It was the same Rocky who had helped Natalie check in earlier, still as cheerful as ever. He grinned wide. "Hey, how have you been? Settling in, alright?" Natalie nodded. "I'm adjusting. Thanks for asking." He scratched the back of his head. "Good, wonderful! Us folks from the outer wall don't usually get to come inside. Just so happens there was another check-in today, so I finally got a chance to swing by and say hi." Natalie blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're not from the inner wall?" The first time he'd helped her to settle in, Rocky looked so familiar with the place that she thought he lived there too. However, upon reflection, she realized that she had never seen him at the big meetings or the celebration dinners. Rocky shook his head. "Wish I was. Just never had the luck to make the cut." He was a small boss in the outer wall, doing pretty well out there, but he still couldn't get clearance to move inside. Rocky leaned closer and asked, "I heard about a woman with a dog who killed the leader of Ironclaw Base. That was you, right?" News traveled slower in the outer wall. By the time he heard it, a few days had already passed. The second he got word, he knew he had to find a way to meet her. If anyone could get him into the inner wall, it might be Bonnie. And now that he finally had his chance, he wasn't going to waste it. Rocky's grin nearly split his face. "Congrats in advance, Bonnie. You're about to rise straight to the top. Don't forget your old buddy here when you get there!" Natalie's eyes flickered. An idea came to her. She tugged him a few steps away, then put on a troubled look. "You guessed right. Magnus really does favor me. He even wants me to be his wife." Rocky frowned. "That sounds like good news. Why do you look so upset?" She tilted her head back toward the house. "Amber. She's jealous. Every time I'm alone with Magnus, she tags along like a third wheel." Rocky turned to look. Sure enough, Amber was peeking out the window, spying on them. "You're right, Bonnie. She's watching you right now." Natalie smirked. "See? Told you. She never leaves me alone." Rocky chuckled. He knew exactly who Amber was. Amber's parents lived outside the outer wall. They spent their days bragging that their daughter was Magnus's woman. At first, Rocky had thought cozying up to her might help him, but later he realized Amber was useless. Magnus didn't really care for her. Even her parents hadn't been moved into the inner wall. Out there, they were worse off than Rocky himself. He smirked. "Bonnie, don't bother with her. She's been with Magnus all this time, and he still hasn't helped her parents. That tells you exactly how much she means to him." Natalie sighed, her face still troubled. "That may be true, but Magnus asked me to admire the moon with him tomorrow night. If Amber hears about it, she'll ruin the mood." Rocky's eyes lit up with an idea. "Then let me handle her. You just keep your date." Her eyes lit up. "You have a way?" "Tomorrow I'll figure something out," he said with confidence. "I'll use her family outside the walls as an excuse and send her away. I promise she won't bother you."He even thumped his chest. "When it comes to the outer wall, I have some pull." Natalie smiled and handed him a few candies, sweetening the deal with promises. "Rocky, that's perfect. Don't worry—once everything works out, I won't forget what you did for me." The man looked instantly fired up, as if he'd just downed an energy drink. Later, when Natalie returned to the villa, she winked at Cassian. "Amber won't be a problem anymore." The following night, four tattooed guards were stationed at the well. They stood stiff and serious when a sudden chill crept over them from behind. "Rusty, do you feel that? Gives me the creeps," one whispered. "Yeah, Rusty, I felt it too, right up the back of my neck." Rusty Griffith barked at them. "Quit talking nonsense! It's hot as hell out here. No way there's a breeze." Still, he couldn't help but glance around uneasily. Truth was, he felt it too. Something about tonight felt off. It felt as if unseen eyes were watching from the dark. The four men stood back-to-back in pairs around the well—two facing south down the alley, two facing north. Their muscles stayed tight for several minutes before they finally began to relax. "I think that creepy feeling is gone now." "Me too. For a second, it was like some wild beast was watching us." Rusty wiped the sweat from his forehead and kept up his tough act. "You're imagining things. This alley's straight and open. You can see all the way to the end. Nothing scary could be hiding here."The smallest of the group muttered under his breath. "Not everything can be seen with your eyes." Another one joined in. "Yeah, my grandma used to tell me stories. She said when she was a kid, she'd sit out in the yard on summer nights. Occasionally, she'd feel someone staring at her. She'd look all around, but there was never anyone there. And then ... " His voice grew dramatic as he told the tale, and soon the other three were listening closely, every word making the night feel a little darker.