A day late, but here we are! And as promised, shit's getting real.

___________________________________________________________

Before mom came home in the evening, I changed into a turtleneck (so what happened with Celeste wouldn't be repeated) and Shawn made sure to put away his laptop and the handcuffs (I don't even want to know what would've happened if Mom saw those).

Of course, what we couldn't control when she got home was the fact that a chair- the one I broke- was missing. Shawn lied that we broke it by accident because we were both sitting in it at the same time. She asked why we were both sitting in it when there were many available chairs. We both just shrugged, and Mom dismissed it as an adolescent-thing she wouldn't understand.

After dinner and chatting for a while with Mom, we all headed upstairs to bed. I sighed, shutting the door to my room. "Good thing she bought the chair story."

Ugh, at least now that we were done with dinner, I could take the godamn turtleneck sweater off, it was sweltering. I dug through my drawers and grabbed an orange T-shirt and grey sweatpants.

"Where're you going?" Shawn asked.

"To change; this turtleneck makes me hot." I explained, turning to leave for the bathroom.

"Meh, I'd say nudity would make you hotter." Shawn said.

"Huh? How would that make me-." I stopped short when I turned around and saw Shawn smirking at me. "...I dislike you a majority of them time." I said, as a replacement for the lie 'I hate you'.

Shawn laughed. "And I want to fuck you senseless a majority of the time."

"Really? I hadn't noticed!" I yelled sarcastically, stepping out of the room to change.

"Honey, are you two alright?" Mom asked in response to my yell, stepping out of her room. Crud, why the hell did I have to yell.

I forced a smile. "Yeah, we're good. Sorry I was so loud." I said. "Try and get some sleep, alright?"

She smiled back. "Alright- but you too! I know how late you stay up sometimes."

"I'll try to go to bed early. Good night." I reassured her, going into the bathroom to change. Once I finished getting changed and brushing my teeth, I stepped into the hallway to go back into the bedroom.

"Good, you didn't jump through the window." Shawn said from next to me.

I jumped back in surprise. "Fuck... For the last time; why the hell would I jump out the window?" I asked in a whisper-yell.

He shrugged, heading back to the room. "I'm not taking chances with you." He stated. I rolled my eyes and followed behind him. It was useless to argue with him.

For at least a half-hour afterwards, Shawn and I just sat on our beds silently, him on his computer, and me on my phone. I was texting my friends whom I haven't properly seen in weeks now, hoping to reassure them that nothing weird was going on with me.

After I finished texting my friends, I looked at Shawn. He had a serious expression on his face and his jaw was really tense. "Anything wrong?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to pinpoint where that fucking janitor lives, so that way I can ask him some questions, but I can't find jack." He explained, typing away at his laptop. Okay, so by 'ask some questions' he probably meant torture and kill...

"Do you think he could be in a motel or something?" I asked. While I wasn't in favor of torturous murder, I was in favor of finding out who was behind this shit and preventing more murders. If we found him, maybe there was a chance that I could persuade Shawn not to kill them, and just turn them in to the police. Ugh, yeah right.

"Maybe." He replied. "But even if I hacked the systems of the surrounding motels, I still might not find him. He could be using a fake name."

I nodded in agreement. "Or he could have left altogether after he killed the P.E. teacher, right? After finishing the job?"

Shawn frowned. "Maybe, but whoever hired him may not be done with him yet." He sighed. "They could use him to kill again and send another message, or kill or kidnap one of us, or-"

Shawn was cut off by the sound of shattering glass and something heavy falling onto the floor. Shawn grabbed me by the shirt and yanked onto his mattress, stooping over me protectively. After a couple of moments of silence, Shawn ran over to inspect whatever came through the window. I made a move to follow him.

"Stay put!" Shawn commanded as he carefully picked up the object. It was a brick with a piece of paper tied to it (at least it wasn't a freaking bomb). He untied the knot holding the paper and unfolded it, reading over its contents.

Despite what he said, I slowly stood up and walked over to see what the note had written on it. I was about to crouch down next to Shawn to see what it said when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head slowly to the broken window. A shadowy figure stood in yard below, looking up towards me. I froze. "Shawn... they're still there." I said slowly.

Shawn suddenly shot up, shoving me away from the window. His eyes widened in rage. "Son of a bitch." He cursed. "Don't leave the room, and call the cops if anything happens." He said to me before flinging the window open and jumping down to the ground.

I ran to the window to see both the man, who looked like the janitor, and Shawn taking off down the street. I watched them go until they were out of sight, and closed the shattered window. With shaking hands, I unfolded the piece of paper that was attached to the brick.

Dearest Shawn (and the Ace too),

I'll bet you've been ripping your hair out over my little message! Pains me that I wasn't there to see it. But I really didn't expect Ace to invite you to his house- I was betting on you shutting him away someplace "safe". Well, I can improvise! Like the brick? A little more archaic than your text-messages, but it sure is more dramatic! Ah, but I'm getting sidetracked, aren't I? You're probably wondering why I had this "delivered" in the first place, right? Well, log into this Skype account so we can chat face-to face, and you'll find out!

Username: imasecondratekiller

Password: aceismyweaknes5

Sincerely, You Should Know After Reading this Letter

I stared at the cursively written note a few more minutes after reading it. So it was someone that Shawn knew, and by the way the note was written, it didn't sound like the janitor either. I don't know, it seemed too... familiar. They seemed to have some sort of history, which the janitor and Shawn didn't. But I could still be wrong...

After breaking away from my chain of thought, my mom popped into mind. Was she alright?! Did she hear the window fucking being smashed through by a brick? Why hadn't she come in to check on it!? I jumped up and ran out of my room into my mom's. I sighed in relief when I saw that she was in bed with her laptop wearing earphones.

She smiled when she saw me. "Hi honey, is anything the matter?" She asked, taking out one ear bud.

I shook my head, forcing a really bad fake smile. "Nope, just wanted to say goodnight!" I said in a strained voice. "Again." I added, remembering that I already told her goodnight.

She gave me a knowing smile. "Alright then. Just know, while I have my headphones on now, I won't later... so don't you two make too much noise, got it? And be safe." She said, giving me a wink.

I didn't know whether to be relieved, horrified, or glad that I had a mom so cool with me having gay sex. I just forced another smile. "Th-thanks." I said, closing the door to her room and walking back to mine, shutting the door behind me.

I took deep breaths to try and calm myself. This was fucking hell! When the fuck was Shawn going to get back!? As much as I hated to admit it, I actually wished Shawn were there. He was at least reliable where my life and general well being was concerned. I slumped over in my desk chair and stared outside the window. Hopefully, he would be back soon and wouldn't be too hurt.

I heard my phone vibrate softly behind me from the nightstand. I sighed and went over to see who it was; it was exactly good timing for my friends to be texting me... I swiped the screen of my phone to see who it was.

Private Number: "You can just log in yourself too Ace, since Shawn is running around after the guy who threw the brick. Besides, we both know that he won't let you participate if he's around for the chat. Aren't you a bit curious?????"

What!? Why did they want to talk to me, when Shawn was the one they seemed to want to speak to the most? And sure, I was curious, but it would take more than curiosity to make me Skype with them! What could they gain by speaking with me? I typed in a text in reply with trembling fingers.

Jake: "Why do you want to talk to me?"

I stared anxiously at the screen until a reply came.

Private number: "Actually, I want to speak to both of you, but I know that at best I'll get you one at a time."

I wondered if I should take they up on his offer... After all, they were probably right about Shawn not letting me join in the conversation. But then again, it could be some sort of trap. But what trap could you even fucking set using Skype? Ugh, either way, even if Shawn kicked me out of the room or some crap, I shouldn't take them up on their offer when Shawn wasn't there.

Jake: "I'm going to wait for Shawn."

It only took them seconds to text back.

Private Number: "I didn't want it to come to this, but here's a compromise if that will help you decide: Log in if you want your family to live another week (and I have ways to ensure that they don't)"

My eyes widened. They could hire a skilled murderer to kill someone for them, so I had no doubt that they could do the same to wipe out my family. I quickly typed into my phone.

Jake: "OK! I'm logging in!"

Private Number: "Nice choice there cutie."

I threw my phone onto the bed and grabbed the note on the ground to see the login information. I then sat on the mattress with Shawn's laptop. Luckily, he left it open, so I wouldn't have to be stuck without his login password trying to log back in. Ignoring all of the gory images he somehow attained of the Painter's murder, I traveled to Skype's homepage, typing in the indicated username and password in the note. And I swear to fucking god, if another killer texts me threats about killing my family, I'll go homicidal myself!

As soon as I finished logging in, a call came from a username eye4neye. It was probably them. Before I could let myself opt out, I clicked to accept the call.

An amiably smiling young man popped up on the screen. He had platinum blonde hair slicked back and was wearing a classy blue suit. He looked to be only a few years older than me. What stood out the most about him though was definitely his eyes though; one was a grey blue and the other was hazel. Next to him was a glass of wine, and in the background there was a gold curtain, preventing me from having any clue about where he was located.

"Hey there Ace, thanks for taking the call... not that you had a choice." He laughed. His voice was smooth and confident, indicating that he knew that he was in total control of the situation.

I nodded gravely in response. "Wh-" I cleared my throat. "Why did you want to talk to me?" I asked, trying not to sound too intimidated.

He grinned. "Why do you think?" He asked. Even though the bastard obviously knew that I had no fucking clue. He was reveling in the fact that he had all of the power in the conversation.

"I don't know... because aside from using me as a tool for revenge of some sort, Shawn is you main focus, not me." I said, at least attempting to somewhat answer his question.

He clapped slowly. "Good work there Sherlock, how did you know that I want revenge?" He asked. I wasn't sure if that was sarcasm or if was actually asking.

"You're username." I replied. And also because revenge was the only fucking thing other killers had wanted so fucking far.

"Do you want to know why I want revenge?" He asked, still smiling.

I shifted uncomfortably. "...Sure." I said.

"Okay, I'll tell you... after you satiate my curiosity first." He said. Why the hell did he offer if he wasn't going to tell me right away!?

"...Alright." I said.

"Move the computer a little further away from yourself first; you have terrible lighting." He said. I complied, balancing the laptop on my knees. "Much better! Now, firstly, why are you both staying at your house? Because that threw quite a big wrench in my original plan." He asked.

I wondered if I should tell him the truth or if I should lie about it. Shit, these were times that I wished Shawn were there to do the talking. "I convinced him to stay here." I answered.

"Why? You wouldn't want him near your family, right? A killer like him?" He asked genially. He was obviously interested for some reason.

"... It was better than being taken away from them." I answered after a pause to think.

He narrowed his eyes in interest. "I take it that you've had experience then? How did you get out of that?" he asked. Fuck, I shouldn't have said that.

"Luck." I replied. Which was generally all there was to my escape.

He laughed as if I said something really amusing. "That's rich! Now, last question. How do you think I got the teacher at your school killed? Did you and Shawn find that out?" He asked inquiringly. I wasn't sure if I should answer that one... Or at least, not truthfully. If he wasn't sure about how much we found out, that could be an advantage later.

"I don't know." I replied simply, putting an effort into keeping a straight face in order to avoid tipping him off.

For the first time in our conversation, the blonde man frowned, though it was in faux disappointment. "Hm, that really won't help your grade." He said ominously. Fuck, was he testing me!? Was that why he wanted to talk to me alone?

I swallowed down my uneasiness. "Grade?" I asked.

He smiled again. "Yes, if it wasn't obvious, I want to assess you while Shawn isn't around." He said, his eyes gleaming darkly behind his grin. "So, since you know now, I'll give you another chance to answer. Who killed the teacher, when, how, and why?" He asked, gazing at me in anticipation.

I thought for a few moments, my brain in a frenzy. While it could be beneficial to keep everything I knew a secret from him, his ominous 'grade' seemed a little threatening. I didn't want to get me or my mom killed just because of this. The safest way out was probably to try and impress him... I hoped.

Coming to a conclusion, I started telling him what I knew. "The Painter killed the teacher, who was working as a janitor in the school. He was probably killed at the beginning of lunch, or maybe during the teacher's free period." I then paused. How was he killed? Shawn could probably come up with a more detailed explanation on that (due to his... past experiences). I'd just have to give that one my best shot. "I'm not sure exactly how he was killed, but he was hanged and lost a lot of blood in addition. Answering why the teacher was killed, you hired the Painter to kill the teacher, that way you could send a message to Shawn, hoping to make him on-edge and scared. You wanted to make an impact." I finished explaining. Fuck, I just hoped that was enough to get a good 'grade' or whatever the fuck that meant. Or, he could have just been playing with me in hopes of getting a serious answer... Well, it was too late now.

He started to clap, a giant grin on his face. "Well done, well done! I'm especially impressed that you found out that the janitor was the Painter. I'll have to take a few points off of your explanation for how he died though, since you didn't really explain that." He laughed.

I waited for him to finish laughing before I spoke again. "So... what does the grade mean?" I asked anxiously.

"A simple 1-10 scale. A 10, and I'd keep you alive without involving you in my beef with Shawn. 7 to 9, and I'll make sure you don't die, though I can't promise anything else. Anything below that and I'll have you killed to use against Shawn. Fun game, isn't it?" He smiled at my increasingly mortified expression. "It's even more fun for me, though, since I have to alter my entire plan depending on the score you get." He chuckled.

This guy was seriously fucking nuts! Did he seriously have that much of an ego!? Why would he even do this in the first place, other than to assert power over the situation? Fuck, I'd never understand how murderers' fucked up brains worked. "So... what did I get?" I asked, heart pounding in my ears. Literally only half of the numbers ensured my survival in his eye; anything below a 7 and I'd be on his blacklist...

He smiled. "Congrats Ace, you scored a seven and a half! And here I expected you to get a five or six, but you're not the dumb sheep I took you for! More like a smart housecat." He laughed at his own comparison. "But it looks like I'll have to alter my plans in a way that you don't die, so I'm afraid that I'll have to drop." He sighed, moving his hand to end the call.

"Wait! You said that you'd tell me your reason for doing this after I answered your questions!" I interjected.

"Sorry, that only came with a score of 6 and lower! Since I'll have to come up with a new plan, and my time is money, I'm afraid that I won't have time to explain it to you today. But don't worry; we'll have time to talk later now that I'm not going to kill you. So, until next time Ace, hope you enjoy the fireworks!" he said before ending the communication.

I stared in shock at the computer for a few moments before shutting it angrily. I didn't get a singe fucking thing out of all that!? Not a fucking thing!? I angrily stood up and raised the laptop above my head. "Fucking arrogant posh ass piece of smiling shit!" I yelled, throwing the laptop at the wall in anger. It bounced off and landed on the bed. Fuck, that was Shawn's! ...It was probably fine.

"What the hell are you doing to my laptop!?" Shawn's voice yelled angrily from my right.

I turned my head to see a beat up Shawn coming through the window. He had a few bruises on his face and had a lot of dirt on him, but what stood out the most were his bloody knuckles. I could guess how he got those...

"Thank fucking god you're okay." I sighed in relief. "But what the fuck!? You were gone for almost a fucking hour!" I yelled angrily.

He raised a bloodied hand. "As you can see, I had a face to bash in." He explained. He frowned angrily "And that guy was a trained killer, so it wasn't a walk in the park... which is where it happened. He didn't say much though." He then gave me a sympathetic look. "Sorry I made you worry."

I rubbed my face with my hands. "Holy fuck I'm going to get a fucking ulcer from all this. My brain is going to explode." I muttered. I suddenly remembered something. 'enjoy the fireworks'. I snapped my head up. "Shawn, I don't really know what's about to happen, but I think something's going to explode." I said in alarm.

Shawn's eyes widened. "What!? What did you-!" He was interrupted by a series deafening sounds. The sound of multiple bombs going off.

Shawn tackled me to the ground with him and held me close. We stayed on the floor even after the explosions ceased; just in case there was an encore. The sound of smaller pops coming from outside made us sit up and carefully move to the window. Above copious amounts of smoke rising into the sky, there were fireworks.

_________________________________________________________

bang, done.

And the culprit was..... someone nobody knew! (sorry to anybody who wanted it to be LV). But still, I'm personally liking the new guy, he's a total dick.

Again, thank you so much for you're super kind comments and thanks for reading!