[Rinrou]

Kale was finally around again at nights. It seemed like they had given up on England. He quickly picked up his routine with Blaze once more.

James gave Yue more space than he had before, he was polite but not pushy. If she wanted to stay in her room all day, he let her. He had other things on his mind. And as the days grew on, it was chiefly Laurel.

Laurel continued to call in daily but she was less cheerful with each passing day. Something was definitely wrong. One day she had a swelling on her cheek which she claimed was because she had run into a door. But then came the bruising on her wrist and finally a black eye. James was pretty pissed off that she wasn't explaining.

Cong would know that Laurel's father had grown increasingly violent with his returning strength. At times he was cold and lashed out both verbally and physically at Laurel, who took everything he dished out with silent acceptance. But then he would dissolve into a sobbing mess and Laurel would comfort him for hours until he calmed back down. It was a terrible cycle to watch.

It had been a week since Laurel had tried to get in touch with Nic, she hadn't called again since then.

"So did you hear about the bruises on Laurel?" Kale asked Blaze one night as he ate some chocolate, "It seems to be getting worse. I think James is about ready to fly over there himself to find out what's going on."