Ten minutes, that's how long Orlando had promised they'd wait before heading back.

He sat relaxed in the driver's seat, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the tunnels. Something inside of his gut was telling him they needed to wait.

Unfortunately, Angela wanted to fill the empty silence with noise and insisted on talking. Rather than start a fight and risk them missing something, he humored her and let her start up a conversation.

"Did you figure out what was going on with your girlfriend?" Angela asked.

"Nah, and I'm pretty positive she is lying," he mumbled.

Of all the things to talk about, she had to pick this? She wasn't going to let it go was she? He tapped his chin with his fingers in irritation.

"That sucks."

"Yeah, I caught her in a lie and she got her brother to help cover for her. Problem is they don't have their stories straight. Not quite sure how to bring it up exactly. And then I can't help but wonder why anyway." He waved a hand. "I'll figure it out. She's gotta have a good reason."

"Knowing her, yeah. And for her sake it better be a good one too because you totally don't deserve this."

"No, I don't."

He didn't bother to explain to her that there was no such thing as a good reason in his eyes. A lie was a lie. An easy out for someone to take when they were too afraid to own up to their real feelings.

His parents did it all the time, so he knew why people lied. Selfishness.

Even when Orlando did it himself, it was because he was being selfish. With everything going on with the Alturan war, he'd had to lie a lot more to his sister. Each time it had been because he didn't want her to stop him from doing his part.

After a few seconds of silence she added, "You're a lot cooler than people give you credit for. I never understood what everyone's problem was."

"You mean you're a cheerleader and you don't know the story? I used to be one of the cool kids."

"No, I know, but I don't get why they care so much about you not wanting to be a cool kid anymore. Like, that's your decision to make, and you aren't hurting anyone by doing something different."

"It doesn't make sense to me either." Orlando glanced at the clock. Was ten minutes up yet? "They're insecure and fragile. It's stupid."

"Yeah, they're pretty dumb. I mean, I'm on the squad with your ex, right? How could you stand her? I've had more intelligent conversations with a spoon."

He laughed at that. "We didn't do a lot of talking when we hung out. At least, I didn't. She gabbed on and on. We dated because we could." He paused. "So you're on the squad, but you don't play their popularity game?"

"I play the game, I'm just better at it than they are. I can fit in without being a fake bimbo. The trick is to hear the gossip, but don't spread it. And definitely never be it." She winked.

"I'm sure they'd have a lot to say if they knew you were spending the night before break with me instead of at the annual Thanksgiving blow-out."

"That's been moved to Friday. Jesse said something about not liking being tired the day of the big meal." She snickered. "I didn't want to explain how it's kind of normal to suffer from tryptophan shock. I thought everyone knew about that."

"Yeah, he's not too bright."

Orlando noticed movement coming from the tunnel entrance. A dark shape raised itself out of the ground, followed by another. When the moonlight hit them, he recognized Bean and Sprout. He turned back on his communicator to pick up what they were talking about.

Sprout's words were fast and heated. "Can you believe him? Blaming us for this? Maybe it's his fault for not having a more secure base. Just because he's part of the green tribe doesn't mean he's better than us. I almost strangled him. I might next time. I don't care who he is or who he works for. He doesn't get to treat me like that."

"Breathe. It's okay," Bean said.

"No it's not okay!"

"Yes, it is. We won't have to put up with him for much longer. Just ride it out."

"What about Dale? He saw things, he knows things. We can't just let him walk away with this information. Especially with them. Something needs to be done."

Bean exhaled slowly, clearly exasperated. "He's scared. Let's give him a few days, and then we can give him an ultimatum. I don't see him being much of a threat. This might not be his sort of thing. Maybe it's better if we do let him walk away."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Chihuahua was there. I have a feeling they all were..."

"If you're thinking about him again, Sprout, I'm going to have to get your head checked. I mean, I know you have a thing for dangerous guys and all...but you have something good going on for you in the real world. Don't ruin it for some kind of stupid fantasy," Bean said sharply.

They were close enough now that Orlando could see their faces. Sort of. The power of the Alturan masks made almost everything defining about a person, blurry. Orlando recognized the two based on height, their blond hair, and the way they held themselves more so than any other physical features.

Sprout put her hands in her pockets, her eyes downcast as they walked through the park. "Something about him resonates with me and I can't help it," she said softly.

"He almost killed you."

"I don't think it was on purpose."

Orlando glanced at Angela with a smirk and whispered, "She totally wants me."

Who else would Sprout be talking about? Orlando was the only one she had fought with from the group, and he'd sent her flying through the air with such force her spine could have broken on impact.

He tried not to let it go to his head; he resonated with a lot of people, and not always in good ways. Sprout was evil, no doubt about it, but the two did have some stimulating banter. Even Orlando couldn't help but be a little bit attracted by that. But her disgusting attitude and beliefs made her more unattractive than a warty toad.

Sprout closed her eyes and reached up to grab her mask. Both Orlando and Angela held their breath, anxious to learn this girl's true identity. "I know I have a good thing going. I don't plan on ruining it. I love him, and I'm not throwing it away. But what can I say? I have needs, okay? And I doubt I'm going to get them met soon. Besides, there's something sexy about a guy who—"

"La, la, la." Bean put his hands to his ears. "I don't want to hear about your fantasies. It's gross. Please don't taint my pure mind with your filth."

She snorted, and the mask came off. Whereas before all he could make out was hair color, maybe a minor detail about her clothes, and a rough guess at her height, all of a sudden everything became crystal clear.

Her long, blonde hair, her proportioned curves, and the Lunar Falls logo on her sweatshirt and sweatpants. Orlando knew her well.

Sprout was Tait, or rather, Tait was Sprout.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he whispered, and felt it hard to breathe as Bean pulled off his mask to reveal Peyton.

Angela shook her head. "No way. Get down. They're coming up the hill."

He did so quickly, getting as low in his seat as possible so the two wouldn't think anything about the lone car sitting on the hilltop. He'd made sure to park toward the back of the lot so it was even less suspicious.

"You don't think I've ruined things with him because I canceled on tomorrow, do you?" Tait asked.

"Lying is never a good idea. You should have sucked it up even if you are going to be tired and stressed. This kind of thing is important. If you can't handle it, then maybe you should think twice about being in a relationship," Peyton said. "Don't get me wrong. I think he's great for you, but it is a new relationship. It's not like Erin and me. We've been together for just about a year."

"It would have been perfect if Mondae hadn't sprung this crap on us," she mumbled.

The sound of their feet crunching against the cold grass was now right next to Orlando's car. He found himself holding his breath even if she couldn't hear him.

Peyton snorted quietly. "I think you could have made it work still. Either way, next time? Don't include me in your scheme. It's awkward and I don't like doing it. He doesn't deserve it."

"No, he doesn't. So I need to make it up to him somehow. What do you give a guy who has everything?" she asked.

Orlando didn't get to hear the reply because they walked farther away, their voices growing quiet compared to the increasing noise of his thoughts.

She's Sprout. She's one of them. This whole time I've been fighting against her. I almost killed her. She almost killed me! She's been killing other teens, hurting them. This can't be happening. How is it even possible? Maybe I'm dreaming? Did she say she loved me? That she fantasized about me when I'm in costume? She's been killing people.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Angela's hand on his arm.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." And the answer surprised him, because he was pretty sure any normal person would be disturbed.

He was feeling that way, but there was a mix of other emotions as well. Strong ones.

Tait had deceived him, and yet when they were together he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy. When they were being their normal selves, everything felt right. But she was one of the bad guys, and her actions were still unforgivable.

Or were they?

Maybe she does have a good reason? No, she's a liar.

But so am I.

Orlando shook his head. "I'm confused," he whispered.

"That was not a plot twist I was expecting," Angela whispered back.

"No, definitely not."

When he thought about it, how Tait had been acting over the past month it made perfect sense. The night of the party she'd completely blown him off and then called him, upset because of a "fight with her parents".

In all actuality, it was her being upset with his alter ego. Or was his normal self the alter ego now? At the dance he'd noticed she'd hurt her back, but thought nothing of it and believed her when she told him she'd slipped in the shower. Really, it was because he'd knocked her into a wall.

All of her mood swings. Everything added up.

Slowly he sat up and checked his mirrors, then looked out his windows, to make sure Tait and her brother were gone before starting up the car. He gripped the steering wheel with shaking hands.

"We aren't going to tell the others just yet. I need a day or two to process this. Plus I kind of want to talk to Alan about it alone first." Alan would understand exactly what Orlando was feeling.

"I won't say anything," Angela said quietly. "If you wanna talk about it—"

"I'll think about it," he said and pulled out of the parking lot.

He sped the entire way back home. Neither he, nor Angela, said another word. Nor did they listen to the radio. There was just the quiet sound of the wheels rolling over the pavement and the hum of the car's engine filling the empty space.

When they got back to his garage, they quietly entered the house and went down the stairs so they could go to headquarters. JD and the others were already there and still wearing their masks, having entered in through one of the tunnel entrances underground.

It was a good thing Orlando and Angela had made sure to put their masks back on when they entered the basement of his house because Dale was there.

JD let out a loud groan. "Man, took you guys long enough. I was beginning to worry."

Normally, Orlando would say something witty or sarcastic to put JD in his place. Not then. He simply sat down in his spot, and ran his hands over his jeans as he still tried to process the fact that his girlfriend was one of the bad guys.

Looking at Dale, he saw fear in the guy's eyes. Orlando was scared too. Oddly, he was afraid for Tait more than anything else.

"You run an interesting group Alan," Jaes said, and got the ball rolling. "I'm not sure I approve of your actions tonight. They were counterproductive, and we've now lost another base of operation in the tunnels. It took a lot of hard work to get that information." His eyes focused on Dale. "At the same time, we have gained an ally, and protection of life is the purpose of our mission on this planet."

"I certainly appreciate it," Dale muttered.

"Yeah, being brainwashed doesn't exactly sound like my cup of tea either," JD agreed.

"Are you guys going to answer my questions now? I mean, yeah, you showed me that video. Some of it I get. There are aliens fighting on Earth, in my hometown, but I still don't get why you're involving us in the fight. Are all of you aliens?" Dale asked.

The guy always asked a lot of questions in school too, like he had to know it all. Again, Orlando had a perfect response to his classmate's inquiries, but kept his mouth closed. He wanted this meeting to be over and done with.

Alan shook his head. "No. Not everyone here is alien to your planet. The four who wear the masks are teenagers who live near your home. Perhaps we can share who they are later, but tonight is not the night. As I said before, the green tribe and blue tribe are using the youth for their experiments to create warriors, easy to use pawns, for their battle."

"I would liken it to how some on your planet do testing on animals. These tribes hold your people in a similar light," Jaes added.

"You are convenient and plentiful," Alan continued. "And in their eyes, easy to manipulate. Especially since your science has not yet uncovered the abilities your species is naturally born with."

Dale rubbed his forehead slowly. "So you're saying this weird black goo that I make is something my body is doing naturally? If that was the case, then why does it make me feel so sick when I do it?"

"That must be a side effect to the injection," Cadence said quietly.

"But I feel okay, and I got one too," Angela pointed out.

Cadence shook her head. "I know, but you got a different version of it. His body might not have been ready to undergo the changes like yours did. There are different amounts of chemicals involved, a lot of factors to weigh."

Orlando gave a slight nod to show he was at least paying attention, but something Jaes said was echoing in his mind. They think we're easy to manipulate. Is that what's happening to her? Or maybe it's what's happening to me. No, if Alan was doing something so disgusting, it'd be more obvious.

With a loud sigh, Dale put his head in his hands for a moment. "They know who I am. They have my girlfriend."

"And I doubt they'll let this go easily," Jaes said.

"You don't think they'll be at my house waiting for me?" Dale's eyes grew wide.

Glancing over at Orlando, Angela shook her head. "We heard Bean and Sprout on their way out saying they're going to lay low for a little while. Might give us enough time to come up with some kind of a plan."

"I would like to offer you an invitation to work with me, Dale. Your abilities would be useful for my team, and of course we will all be cooperating together. Regardless of if you accept or deny my proposal, we will make sure you have adequate protection. However, if you want to help your people and your girlfriend more thoroughly, it might be best to join in and get involved," Jaes said, and extended his hand to Dale. "I can offer you training as well and an examination to see just how the drug has affected your body." He paused and glanced over at Angela. "You as well if you so desire. That should have been done a while ago."

Alan winced a little. "My apologies Lucky Twelve."

"It's cool," Angela said. "I feel okay, but maybe we should, just to be on the safe side."

"Well?" Jaes pressed, still keeping his attention on Dale.

Hesitantly, Dale took his hand. "I appreciate the help. There's still a lot to think about, but you've helped me twice now. I'm willing to work something out that we're both okay with."

"We will talk more over the next few days." Jaes faced Orlando. "And what happened during your observations?"

Orlando sat higher in his chair, wishing he hadn't mentioned having news to share. He was being forced to participate now. "They all met at the park as planned. Nathan, the other guy with them who goes to my school, was all super punctual and all serious business. I'm pretty sure he was more into the whole thing than Chi-Chi is."

"Chihuahua," JD said angrily, making sure to pronounce the word long and slow so each syllable was accented.

"Whatever, so he's pretty excited and that's a little scary in and of itself. Tori was playing Dale like he was her French horn. No offense or anything, but you might want to get your head out of the clouds. Pretty sure she's bad news."

Saying those words made Orlando feel like a hypocrite.

"A-anyway, they were told there would be an initiation task, a mission, and that was to get more funding and supplies so The Doctor could start making more of this drug. They want to resume experimenting shortly after the new year. That was when they went inside, saying something about more tests. When they came back out, we..." Found out the identity of two of their key players.

He swallowed. "We overheard Bean and Sprout talking about the blue tribe's desire to betray the green one."

Both of Jaes' eyebrows raised. "How interesting and unexpected. The Basatlavan, or blue tribe I mean, is not a rich nation. They need the support of the Gelandrosimbol, or green tribe, in order to ensure victory in the war. Turning on them will cause a ripple that will affect us all."

"Intense," JD said, and when Orlando didn't respond to that, he leaned forward from where he sat on the couch. And he stared.

"What are you looking at?" Orlando asked.

JD's eyes narrowed, making him look menacing in his black mask. "You're being weird, even for you."

"It's a ridiculous hour of the morning, and you expect me to be myself?" Orlando snapped. "What business of yours is it anyway?"

"Guys, chill." Angela stepped in before JD could retaliate.

Orlando could see him ready to start yelling, and was glad she intervened. Fighting wasn't a good idea in front of Dale, and it was late. The adrenaline was wearing off of them all by now, which would make them crabby soon.

JD sat back again, and slouched. He seemed to relax even more when Cadence put a hand on his arm.

Angela exhaled slowly. "We're all tired," she said. "That's all. Back off Chi-Chi. I know you're not exactly the most pleasant person to be around when you're beat either."

It was hard to tell if JD believed her or not, but he let it go for the time being.

Orlando yawned as if to emphasize the point and made sure to stretch. "I think it's time for bed. Kind of don't have anything more to say anyway. If you need to stay over, you can, but don't expect me to be coming over in the morning with a continental breakfast or anything.

He stood up and made eye contact with Alan, trying to figure out how to ask the guy to come over tomorrow afternoon. Orlando would be home alone, so Alan could come over whenever he wanted to and it wouldn't be an issue.

Finally Orlando said, "I can give you more details later today if you want them. Just pop on in like you're known to do. Lyssa's going to her boyfriend's in about eight hours to help him cook."

"I still think you should come over," Angela said. "And I vote for spending the night."

"Mom and Dad are going to freak out," JD said to her.

"They think I'm at my friend's house. And I'm sure if you told them you were too tired to drive because you fell asleep at Slick's house, again, they'd understand. Unless you feel like driving."

"No, I'm beat. C...I mean...Slick? Is that okay?" JD glanced over at Cadence. She nodded.

Dale looked at everyone in the room. "So you all know each other well..." He gazed about The Apartment. "And this is someone's house." Orlando instantly regretted saying anything. Thankfully, Dale didn't inquire deeper. "I need to get home. How am I—"

"I'll take you back. That is not a problem. Your parents won't even know you snuck back in. They will think you were there the whole time," Alan said.

"You're going to do that teleportation thing again, aren't you?"

"Yes, the three of us will leave together. We can talk more as well and do thorough introductions." Alan pointed at Jaes.

Orlando ran a hand through his hair. "Cool, so are we done here?" He'd offer Alan the respect of officially closing out the meeting for them.

"Yes." The alien nodded.

With a slight wave, just to attempt being polite, Orlando walked out the door so he could go back home. Once alone in the tunnel, he pulled off his mask and stuffed it into his jeans pocket. He then pulled out his cell phone so he could see if Lyssa had tried calling him. Doubtful, because if she had she'd have been waiting for him in the living room when he had come home.

There was a text from Tait, however.

"You awake?" was all it said, and it was from about thirty minutes ago.

"Yes, I'm awake but I'm not sure if I can talk to you," he whispered to himself as he stepped out of the long corridor that led to the main building of his house. He did think about texting her back, but she'd probably want to call him...and she would most likely be upset and give him another lie about a fight with her parents.

He climbed the stairs quietly and turned the volume back on his phone. As he was walking through the dark hallways of the mansion, his phone lit up as three new notifications for texts displayed on the touch screen—along with the loud tone that echoed off of the marble floors of the mansion entryway.

"Are you kidding me?" He groaned and glanced up the stairs to see Lyssa's bedroom light turn on. "I just got a snack, go back to bed," he called up to her.

The light stayed on for a few more seconds. He heard her mumble something about "boys eating too much" and the light went off again.

Shutting the door behind him, Orlando got settled in his room, first pulling off his regular clothes so he could be more comfortable. Then he climbed into bed and checked to see who was sending him messages at a time when normal people were supposed to be sleeping.

The first was from JD. "TTYT about what's up. U can't hide."

Orlando rolled his eyes, and read the next message. When he saw it was from Tait he almost deleted without bothering to read it, but something willed him to see what this one said anyway. He felt a tightening in his chest as he finally let himself get angry with her.

"Come over tomorrow?" he read aloud quietly. "Is she serious?"

He did delete the message then, and saw the last one which was from Angela. It brought a small smile to his face.

"Remember you're awesome."