It was the first day of June and just mere weeks before their high school graduation.

Solace was sitting in the middle row of her history class, waiting for Ms. Hoffman to hand her marked final exam. She had spent weeks studying, and although she already had her acceptance letter to Harvard and scholarship, she was not the one to slack off. Besides, the teacher was known for her difficult tests and complicated essay questions. Her nails tapped the grey desks in anxious beats, blending with the apprehensive whispers and jittery movements of the class.

She needed to score higher than Sage Reyes. The two of them competed over everything, and she would not accept failure. Even when it came to clubs, they fought over how many extra-curriculars they joined and the number of wins in competitions. He beat her on the history midterm exam by five marks and would not shut up about it for weeks. She couldn't take another loss.

Solace scanned the room, her eyes searching for his tall figure that usually sat in the back with his basketball friends. When she couldn't find his puffs of black hair, she slumped in her chair, turning her gaze back to Ms. Hoffman. If he scored higher, it was good a thing he wasn't here so she wouldn't have to hear his teasing remarks. If she scored higher, she would simply find him during lunch and rub it in his face.

Her nerves rose when Ms. Hoffman placed her test backward, offering her a small turn of her lips that oddly looked like a smile. You could never catch her with a smile unless she was flirting with Mr. Ricci, the math teacher, and giggling about cartesian coordinates and binomial coefficients. In her eyes, math was sexy, and in Solace's eyes, it should be illegal to put those two words in one sentence unless 'not' was accompanied with it.

Solace flipped over the test, relief and victory replacing her previous doubt. The 98% in red pen made her want to jump out of her seat, throw her arms around Ms. Hoffman, and skip joyfully down the rows of the class. She would undoubtedly despise that, and the last thing Solace needed was to annoy the one teacher she didn't manage to win over.

She chanted the grade in her mind, grinning to herself when she thought about Sage's reaction. There was no way he beat her. Solace was going to make proper use of the last few weeks of senior year and gloat, relishing in his crestfallen face and defeat.

As soon as the bell rang, she didn't wait for Ms. Hoffman to dismiss the class but was on her feet speed-walking to find Sage. It wasn't rare for him to occasionally skip class. That was what irked her the most. No matter how much he goofed off in class or went out before their exams, his GPA was just as high as hers. She hated to admit it, but Sage Reyes was smart.

She remembered that the hallways were loud and busy that day as students chattered and laughed to the cafeteria. The test was in her hands as she pushed through the crowds, headed to where Sage's locker was. The smell of cheesy pizza and oily fries started to dwindle as she walked up the stairs, the walls covered in reminders to pay for the yearbook, or the afterschool tutoring services in the library.

Once she made it to the corridor, she saw a figure shoving textbooks into his locker. Her shoulder's sagged when she realized it wasn't him. The chestnut-haired boy, Jabari Mostafa, was Sage's best friend, and they shared a locker together. Maybe he knew where he was.

"Hey, Jabari," called out Solace. "Have you seen Sage anywhere?"

Jabari turned around, a frown pulling at his lips and dark circles creating hollows under his eyes. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

He sighed, slamming his locker door shut, and ran a hand down his face. "Sage has been missing since the weekend. No one's seen him. We've been texting and calling him like crazy, but nothing."

Solace's brows wrinkled in confusion. Her stomach churned in worry and her grip on her test loosened. If he'd been gone since the weekend, it's already been four days. The two of them never got along and there were moments where she hated his guts, wishing that he wasn't a part of her life, but never had she meant those words. Her mouth felt dry as she spoke. "Has the police been notified?"

Jabari nodded. "They don't think he ran away since all his stuff is still in his room."

The possibilities in her mind terrified her. "Do they think he was... kidnapped?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," he whispered tiredly. "I got a meeting with Coach, so I'll see you later." As he turned to leave, Jabari glanced back at her, and all his worries were evident in his eyes. "Julian, his brother, is planning a search party for tonight. You should come. We need all the help we can get."

So, for the next three months, Solace joined in search parties, driving around the city of Portland with her friends, and asking if anyone had seen him. Along with his family and cousins, a large population of the student body helped create missing posters and reposting them on social media. A criminal investigation went on for even longer until they closed the case for good. There were no leads or trails. It was a dead end. She heard from Jabari that his parents and Julian broke down into tears, refusing to believe he was gone.

Solace thought he was gone for good, too. And if someone told her Sage Reyes would show up at her apartment six months later in the middle of the night, fiddling with an elf stuffy on her couch, she would've laughed in their face, accusing them of drinking too much spiked eggnog.

"This elf's head is disproportionate to its body," Sage simply stated as he played with the bells on the pointy green hat.

"Sage," she whispered his name again, her eyes never leaving him from her seat on the couch across from him.

"What?" he said in defense. "It is. I refuse to believe that 75% of an elf's body mass comes from their heads. It's weird."

She gawked at him and how carelessly he lounged on the sofa. It was like he forgot that he had been gone for half a year, and they were simply having a conversation that included body shaming Santa's helpers. She didn't know how to act. Should she hug him? Call his parents? What exactly does one do when their rival appears out of thin air after being declared dead?

"Where have you been the last six months?" she asked softly. "And are you okay? You look like you got jumped."

Sage stiffened, self-consciously rubbing the side of his bruised cheek. "I'm fine. I just got into some trouble, and that's why I need your help."

Solace shook her head, getting on to her feet and searching for her phone. "What you need to do is call your family. They need to know you're alive."

His jaw clenched ,and he turned his eyes away from her. His leg bounced up and down as he wiped the blood from his knuckles on his coat. "I'll call them, I promise. I just need to get out of this mess."

"What mess?" demanded Solace, returning to her seat. "If you got yourself in some illegal shit, we need to call the police."

"No!" shouted Sage, his eyes frantic wide. His entire body posture froze like marble at those words, and she could see pure terror on his face. "If I do that, they'll kill me."

Her heart stopped, and his fear washed over her. "Who? Who will kill you, Sage?"

He shifted in his seat with unease, but before he could speak, a bedroom door opened, and out came a groggy Emi rubbing and squinting her eyes from the bright light. Sage immediately grabbed his backpack and stood up as if he was going to bolt. His gaze was untrusting and unsure.

No, Solace couldn't let him run. Not after he showed up at her doorsteps in months. He chose to come to her for a reason. "That's just my roommate, Emi. It's okay. You're okay."

Sage physically relaxed. He dropped his backpack and sat back down, his guard now up with the stranger. Solace sighed, slowly walking to Emi, who eyed him until realization struck her.

"You're the boy who went missing. Everyone thought you were dead, dude!" she exclaimed as she stared at him as if he was a rare animal behind a cage.

"Well, I'm not," he said dryly.

"Obviously. You look like shit," remarked Emi with no filter, a laugh building up in her throat.

Sage turned to Solace in disbelief. "Your roommate has no sense of empathy."

"I'll talk to her," she assured, seizing Emi's arm, and dragging her to the kitchen. Her roommate made noises of disagreement, murmuring how she wanted to ask him about his bruises.

"Why is he here?" Emi questioned in excitement. "Has he always been coming here, and I just didn't realize? I thought you hated him. Why would he come to you? Do you think he joined a gang?"

Sage shushed her, letting out a tired sigh. "I don't know. No. I do hate him. And once again, I don't know. He looks terrified, and something is definitely wrong. He doesn't want to call the police."

"Definitely a gang."

Solace glanced over to Sage, who was now on his feet and tinkering with the photo frames and other decorations. "Listen, Emi, I need to talk to him alone. I don't think he's comfortable speaking to me with you around since you're a stranger."

"She's right," agreed Sage, turning his head with his hands in pockets. The two of the jolted, surprised he could hear them. "Although I bet you're riveting company, I need to speak to Solace alone."

"He sounded sarcastic," Emi muttered through the side of her mouth. "I don't like him."

"You and me, both," Solace whispered back.

Emi exhaled, puffs of hair pushing back her long fringe. "I'll be in my room, then," she announced and sauntered off with one last curious look at Sage. Solace was fully aware she would be eavesdropping on their conversation, but it would save her time from explaining everything.

Solace awkwardly walked back to her place on the couch, unsure of what to say. But then, she realized she shouldn't be feeling out of place in her apartment. She was the one in control, but with Sage, she always felt like she was spiraling.

She cleared her throat. "Where have you been? What happened?" she demanded. Sage simply ignored her and continued to rearrange the ornaments on the tree.

"There are too many ornaments on the front and not enough in the back," he muttered, pulling out a purple sphere and placing it on a different area.

Solace let out a strangled noise. "Sage, sit your ass down, shut up, and tell me everything."

He put his palms up, his signature smirk hanging from his lips. "The last two orders are contradictory."

She gave him an unimpressed look. "I have had a long day, and all I want to do is sleep, but I can't do that when you've come back from the dead. You said you need my help, so you got to tell me what's going on."

"Yeah, okay," he sighed, taking a seat. He bit the inside of his mouth as if struggling to start his story until he finally ran a hand through his hair and spoke. "When I applied to Harvard, I needed that scholarship. My parents couldn't afford an Ivy league school, and my brother offered to sell his mechanic shop, but I wouldn't let him. I got accepted, but the scholarship went to..."

"Me," she completed for him. He nodded as he went back to playing with the elf. Solace didn't know what to say. She wasn't going to apologize for receiving the money. She deserved that scholarship, but a part of her felt guilty.

"I thought I would refer my offer for a year and get a job," he continued stiffly. "I saw this flier at the bus stop about this florist shop hiring. I didn't know jack shit about flowers, but I was desperate, so I went. This man said he had a better position for me that paid really really well. I knew it was shady, but I got caught up thinking about how I wouldn't have to waste a year, so I said yes."

Sage halted as if he was physically forcing himself to continue speaking. "Then what happened?" she urged. She sat on the edge of her seat as if he was telling her some action-packed, intriguing story that didn't involve real life.

"Turns out I was right," chuckled Sage, but it lacked any humour. "They tricked me into joining this... organization, and at first, it was cool. I learned how to fight amongst other things." The way he said that made her think it had to be something illegal. "But then they wanted me to do other stuff. Like bad things, Solace."

"Like what?" she pushed, scared for the answer that would leave his lips.

"Like killing people," he said so quietly, she almost missed it. "I avoided it for a while, but then they were getting persistent."

Solace's heart dropped into her stomach. People always talked about murder as if it was simple as talking about the weather. She couldn't even recount the number of times she wished she could off her boss. Hell, Emi and her were just talking about assassinating Jack Frost, and although he was a magical creature, the notion of his death brought laughter. But the action of actually hurting and executing someone made her stomach churn.

"Who are these people?"

"I can't tell you. They strive off anonymity. But I'm quitting. They gave me the chance to buy myself out. Some of the other..." he faltered, his mind reeling to find the right word, "employees weren't happy and beat me up for being a deserter. I just need to complete one last job for them. That's where I need your help." Sage stared at her expectantly like she was her only option. Never in their four years of knowing him as he ever looked at her this way.

Solace pushed back her braids, hugging her legs to her chest. "And what does it entail?"

"I need you to make me a replica of a painting. The Servus Autem Fortuna to be exact."

The words rang in her head. He wanted her to create a copy of the same painting that was hanging in Senator Moore's office. She had an inkling as to why, but did she want a part of this? It was unlawful and from what she had heard so far, dangerous. As much as she wanted to help him, she couldn't risk it.

"No," Solace said finally. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

Sage's face fell into one of shock. "After what I just told you, you don't want to help me?"

She stood up quickly. "It's because of what you told me that I can't help you. I can't put myself in trouble like that."

"Come on, SoSo," he called out as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Don't call me that," she hissed. Solace despised that nickname and especially when it came out of his mouth. It was always followed by a condescending comment.

"Solace," he fixed, desperation creeping into his voice. "Please."

She shook her head, fixated on her decision. The feeling of remorse simmered in her stomach, her thoughts at war with her emotions. But she was making the right choice. For her and Emi's safety. She couldn't get caught up in his mess. Solace had troubles of her own with school and her internship. She did not have the time to be committing art fraud.

"You can stay here for a few days," offered Solace as she searched through the cabinets to find the first aid. She was met with yellow-stained Tupperware, cartoon mugs, and birthday candles until she found it. She handed the small kit to him and said, "You should clean up your cuts, and I still think you should call the police. They'll help you."

"I already told you that is not an option." Sage and his dispirited expression grabbed the kit and opened it to only frown. He pulled out the Hello Kitty band-aids, a half-full tube of polysporin, and three alcohol wipes. "This is exactly why you had to re-take first aid."

Annoyance flared in the pits of her belly. "No, I had to re-take first aid because you threw away my registration."

"I did no such thing," Sage refuted, but she saw how he was struggling to keep a straight face. "Okay, maybe I did. But only because you got me kicked off Student Council."

"That's because you tried to kill my dog," she accused, her bony finger poking into his chest.

Sage swatted away her hand, his eyes narrowing. "Don't you dare accuse me of attempted animal murder," he gasped.

"You were going to feed him chocolate!"

"In my defense, I didn't know chocolate was toxic to dogs," he shrugged sheepishly.

She huffed loudly, stomping to the closet in the hallway to look for a blanket. She hated him, but she would be damned to not be a gracious and hospitable host. "Everyone knows chocolate is toxic to dogs. It's basic knowledge, something you very much lack with your current situation," insulted Solace, nudging a pink wig and a fake plant out of the way.

"Cheap shot," Sage mumbled, letting out a humph when Solace shoved a blanket into his arms.

"Listen, I'm happy you're not dead. A little less so now after you insulted my first aid abilities, but nonetheless, happy," she said, earning a glare from Sage. "I wish I could do more to help, but this is all I can offer, so go rest and figure out what you need to do next."

Sage looked as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he seemed to agree. "Yeah, okay," he whispered, his shoulder hunched and head down.

Her heart strings pulled at his sad expression, but she stayed firm. "You can use that couch, and the bathroom is right over here. Do you need anything to change into?"

"I'm all good," he said quietly.

Solace gulped but urged herself to turn around to her bedroom. She ignored her doubts and regret that was slowly bubbling over. Remember how much you hate him, Solace. Remember when he dumped salt into your cookie mix, causing you to almost fail Home Economics, or when he sabotaged your valedictorian audition with fake bugs. He ended up getting the position and rubbed it in for weeks. Albeit I was handed the spot when he went missing, but the taste of victory wasn't the same. He'll be fine. He looks like he's been handling himself well for the last six months. The blood, bruises, and look of fear flashed in her mind, but she pushed it away. He can figure this out on his own.

She stepped into her room, but before she closed the door, she popped her head out the frame and called his name. He was still standing in the same spot, his head jolting up with excitement as if he thought she changed her mind. The hopeful look quickly faded when she spoke.

"Don't get blood on my couch."

***

Author's Note:

Omg okay so what do we think of Sage? And any thoughts on what happened to him and why he needs Solace to make him a replica?

Do you think Solace was being selfish when she said no? Let me know :)

Until next time – m.k.t