Some demons are best kept in only one cage.

"Two coffees please."

The young woman at the register waited politely for me to continue speaking. When I did not fulfil her expectations by staring blankly at my fiddling thumbs, however, her eyes narrowed and her mood changed drastically. "What kind of coffee?" she pressed, obviously irritated by my abruptness. Startled by her sudden swing, I glanced up to meet her unwelcoming, dark green eyes. I shrugged apologetically and handed her a ten dollar bill. "Just... Just the Number 1. Keep the change." Not only was that an act of empathy on my part, but I could also judge when enough is enough, and I had a feeling demanding a few one's accompanied by small pennies and nickels would piss everyone off even more.

The woman huffed and punched in the order to her small computer monitor. Instead of wondering what my other needs could possibly be, she swept away, and within two minutes both drinks were waiting at the pick-up counter.

"She probably spit in it." Catrine growled quietly to herself after venturing a taste of the fresh coffee. I took a seat across from her at a dated brown table and smiled patiently. There was no room for damning strangers, no matter how much of an asshole they were; or, at least, I tried to tell myself that. Normally I would have given that woman a good piece of my mind- the nasty, fowl-smelling, anger-topped piece that will tear off a few limbs.

But not anymore.

"People these days, I swear. It's'iv' manners were never invented. Does she even give a shit about her job?"

I nodded absently in mindless agreement. My gaze was focused elsewhere- on the cafe's typical abstract paintings hanging precariously on the creme-colored walls, to the woman hushing her two small girls brawling over whose cookie is whose, then along the shining tiled flooring that seems as if one step could shatter the entire structure. I haven't been myself ever since the breakouts. Lately there have been an alarming number of disappearances and kidnapping and murders. Here? the public asks themselves, In the glorious utopia of Angelhaits, the Capital of the entire country? Since Angelhaits technically is the our country's capital, this is where all of the other cities' tax dollars go. The citizens of Asium all help in funding special Angelhaits government programs, the latest and greatest technology of the future, our smooth and stable infrastructure, and especially security. There are many other cities in Asium of course, as any country would have it; but they are different. They are poorer, they are hard workers, and they're all pretty much doused in pure simplicity. But in Angelhaits? It is complete capitalism. A democracy at its finest. Greed and conceit outshine the moral values here. Sure, everyone is friendly and polite- but they are also delicate, and deep down inside of these Angelhaits citizens, is a hungry beast waiting for its prey to blindly stagger by.

We are not animals. We were simply raised not knowing any other way to live. There's just no patience. Tip someone off and they become vicious, then the tipper also gets tipped and prepares to fight back. Nothing has ever escalated to more than a small exchange of insults, though. Sometimes it erupts to fights, rarely murder. We were not taught to be vengeful, only judgemental, which is twice as bad I suppose.

I used to be like them: arrogant, fussy, rude. In fact, I had no idea those things were a problem in the perfect little wonderland of Angelhaits... until I met Micah and Rayce Harper. The outlanders. The unwelcomed. The different. The betas. The golden-hearted. They changed me, and I have absolutely no idea how it they did it.

"What's gotten into you?" Catrine's eyebrows perked in interest and slight concern. She was worried about me. Very worried. She would never admit it though. Catrine asks me this question every day, and maybe it's just out of routine now, but either way she still receives the same monotone answer: "I'm fine." I lie so easily these days that I'm not sure if there really is such thing as the truth anymore.

Cat finished her coffee in one final shot and immediately tossed the empty cup towards the trashcan. It wasn't even close to making it in. Right as it crashed to the floor, the tile underneath it flipped over. The cup and contaminated surface disappeared, leaving a shiny new tile in their place. So that's what the cafe's secret was. I would have never guessed that they could afford a Self-Cleansing Floormation. Only large and important businesses had the luxury. Hm. I'll have to look into that for my own apartment if Floormations are that inexpensive.

"Hello? Kristine? Are you high or something?"

I tugged at my faded red curls and immediately wished I hadn't dyed my hair the day before we spent a day in Angelhaits River, the purest, cleanest river that runs through a city in the entire world. It automatically eliminates any bad chemicals that break its surface for its swimmers. Including hair dye. Thank you, technology.

"Or are you thinking about Micah?"

"Shut up." I mumble in amusement. Cat smirked and leaned back in her chair, completely satisfied with herself. I have been thinking about him, but that is not the reason why I've been so quiet and spaced out.

"Why don't you two just get married already? You've been practically dating since the moment you saw each other."

"We're not dating, we're friends. Friend dating. But not actually dating. Just hanging out as buds. You know, doing whatever friends-only do together."

Cat, apparently amused by my denial, took out her phone from her hoodie pocket and checked the time. "Oh, Kristine! We're late!"

"For what?" I knew this was a lame joke, but I couldn't help but flash a much-needed smile.

"We're late for our Bullshit Classes! That's okay, they'll just have to start without us."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. Hard. "Thanks, I needed that." I gasped.

Cat laughed with me, and this continued for a good couple of minutes. Some of the customers, especially the ones hovering over their laptops and trying to enjoy the free wifi in peace, were glaring at us. We could care less. We were having fun, and that's all that mattered at the moment. Times were changing, and you could make use of fun wherever you found it.

After we had settled down, Catrine examined my untouched, cold coffee from across the tiny round table and asked slowly, "Is it really Micah?"

"No," I admitted reluctantly, then paused. I wished it was only Micah. Truth was, I was scared out of my mind. These violent crimes were unnatural. Call me paranoid, but when I was not with Jade and Cat messing around the city and causing mischief, or when Micah and I weren't alone at his dad's music store playing with the old records and guitars in the back, or when all four of us and a few more weren't taking long road trips from district to district to explore and discover more new places and secrets of one of the biggest cities on the planet, I was investigating.

My family, the Boyd family, was a pretty big name in Angelhaits. For three generations my relatives, as well as mother and father, had taken seats in the Courthouse. The Courthouse was where all the magic happened. All of the higher-class officials, the Men in Charge, the ones who regulated the entire country, had their offices in there. It was over 100 people, but definitely not less important in numbers. Father, Mother, and Big Brother I-Don't-Know-The-Name-Of  lives in a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood in the best district of the city. I grew up there and never had to work a day in my life. For my past birthday, my 17th to be exact, my parents bought me an apartment of my own on the bordering district for no reason other than the fact that I couldn't stand being alone all the time in that huge mansion with no one else but my tiny grey cat named Mouse. I didn't mind being alone, but everything was just so big and empty. My parents were always working, and I never knew I had an older brother until I was fifteen years old. Mother and Father never told me much, but apparently he was a respected Courthouse Suit that rarely ever came home.

So, naturally, when these crimes started up, I immediately got in touch with my parents to get insider information. They claimed not to be involved but I knew that was a lie. Instead, I took the matters into my own hands and used their accounts to access the top-secret Courthouse databases. I found so many files, so much knowledge, thousands and thousands of secrets forbidden to anyone outside the Courthouse. I discovered things I wasn't supposed to, but I just kept looking. How could anyone not? After hours and hours of reading and analyzing I still couldn't stop. I forced myself to down sleeping pills, and within ten minutes I was out cold. I woke up in the morning sick of course. Not only sick of the endless information I learned of what the all-knowing Courthouse hid, but also sick that, with all that time of research, I only found a limited amount of entries about the recent crimes that shocked the nation. The files included victims' profiles, their reports (whether it be causes of death or missing persons account), and locations. No suspects. No theories of motives.

This intrigued yet terrified me, and I haven't been able to sleep without medication ever since. I guess that explains why I am so jumpy and distant and look stoned 24/7.

"You know how all the news stations have been warning us about these crimes and murders within the city?" I continued.

"Yeah."

"It just worries me. I don't what's going on. Stuff like this has never happened before, you know? It sounds so serious." I would never dare tell Catrine everything I know. She is my best friend, but some demons are best kept in only one cage. Part of me doesn't want her to have this information period, and another part simply doesn't want to burden her with such a dangerous explosive. God, selflessness. Look at that. I'm spending too much time with the Harpers.

Cat shrugged it off. She genuinely was not concerned. "This will all blow over soon. You look terrible, really. This is nothing to get worked up about, alright? Relax, take it easy for a while. Are you even sleeping?"

I shook my head hesitantly.

"Christ, Kristine." The older girl sighed and pushed back her wavy black hair into a ponytail.  "Look, I want you to sleep at my place tonight. My street is quiet when it gets dark so you can actually rest. Then tomorrow we can go to the beach or something. No worries, no questions. Invite Micah and Jade. Darin too, but we all know he's Micah's purse." Catrine winked good-naturedly and stood up. Darin Briggs was Micah's best friend. He often hung out with us, but we never complained because there was never a reason to. Darin was the life of the party. He brought out the best in the group, truly.

I attempted a tiny grin and bit my lip as I followed Cat out the door of the cute cafe. Everything Catrine put on the table for me sounded great, and for a moment there I was more concerned about how I'd get to sleep without my pills rather than the safety of my friends and family. It felt kind of nice actually. But the sun will feel nicer tomorrow.