"Are you alright?" Ashton asked, startling Summer from her thoughts. When had he returned? She needed to think of a response quickly.

  "Yeah, this party is just really disappointing I guess," Summer admitted. Considering the circumstances, it wasn’t really a lie.

  Ashton held out his hand. "Then do you want to go somewhere else?"

  Summer felt the heat flowing to her face. Mara’s words that Ashton was dangerous began to take on a new meaning in her mind. Could it be, Ashton was secretly a playboy? No, judging by his confused expression he was just being nice as usual. There was no way a serious guy like Ashton could be a playboy, but it was hard to imagine him being dangerous in any other way either.

  “Where should we go?” Summer asked, willingly taking his hand and following him out.

  "I'm not sure where people usually go on dates," Ashton admitted, "But I figured most anywhere would be better than here."

  "How about we take a drive?" Summer suggested, "There is a cliff not too far from here that has a great view."

  "Alright," Ashton agreed easily.

  Now Summer was in the lead again. She did feel a bit like she stole Ashton's thunder, but she really wanted this date to go well. If she could find out more about Ashton she wouldn't need to worry when a stranger warned her that he was dangerous. Still, it didn't seem right to just ask him why he had become a villain.

  "I'll drive since I know the way," Summer told him once they reached their cars, "Is there any kind of music you prefer?"

  "It's your car. You can listen to whatever you would like," Ashton replied.

  That was a total failure. Trying to find out his likes and dislikes was never going to work if Summer was subtle about it. "I can, but I want to know what you like to listen to," she pressed.

  Ashton met her gaze for a few moments before answering. "Instrumental," he relented, "I don't really listen to music that often, and when I do I like it to be in the background."

  It wasn't the answer Summer had expected, but she had to admit it suited him. He didn't really seem like the type to be that interested in music. Once they got in the car, Summer found a classical station and turned the volume down so it would be more like the background noise he preferred. It was definitely different from what she was used to, but it wasn't too bad. Besides, like this she could focus on Ashton.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  During the drive, she asked Ashton a few more questions, making sure to give her own answers to them in turn. Simple things like his favorite color, pet, food, or subject in school. It all felt kind of shallow but it was better than nothing. Summer was still too nervous to ask the deeper questions. Ashton answered each question patiently, though there were a surprising amount he didn't know the answer to himself.

  Before they knew it they had arrived at the viewing area of the cliff. Despite it being such a popular spot, no one else was there yet. That was when Ashton spoke up.

  "Summer, there is something I must warn you about before tomorrow."

  Another warning? Was he also going to say he was dangerous? "What is it?" Summer asked.

  "Our team has been approved for a higher security clearance," Ashton explained, "This means, starting tomorrow we will learn secrets that we can tell no one. Not even your family. These secrets are unpleasant and even cruel, and once you learn them there is no going back."

  "It sounds like you know what they are already," Summer commented, bracing for the only conclusion this sort of conversation would come to. He was going to ask her to leave.

  "Everyone on the team knows except for you," Ashton admitted, "It will be difficult for you to adapt, and you will likely regret learning the truth."

  What was he so afraid of? The timing with Mara's warning seemed too perfect. "If I learn these secrets will I find out you are dangerous?" Summer questioned.

  Ashton was silent for several long moments as his grip on the door handle tightened. "Yes. In fact, once you learn who I really am, you might hate me."

  It was impossible to imagine what kind of secret it was. She thought accepting his identity as Shadow Phoenix was going to be the biggest hurdle. "Does the reason you became a villain have to do with that secret?" Summer finally asked.

  "Yes," Ashton confirmed.

  "Then I want to know, even if I regret it," Summer decided, "Even if you really are dangerous I can't imagine hating you. You can't get rid of me that easily!"

  For some reason her declaration only made Ashton more uncomfortable. “Summer, I don’t know if this is curiosity or your attempt to get closer to me, but some things are better left unknown,” he told her, “If you let these secrets slip it won’t end with just a slap on the wrist. I need you to think this decision through properly. This isn’t something you can just decide on a whim.”

  “Ashton, this isn’t a whim,” Summer assured him, feeling the sincerity of the concern in his words, “My life as an ignorant passerby was over the moment I got involved with MysteriousMaskz. I nearly died, and I still didn’t turn back. If we are going to get caught up in each other’s messes I should at least know what I am getting into, right? Besides, if the secret is that important, of course there would be a hefty punishment for letting it slip.”

  “You’re right,” Ashton agreed, relaxing, “As long as you are certain this is what you want to do, I won’t stop you.”

  Summer smiled and grabbed his hand. “The warning is over, right?” she asked, “Let’s go enjoy the view. This is still a date, after all.”