It took a few moments for Summer to answer as she stared at Ashton’s face. Was something wrong, after all? Maybe one of Jared’s team had told her something weird. Then she took his hand and smiled.

  “Where should we go?” Summer asked.

  "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. Letting Summer take the lead would have him some time to think about how best to approach what he needed to say. She had always been better at this sort of thing.

  "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. Why was she asking about his music taste all of the sudden?

  "I can, but I want to know what you like to listen to," she pressed.

  Ashton met her gaze for a few moments. Whatever the reason it seemed like she was serious about this. There was no harm in answering, but she was likely to find it uninteresting. "Instrumental," he relented, "I don't really listen to music that often, and when I do I like it to be in the background."

  Summer looked slightly surprised and then smiled happily to herself. “That actually suits him,” she whispered.

  Was she trying to say that out loud? No, he shouldn’t mention it. If she was enjoying herself, that was all that mattered. Ashton got into the car, and watched her search through the stations for something. She settled on classical and turned the volume down. Was she doing this to make him comfortable or because she wanted to understand his likes? Probably the former. Summer had always been a kind person.

  Once the music was settled and she started the car, Summer began to fire off an endless barrage of questions one after the other. The more simple ones like favorite color or food were easy enough to answer, but some of them Ashton didn’t have an answer to himself. He had never had a pet, and he had never once given thought to what his dream job would be. Just like with the music, Summer thought blue suited him and promised to make him his favorite sandwich when they had time.

  Summer answered each of these questions herself as she asked them. She loved warm colors and had a hard time choosing just one. She liked both dogs and cats, and thought bunnies were cute too. Her favorite food was kebabs, but only the island style ones with pineapple. Her favorite subject in school had been history, specifically the history of heroes, and her dream had always been to become one.

  They arrived at the visitor’s parking for the cliff’s view while Summer was talking happily about the difference between pineapple skewers and pepper kebabs. She really didn’t like green peppers. Ashton had spent the entire drive there trying to keep the mood, but sooner or later he was going to have to ruin it. Maybe it would be better to warn her sooner before she got too close.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Summer, there is something I must warn you about before tomorrow,” Ashton broke in, his serious tone instantly cutting through the earlier bubbly mood. He couldn’t help but notice Summer’s instant look of trepidation.

  "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.

  As always, she was exceptionally sharp in times like these. There was no point in hiding the truth now. "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."

  "If I learn these secrets will I find out you are dangerous?" Summer questioned.

  Dangerous? Had someone already told her something? Ashton felt his grip tightening on the door handle as he realized he could not deny such a claim. "Yes. In fact, once you learn who I really am, you might hate me."

  There was a tense silence as Summer thought over his answer. Her face kept changing subtly as she stole glances at Ashton, her gaze darting away when their eyes met.

  "Does the reason you became a villain have to do with that secret?" Summer finally asked.

  "Yes," Ashton confirmed. That made things clear. Someone must have already told her something. Someone who knew the truth about his past. Jared wouldn’t do that, and the others on the team hadn’t known. Who could it have been? Ashton’s descending thoughts were broken apart by Summer’s next words.

  "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!"

  She really didn’t understand anything. Why would she go out of her way to approach someone dangerous? Even after everything that had happened, was she still blinded by her sheltered upbringing? He needed to make sure she understood what she was getting into, so that no matter what happened she would not have to live with regrets.

  “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, an unusual amount of emotion seeping into his tone, “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, “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.”

  A flood of both guilt and relief filled Ashton. He had been the one who was naive. Of course Summer had thought about this. In fact, she probably already knew there were secrets to come. She had plenty of her own to worry about as well.

  “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.”

  Just like that, Ashton allowed his worries to fade as Summer led him to the viewing platform, happily chattering about her favorite things to see. She was right, Ashton could see everything from there. The city, the Old Town, and even beyond to the natural land that had somehow remained untouched by human hands. From there at the top of the cliff everything looked so small and insignificant, like they were the only two people in the world.