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Harper stayed secluded in the bedroom so she wouldn't have to deal with Hyde when he finished helping Arturo and came back to the Dojo. But fortunately, hours had gone by and he hadn't returned.

She was still very upset. Again, Hyde insulted everything she worked for and believed in. Just what kind of friend was he? If Arnest and he were close, why would Hyde agree with Arturo?

Hyde didn't make any sense, proving to her that he was insane.

"Ughhhh! That crazy dastard will be the death of me." Harper massaged her head to prevent the migraine from coming on.

His craziness was starting to run off on her. Despite all the belittling from Hyde and Arnest, she still helped them in some way.

Lying to Arnest's family so their true characters wouldn't be exposed, and giving Hyde an antidote whenever he needed it. The amount of times Hyde threatened her life wasn't enough to stop her from helping him.

She wondered if she was starting to develop Stockholm syndrome. Was she?

"Oh, overseers. Am I insane?" Harper whined.

Harper heard the front door opening, bringing her out of her thoughts. The footsteps to enter weren't heavy enough to be Hyde's or Arnest's. They were soft.

"Yani!" Harper quickly crawled up and opened the bedroom door.

Sure enough, the boy was there. He heard his name being called.

Harper was relieved to see him safe, but the moment his teary eyes met with hers, her heart broke. "Yani, are you okay—"

Yanpu sauntered by her and headed for the stairway.

"Yani! What's wrong?" Harper grabbed his arm, but Yanpu quickly slapped it away. "Hey! Yanpu!"

He stomped up the stairs in a fit.

"Yanpu! That is not how I taught you! If something is wrong, tell me!" Harper followed him. "Yanpu! Are you listening to me?"

"No." He voiced coldly.

"No?"

"No."

Harper fumed. It was behavior she had never seen from him before. Yanpu was always mild and never complained. He never had temper tantrums.

"Yani! You're going to listen!" Harper grabbed him again. "You're not like this usually. You've always told me how you felt directly. Throwing a fit is not how you were raised. So— AH!"

Yanpu grabbed Harper's hand and bit her. The moment his teeth sank into her skin, she released him and Yanpu ran off up the stairs and into another room.

Harper was left stunned. For the first time ever, she didn't know what to do.

"Yanpu..." Harper went up the stairs. "Yanpu... tell me what's going on, okay? Are you hurt?"

She walked up to the closed door and turned the knob. It was locked, which was what she feared. "Yani! Open the door!" She knocked very loudly.

No reply. It was silent.

"Yanpu!" Harper knocked harder.

"Leave me alone!"

"Woah. That's not how you speak to people."

"No shite."

"Excuse me? Yanpu! Be reasonable! Stop acting so childish! Come out here and talk to me like a..." Harper paused momentarily, realizing how she was going to finish her sentence.

A man. That's what she was about to say.

But Yanpu wasn't a grown man. He was still a child. It was odd that he was showing signs of a tantrum. She'd never witnessed them before.

It was his first tantrum. Another milestone to document. Their environment was influencing him. Yanpu would've never acted this way if he hadn't gone to school.

Harper sighed and pressed her back against the door, wondering if it would be better to just wait for him to explain. More than anything, she wanted to barge in and set him straight.

He was using the language he learned from Hyde. What if Hyde's behavior and attitude rubbed off on him? That was one of her fears.

Her precious Yanpu growing up to become the man she despised the most terrified her.

It was the last thing she wanted to envision. The thought was just too horrific.

The sound of two voices approached. Harper could hear both Arnest and Hyde from inside the dojo. The doors opened and both men walked in.

"Unfortunately, Harald is caught up in a mess back at the main port. A bunch of delinquent teenagers defaced the ship in black ink."

"Other than that, there's nothing wrong with the ship. We should still be able to set off."

"He says he needs more fuel. Right now he's waiting for one of the local markets to get some so he can stock up. Without power for the ship, we're stuck here. It's all written in the letter."

"Ugh." Hyde grumbled and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Travel back to Piccposto postal home and check for updates. The sooner we leave, the better."

"Hyde," Harper walked down the staircase and Arnest raised a brow at her.

"What were you doing up there? I don't remember us giving you access upstairs." Arnest spat.

"I'm already forced to keep quiet and stay here with you both. You're saying I'm restricted from exploring around the whole building?"

"I still don't trust you." Arnest stepped forward menacingly. "Who knows what kind of trick you'll pull next?"

"Hyde, Yanpu is locked in one of the rooms up there. I'm worried about him. Could you please find the key and—"

"There isn't a key." Hyde brushed by her and sat down on the cushion next to the coffee table.

"Don't give me that bull, Hyde! There is a key! Every house has a key for whenever a room is locked. You just don't want to help!"

Hyde responded with a smirk. "You're right. I just got back and the last thing I want to hear is you whining like a baby."

"Why do you do this?" Harper huffed. "You always find some reason to be rude or go against everything I say. I'm asking nicely. I'm worried—"

"Why are you worried? There's no reason to be."

"Yanpu got home from school and isn't acting normally."

"What do you constitute as 'normal'?" Hyde raised a brow.

"You already know it! Locking himself away is the opposite of normal!"

"So the kid had a bad first day." Arnest shrugged. "I've had plenty of those. He'll get over it."

"This is the first time he's ever thrown a fit. It's my responsibility to monitor his emotions and get him to understand—"

"A child throwing a tantrum or being angered is very normal. You don't need to do shite. When the brat wants to come out, he will." Hyde drummed his fingers against the coffee table, bored of this conversation.

"Yanpu isn't like other children!"

"We're finished here," Hyde concluded abruptly. Continuing to engage would only piss him off even more. He was tired of hearing her say that.

"So you're not gonna find the key?"

"If you keep talking the only thing I'm gonna do is cut out your tongue."

"Fine!" Harper turned on her heel and faced the stairs. She was just going to have to convince Yanpu herself.

Before she could go back up, Arnest shoved her back. Harper slipped and fell against the concrete, twisting her ankle in the process. She let out a screech and glared at him.

"You're not allowed up here." Arnest mocked her before leaving her and Hyde completely alone.

While he read the contents of Harald's message, Harper struggled to get back up on her feet. The pain was too intense for her to carry herself on her own.

With gritted teeth, Harper crawled over to the wall and propped herself against it. "You both are horrible."

"You're no better than any of us, Vixen."

"Screw you!" Harper slipped and fell again. And Hyde noticed her stiff movement. He immediately took note of her right foot, which she was struggling to put pressure on.

Hyde rolled his eyes and stood up. Then he walked over to a dresser and opened one of the drawers, before pulling out a small roll of bandage.

"You're very irritating when you start throwing a tantrum like a child."

"In what way am I acting like a child?" Harper scoffed, very offended by his accusation.

Hyde grabbed her foot, and she hollered when pain shot up her leg. "The world you live in is deranged. To uphold Westona's standard, you're putting a child at risk for problems in his future."

"Yanpu is Westona's last hope. I'm trying my best to preserve him. You can't be trusted—OW!" Harper whined when Hyde clutched onto her injured leg. His narrowed eyes never shifted away from her.

"Your way of preserving means viewing and treating him like an experiment. Nothing ever changes with Bomb." Hyde chuckled bitterly. "Naivety is bliss until it bites you back in the arse."

"As many horrible things I've seen YOU do, Bomb is a saint in comparison."

The glow in Hyde's eyes intensified.

"This 'horrible' person just wrapped your injured leg. Tread lightly with your next words, Vixen."

"You think wrapping up my injury justifies every other action you've done? You're insane—"

Hyde snatched Harper by the collar of her shirt and yanked her close. Their faces were inches apart.

Harper went quiet, only hearing the sound of her beating heart. She expected him to hit her or worse. But he didn't.

She was stuck in that position, looking at his blood-red pupils becoming brighter and more intimidating with each passing second. And for some reason, she could see a flicker of emotion in them.

A moment passed and he released her. Harper let out the breath she was holding. Without saying anything else, Hyde stood up and walked away.

Harper was left in a flurry of emotions.

~~~

More hours went by and the sun had finally set. It was quiet. The noises coming from the people roaming the streets eventually diminished.

Because of the silence, Harper assumed everyone had gone to bed. But she couldn't sleep.

Usually, if she felt as empty and lost as she did, she would pray and hope for a brighter future. But every day that went by, she realized that nothing was getting better for her or Yanpu.

So she couldn't do much to rid herself of this feeling. Stress and anxiety had taken its toll on her. Her hair was a frizzy mess, and there we bags under her eyes from lack of proper rest.

Her body was beyond tired.

She had a limp, no thanks to Arnest, and still had to deal with a sore torso because Hyde attacked her.

For the first time, Harper didn't know what she wanted. Living was hard. Whenever she was faced with Hyde, she wanted to give up. But at the same time, she wanted to protect Yanpu.

But without proper resources, there was nothing much she could do.

Harper sighed and placed her face into her palms.

She quickly glanced up when she heard soft footsteps approach her. Yanpu walked down the stairs slowly, and his eyes met hers.

Harper opened her mouth but she didn't say anything. She was afraid that he'd have another tantrum and lock himself away again if she voiced her concern.

So she waited for him to react.

To her surprise, the little boy slumped over and sat down next to her, at the coffee table. Harper smiled at him, hoping he'd feel reassured.

"Did you see the stars?"

Yanpu shook his head.

"They're very pretty, especially tonight. Itaria is very different from Westona. There's so many colors and sky to see, right?"

Yanpu crisscrossed his legs and looked down. Harper could tell he was apologetic.

"Yani, I know this is all completely new to you. But I'm realizing that you're accomplishing a lot of firsts, and experiencing new things. And that's a good thing. I'm proud of you." Harper grabbed his small hand and squeezed it gently.

"I've been so caught up in everything else lately, that I haven't made time for you. I wanna apologize for that. But I want to let you know that I'm still here."

With those few words, Yanpu crawled closer to Harper and leaned against her. Harper pulled him into a warm embrace.

"Harper..." Yanpu mumbled.

"Hm?"

"I want... a mommy."

Harper pulled away, baffled by his words. "What?"

"A mommy."

"Where did you even— no, why would you think like that? Why do you want one?"

"I heard that I don't have a mommy... she didn't want me and gave me away."

Harper raised a brow at him. "Who told you that?"

Yanpu pressed his lips together and tears formed in his eyes.

"Yanpu, it's not that your mom didn't want you—"

"Do you have a mommy?"

"I do, but—"

"So... why don't I have one?"

Harper could feel her heart breaking because she felt that deep down, she was like his mom. Yanpu was like a son to her.

"Yani, you have a mom. Your biological mother loved you a lot." Harper knew who his mother was. She was a prostitute who was seeking refuge in the capital.

Dr. Bomb took her in when she was going through a rough time.

"She just didn't have enough resources to take care of you. She wanted you to have a better life. That's why you were placed under my care."

"So... she didn't throw me away?"

"Oh, Yani... no." Harper wiped his tears away. "You're very Special. Why would anyone want to throw you away?"

Yanpu sobbed some more and cuddled closer to her.

There was no doubt about it. There was some conflict at school, and this had to be a reason why. It's what she was afraid of. Other children would berate him for being different.

Hyde wouldn't listen to her, no matter how much she tried to get him to understand.

"Hey, Yani. Are you hungry?" Harper kissed his forehead and brushed his hair behind his ears. She knew he hadn't eaten since he came back from school.

As if on cue, his stomach began to growl, and Harper chuckled. She stood on her good foot and hopped over to the fridge. When she opened it, she frowned.

There were plenty of bottles of wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages. The only bits of food were 2 eggs, 1 slice of bread, and a pickle jar.

She took those three ingredients out and sighed.

"Yani, you're about to reach another milestone."

"Huh?" Yanpu blinked at her.

"You're about to taste one of my famous dishes. Passed down from the great lineage of the Stulks, my family's specialty. Are you ready?"

Yanpu didn't respond, as he was skeptical of her. Harper started to cook as quietly as she could, afraid to wake Arnest or Hyde and hear them complaining about what she was allowed to and not to do.

She boiled the eggs first. And then taught Yanpu how to peel them when they were finished.

He was mesmerized by the shape of the insides. Cracking the hard shell and pulling off the pieces to expose a softer fluffier interior.

"Don't squeeze on it or else you'll ruin the shape," Harper warned him while he examined it closely. "You've never seen or tasted boiled eggs before. Don't they look cool?"

Yanpu nodded.

"When I cut them in half, look what happens." Harper grabbed a small knife and sliced the egg. The yellow yolk and white were solid and Yanpu hummed in awe.

Harper cut it into thinner slices and placed them on the bread evenly. Then she cut into a pickle and placed them thinly over the eggs. It was a horrible combination, but she was hoping to pass it off so he could eat.

"Ta-da! All finished. The Stulks specialty." Harper handed the product to him. "Careful, there are no plates, so don't drop it."

Yanpu happily took the bread slice and toppings. Then he took a big bite and frowned.

"What? What's wrong?"

"It tastes disgusting."

Harper laughed when he scrunched up his face in horror. "It can't be that bad." Harper grabbed the bread and chewed off a piece, before forcing a swallow.

"Okay. It's worse than I thought. Maybe the pickles are expired."

"Blegh." Yanpu giggled.

"Okay, I'll take the pickles off. Finish the rest." Harper rolled her eyes.

The bedroom door behind them was yanked open, and both Yanpu and Harper froze. Hyde stepped out with a venomous glare plastered on his face.

Harper could tell he was highly irritated, probably from hearing all their giggling.

His eyes moved to the bread slice and eggs, before glancing back at Harper. "Follow me." He spat coldly and walked over to the front door.

Harper groaned. She tried her best to keep quiet. Now he was probably going to scold her for making so much noise.

Harper hobbled forward, but Hyde quickly stopped and turned around. "The brat too." He pointed at Yanpu.

"When will you start calling him by his name? He has one, use it."

"I'm not about to start with you tonight. Keep your mouth shut and follow me."

"Where are you going to take us?"

Hyde paused again, causing Harper to jerk to a stop. Her front collided with his back, and he leaned forward. In an instant, Harper's legs were swept upwards and she was positioned in a piggyback ride.

The quick movements were unexpected, so she shrieked and grabbed onto his shoulders, holding onto him for dear life.

"Hyde!"

"Are you trying to wake the entire town?" Hyde hissed. "Keep it down."

Hyde propped her up so she was more balanced. "You're Heavy." He huffed. "You could lose a few pounds."

"Or maybe you're just weak. Makes sense. You've lost your touch after staying here a few days relaxing." Harper threw back, and Hyde snickered at her.

"You. Keep up." Hyde commanded Yanpu, who was lagging behind.

After several minutes of walking, Harper realized something. Where exactly was Hyde taking them? Why only them? Was he planning something?

That thought terrified her.

"Hyde... you're not taking us to a secret place to kill us, right?"

"And why would I tell you that?"

That sent shivers down her spine. "Let me down."

"What?"

"Let me down!"

"Vixen, this is my final warning. Keep it down, or else." Hyde growled. "As much as I'd love to throw your arse off a Cliff, I wouldn't be carrying you if it was my plan."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Hyde scoffed.

In silence, he kept walking down an alleyway. It was so dark outside, so Harper wasn't sure of what was ahead. But there were a few candles in the distance.

She spotted them and heard loud chattering. When they got closer, they arrived at a full open space with dining tables and chairs. It was an eatery full of customers.