“Don’t be a coward,” she muttered to herself before walking to the front door and rapping three times. It was quiet for a moment before she heard the telltale stomp of Ronan’s boots on the metal floor and he threw open the door. His mouth twisted up in a sarcastic smile, but she thought he still looked pleased somehow. 

“Sargent,” he barked.

“Lynch,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t look so surprised. My presence was requested at some point, no?”

“It was offered. Don’t mix it up,” he smirked. “Come on in.” 

She followed him in, eyes searching every corner warily. Blue registered the boys first. All four of them from Nino’s were there, watching her with curiosity and distrust, even Ronan. Especially Ronan. That was fair. 

There was a bed in the middle of the room and a desk shoved off to the side. Both were surrounded by books - mountains and mountains of books. A thriving mint plant sat next to the desk on a weighty stack of papers. That had to be why Gansey smelled heavily of it. Mint was always on his breath and in his hair. On the other side of the room were three closed doors, presumably additional bedrooms and a bathroom. She couldn’t explain the bed in this one, though.

She looked at Ronan, hoping he would smooth over the awkwardness. Talk about unfulfilled wishes. "Maggot, this is everybody. Everybody, this is Maggot." He leaned back against the door jamb. She made a face at him and turned to introduce herself, but Gansey beat her to it.

"Certainly your name isn't actually Maggot, right?" he asked, extending an uncertain hand. 

"Blue," she replied.

"Blue? Like the color?" 

"Yeah, and you're Dick? Like the appendage?" she took his hand. 

He looked pained, mouth forming a grimace. "Please don't.”

"You must be Adam," Blue said, turning to face the lean boy. He was looking at her with his mouth twisted downward into what looked like distaste. She made a similar face, eyes roving over him, trying to see what marked him as superior to K. She didn't find anything immediately noticeable. 

Enough time on him. She turned to the smudgy boy instead. "And who are you, stranger?" Everybody but Ronan seemed surprised that she addressed him. She stuck out her hand and he reached to grasp it, seemingly because it was expected of him rather than him meaning to. Blue’s fingers brushed his and she felt a brumal chill travel down her spine. Her stomach turned inside out. This was the telltale sign of being drained. 

"Oh ho ho, Lynch, what interesting friends you have," she said loftily, turning to look at him instead of the remnant of the person in front of her.

He gave her his shark smile and bit out a reply. “I keep unusual company.”

“Isn’t that an understatement,” she murmured, turning back to the ghost. “What’s your name? Or what was it, anyhow?”

“My name is Noah,” he said, still staring at her in wonder. “It’s very nice to meet you, Blue.” 

He still hadn’t let go of her hand, and she decided to let him keep it, though it might sap her. It had probably been a while since he’d felt this much energy. And it was worth the risk, she thought, to have him so immediately like her, even if she didn’t know why she wanted him to. It seemed to have an effect on the others, too. Adam was pacified infinitesimally. Gansey let out his own sigh, looking at Noah and Blue’s joined hands. 

“So Blue, how might we help you today?” Gansey queried.

“Help me? I’m just here for a bit of fun. Lynch here seems to prefer your company so I thought I would check you all out.” She looked down at her hand still wrapped in Noah’s. “So far, doesn’t seem to be a complete waste of a trip.”

“Fuck off, Sargent,” Lynch laughed merrily.

“Go suck a dick,” she responded, making a jerking off motion with her free hand.

“Oh great, there’s two of you now,” Adam said, and Blue couldn’t quite comprehend what he did to his face to make it look so warm towards Ronan, and yet so cold towards her at the same time. It had to be a practiced look.

“How did you know about Noah?” Gansey asked. “Most people can’t even see him, let alone be able to tell he’s a ghost. Is this due to your powers?”

Blue sent a sharp look towards Ronan, meant to injure. “Someone has a big mouth, don’t they? How much have you told them about me?” she accused.

Ronan simply shrugged, an answer in itself, before Gansey stepped in again. The official spokesman of his people. Gansey intoned, “Only that you possess some unusual abilities of your own. You’re an amplifier, he mentioned. You make his ability stronger?”

“I make everything stronger. Dreamers, ghosts, psychics.” 

“Oh, like a loudhailer!” Gansey said wondrously. Adam was keenly attentive for a second too long before schooling the fascination and the amusement out of his expression.

“A what now?” she asked, a mildly irritated expression crossing her face. Noah let go of her hand and warmly patted her hair. It was difficult to maintain the exasperation in her expression.

There were parts of Gansey’s face that pinked in response. “A megaphone.”

She shared a long-suffering sigh, shoulders slumped in defeat. She supposed that did describe her abilities. “I guess,” she said. “But I can feel him draining my energy. Made it kind of obvious.”

“Sorry,” Noah said sheepishly. He folded his hands behind his back.

Blue grabbed his hand and placed it back in her hair. “It’s okay, really,” she said kindly.

Adam watched her with narrowed eyes, a creeping suspicion in his gaze. “So,” he started flatly, “You’re Kavinsky’s girl.”

She automatically stiffened. “I’m my own,” she hissed at him, repeating Ronan’s words from that long ago day. “Don’t fucking imply differently.”

“You hang out with Kavinsky a lot. And you’re the only girl that does. Well, the only one that does regularly.” Adam crossed his arms defensively.

She mimicked his stance, standing several inches shorter, but ten times as tensely. Something burned at the bottom of her throat. “You meant I belong to him. Well, I don’t. Or, wait, are you Gansey’s boy? Come on. Talk to me, one toy to another.”

That slammed. Adam’s hands balled into tight white-knuckled fists. Adam’s ears were turning an alarming red color. Fury radiated just under the precipice of his skin. She could tell. It thrilled her.

“Shut your fucking mouth, Sargent,” Ronan seethed. He stood in front of Adam then, his back to her.

She smirked to herself. Blue was good at getting under people’s skin. She could tell from K’s stories that Adam wanted to stand on his own two feet, rather than depend on Gansey, or even Ronan, even though they were together. That car outside in the parking lot confirmed it for her. It would cost Ronan nothing to bring Adam back a car, like she contemplated asking K for. But, still, he drove that little tricolored shitbox. He was a lot like her. Or, at least, how she used to be before K got his hooks in her.

She shook that off. She was happy with her life. She was happy with K. Happy with her job, and her freedom, and her power. K only supported her. He didn’t control her like Gansey did with his followers. 

Smiling again, more tightly this time, she opened her mouth for one reason only. “Go to hell,” Blue said pleasantly, rabidly, piercingly, over her shoulder, before she kicked open the door with the toe of her boot. 

This had been a bad idea. There was a reason why she didn’t have friends outside the dream pack. There was a reason why she didn’t leave K. There was a reason why Ronan was considered a traitor. And, most importantly, there was a reason why she hadn’t followed him when she had wanted to.

“Wait,” called Gansey, when she was halfway to the opening to the road. She looked over her shoulder at him but didn’t stop. His longer legs caught up to her with minimal effort, though. “Please, wait!” He hurried to pass her and then planted himself in her way, a puff of breath rushing from his lips. “Adam didn’t mean it like that, Blue.”

“Yes, he did,” Blue countered. “Why even bother lying?”

Gansey began and then hesitated. “You’re right,” he agreed, after considering her for a moment. She was surprised to hear him say anything that painted any of his group in a less than perfect light. “You’re right,” he repeated. “He did mean it that way, but he’s just…-Well, for one, he’s rather defensive of the lot of us. I suppose he’s just a bit surprised. I know I am. Why would someone that spends so much time with Kavinsky suddenly want to hang out with us without malicious intent? Especially considering… our misunderstanding at Nino’s.” A hint of shame colored his tone.

Blue’s hackles rose again as she recalled. “Well, as Lynch so helpfully pointed out to me the other night, I have no friends outside of K and his group. He swears the sun shines out of your ass. So, I thought this might be a chance to branch out. Make some. But that was clearly a mistake. I’ll go now,” she said pointedly, moving to go around him. 

He reached a hand out, as though to touch her shoulder, but dropped it and stepped into her path again. They weren’t done. “I doubt Ronan quite said that, but you’re not wrong. This could be your chance to branch out from Kavinsky.” The way Gansey spoke his name was the way he would ask someone to take out the trash. Hell, Gansey probably didn’t need to ask anyone to deal with trash. Yet, here he was talking to her.

“I don’t have a problem with Kavinsky,” Blue said sharply. “He’s not as bad as Ronan makes him out to be. He supports me. He cares about me. He encourages me. I won’t let you or your flunkies badmouth him.”

Gansey pursed his lips. He looked like he wanted to argue but, instead, he replied with more formality than was necessary. “I apologize for our incivilities. Please, come back in. We’ll all be on our best behavior. I swear it. Even Ronan.”

“Like that means much,” Blue snorted. “Even you can’t muzzle him.” Gansey cracked a smile, but didn’t dignify that with a response. She studied Gansey for a lengthy moment. He appeared sincere. “Fine,” she said. “I’ve got some time left to kill anyway. Think your merry band is calm by now?”

“Is that what you call us?” Gansey chuckled. “I rather like that. But yes, I think he was mostly over it by the time I came to get you. Adam tries so hard to be his own person, you know? He doesn’t like anybody implying that he belongs to any of us. I suppose you two have more in common than it seems.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Blue muttered.

“He seemed ready to apologize when I left,” he assured her. Gansey paused, ”None of us think that.”

“Uh-huh,” she rolled her eyes again. “Never crossed your minds once.”

“Truly, I know you don’t belong to him. Someone like you could never be owned.”

It was a heady thing, hearing those words from Gansey. Like he saw her. Like he could separate her from the rest of them when no one else did, except maybe Ronan. A swell of pride made her chest puff out as she followed him into the factory.

He was wrong, though. Kavinsky did own her. For now.

Adam didn’t apologize, at least not aloud. When Blue reentered Monmouth, their eyes met. She returned the gaze and that was that. There was still tension between them throughout the day and it often came to a head in matters involving Ronan.

“We’re ordering in. Blue, do you have any requests?” Gansey asked, ever the doting host.

“Not Nino’s,” was her automatic response.

Adam snorted. “Well, that narrows it down.”

Blue rolled her eyes. “And I suppose you have someplace specific in mind?”

“As a matter of fact,” Adam postulated, “I do. I’d like that Mexican place over on Main street.”

“Ew,” Blue wrinkled her nose. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled at the sound of Adam’s haughty tone. Were they not cut from the same Dollar Store fabric? He was the least Aglionby of the boys before her, and yet he was working double time to clip his vowels and mimic Dick the Third. “If we’re gonna have cheap Mexican food, La Delicias is obviously superior to La Fiesta.”

“As if,” Adam scowled. “La Delicias is overpriced and bland.”

“Whatever. Ask literally anyone, everyone prefers La Delicias.”

“Name one person who prefers that junk over La Fiesta.” He added as she opened her mouth, “Besides yourself.” 

The response was quick and followed by a smug looking smirk. “Your boyfriend,” Blue replied. She was petty and she wasn’t sorry for it either.

“Wrong,” Adam insisted. “He likes La Fiesta. We went there last week.”

Blue arched an eyebrow at Ronan. “Man, the things you do for love, huh?”

“Ro, tell her,” Adam turned to Ronan, only to stare disbelievingly at the chagrined look on his boyfriend’s face. “You can’t be serious,” he scoffed.

“Sorry, but the maggot’s right on this one,” Ronan shrugged one shoulder. “We went to La Fiesta cause that's the one you like.”

Blue faked gagged. “You’ve gone soft, Lynch. It's gross.” Gansey laughed, honey rich and butter smooth. It was hard to hate him when his laugh melted her insides.

“Fuck off. You’re just trying to start shit. You’ve never cared what you were eating,” Ronan replied. Neither of them mentioned that she was usually too high to actually pay attention to what she ate, when she actually remembered to. 

She smirked again, mischievous this time. 

“You’re right. But your little boytoy gets so worked up. It’s just so easy.” Her high was starting to fade fast, and she could feel herself getting bitchy. She scowled, unpleasantness settling in her gut. “Actually, I’m not hungry. I’m heading home.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Gansey’s voice sounded concerned. “Would you like one of us to drive you or-.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. Got here just fine on my own. I can get back like a big girl.”