𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐄

"Now that we said lack of a brain, did you make any progress with Mr. Innocence 1976?" He questioned nonchalantly.

Callisto huffed, looking up from her nails. "He said that I should give Vera and Thomas a second chance and I haven't talked to him since."

"That's unfortunate." Nicholas commented, his eyes averting to the window. "Especially since you were pretty sure that he'd be a good target."

"You make me sound like an assassin." She snorted, tapping the wooden footboard rhythmically. "He's a nice guy overall, but that kind of pissed me off. I mean, his mom is the actual human version of a ray of sunshine, so he just thinks that all parents are good to their kids. His argument literally was that they are my parents."

"How sweet." Nicholas deadpanned. "Still, I think you should go after him. Let's not forget that the innocent ones make the chase worth it."

"Once again, you're making me sound like an assassin." She repeated a bit louder. "I don't know yet. I might just drop him and go for my usual type."

"Where's your sense of adventure Callisto?" He questioned loudly as if he was referring to the universe and not the blonde sitting opposite from him. "I thought you said that this was an opportunity to expand your horizons!"

"Last time I did that I realized that girls are a little bit too pretty." She retorted, blushing faintly. The only people that knew that Callisto "was playing for both teams" were Nicholas and Antonia, and even though the boy rarely took things seriously he had actually promised that he wouldn't mention anything to anyone until she was ready.

"Oh yes...Rayna Bekirov did cause quite the commotion." He acknowledged, recalling how Callisto would knock on middle of the night because she was confused and couldn't get her thoughts (and apparently also her sexuality) straight.

"Rayna Bekirov, Maria Dorogov, Jae Bom..." Callisto added, trailing off. "Anyways, my point is I don't like spending time on something that isn't worth it."

"People usually consider a challenge as something not worth investing in because they're scared of failure." Nicholas hinted. "I'll let you in on a little secret. The tall sweetheart you're going after may not be that hard to charm, especially since he was rather eager to eye you all the way into that café."

"You are interested in Remus and I." She stated, raising an eyebrow. "Spill."

"I just know a good game when I see one."

~ ~ ~

Callisto sat under the big lemon tree in the garden enjoying the solitude while reading "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". The book was a parting gift from Aunt Elena who had gone as far as to buy the limited edition of the book knowing her niece's love for anything that stuck out on a shelf. She was halfway through the third chapter, when she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Hello, Lupin." She greeted, not lifting her eyes from the book. "The gate is open."

Remus hesitantly opened the gate and walked up the narrow rocky pavement, feeling intimidated by the size of the house. Callisto only looked at him when he was sitting right in front of her, with his hands in his poches to hide his sweaty palms.

"Can I help you with something" She asked, putting her palm on top of her eyes to block the sun. "Wait, first scoot a bit to the left."

Remus did as she said and she let her hand fall on her lap, his tall frame blocking the sun from hitting her face.

"I just wanted to apologize for mentioning your parents." He mumbled, looking away to avoid her scrutinizing gaze. "It was out of line."

"Apology accepted." She sincerely replied, a weight being lifted off his chest. That wasn't that bad after all! His eyes fell to the book resting on her lap and he quirked his head up quizzically.