WINTER IS COMING

[Gifted]

Stephanie followed Kailen upstairs without a word.

[Doom]

Monique nodded her thanks, then followed Kailen up the stairs.

[Raven]

"What do you know?" Kailen asked stephanie as soon as he shut his door behind them.

[Gifted]

Stephanie glanced uncomfortably at Monique. Why did she have to blow her cover now to her second new friend? Monique seemed totally prepared to forgive Stephanie for ignoring her for months on end simply because Stephanie hadn't needed her anymore, but now to reveal her biggest secret to the girl? That she'd been here just to use her? Stephanie was still thankful every day that Kailen hadn't walked away, but what would Monique do?
But this was bigger than all of them. It shouldn't matter. Stephanie had to warn them.
"The man who'll be accused for this crime will be a gifted with electricity powers. He'll be caught at nine victims." She answered. "God, I was hoping this would fall apart before they pulled it off..."

[Raven]

"I suppose he didn't actually do it, then?" Kailen asked.

[Gifted]

Stephanie shook her head. "Most likely it was a random junkie off the street who OD'd. That's what two of the last four were."

[Doom]

Monique set her plate of brownies on the floor, perplexed. "I don't follow. What are you guys talking about?"

[Raven]

"The murders that were on the news?" Kailen said, as though that were obvious.

[Doom]

"But how does she know that this goes back to an electric gifted?" asked Monique, pointing at Stephanie. "And what's this about nine victims? What are you talking about?"

[Gifted]

"Oh, don't look at her like that, of course she's confused. She doesn't know, you dummy. Why do you think I haven't talked to her in months?" Stephanie pointed out. She sighed. "It's a long story, Monique. I haven't been.. exactly honest with you."

[Doom]

Monique looked slightly afraid. "About what?"

[Gifted]

"Well, anything, really." Stephanie admitted. "My name isn't even actually Stephanie."

[Doom]

Monique looked stunned, but burst into laughter suddenly. "Then what is your name?"

[Raven]

Kailen looked confused as Monique started laughing, but he let Stephanie handle it, listening for signs of his parents coming up the stairs.

[Gifted]

Stephanie didn't find it particularly funny. "Jessica." She answered. "Jessica Martinez." She sighed. "My dad's a politician in the next state over. My mother has ties to the mob, although good luck proving it. Lying and secrets... you could say it's sort of the family business. I've been taught the value of information from the time I could walk. My parents are experts at using secrets and influence, trading it around to become far more powerful than they seem.
But whatever it is that makes them so good at it, I don't have it. I spent my whole life trying to impress them, and it wasn't good enough. A year or so ago-" When she'd transferred to their high school. "-my parents got me set up in a hotel room here as a test, to see what kind of dirt I could dig up. I set up several different identities - Stephanie Clark was one of many - and tried to gather connections to important people to manipulate events in this city and gain from it what I could.
But it all got too big, and I wasn't skilled enough to keep hold of what I had. It all came crashing down around me and I had a mental breakdown. Kailen saw." She glanced at him.
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't still be here, the whole thing was ruined. But I'd spent my entire life trying to impress my parents and I was miserable doing it. I'm not the kind of person who finds it easy to use people the way I needed to. But Kailen found out, and he was okay with it. He offered me another option. To stay here and live for myself instead of going back to my parents. So I stuck around and disappeared into the life of my favourite alias, hoping my father doesn't show up to collect me and punish me for leaving. I guess you could say I'm in hiding - not very good hiding, considering it's the same highschool and the same hotel room - but hiding nonetheless."