shoulder to try and force her attention. Finally she turned back to me in tears.

"Yes, she can. I know for a fact that she can. Because I was one of the monsters who made them disappear..."