“So where are we headed to?” Key asks as I slide into the passenger seat and slam the door shut.

“I’ll give you the directions as we drive,” I tell him. “I’m not sure about the exact name of the place, but I know the way.”

“Okay.” He smiles, and I feel another surge of gratitude pass through me. Key came to my house within 15 minutes of calling him. He’s always willing to drop everything just to help me. 

I just hope this trip is worth it.

The ride passes in silence, since I am too unnerved about Kris’s actions to make idle conversation with Key.

When we finally near the familiar creek that separates Headquarters’ boundaries from the rest of the world, I clear my throat and say, “We’re here.”

“Hana, are you sure this is the right place?” Key questions dubiously. “There’s absolutely nothing here.”

“I’m positive.”

Both of us step out of the car.

“Key… I think it’s best if you stay in the car,” I tell him, looking down at my feet.

There is a pause, and then Key finally nods, accepting this. "Hana, I don't know what's going on with you, and I know you're hiding something from all of us. But I'll wait for you," he says softly. 

Looking straight into his eyes, I whisper, “Thank you.”

“That’s alright.” He smiles resignedly, and I feel little claws of guilt tugging at my heart again. Poor Key. I wonder how crazy it must feel to be dragged on an hour-long drive to some random field in the middle of nowhere, given absolutely no information at all.

You truly are an amazing person, Key.

Visiting HQ without Kris feels different. When he was by my side, everyone passing by us gave us long looks (probably because of Kris and his esteemed reputation amongst the Fighters of Region 6. However navigating the busy halls of HQ alone, I feel inconspicuous. Honestly, it’s a relief. I don’t want to cause a big scene by coming in here and reporting Kris's strange behavior and the Kado book. 

Out of the corner of my eye I spot two familiar figures emerging from a door in the hallway, chattering away animatedly. A smile tugs at my lips as I creep up behind them and yell, “BOO!”

“EEEEK!” Kai shrieks while Avi jumps straight up in the air. “Whoa, Hana!" Avi laughs. "What are you doing here?” 

My grin slowly fades away. 

“It’s Kris,” I murmur, making sure to keep my voice extremely low. “We found the Kado book in the library that we were looking for. It has so much evil chi in it, you wouldn't believe it... anyway, I think Kris read the book and he’s under the influence of the Kado now.”

Avi gasps, and Kai’s eyes widen to the size of quarters.

“No way,” Avi breathes, dazedly lifting a hand up to . “That’s not possible.”

“I have to report it,” I urge. “Otherwise he could-,”

 “No, don’t,” Kai interrupts nervously. “Hana… if the Hado officers find out… Kris could be in for a world of trouble. He could be tried and found guilty of being a traitor to the Hado. Although I don’t think he would be killed...,” He exchanges a knowing glance with Avi.

“Okay, well, what's the worst that could happen to Kris?” I demand. “What could possibly be worse than being corrupted by Kado chi?" 

Kai warily looks around, taking in the vast number of people bustling around in the hallway. “We have to get out of here and go somewhere private,” he mutters in a low voice.

"Should... we tell her?" Avi asks Kai unevenly. He nods firmly.

What's going on? I wonder as Kai and Avi lead me out the building and past the creek, finally arriving at a small thicket of trees. We push our way into the middle of the grove and sit down. 

“Hana, you have to swear on your life that you won’t tell anyone this,” Kai says.

Swallowing, I hastily nod.

What are they going to tell me?

A/N: Pay attention to the next chapter, it has a lot of information and is really important! Comments and upvotes are appreciated, thanks for reading! :)