Hidden: In the Dark

Yellow Card

Steve quickly closes the door behind him so Vera doesn't see.

"I came to make sure she's alright. Does she need to go to the hospital?" He approaches frantically. "Didn't you just fall out a window?" Steve replies. Mitch has a small patch of blood on his flannel and he's a bit bruised on his cheek but other than that he seems fine, but he doesn't seem to pay it any mind.

"When I heard about Vera being hospitalized, that...that man almost killed her, it made me feel desperate, to do whatever I can...to help her. I've never been so angry in my life. Standing here in front of you now, I'm putting up with it for her. If Wicker was still around, I don't think I could've handled it, I probably would have killed him myself." You can sense the harshness in his voice, the hostility, but also the ache that it's giving him.

The door opens behind Steve.

"You just don't listen. You're not proving your loyalty or anything by being here." Vera crosses her arms. Mitch is taken aback by her bandages, becoming flustered. He tries not to look at them too much.

"Listen, they're not right for you. Every time you're around them, there's trouble. They're the reason you got hurt in the first place." He seems aware that Steve is still there but doesn't pay it any mind.

"But I hurt them."

"I don't see them with scars on their lips."

"I've earned my scars." They give each other a stare down.

"I'm horrible. I pushed you away when I shouldn't have, I don't deserve you." He turns his back, rubbing his arm where the bloody patch is. "I left those guys, they hurt you. I will help you fight them."

"Don't. Get out of here, go back home."

"Not without you."

"Listen, I wish I could return to my parents but they wouldn't approve, they'd just do what they always do."

"Is that so bad?" He walks away with his hands in his pockets, looking defeated.

~

Maze has changed into her light blue Fila shirt.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would you sense Nexite if they didn't have it?" Zip complains. "Be-cousin." Maze jokes. "What? So, we're making up words?" Zip says. 

"Maybe they didn't have 'it' but they might've grown it." Steve suggests.

"Huh?" Both Maze and Zip say at the same time.

"Think about it, it's taken a few weeks" 

"Flowers grow slow." 

"Doesn't matter, Lint had 3 days and it seems to have worked." Steve waves his hand towards Maze. "Explains why they were in a warehouse, they needed somewhere dark." Zip adds.

"They probably thought we were trying to take it." Vera picks her fingernail.

Zip leans against the bed. 

"Which is why you got hurt. Maybe Mitch was right. If this is about a debt, consider it paid, you don't have a reason to keep putting yourself in danger." Steve "You wanted me in this game, well now I'm in it. Now you're going to agree with the enemy." She becomes agitated.

"Everything up until this point has been Mitch doing what he thought was right. You're the hero of your own story." Steve swallows hard then leaves. "That's the problem and I don't know how to stop him." She cries desperately. She feels like she's out of options and once again nobody is on her side.