"He's following us," the fact that Liss had willingly spoken shocked Nom so badly she at first didn't understand what her friend had said to her until her eye caught the hawk lazily making circles in the sky above them.
                          
"How'd you know it's him?" Nom inquired after a moment of trying to decipher any odd behavior from the bird. To her it just looked like an ordinary hawk.
                          
"Same bird's been following me since home," Liss murmured, her face remaining completely impassive. Nom furrowed her brow and looked at the bird again. So Josh, despite everything that had been said between them, had still made sure she'd gotten to school safely. It was commendable of him.
                          
"Do you agree that we have a lot to talk about now?" Nom ventured after several moments of quiet started making her uncomfortable again.
                          
Her friend finally turned to face her, "There's nothing to talk about except that the three of them came up with a schedule to babysit me."
                          
"When?" The news took Nom by surprise and she battled not to come to a complete halt in the middle of the busy corridor. After she'd left Liss' house, she'd called to check in at about eight and her friend had told her only Bavita was still around. As far as Nom was concerned the situation hadn't changed after Liss had retired for the night. Then again...with Aaron no one could be entirely sure whether he was or wasn't in a room.
                          
"Obviously after I went to bed. I got informed this morning," Liss shrugged, flopping down into her chair in homeroom, "Bavita told me Josh had school duty and she had after school duty."
                          
"And Aaron?" Nom could barely resist asking, especially after her friend's comedic blunder the day before in the assassin's presence. Then again, the man was walking eye-candy even if he was beyond just a little strange.
                          
Her lips thinned and she glared out the window, a clear indicator she wasn't happy with what she was about to say but she said it anyway, "Aaron has night duty." Nom fought the urge to burst out laughing, only allowing her eyes to grow to the size of saucers as she studied her friend. The assassin would be wandering around Liss' house. At night. When everyone was sleeping. Clearly it was the best use of his shadows trick but the concept on its own was creepy enough to make the African want to squirm. That Liss had to endure it...well, it was cruel of her to find it funny. "Yeah, you wanna laugh so just get it over with," Liss snapped, her posture straightening ever so slightly.
                          
"Why do you need to be watched at night?" Nom asked tactfully, ignoring her friend's tone.
                          
"Apparently I'm at risk then too? I don't know," Liss shrugged again, "Like I said, I was informed this morning." The African could clearly see how pissed off the idea made her friend and she could hardly blame her. The least they could have done was include her in the discussion, find out what she would have liked. Not that what she wanted mattered when it came to her safety. Her characters had the right idea... The fact that they were helping her when she'd abandoned them so easily was something Nom expected Liss to be grateful for even though she knew her friend didn't see it the same way. Still, she decided she would make it her personal mission to help her friend patch things up with her characters and hopefully before any of the notorious baddies that she knew nothing about finally came to town.
                          
"They were a bit forceful," Nom allowed verbally to keep the conversation going, "but what they're doing is still nice. You know, with everything that's happened with their stories and all." She'd meant it casually but Liss still stiffened and turned to face her, a clear cold anger turning her eyes an emerald green and hard as stone.
                          
"Well what would you have me do?" she asked in a low voice, her true feelings now paraded in the air for Nom to read. The assault on her extra sensitive sensors was exhausting as she tried to fight off the need to let them control her own feelings and mood. It was one of the many downsides of her little 'gift' but she persevered, intent on shouldering some of her best friend's problems. Nom owed it to her after the attack yesterday...an attack she was still certain was her fault. "I told you, I didn't know they existed. Their stories are gone. I emptied my recycle bin. Without some hectic computer knowledge and equipment I can't bring them back!"