Mum, of course, agreed. Hal would be sharing his room with Cat. Once Cat and Mum together got the makeup off Hal's body, careful of the bandages, and helped him undress, and Cat scolded Hal for doing dangerous stunts while wearing one of her designs and fussing over how lucky he should consider himself for not ruining Cat's dress, Cat and Hal were soon getting ready for bed. By then, it was late into the night and Lou had retreated into his roomn and Charly had long left the house.

"Ana Maria is travelling with Mama and Papa on their little vacation to the Bahamas with the tickets Papa won for his 'excellent contribution to the college and the event,'" Cat explained, rinsing her mouth after brushing. "So, I figured, since the house will be really lonely, I'll move in here."

Hal nodded approvingly as he placed his toothbrush in its usual place. 

They walked upstairs to Hal's room together, peeking into the twins' room to make sure they were really asleep. Cat didn't wait for Hal to climb into the bed little room, looking at the collage of pictures Hal had put up on the wall behind the bed, as Hal applied lotion to his face.

"So?" Hal said.

"What so?" Cat said frowning. "So Castillos or so my hairline fracture?"

Hal's fingers faltered on his face. He had meant so Castillos. "Um, you decide."

Cat shrugged. "Honestly, Castillos could wait."

"You keep saying that-"

"But then, you broke leg."

Hal didn't reply, a tight knot forming in his stomach. He completed massaging the lotion into his skin and turned to look at Cat. "Why didn't you confront me about it earlier?"

"I am, now."

"And why the hell aren't you freaking out about it?"

"Oh, wonderful. Confront me cause I confronted you. I love your strategy."

"Why are you hiding so much from me? You keep avoiding all my questions!"

"I'm sorry, don't you?" Cat said sharply. "Everyone has their secrets, Hals. It's just that in your case, I knew all of yours."

Hal let out a long huff of breath. He had always imagined this part as the time everything goes downhill and Cat brands Hal as a monster and decides she never wanted to know Hal. But here was Cat, in his room, quite inexplicably calm about everything.

Hal walked over to his bed and got on it, sitting right in front of Cat. "So, why aren't you freaking out?"

Cat shrugged, falling backwards onto the bed, her arms spread out. "My parents are scientists, Hals, give me some credit."

"But your Dad-"

"You better shut up if you want me to talk," Cat snapped. Hal dutifully closed his mouth and stared expectantly at Cat, who nodded satisfied. "It's not like I'm not completely freaking out. A small part of me is. But then, I expected you having to reveal yourself at some point. So, I was sort of, in a way, prepared for it." Hal raised his eyebrows, his mouth still shut.

"Ah, yes. Mama once worked for...this scientist. You, um, might know who he is. Knew your Dad, too. Papa was Mama's assistant back then. But then, you know, what happened with the Base and stuff, your Pops bringing it down and everything."

Hal blinked at Cat, unable to hold it any longer. "But how do you know all this? I thought scientists from the Base were experts keeping secrets."

Cat shrugged. "Let's just say I was very good at spying on my parents."

"Wow," Hal said, letting it sink in. Cat knew all along. "And you never thought of me...differently?"

Cat looked up at him, her eyes solemn. "No. I learned to sneak around at a very young age. And it wasn't too hard. They're such hardcore workaholics." She pushed herself to a sitting position once again. "I knew there were people like you in this world, but it was only much later that I realized that you were one, too." She shrugged almost nonchalantly. "At first you were literally something out of a fairytale to me. Mama figured out I knew and swore me to secrecy, and you know, I never break promises. Basically, I thought I was being a secret keeper for Mother Earth...Father Earth? Made me feel ultra special."

"There's nothing special about me, if that's what you mean," Hal said in a hushed voice. "If anything, it makes me feel worse sometimes. It's like an unwanted gift. It's a curse."

Cat frowned at Hal. "It was like that. Past tense. Now you're just a person who also happens to be my best friends that has unique abilities. Like a talent, or something."

Hal nodded slowly. He was lucky to have Cat. He was lucky Cat was taking it well. "Thanks for being my secret keeper."

Cat smiled and gently hugged him. "Anytime, Hals."

Hal pulled away, itching to know the answer to his next question. "Now. Why do you avoid Kylian Castillo?"

Cat rolled her eyes, getting red. "Oh, for God's sake. Get on first name basis with him. It's annoying to see you call him his first name as if he's famous."

Hal ignored her. "Is it because of what he is?" He prayed to God that Cat knew Kylian was a werewolf.

Cat stared at him, her cheeks suddenly flushing hard, at a loss for words. "I..." Hal gently fell back to the bed, his head softly hitting the pillow, unsure how to react. His wound throbbed, so he turned around to lie on his stomach.

"Hal," Cat pleaded, "it's not like that. It's not him or what he is. I will never hate you...or him, for what your both are."

"Then?"

"It's not him, I swear. It's just that...I just happened to hate them both, Hal. Mama moved away from them for a reason, but it's-it's not entirely because of him or his sister."

"Then why?" Hal asked again, unable to understand.

Cat looked distraught. "I can't say."

Hal frowned disappointedly. "Fine. Fine. What about Antonio then? I suppose you can't explain that either."

"What about him?" Cat asked, suddenly sitting up straighter, her distressed look wearing away a little, the flush fading into a lighter one. Hal realized Cat didn't know.

"Nothing."

"No. What about Antonio?"

Hal ignored her and got comfortable on the bed, crammed next to Cat. "Go to sleep Cat. We'll talk in the morning."

"Hal! What. About. Antonio?" She shook him roughly.

"Goodnight." Hal mumbled before shutting his mouth tight.