Paranoia is interesting, isn't it? It's an extremely powerful feeling. Dangerous if felt extensively, but intentionally protective in it's own right. It had a bad reputation. Usually looked down upon and those who feel it's effects are scolded to no end. Though, paranoia has also proven to be heroic in some cases. Yet, the line where it's good turned to bad was exceptionally thin, and that was the part that brought Elias the most dread. How does one know when they should or shouldn't allow the feeling of paranoia? Was he overreacting or was he rightfully horrified at the faces before him...?

The lunch room was bustling with chatter as always, yet Eli's table was unusually quiet. Porter and Harley had been sitting in their normal seats with Elias on the other side; neither one of them glancing at another longer than a few seconds before looking down to their trays. That is, until Porter finally broke the silence slightly agitated,

"Aren't we going to talk about it?"

Both their eyes snapped to him.

"Talk about what?" Harley furrowed her brows, slowly chewing the rest of her food.

"Bausy and Charles--"

"No. It's way too early for that." She interrupted. Porter gave a defeated look down to his fork, about to stab his mushy meatball before he decided to slam the plastic utensil down onto the table.

"No actually, I think it's the perfect time for it."

"Porter, seriously."

"I am serious." He looked over to Elias. "Don't you have questions too? I mean if it really is Charles then--"

"It's not Charles." Harley harshly stabbed her meatball. "And you all are idiots if you think this is over."

"I knew it wasn't just me." Porter almost smiled. "Something didn't feel right. Don't you think so too, Elias?"

Eli paused at the sight of his brown eyes on him. It felt so strange...almost as if he were testing him. They lingered--why did they linger? Or was that just Eli overthinking his stare? It was a genuine look...wasn't it? He rose his brows, urging Elias to speak.

"I-"

"We shouldn't be talking about this, and Elias knows it." Harley said, bringing their voices to a whisper.

"Of course we should. If we all believe that there's something we're missing then--"

"Then that's exactly why we should keep our mouths shut. For Bausy. If you cared about her at all you would."

"I love her." Porter snapped, causing the other two to pause. "She's the strongest girl I know, and I know if the tables were turned and she knew she could help one of us she wouldn't hesitate."

"You're right, she is strong." Harley gave him a look. "She isn't some damsel in distress in desperate need of your help. For God's sake, haven't we done enough? The last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves and end up dead or broken in a hospital like Bausy and Sunshine."

A pang of angst struck Elias at the mention of his name.

"How can you say that? Aren't you her bestfriend?" Porter narrowed his eyes.

"That's exactly why I can say it. I know she'd want us to stay safe just like her father." Her eyes drifted to Elias. "I'm sure Sunshine would feel the same way. They're good like that."

"They're strong like that." Porter added. "Think about it, the only reason what happened happened that night is because they had the balls to be there."

"And clearly it was a mistake." Harley glared at him.

"Maybe it wasn't." Porter snatched off his glasses, rubbing the irritation from his eyes. "Maybe that's why they were attacked--" he stopped suddenly, sighing as he slouched. "I wish I was there."

"We all do." Harley replied soft. "It's out of our hands now, Porter. Please, let's just let it go. Right, Elias?" Harley asked stern, bringing his hazel eyes to rest on her. Why was she looking so intently? Why couldn't he speak? Harley continued to stare over at Elias just as Porter desperately looked up.

"Elias?" He asked as if what he were to say next would be the tie breaker.

  Switching between the two, Elias suddenly could feel himself growing anxious as they watched him expectantly. Feeling his heart race within his chest and his breaths quicken, Elias cleared his throat loudly before saying,

"I have to go to the bathroom."

  Quickly standing from the table, Elias left them without another word. Passing Cush, and ignoring his curious glance, Elias made his way out of the cafeteria and into the boys restroom. As the door slowly closed, gradually snuffing out all the chatter, Elias approached the row of sinks along the long mirror on the other side of the room. Leaning against the first sink he could reach, he finally let out the pants of breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

  He didn't know who he could trust, and the thought of one of them having more to do with everything made him sick. The possibility of the people he once trusted without doubt, being an enemy, was nothing less than paralyzing. Considering, Elias truly wanted to trust each of them. He just couldn't get passed the fact that the attempted murder of Bausy happened only after he'd told the rest of the group.

  Porter was awkward sure, but he wouldn't have wanted to harm anyone, especially not Bausy. He had no reason to, as far as Elias could see, and that counted for something right? He loved her--he said it himself in the heat of the moment. Why would he have any connection to La Mort Noire?

  Harley was a firecracker, but Elias knew that she loved Bausy. He could see it in the way they interacted and spoke to one another, as true friends not ever wanting to cause the other harm. She may not have been the easiest pill to swallow in the bunch, but Elias wasn't getting any unorthodox vibes from her either. She had no reason to be connected to La Mort Noire, right?

  Beverly was the sweetest girl Elias had ever met. In every encounter, she held a smile, never once failing to make Elias feel a bit more at home. He couldn't imagine her harming anyone. She was just a wallflower that joined the group to help others and nothing more than that...right?

Groaning, Elias dragged a hand down his face.

The only person Elias knew he could trust for sure was Cush.

  And Cush...Cush could hurt someone and not think twice about it, Elias was sure of it. He wasn't the nicest person to be around and definitely had his scornful view of the world, but there was no way he'd ever hurt Sunshine again. Elias, sure. But Sunshine? With everything him and the rest of the Possolo's are already doing for Sunshine's life, Elias knew it couldn't have been Cush.

  Everything felt so overwhelming and Elias hated the fact that he had no idea what to do. He never thought in a million years that the group he trusted would one day be his very suspects. He tried to figure it out--tried to assess everything, but it was like his brain couldn't form answers, only a headache. How had he ever been able to make it this far? The pressure was unbearable. It made his hands shake and his insides turn. How had he been able to handle everything before now?

Suddenly, Elias knew. Gripping the sides of the sink tightly, Elias closed his eyes trying not to think about him.

Sunshine.

  This had been their journey. If it weren't for that small sack of bones, Elias wouldn't have been where he was today. Granted, he was in a bathroom having a slight anxiety attack, but that was only because Elias hadn't realized how much of a privilege it was to have someone like Sunshine in his life. He had been there for it all, since the very beginning of the hunt for La Mort Noire, and haunted by his absence, Elias could now notice just how much peace Sunshine brought him by simply being there.

Annoyingly tugging on his sleeve, always walking too close--rambling-- smiling. Elias would be lying if he said he didn't miss every bit of him. There was no doubt in his mind that if Sunshine were there, he'd have followed Elias into the bathroom like the weirdo he was.

  Elias let out a slight chuckle at the thought; hearing as it echoed in the emptiness around him. He hated how silent it became as the laugh died out. His smile faded as he knew Sunshine wouldn't be coming, and the fact that everyone had already begun talking about him as if he'd already passed made Elias want to cower in a corner. Just as the heavy feeling entered him, he turned on the faucet not hesitating in splashing his face. The numbing cold water woke him from his walk down a road he'd been purposely neglecting. The thought of the excruciating amount of pain Sunshine was in at that moment and, of course, the high possibility of him never being able to hear from him again was absolutely heartwrenching. He knew he'd be forced to deal with the feeling eventually, but he also knew he needed to keep his mind clear if he wanted to get to the bottom of it all.

Elias was the king of bottling his emotions, and even though he knew it was a bad habit, he just needed to do it one last time.

He couldn't think about Sunshine not being there. He needed to think of what Sunshine would do if he were.

"What would you do little guy...?" He asked softly. "What would you do...?"

"So, I'm going to the library later today. Do you wanna come with me?"

  Elias smiled slightly as he remembered the sight of Sunshine's large brown eyes as he walked beside him on the sidewalk that day. Elias had wished he'd said yes to him then.

~*~

  Being back over at Cush's house wasn't as strange as Elias had imagined. The Possolo's had truly treated Elias as if nothing had happened and he didn't know whether to feel guilty or to be willingly accepting, but he was thankful nonetheless. He enjoyed Cush's family and he was glad they were understanding, and hadn't condemned Elias to his actions on that dreadful night.

"I can drive you home if you'd like." Cush said, closing his laptop before sliding back from his desk. "I'm sure Jane wouldn't mind."

"Thank you." Elias replied, stuffing all his belongings into his bookbag. "But I'm not going home. Not yet, at least."

Cush rose a brow at him.

"I'm going to the library." He continued. "You can come if you want. I could use the company."

"Yeah, I'm not even going to entertain you with an excuse. No. But I suppose I can drop you off." Cush answered plainly, making Elias chuckle.

"I appreciate it."

  It wasn't a long ride to the library and Cush did as he said; dropped Elias off and left as fast as Jane's tires allowed. The place was very quiet and almost entirely empty, which made sense considering it was a library and not many people spent their time reading books in public places. Elias definitely wasn't one of them. He'd much rather be enjoying a video game or listening to music in his spare time. It wasn't that he hated books, he just wasn't fond of them.

  Letting his eyes roam the thousands of books along the shelves, Elias sighed letting his bookbag slip from his shoulder onto the dark carpet.

This was going to be hell.

  Time passed with Eli's nose stuck in the pages of countless history books and documents, while simultaneously doing research on the outdated, dusty public computers. Everytime his eyelids felt too heavy or when he found himself nodding off, he'd force himself to step outside. The shock of icy cold air never failed to wake him up, and even though a part of it felt like torture, Eli's motivation remained. Though it had felt strange for him to be there alone, knowing that rainbow boy had been doing the exact same thing himself only weeks ago, kept him going. Maybe it was curiousity, maybe it was guilt, or maybe it was the pressure--Elias didn't know exactly what pushed him, but whatever it was kept him at it for hours, nonstop.

  He found it interesting that majority of the families from back then still resided in the same town, and some in the same houses. Evan was a fifth generation Possolo, inheriting from his father before him, marrying Arlette and soon leaving the Possolo legacy in the hands of the sixth generation, Jane, Cush, and Theodore. They were established from lifetime upon lifetime of success and were the most revered family. Marissa Sanchez was second generation, making Sunshine to be third generation and leaving their family as one of the newest additions.

  There was a ton of information as such, and though Elias found himself surprisingly interested, it wasn't what he needed. Even after hours of searching and reading and clicking and typing, Elias still wasn't satisfied with what he'd found. Nothing was helpful in him getting any clues. It honestly began to feel like a waste of time. The sun had set completely now, leaving him to depend on a warm lamp in the corner for his source of light. The progressing strong winds could be heard howling outside and he knew the poor woman at the front desk was ready to close up and go home.

  Gradually lifting his gaze from the book he was currently reading, Eli's drained eyes drifted along the table he'd been occupying; the tower of books, the pile of old newspapers, and the dull screen of the computer, all dauntingly staring back at him as he sat back with a sigh.

"What am I doing?" He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd never felt so tired in his life. It was deeply discouraging to spend hours working only to come up empty handed. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it was definitely more than what he had.

That's when it popped in his head. Of course, how couldn't he have thought about them sooner?

Slowly typing in the search bar of the computer one last time, Elias let his eyes glide across the screen as he whispered softly, reading only a few words aloud.

"Generation...wealthy family...tragic...bankruptcy...nothing passed to--"

He paused; the sluggish expression on his face slowly turning. His eyes widened before he stood up suddenly, startling the woman at the desk on the other side of the room.

"Are you alright?" She asked in a brittle voice. "Was it one of those creepy crawlies, love? I'm sorry about that. We have someone coming out real soon to help with those."

  He reread it, over and over again. A cold chill ran up his spine as he read it a final time. He hadn't misread a thing. It was all really there in front of him, staring him in the face. His heart felt powerful, yet muffled in it's heavy beat against his chest. It all started to make sense, and the more it did, the more Eli felt that overwhelming feeling. Though this time, it wasn't paranoia, but complete and utter terror. His eyes began to dry at how wide he had them, afraid to look away, never allowing the time to blink. As he could finally feel the breath in his lungs again, the only word able to leave was,

"You...?"

~*~

  The once mesmerizing snow Elias had admired was now animalistic and unrelenting as it blew uncontrollably in the darkness around him. Being completely overtaken by the wind, the gentle flakes were like bullets against his skin. He couldn't see anything, the thick fog of white blocking his view entirely. Yet, Elias still trudged through down what he assumed was the sidewalk.

It was his first blizzard.

  It hadn't mattered how many times he pulled on his hoodie, the icy wind never failed in blowing it off not even seconds later. Hating the increasing pain of the cold bite along the ends of his ears, Elias sacrificed his fingers as he held onto his hood tightly. It was as if the wind was fighting him, pushing him back with everything it had. He was sniffling uncontrollably while trying to steady the chattering of his teeth. The wild winds howled loudly and Elias hated walking through it blindly, though he knew it couldn't have been far.

  That's when he could see the light. Pushing forward with every bit of strength he had, Elias finally reached the building. His numb hands curling around the frosted handle of the door as he finally opened it, stepping inside of the building where he'd spend the next five hours.

~*~

The Next Day...

"Elias."

He could feel the snow beneath his feet. There was something about the satisfying crunch that calmed him as he walked further and further down the familiar street.

"Elias."

It wasn't as wild as the night before--in fact it wasn't wild at all. Instead everything had felt so serene as the white covering glistened along every surface there was. It was still freezing, though not as unbearable.

"Elias!"

Eli was suddenly snapped out of his trance; his eyes landing on the tall, pale boy beside him.

"You said you'd explain." He said. "I don't understand. Why call everyone back here?"

"I'll explain everything to everyone." Elias replied.

"It's six in the morning--only a few hours before school starts and you call a meeting? On a Thursday at that..." Cush shook his head.

Eli's footsteps suddenly stopped as he looked out into the wall of trees. Cush stopped along with him, narrowing his eyes as he looked back and forth between the forest and Elias.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Cush finally asked.

Eli continued to examine the trees a while longer before answering, "It's just...snow."

"Snow?" Cush furrowed his brows. "What is your obsession with...there's snow everywhere--Elias." Cush pinched the bridge of his nose as he took in a breath, giving him a stern glare. "Why are we going back to the toy shop?"

"Do you trust me?" Elias suddenly glanced at him, making Cush pause.

The pale boy narrowed his eyes for a moment, looking away before letting out a breath of air. "I suppose so."

"Then trust me." Elias said, continuing his walk down the road until they reached A Child's Delight. Disappearing into the alley and entering into the space, Elias was relieved to see the three other members waiting patiently with their bookbags.

"Finally." Harley crossed her arms. "It's freezing and it smells like chemicals."

"Yeah, why so sudden? And why...this place?" Porter asked.

"I keep looking at the stains. I don't like this." Beverly took in a breath, bringing her attention to Elias. "What is it so we can get out of here?"

Elias looked around the room at all their faces before taking in a breath of his own. "One of us is a mole." Elias began, and he could feel the sudden tension in the room as everyone's stances changed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Porter rose a brow.

"Someone tried to kill Bausy." Elias continued.

"Yes. Charles." Cush added.

"He was caught on camera." Harley finished.

"But that's the thing." Elias continued. "You can't tell me that you all actually believe he's our killer. He can't stand the sight of blood. He couldn't have done these murders."

"Yeah." Beverly nodded, cautiously looking at everyone.

"I didn't think so either." Porter added.

"Me neither." Harley said.

"But he was still caught on camera." Cush began. "Even if he's not our killer, he's still involved."

"Exactly." Elias continued. "And the only people who knew Bausy was alive at the time, was the FBI, the sheriff, and us. Only after we told everyone, did he attack her." He looked directly at Porter. "What that means is that someone had to tell Charles. One of us."

Everyone's eyes darted to each other in a moment of pure discomfort.

"I did my research on everyone. Including you Cush."

Cush scoffed.

"Everything checked out. Porter Nelson, an only boy in a full house. Lived here your whole life.