I logged into the chat to say hi and tell them I was home. I noticed almost everyone was there, before I could even say anything a private message popped up from Morisis. Morisis [»] Whiteknight: I didn’t do it. Whiteknight [»] Morisis: Do what? Morisis [»] Whiteknight: I didn’t tell them. I frowned and switched back to the main chat room. No one had greeted me. The room seemed quiet for this many people. Whiteknight: Hi all. Cookie: Hi. Princess: Hi. No one else said anything. Whiteknight: What’s going on? Was it something I said? Striper: More like something you didn’t say. Candy: Why didn’t you tell us? Whiteknight: Tell you what? Speedy: That you’re an elf. Whiteknight: Are we starting that again? Cookie: Sorry. It’s my fault. Whiteknight: Now you’re claiming it? Speedy: No, I am. Cookie: After the problems with Cobra and Specter, I asked Speedy to do a background check on everyone. He was the one to find out. Speedy: And I accidentally told everyone here. Cookie hadn’t wanted me to say anything but I thought Morisis should know about Froggy since they’re dating. I accidentally posted it in the main room. Phantom: It wasn’t his fault. The chat was acting up and posting all the private messages in the main room too. Whiteknight: I understand. Sorry for the deception, everyone. It’s been great here, thanks for all the help. Bye. I logged off and sighed. The chat room had been a nice diversion and a good way for me to get help learning to use a computer. But I enjoyed the interactions and friendships. I was going to miss them almost as much as any live friends. I decided to go for a run to clear my head. I was halfway changed when my phone rang. It was Mitch. “Hi, they want you to log back in to chat,” He said as soon as I answered. “Why?” “Because they want to talk to you.” “Why?” I asked again. “Because you’re a friend. Friends talk.” I sighed. “Fine. I was in the middle of changing, let me finish.” “No problem. See you soon.” I finished changing into my running clothes and logged back into chat. Whiteknight: Hi all, Back for my lynching. Cookie: No lynching. Flower: We wanted to tell you that we don’t care. Princess: Yeah, we said that last time. Whiteknight: You’ve made a big deal about the elf before. Morisis: We were just discussing it. It’s just something to talk about, like doing art or how to bury a body. Whiteknight: I’m a police consultant. If I go missing, they know your favorite ways to hide bodies. Princess: Relax, that’s mostly Froggy. I groaned. She wasn’t going to take this well. Whiteknight: Does she know you all know? Morisis: Not yet. She hasn’t been on yet. She’s helping a friend with a birthday party. Whiteknight: Maybe I should call her. She might not take it well. That’s a good way to get rid of me. Let her do it. Speedy: No one wants to get rid of you. That’s why we had Phantom call you. Whiteknight: I thought that was bait for the lynch mob. Striper: Have you been lynched before? Whiteknight: Being immortal doesn’t mean I can’t be killed. Phantom: That’s exactly what it means. Whiteknight: For me, it just means I don’t age and I can take a lot of damage. You didn’t see the boxes that broke my leg. Phantom: I did. You’re lucky you’re alive. Whiteknight: I’ve had worse injuries, but I don’t want to talk about it. Are you all really not mad? Striper: LOL we’ve had two killers in here and you’re worried about not being human? Princess: You could have told us when Specter was on. Whiteknight: I didn’t want people to know. I like just being another face. Speedy: None of us are faces here. Whiteknight: Exactly, we’re all the same here. Morisis: Hey! I resent that. I am nothing like Flower. She’s too nice. Whiteknight: LOL. You know what I mean. Princess: Were those really you and Froggy in those pictures? Whiteknight: Yeah, that was really us. Striper: Why did you have your arm around Mor’s girl? Whiteknight: To piss someone off. Not Mor either. Trust me that is somewhere I’d never go with Froggy. Speedy: What’s wrong with her? Whiteknight: She’s dating Mor. And she’s Unseelie. I’m Seelie. Our courts have been at war with each other since before either of us was born. Trust would be an issue. Morisis: And they’re related. Whiteknight: Not really. Froggy’s my cousin’s half-sister on his dad’s side. I’m on his mom’s side. Cookie: Did you solve that case you were working on? Whiteknight: Not yet. Striper: It’s not another murderer, is it? Whiteknight: I can’t tell you anything. Have you heard about any killers on the news? Striper: Only the usual gangs and stuff. Phantom: We’re lucky here. Not much by way of gang activity. Princess: Just murderers. Phantom: Not so many. Striper: And kidnappers. Speedy: And by the looks of the news, thefts. Phantom: And people. You get people living together and you get crime. It’s part of life. Striper: WK, were you really born in Denmark? Whiteknight: Yeah. My mom spent a lot of time there. Whiteknight: Mor, any idea when Froggy’s getting done? Morisis: Probably soon. Whiteknight: I should get going and call Froggy. Morisis: Do you want me to? Whiteknight: No, I’ll do it. Whiteknight: Later all. I sighed as I logged off. I’d really hoped to stay anonymous there. I called Kat. “What’s up? Problems?” She asked as she answered. “Yes and no. It all depends on how you look at it.” And how she reacted. “What is it?” “After the problems with certain ex-members of the chat, someone, not Phantom, looked into everyone. The person learned we were elves. They had planned to keep it quiet but felt Mor should know since you two are dating. They sent him a direct message, but the chat was acting up, and sent all direct messages to the main room so now everyone knows.” Kat let out a string of curses in elvish. “Who was it?” “I’m not telling you that.” “Sean, who?” “Forget it.” “I’ll find out and when I do…” “You’ll do nothing. You need to grow up and accept life doesn’t always work the way we want. You can’t force it. You make do with what you’re given. An accident happened while someone was watching out for your boyfriend. You can’t ruin their life because of it.” It was risky talking to her like that but I’d rather her anger be directed at me than the people in the chat. I knew how to handle Unseelie. They didn’t. “You have a lot of nerve, Seelie.” “Do you think I got to be king’s champion by being intimidated?” I didn’t usually make a big deal out of my title, but she was familiar with it. “Kat, they’re your friends. It was an accident. No one cares.” “Really? None of them?” “Well, they are human. They can lie, but they all claimed to not care.” “Really?” Kat asked again. “When they first told me, I logged off, thinking they wouldn’t want me there. They had Phantom call me and ask me to come back. I believe them.” “As long as no one cares, I guess it’s not a big deal they know. It’s going to be strange for a bit.” “I’ve been there and done that,” I reminded her. “Mor’s calling. I have to go.” “I’ll talk to you later. And remember Kat, you’re not alone.” “Thanks.” It was too late to go running now. I went to the extra bedroom where I kept my painting things. I wasn’t going to start a new painting yet, but I looked at the pictures I had there of possible subject matter and picked one out for when I did have time to paint.