 
MOLLY OF MARS

AND THE ALIEN SYNDICATE

by Wyatt Davenport
Copyright © 2014 Wyatt Davenport

Smashwords Edition.
CONTENTS

Chapter 1 – Boring Parties

Chapter 2 – A Thief in the Night

Chapter 3 – Missing Men

Chapter 4 – Shut Out Inside

Chapter 5 – Burgers with a Side of Mystery

Chapter 6 – Hidden Owl

Chapter 7 – A Lapse in Judgment

Chapter 8 – My Worst Nightmare

Chapter 9 – Zombielike

Chapter 10 – Field Trip

Chapter 11 – Thanks for Nothing

Chapter 12 – Prognosis: Betrayal

Chapter 13 – Twins' Revenge

Chapter 14 – Pirra!

Chapter 15 – Strained Friendship

Chapter 16 – Into the Owl's Nest

Chapter 17 – The Best-laid Plans...

Chapter 18 – Eyes without a Face

Chapter 19 – A Deep Breath

Chapter 20 – Molly of Mars Reborn
Chapter 1  
Boring Parties

"Hello, I'm Molly of Mars."

"Nice to meet you," the old man said as he shook my hand. We were inside the main dining hall of the Atrocia mansion on Mars. "Do you like the music?"

"I luv it!" It was dreadful music, by the way, and frankly, the old man really didn't care about me or what I liked. I was just a _little_ _teenage_ _girl_ , but he was interested in kissing up to my adoptive mother, Naomi Ravenswood. She was a former spy and currently on the Martian council. These old men thought becoming my friend would help their political careers.

But I'd been to plenty of these parties, and I'd never helped any of them with anything. It wasn't my job to put in a good word for them. My mom told me I didn't have to listen if I didn't want to. I took her advice quickly.

I crossed my arms. I didn't say anything more to the old man. He moved over to the leader of Mars's dentists and left me alone. I was thankful.

"Stand up straight and be nice," Pirra said. She was standing beside me. "Mr. Donner is the head of a huge accounting firm on Mars."

"You know him?" I asked.

"No," Pirra said, and tapped her chest. "His name tag said, _Eugene_ _Donner_ , _CEO_ _of_ _Donner_ _Accounting_. I told you to pay attention to details."

I shot her a glare. "I'm doing my best not to freak out."

"If it isn't the Ravenswood sisters." Conrad Crawley walked up to us. He was the head of Giga Corp, the biggest corporation on Mars, and Mr. Crawley was the richest man in the solar system, with the largest fleet of spaceships.

"Mr. Crawley, we're the Lennox sisters. Adopted, remember?" I replied, stepping closer to Pirra. "I'm surprised to see you at this party. One that benefits science."

"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was talking to your mother," Crawley replied. "Her contempt for my apparent bad behavior holds just as much underlying wrath."

"The Martian Fun Land was one of my favorite places on Mars." I turned my nose up at him, not wanting him to think he could charm me. I saw through his deceitful words. His recent acquisition of the land near my home, Acadia City, had closed down Vicky Valentine's family theme park. It was a big loss for one of my best friends. "You bought it for no reason. You have all of space to make your ships. It's infinite."

Crawley leaned in closer to me, clearly annoyed. I was proud of myself for irking him. "I don't have to explain business to a little girl, but you can tell your friend that I closed the park so other parents could have jobs."

"At the cost to my best friend, Vicky. You gave her family half the value that land was worth. People lost jobs there. So I don't see how your reasoning works."

"The Valentines were given what the court mandated."

"My mom says you control the court."

Crawley's angry eyes shot lasers through me. "I'm a good Martian citizen. I pay my taxes, and I contribute to charities."

"I heard you only pay a fraction of the taxes other people pay, and your charity donations are for massive tax breaks. Don't try to fool me. I'm not some dumb kid."

I wasn't dumb, but I didn't entirely understand taxes. I knew my mom paid them, and I'd heard complaints about how the rich only paid a little because they could afford to control the laws. I didn't think it was fair.

"Molly of Mars," Crawley kidded. "Isn't that your hero name?"

"Yeah, so what?"

Crawley put his hand on Pirra's shoulder. "You should behave more like your sister. So elegant, so controlled, and so beautiful."

Pirra twisted away from Crawley. He was always pawing at her because of her specialness.

"Hello, Mr. Crawley," Pirra said. "How're you today?"

"Your manners are progressing," he said. "No more pulling up a chair at the buffet table."

Pirra blushed in embarrassment. "I understand now, sir."

Crawley smiled, showing his gnarly teeth. "I knew you'd adjust to our culture on Mars."

Pirra shifted uncomfortably. With the odd gleam in Crawley's eyes, I didn't blame her. He was fascinated with her, like most people on Mars. "I'm trying," she said.

"Mr. Crawley," Galen Atrocia said. He was the father of Aston Atrocia, the host of the party. He was older, and the Atrocia fortune had been built on the company he'd founded years ago. "I'll save Molly of Mars and Pirra from any more arguments."

Crawley seemed annoyed. His face tightened at the comment. "I'm able to handle a couple of girls, Galen."

"Doing a bang-up job of entertaining us," I muttered, but they ignored me.

"Could you meet these two scientists?" Galen Atrocia asked. "They work on the air processing plants on Mars. Brilliant men."

"Excuse me, girls. A pleasure as usual," Crawley said sarcastically. "Another opportunity for Mega Corp awaits."

"Wouldn't want to miss making another buck," I muttered as he walked away.

"Be nice," Pirra said.

"Pirra, I'm bored, and he did hurt Vicky's family," I complained, kicking my foot against the hardwood floors. "I can't stand those rich types stepping on everyone. You didn't see Vicky cry when they shut down the park."

"I did . . . later. She's my friend, too, and I'm not blind to the way Mars works. Remember, grace isn't a cover for ignorance. It breeds control and respect."

Pirra kept her rigid poise as she practiced enjoying the party. She was my sister, but we were unrelated. We shared a room in our new mom's apartment in Acadia City, Mars. I loved her to death. However, she did have one annoying habit that I hated. She was always making me look bad because she always told the complete truth.

Now, telling the truth is important, but sometimes when it didn't matter, she found a way to admit more than was necessary. Like the time when Naomi asked what happened at school. Pirra proceeded to tell the story about how I got into a fight with some of the girls. All she had to say was that we went to classes and talked to friends, which would've been a perfectly honest story to tell. Not for Pirra.

I shook another person's hand, ignoring completely what he or she said. They moved on.

"Molly," Pirra said, continuing her rant, "we've been over this a million times. Mom needs us at these parties so she can help Mars. She's on the council. She talks to the president. She's important, and we're doing our part."

"We're doing our part?" I tilted my head at her. "You've been watching too many of the president's commercials about Martian loyalty."

"It's true!"

"Don't tell me you buy into the baloney about us helping Mars. We're at a party with a bunch of rich snobs. I would rather be doing laps at the hoverboard park."

"Our duty is here. Stand up straight."

I pretended to care for a second to stop the lecture. She could be so difficult, especially when she was following orders from Naomi. "You aren't a Sephian warrior anymore."

Pirra raised her chin with pride. "I still carry its nobility and honor of my people."

Pirra was a former child warrior from another solar system. Yes, Pirra was a teenager like me, but she was an alien girl. She wasn't human but rather was called a Sephian. Well, she was sorta Sephian. She wanted to be human now.

She was the only one we knew about, and she looked entirely human. She had black hair and big green eyes. And she was very beautiful. My gosh, she was beautiful, with the most annoyingly perfect beauty mark above her left lip. I'd climb the highest mountain on Mars for an ounce of her looks.

She always had a flower, beads, or some sort of decoration in her hair. A custom from her alien past—one of the few she still followed. Three daisies lined either side of her head this evening.

"Nobility is practiced." Her head moved back and forth as she posed like a rigid soldier.

I laughed at her because she had no idea how funny she was being.

"Nobility and honor." She tucked her arms against her sides and did a trot.

I laughed again. Maybe she was being a clown on purpose. "Stop it. I don't care about nobility when it comes to these parties." I leaned back on the table. "And Naomi told you to be less rigid. You aren't fighting any more battles. Remember when the war ended, everyone ordered you to be a normal child. I was told to enforce it."

Pirra scoffed. "Crawley complimented me on being more human. I think I should just keep the same path."

I rolled my eyes. "A Crawley endorsement makes me wonder where I went so wrong in teaching you about being human."

"Funny," said Pirra and stuck her tongue out at me. "Mom wasn't referring to events like these. We should be on our best behavior."

"Pirra," I replied and pressed my curly, blondish-red hair against my head. My fair hair had always grown wild. Controlling it was harder than controlling my impulse to avoid boredom. When I looked at Pirra with her perfectly straight feathered style, her beauty always made me self-conscious. I shifted a bit as I thought about it.

"Relax, be a kid," I said to her. "You need to sit like this. Put your butt against the table and relax. Your back is going to lock if you're any more rigid."

"I'm not going to sit like a slob. Like the lunchroom _cool_ kids."

"Fine," I said. "Let's talk about eating. You don't have to eat everything with utensils. Your fingers work best for some things."

Again, Pirra stuck her nose up at me. "It's more refined to eat with a fork and knife. Miss Manners—"

"Not that book again. They call it finger food for a reason. Like earlier, you tried to eat crackers and cheese with a fork."

"And I did," she said proudly.

"Hardly. You scooped the cracker up on the fork with the concentration of an eagle spotting its prey." I raised my hand, shaking it as she had. "Jittering hands, as if you're mixing a can of paint, and then you slowly pull it up to your mouth. Total time, two minutes."

"Did I spill? Did the cheese fall?"

"Ahh. Ahh. Ahh." With my mouth open, I mocked her concentration in trying to get the cracker on the fork up to her mouth. "So refined. So graceful."

"Oh, shut up." Pirra laughed. "I wasn't that bad. I do fun things."

"I know," I replied. "But guys like Crawley see you as an alien. He said what he said with contempt. I don't want that, because Mars has a history of being scared of those who are different. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

She nodded. "I understand. So I should sit back with my back less rigid. Like I'm tired."

"Sorta," I instructed her. "But don't make it sound so lame. It's just relaxing and not taking everything so seriously."

Pirra nervously shifted her feet. "I'd hate to disappoint Mom. The party is going so well."

"You won't. She wants you to be a kid and probably wishes you got into trouble."

Pirra shifted again. I knew she was conflicted, and I also knew she'd give in.

"Like this," she said, leaning back.

"Lean back more and slacken your back."

"Oh, this." With a jump, she sat with almost all of her weight on the tabletop of food and drinks. The table buckled instantly, and everything crashed to the floor, including Pirra. The rattling of metal trays and lids echoed through the room.

I looked into the crowd. The music screeched to a halt, and everyone's eyes turned to look at a soaked Pirra on the floor. Food was everywhere. Pirra froze in fear or embarrassment. I snickered a bit at the jelly that was jiggling on her butt.

As the eyes in the room grew larger over us, I realized that I needed to save my sister.

I put my hands over my cheeks. "Out of nowhere, the table just collapsed!"

"I'm so sorry," said a butler for the Atrocia estate, who had come rushing over. He handed Pirra a towel.

"A towel is not going to be enough," I snarled at the butler. He hadn't done anything wrong, but Pirra and I needed to make our escape with the least embarrassment possible.

"Of course," said Mr. Aston Atrocia, the host of the party, as he hurried up to us. His two nasty children, Aiden and Aubrey Atrocia, were snickering from behind him. "Show Pirra to the twins' bathroom so she can clean up."

"Not our bathroom," Aiden said. "She'll make it dirty."

Aiden and Aubrey went to the same school as Pirra and me, except they were in the advanced classes. Pirra and I were in the applied kids' classes, and everyone in the other classes picked on the _dumb_ kids. And for whatever reason, the twins seemed to like picking on Pirra and me the most.

"Don't say that," Mr. Atrocia replied to Aiden. "Show them to your bathroom."

"Fine," Aiden replied. "Aubrey, go find the hose."

"Aiden!" Mr. Atrocia scolded him. He pointed down the hallway. "Show them."

"What happened here?" Naomi, our mother, demanded as she walked up, looking directly at me. She was about to blame me for something. "Molly, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" I shouted, not entirely honest. "The table just fell."

"Pirra." My mom tied back her blond hair as she did when she was about to blame me for something. "Is that true?"

"The table did fall," Pirra replied as she got to her feet.

"With Molly's help?" Naomi led her on.

I hated when she did that. My adoptive mother always wanted to find something I did wrong.

"I didn't do anything," I snapped. My mom's blue eyes flared, and her tall statue hovered over me. But I continued without intimidation. "Pirra did it herself. Stop trying to get me in trouble. I came to this stupid party so you could look good in front of your friends. So you could show off the orphan you rescued and the alien you saved."

She was about to speak, but I was beyond angry and could not listen to another lecture from her. It seemed to be her favorite hobby. Without listening further, I stormed down the hallway toward the bathroom. Tears were welling up in my eyes by the time I reached the door, but no one else saw them. I'd never let that happen.
Chapter 2  
A Thief in the Night

I wept in the bathroom as I tried to collect my thoughts, wondering why Naomi blamed me so much. She was supposed to be my new mom, but she'd changed. We were friends before the alien war. Now our friendship was gone.

A short time later, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked after a few seconds.

"Pirra, alone. I need to clean up."

"Come in."

The door slid open, and Pirra walked in. She didn't say anything. Immediately, she undressed and began cleaning her clothes in the sink.

"Give me your skirt," I said to her. I could never stay mad at Pirra. For all of her honesty, she had tried to cover up my mistake with the table. "I appreciated it when you said that the table fell over."

"I didn't say it was you. I remembered what you said about too many details."

"Unfortunately," I sighed, "in human society, everyone knew that I had something to do with it. It's my track record."

"How? I knocked it over."

"But it was my dumb idea to make you less . . . I don't know . . . stiff. You don't make mistakes. Only I make mistakes."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Pirra said. "You have fun when you make mistakes. That's the point of being a kid."

"I'm just so angry these days, Pirra. Suddenly, Naomi doesn't think I should make mistakes. She wants me to be like . . ."

"Like what?"

"Like you." I didn't much like admitting it, but Pirra should know what type of pressure our adoptive mom put on me. I never liked how perfect Pirra could be. Naomi gave her plenty of freedom because she was an alien.

When we were finished, I snatched Pirra's shirt from her and began to dry her clothes. Most people would've been mortified that they had crashed a table, ruined the feast, and covered themselves in food. Not Pirra. She'd fought in wars, and everything about her screamed _adult_. Except she wasn't. She had plenty to learn about being a kid and interacting with humans.

And that was where I came in. Like a big sister—only I was a year younger—I felt an obligation to help her fit into her new society. She told me tales of the nightmare wars she had fought. But she wouldn't have to fight anymore. Now she was free to do what she wanted. I would always make sure that she could on Mars.

"You aren't perfect," Pirra said, "and you do make mistakes. But more than anything, I want to be like you. You understand how Mars works and how people think."

"Apparently, not well enough. Naomi still likes to make my life miserable."

"I've asked her why she is so hard on you. She says she isn't. She's looking out for you. It's a human parenting thing. If anything happened to you . . ."

"I know," I objected. "It's the same tired excuse as always. The aliens kidnapped me during the war and if anything happens to me, my real mom would be mad at Naomi and disappointed in me. My real mom is dead, and her disappointment and pride died with her."

"It didn't. It's called honor. My parents are dead, too, and I try to honor them."

I waved my hand at Pirra. "Don't start talking like Naomi. She isn't my mom. I don't have to listen to her guilt trips about my real mom. I don't do drugs or anything like that. Just let me be me."

Pirra gestured. "I think my clothes are dry."

I handed her back the skirt and top. Pirra slipped them back on.

We were about to leave when I noticed a small crack in the other door leading into the bathroom. It hadn't been there when we arrived, but someone had moved the door slightly open. And then I noticed something far more disturbing: two eyes, one on top of another, peering through.

Pretending to walk out, I pushed Pirra along toward the other door, and just as we were passing, I kicked out and knocked the door into the spies.

Groans sounded from the room. I flipped open the door to find the twins cursing, holding their foreheads. They rolled on the bedroom floor.

"You have some nerve," I said to them. "Spying on us. And you, Aiden. Pirra had most of her clothes off."

"It's our bathroom," Aubrey replied. "We wanted to make sure you didn't break anything."

"That sounds perfectly reasonable," Pirra said.

"No, it isn't," I replied. "People don't spy like that."

Aiden helped his sister to her feet. "Just because you're having problems with your parent doesn't mean we have to suffer for it. Stop using our stuff."

Anger stirred, and I lunged at him. But Pirra grabbed my waist before I could reach him. "I'll knock that smug smile off your face, Aiden."

Aubrey snickered defiantly.

"And I'll knock you in the nose," I replied to her. "Make you uglier than you already are."

"I'll still be better looking than you and your ridiculous hair," Aubrey said. "It's like a poodle was left on your head in the rain."

This time, I jumped toward Aubrey, but Pirra's hold on me was tight. She was experienced enough to know that the twins and I never got along.

"Let go of me," I barked at Pirra. "I won't do anything."

But she didn't believe me, nor should she have. I wanted to rip both of their faces off.

It took a few more seconds before my rage simmered and the twins backed away. Pirra loosened her grip, and I stepped away from them.

I shivered with contempt. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but the party seems better than talking to them. Let's go."

"Agreed," Pirra said. "The twins don't seem to be welcoming us."

The twins snickered and seemed genuinely happy they had accomplished their mission of tormenting us. I was torn between being the better person and seeking revenge on them. I really wanted to teach them a lesson, but I thought better of it—or at least I would get them outside of their home turf.

_Bang_! A noise rattled outside of the twins' bedroom. Immediately, I moved over, but Aiden blocked me from seeing outside.

"What's out there?" I demanded.

"Nothing," Aubrey said. "Go back to the party. We were ordered to stop you from snooping around."

"Aubrey—" Aiden snapped.

I pushed into him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"I want to see," I objected.

"No."

I grabbed Aiden's thumb and twisted it around—a trick I had learned from Pirra. He whimpered in pain. "You'll let me see, or I'll break it off, Aiden."

"Don't hurt me! Father!" Aiden whined.

I twisted further to bring him to his knees, and then I shoved him over. He fell without any injuries, but he dared not cut me off again. I moved to the window.

Outside, several men were moving around, loading something into a transport ship. It was one of the smaller ships for shipping between the Martian colonies. At almost midnight, it seemed to be an odd time for transporting cargo, especially with partiers like famous athletes, premier scientists, and council members in attendance. Not the type of crowd you wanted to disturb with workers and loud ships.

"Pirra," I said. "What do you think's happening?"

"They're moving something out in a hurry."

"Too fast. We've been to plenty of parties, and I've never seen anyone do business like this. Everyone in the staff is always on their best behavior. No loading ships or construction."

"My grandfather and father do a lot of business at all times of the night," Aubrey said. "That's why our family is successful. He isn't doing anything wrong."

I turned to Aubrey, who was helping Aiden to his feet. "I didn't say that, but someone is transporting something off your property in the middle of the party. Pirra and I are going to figure out what."

"No, you won't," Aiden protested. "We're to escort you back to the party. You can ask my dad."

I didn't say anything to Aiden. I held my temper because an Atrocia wasn't going to tell me what to do. I looked outside again. The men moved to the back of the ship, and I couldn't get a good look at the cargo from where I was. I had to know what was going on. If they were stealing gold, jewels, or anything from the Atrocia estate, I wanted to be the one who figured it out. Maybe then Naomi would get off my back and treat me with the same respect as she treated Pirra.

"They're powering up their ship," Pirra stated.

I didn't need another moment. I sprang toward the twins' balcony doorway, but Aiden stopped me by grabbing my arm.

Aiden was right. A part of me wanted to stop. I didn't want to be grounded again. Hurting Aiden would get me another month in my room, and I'd just finished a stretch for hoverboarding through Acadia City's sacred park.

But I was just too curious, and I knew something wasn't right outside. With a quick strike, I elbowed Aiden in the gut to knock the wind out of him. He doubled over.

"Don't touch my brother." Aubrey grabbed my hair from behind, and I instantly fell over backward, wailing in pain.

Pirra silenced Aubrey by grabbing her around the neck with a locking hold. Aubrey wasn't hurt, but she couldn't free herself from the bigger and more powerful warrior girl.

"Put them in the closet," I ordered. We wedged a chair against the door so they couldn't get out. For as tough as they talked, the Atrocia twins were easily overpowered physically. I assured Pirra we would come back and free them after we checked out the surface.

She agreed, and we headed to the balcony. Pirra helped me over the edge, and we were on the surface of Mars a moment later. A chill rippled over my skin, as Mars was typically colder than Earth, and without my coat, I started to shiver and rub my arms.

And unlike Earth's atmosphere, Mars's was thin, and the air machines scattered over the planet hadn't created enough air for Pirra and me to breathe properly. We slipped on masks that fit snuggly over our mouths and noses to give us enough oxygen.

"Do you see them?" I asked Pirra.

Pirra's warrior eyes focused. We moved through the rocks toward the thundering engine. I was scared, but with Pirra behind me, I felt as though I didn't have to worry. She wouldn't have followed if I were going to endanger myself. She would've stopped me. My golden rule with adventures was that if Pirra was scared, I should stop.

The house was set in a low plateau. On the right, an embankment of tumbled rocks and boulders sloped steeply to the canyon below. Stretching out the back of the house, a jagged cliff stopped anyone from leaving on foot.

"They're ahead," I said, peering over a rock.

Pirra knelt beside another rock close to me. "I see them."

The men looked like typical deliverymen. The twins might be telling the truth, after all. Each man wore a uniform with a yellow owl on it. I counted three men, each pushing a crate into the ship.

"I'm having a hard time breathing," Pirra said, "even with the mask. It's cold, too."

She wasn't going to shake my focus. "I feel it, too. These filters are new. Just rub your arms to warm up."

From my point of view, I couldn't see what the cargo contained, so I moved up to the top of a pile of boulders for a better look. Pirra stayed below, waving at me to come back. I guessed my sister was scared of one thing: Naomi. She didn't want Naomi to catch us outside at night. She hated being in trouble. If I was right, though, and we found them stealing something valuable, Naomi would be apologizing to both of us.

From the top of the rocks, I saw the container better. Oddly, each of the crates had frosted glass on the top. One of the men, who seemed to be the leader, brushed his hand over the glass and it cleared away. Not frosted glass, but it was cold. Colder than a Martian night.

The man cleared away even more of the icy frost. I gasped.

Inside the crate was a man! He was frozen and unmoving, but it was a _man_.

"Pirra!" I called through gritted teeth. I didn't want the men to hear me, but Pirra had to witness it. "Get up here. It's a man."

Pirra shook her head. I waved my hands for her to come up beside me, but she refused.

"Get up here, you big baby!" I shouted again, but I leaned too far over the edge of the boulder, slipped, and toppled to the ground. My arm bent underneath my body, and I heard a crack.

Instantly, the pain was blinding. I couldn't even breathe, the stabbing pulses up my arm were so intense. I rolled to my knees, screaming to warn the pain away, but it was useless. My arm was broken.

"What're you doing here?" one of the men shouted. "Who's there?"

"Get away," Pirra warned them, "or I'll scream!"

The ship's engines revved a moment later as Pirra put her arm on my back. She tried to comfort me, but I couldn't even understand her. The pain was so fresh.

"I—" I tried to stand, but my head clouded over with spots. I knew I would faint if I moved any farther, so I fell to my knees. "No."

"Stay on your knees," Pirra said. "Don't try to get up. I'll get Naomi—"

"I saw a face in those cargo containers," I told her. "They were taking someone away."

"I didn't see anyone," Pirra said as she pushed on my back to keep me down. "Maybe it was shadows."

"It was someone, two people," I replied. "Trust me. We won't get in trouble for this."

A few seconds later, a group of people with flashlights came through the boulders.

"What's happening out here?" Naomi said as she and several of the guests, including Mr. Atrocia, came running up. "Why're you outside in the middle of a Martian night, Molly?"

"Molly broke her arm, Mom," Pirra replied. "She fell from those boulders."

"Why're you climbing rocks without a safety harness?" Naomi barked at me. She had her Molly-was-completely-wrong attitude going.

"That ship," I said, pointing toward the sky at the afterburners. "They took two people and are escaping. Call the police."

"You saw them take someone?" Naomi asked, not bothering to hide her skepticism.

"Yes," I replied. "Call someone before they escape."

"Pirra?" Naomi had to get confirmation, because believing me would be impossible.

"I didn't see anyone, but my view was obstructed," Pirra said in her brutally honest way. "If Molly says someone was in those crates, I believe her."

"Aston, what has your security seen?" Naomi asked Mr. Atrocia.

He walked up, rubbing his fake electronic leg. He had lost his leg in the war. "I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but our caterer didn't supply the party with enough food, and we had to fly in more just a few minutes ago. I told the caterer to park in the back of the estate so my guests wouldn't see. That was his ship. I don't know anything about people being transported."

"Don't worry about it, Aston," Naomi said. "Your party has been splendid—apart from a troublemaker." Her blue eyes fired lasers of guilt directly at me. My hatred for her was growing by the second.

"I had hoped no one would see the caterer fly in and out," Mr. Atrocia said. "I apologize again for putting Molly in danger."

"I wasn't—"

"Molly! Stop it!" Naomi cut me off. "Aston, you did nothing of the sort. It was her fault and her fault alone. I'll handle her punishment, if you don't mind."

"Of course," he said.

Naomi's face compressed with anger and angst. I knew at that point that she'd ground me for another month. I lowered my head as the medics attached a brace around my forearm. I felt entirely defeated.
Chapter 3  
Missing Men

"So you decided to come out of your room, after all," Pirra said. She was beaming as she bit into her toast with huckleberry jam. She had an affinity for jam and toast that was foreign to anything her alien culture had formulated in its thousands of years of space travel. Somehow, her home planet had never invented the toaster.

"I'm up," I grumbled. "You said something about going to the hoverboard park?"

"Yes." Pirra sipped on her glass of orange juice. "Vicky and Luke are coming here, and we'll head over. I can't believe you got out of being grounded."

"Me, too."

It had been an odd conversation with Naomi two days ago after I was caught snooping around the Atrocia estate. Naomi hadn't yelled at me, and she hadn't even grounded me. Instead, she looked at me for a long time, muttered something I didn't understand, and then said she was looking into other options for me. I really didn't know what that meant. Maybe instead of grounding me, she'd make me clean up the apartment. I wasn't in trouble, so I didn't really care what Naomi thought.

"How is your arm?" Pirra asked.

"It's healed." I unwound the bandage around my broken arm to reveal a perfectly stable bone. A miracle of Martian medical—or as we called it, a medical regenerator.

Pirra rubbed it to make sure. "I'm glad."

"I think I'll try a triple flip today," I said. "I can't stand not being able to land it."

"Don't break your arm again," Pirra scolded. "Hoverboarding is dangerous."

"Yeah, I know. That's kinda why I do it."

Hoverboarding was Mars's biggest hobby for teenagers. The hoverboard consisted of a board with a handle attached for acceleration and braking.

"I'm going to shower and change," Pirra said. "I got a new outfit and pair of boots I want you to see."

"Naomi bought those for you?"

"Yes, we went shopping yesterday while you were moping in our room."

I shook my head. "Figures that you would get a new outfit, and I can't even get a down payment on a new hoverboard."

"Get? Earned, Missy," Pirra protested. "I sorted paperwork in her office and cleaned up her reception area. If you did a little work, maybe you could get a new hoverboard."

I let out a long breath. "Work for Naomi? I don't want to hear her complain about what a terrible job I did."

"She wouldn't. And please, call her Mom."

"No. Let's go shower before I get angry with Naomi again," I said to change the subject. Pirra was right about me getting out again. I did feel dirty after two days of sitting in my room, listening to music and writing.

I showered first and changed into my usual outfit: a pair of slip-on kicks and a full-body thermal suit for the Martian outdoors. Over the skintight thermal suit, I wore a plaid twelve-inch sports skirt. This time it was pink and purple. And my usual white top with my favorite Martian band's eagle-and-guitar design on it.

"Check me out," Pirra said as she walked into the bedroom. "This is the latest Martian fashion."

"It's okay," I said, still a bit angry that Naomi had purchased it for her. But really, she looked cute and stunning as always.

Perhaps it had something to do with the way my hair was always disheveled, or with the fact that I was living with a stunningly beautiful sister, but I always had been small and scrawny compared to Pirra. She made me uncomfortable when she would show off around the boys. I kept to the side as they gave her the attention.

And ironically, she had no idea she was doing it, either. I knew exactly what she was doing to them, and it infuriated me that I couldn't. But it made me realize what I liked best about myself. I could read body language and the subtle cues people gave. Pirra was oblivious to these.

Pirra kicked her leg out to show me more. "Knee-high boots, pink thermo suit, dark green top and shorts with the same dark green pinstripes, and you say 'okay'? This is the top of the line."

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "Fine, you look fabulous. Runway quality. Happy?"

Pirra had always had an affinity for fashion, especially hairstyles. It didn't surprise me she was kissing up to Naomi for the extra credits for new outfits. She loved nothing more than to debut it to the crowd at the hoverboard park, especially to Vicky and her other girlfriends. They talked endlessly about it.

I moved to the couch to check the messages on my phone. Over my shoulder, Pirra dangled my hoverboard bag over me. "I got your helmet and hairpins. What would you do without me?"

"Crack my head open on the pavement," I replied. "Or maybe I would've picked the bag up when we were about to leave. Don't think you saved me. I would've remembered. When are Vicky and Luke getting here?"

The doorbell buzzed on cue.

Pirra hopped over to the door and opened it. "Vicky! Luke!"

"Wow," Vicky Valentine exclaimed.

With her hands on her hips, Pirra moved her butt from side to side. "Pop! Pop! See how I look."

Vicky chuckled. Her blue eyes dazzled as they took in Pirra's funny show. "I can't believe you convinced your mom to get that for you. That store is even out of my league, and my family owns theme parks."

"I earned it." Pirra tilted her legs up to show off her boots. "The buckles are what I like."

Vicky brushed back her blond hair. "You're growing into such a ham."

"I was ordered to be less of a warrior," Pirra replied. "I thought you wanted that."

"We do! Keep it up." Vicky put her hand on Pirra's shoulder to encourage her.

I stared at my sister for an extra moment. I did that from time to time. She was an alien, and I had been impressed lately with her enthusiasm for school and life. For the first two years, she had had a difficult time, but lately, she was showing signs she could fit in. I was proud of her.

"Pirra, I would've loved to see you in your warrior outfit," Luke Lautner said, pushing past Pirra to get to me. "Too bad it was all destroyed with the other alien tech."

"You saw her as a warrior last week, Luke," Vicky contested. "She fought off those bullies."

"Oh right," Luke said, half turning as he moved toward me. His hazel eyes softened. "Thanks again."

Pirra chopped her hand and kicked her foot through the air. "Those bullies were no match for your Earth kickboxing."

"I spar with you," I said to Pirra. "You couldn't have mastered it yet."

"I beat you fairly easily. Don't underestimate my alien blood," Pirra said ominously, raising her hands like a monster would do. "I'll assimilate your culture and make it my own."

Vicky and I got a good laugh out of that. For all of her toughness and heroism during the war, Pirra was just one of our friends, and I'd never seen her hurt anyone. Those bullies got off easy with a few twisted arms. If I hadn't seen it during the war, I would never have believed she was a warrior.

Luke shook his head at us. The gawky, fair-haired boy was never one for nonsense. I'd known him the longest of our group. He was never comfortable with himself. I told him he was cute from time to time to give him confidence. He laughed, saying a compliment from someone who was sisterlike was charity. I understood. He was as close to a brother as I'd ever have.

"Did you fix it?" I asked Luke as he placed my hoverboard on the table.

"Yes, but I could only squeeze a little more speed out of it," he replied. "I worked on it all week. I changed the power amplifiers and exchanged them for a larger carbon converter."

"So more speed and better air intake. What about the engine?"

Luke's face drooped, twisting it in disappointment. "I cleaned everything, but it's just an old board."

"I know you did your best," I said. But I was secretly saddened. We had planned to improve my old board to beat Aiden. "I'm a former hoverboard champion, remember. I need to stay with the top equipment."

Vicky waved my comment off, as usual. "You call yourself a champion because you won a gold medal for quickest run. But it wasn't the adult division or the teen division. It was the youth division."

I rubbed the medal Luke had fused to my helmet. I loved to show it off, but Pirra and Vicky always gave me a hard time about it. I had won it before the war.

"We lost to Aiden Atrocia last time," Luke said. "It isn't helping our reputation."

I bristled. "Don't you think I don't know that? His father buys him the newer Galaxy model, and every time I save enough money for it, Naomi makes me buy something 'sensible.' What am I going to do with a telescope?"

"Not fail astronomy?" Vicky said. "See beautiful things?"

"I have the network to do that. I can download pictures."

"And the telescope wasn't your money. You blew it on something stupid," Pirra said. "Like—"

I cut off my sister. "And forget Naomi ever purchasing a new hoverboard for me because she insists I learn the value of a credit, whereas Aiden and Aubrey always get what they want."

No one replied because I was right.

In the group of the four of us, Luke and I got along the best because he was a techno-geek. He loved to fiddle with my hoverboard or any of the devices we managed to find along the way. Three weeks ago, he had repaired a really expensive phone and sold it back to the owner. He used it to pay for my entrance fee into the last hoverboard tourney. He never asked to be repaid. Well, not with money. His only request was to clean and fix my hoverboard so we could win the next race.

But it didn't look like it would happen until I secured my new board. This one was just too slow.

On the other side of our friendship, Vicky and Pirra were close, as they were both into fashion and the things that Luke found entirely too girly. I enjoyed Vicky's and Pirra's interests, too, but they were entirely too beautiful for me to compete with clothes, hairstyles, and shoes. The blond bombshell and the raven-haired beauty intimidated me, the dorky, mc-skinny girl. So I never involved or tried to compete with them.

And a part of me didn't want to be like them. Luke and I were the ones who started adventures. Pirra and Vicky always joined us, but if it wasn't for Luke and me, we'd be entirely too boring.

"Molly," Vicky said, "Pirra told me you dragged her out into the cold Martian night and tried to find someone stealing something. What were you thinking?"

"Dragged Pirra?" I knew Vicky liked to exaggerate.

"I can read between the lines," Vicky replied. "Pirra can't handle the cold like you and me."

"I know her better than you." That was true, but I had forgotten on that night that Pirra did have an aversion to the cold. Her alien body didn't produce internal warmth as quickly as humans. Her planet was warmer than Mars or Earth. Her body would shut down if exposed long enough. She called it a cold coma, and that was scary to see.

"You can't risk her like that." Vicky reiterated Naomi's speech about Pirra.

Pirra and I exchanged glances without saying a word. I nodded my apology, and her gaze was of forgiveness.

"Pirra had her extra thermos on, no doubt," Luke said.

I nodded.

"It's still risky," Vicky replied.

"Molly thinks she saw a face in the cargo," Pirra stated, to rescue me from the lecture. "I didn't see it, but those men sure left in a hurry when Molly broke her arm."

"We could've caught them if I hadn't been so foolish," I replied, rubbing my arm, still a bit embarrassed by the fall. "I don't care what Naomi or Mr. Atrocia said. I saw men in those crates."

"Have you tried looking for them?" Luke asked. "Been to Trivium Port and searched the cargo ships along the surface?"

"No," I replied. Trivium Port was our major spaceport. Thousands of ships docked there, and it was the place to be if you wanted to get off Mars. "I've no way of tracking them. I hardly remember what the pilots look like."

"That's too bad," Luke said. "I was looking for an excuse to go to Trivium. They have the best junk."

"That's how we want to spend our day? Jumping through garbage and spaceports?" Vicky objected. "I understand you saw something, but it seems impossible."

I echoed Vicky's thought, but Luke had me a bit intrigued at the possibility of finding those men. Pirra shook her head at me. She was right, of course, because of Naomi.

"We have to practice for the big event in two weeks," I said to Luke. "Maybe another time. If they did steal from the Atrocias, what do I care about their things? I should be stealing one of Aiden's boards myself."

Pirra raised her hand. "You don't steal, Molly."

"I wouldn't," I assured her, but it was tempting, as Aiden and Aubrey would never miss one of their dozen boards. "Let's get to the park. I want a lot of practice for the big race."

I grabbed my bag, and we filed out of the apartment on our way to the park. As we were nearing the elevator, Naomi exited and came toward us. Her face was tight and concerned.

"Mom," Pirra shouted. "I bought the outfit. Do you like it?"

"It's lovely," Naomi said, but something was concerning her, and I suspected it was me.

"I'm finally out of my room," I said to her.

But she ignored me without saying a word. Instead, she continued to walk down the hall.

"Excuse me," I said, annoyed with her. "You can acknowledge me."

Naomi continued to walk down the hall without so much as a turn toward me or a nod.

"You can't hate me that much!" I screamed at her, giving chase. "What's your problem?"

Naomi stopped but didn't turn toward me. At least she stopped, though, which showed that I had hit a nerve with her. "Where did we go wrong?"

"We didn't go wrong. It's you. You don't trust me or have any faith in me."

She turned. "You don't give me many opportunities." Naomi's eyebrows bowed downward. "Breaking your arm and pressuring Pirra into dangerous situations isn't funny. Pirra can't handle the cold, and you take her out in the middle of a Martian night. Immature and stupid, Molly."

"Are you upset about Pirra's welfare? Or are you upset that you never got to see the scientists fix the Martian air problem? I know why you went to that party. It was political, as usual."

"I'm upset about both. I still haven't spoken with those men because I had to attend to you. It's important business. Mars is running out of air, and you don't seem to care."

"Everyone cares about Mars," I said angrily. "I helped you rebuild it after the war."

Naomi stomped her foot. "I work hard for you and Pirra to bring you a better life, and you hoverboard all day!"

I was taken aback. I was young, but I did help rebuild Mars. I was one of the survivors who worked hours upon hours to clean up the colonies. Everyone had. "Hardly true. Your reelection is all that matters to you. Not us."

"Don't you dare," Naomi said crossly. "I took you in after the war."

I threw my hands up, mocking her. "Naomi's great charity. Helped you win the seat on the council. Great for your commercials and the posters."

"I'm your mom," she barked. "Address me as such."

My nose flared. "My mom died."

Pirra stepped up to me and pushed against my chest to move me down the hall. "Mom, we'll go to the park and let you both calm down. We'll be back for dinner."

"Thank you, Pirra. But I'll be dining with the council tonight."

"Surprise, surprise," I muttered as Vicky turned me around and we headed toward the elevator.

But I heard Naomi say to Pirra. "I can't live with her like this. Talk to her or I'll do something about it."

The ominous tone in her voice scared me. Would Naomi give me away? It didn't seem possible. I hadn't done anything wrong to warrant it, but Naomi's political career trumped everything, and I didn't doubt that if she considered me a liability, she'd drop me off in some dark corner of Mars.

Pirra took a few minutes to get back to the elevator, and she put her arm around me on the ride down. Pirra held back tears and sniffled a bit. Naomi and I had fought many times before, and it didn't bother me as much as it did Pirra.
Chapter 4  
Shut Out Inside

I didn't say anything on the walk over to the park. The conversation with Naomi distracted me, and it wasn't because of our fight. We fought plenty. It was what she'd said about the scientists. It wasn't like Naomi to lose targets like Dr. Siskin and Dr. Mantha. She'd been so dead set on meeting them. If I were the cause of her missing the meeting, it would've only delayed her a few hours. She would've flown to wherever they were. Naomi's anger had given me a clue that the air situation on Mars was more serious than everyone knew. It stuck in my mind.

The hoverboard park was packed with teenagers of all ages.

I knew many of them, as Luke and I were popular. Not because they were interested in us personally, but Luke and I would fix their boards in exchange for time on the track. Luke was the expert. I had greasy hands sometimes and knew my way around the tiny engines.

Four different mile-long tracks made up the park. The red Martian terrain was used for much of it, as the surface contained many naturally sloping hills and curves.

"Do you really have to put so many pins and clips in my hair?" I barked to Pirra as she squeezed another braid into my hair. She'd turned my overly curly, bushy head into a compact set of braids in the shape of a heart, no less. "I'm not fighting a war."

"It's not only for war, but for competition. It's tradition among my people, and the hair ritual is a must. You can't get hair in your eyes, or it might cost you the win."

"I'm just practicing."

"You must practice in tournament conditions."

"Are you done?"

"Almost."

To my right, Vicky was talking to a group of friends from school. The sun showed off her blond hair and fair skin. She had an unusual fashion style. She usually wore a pair of cargo pants or jeans, but on top she usually wore a flowery dress. She always said it was so she could mix her parents' rules with her own fashion style.

"Vicky," Aiden said, coming up from the side, "why do you hang out with these losers?"

"Losing the races doesn't make us losers," Pirra retorted.

Aubrey laughed. "You just defined what a loser is."

"Don't try to help us," I whispered to Pirra.

"My friends aren't losers," Vicky said. "Why don't you get out of here and build your own hover track if you hate us so much?"

"I don't hate you, Vicky," Aiden said. "You don't belong with them. We're in the advanced classes together."

"They're not advanced classes," Vicky replied. "We are in a different career path. Pirra, Molly, and Luke have no interest in being politicians or business owners."

Aiden looked at us with contempt. "They want to be losers. Fixing my hovercar so I can go to work."

"Being an engineer isn't a loser," Luke said as he turned his head from the hoverboard he was fixing.

"Riches don't make the man or the woman," I said. "Pirra and I will be starship captains. I'd rather be dead than sit up in the council all day with your dad."

"Or your mom," Aiden replied. "Aubrey, Vicky, and I will change Mars while you abide by our rule."

I stood and took a menacing step toward him. "Don't think I won't punch you in the nose, even if you're the leader of Mars."

Aiden took a step back. "You're a psycho."

I laughed. "Are you afraid of me? Who's abiding by whose rule now?"

"I can't wait to leave for Neptune," he snapped back.

"You're going to Neptune! Thank the stars," I said. "Give everyone on Mars a break."

"Our parents are sending us to the academy on Neptune's space station," Aubrey said. "It's the most prestigious school in the solar system."

I knew about the school. All of the _normal_ kids on Mars dreaded the idea of going there. If the advanced kids bullied you on Mars, on Neptune station they would "murder" you for being seen as different.

"Get out of here, Atrocia!" I yelled back. "No one cares that you're leaving, and everyone is glad."

Aubrey huffed. "Jealousy always made you angry. I'm glad you broke your arm—teach you a lesson about locking people up."

"And I'll be back for all of the races," Aiden added. "Don't think you'll get off easy."

"We'll know you're back by your stink," Pirra said.

"What?" Aiden said.

I turned to Pirra, who had never insulted anyone in her time with me. "What has gotten into you?"

"He smells," Pirra replied. "Not like other kids."

Everyone around the group laughed, including some of the kids passing by.

Aiden didn't like it. He bristled. "Shut up, freak. My grandpa says no one trusts an alien."

"I do," I protested. "Get out of here."

"Are you coming, Vicky?" Aiden asked. His eyes softened toward his crush.

Vicky raised her nose at the twins. "Not today."

The twins left without saying anything further.

"Thanks for having our back," I said to Vicky.

"Don't think twice. I don't need it, but the twins always feel they need to rescue me. At one time, before the war, I was their friend, and they can't forget about me leaving them."

"They can't handle rejection," Luke mumbled. "Basic psychology."

"I think they're just spoiled," Pirra said. "Getting everything they want. It's ruined them. His championships haven't given him honor."

I pointed to my helmet. "I'm a champion."

"Of the toddlers' division," Vicky replied. "Babies competed in carriages when you won it."

"You know that isn't true," I protested. "I won it fair and square."

Vicky shook her head playfully. "I don't doubt that, but your biggest competition was in diapers."

"Why do you torture me like this?" I asked.

Vicky chuckled. "Because you're so funny."

"Luke, save me!"

"We'll get the proper glory," Luke said. "No one in our age group has a binky this time."

I threw up my hands. "Now Luke is making fun of me. My own pit crew. If Pirra starts, I'll have to rip the medal off."

Pirra turned her head up, pretending to look wise. "There's an old saying in my culture: Defeat of a weaker foe is no victory at all."

Vicky and Luke giggled at the joke.

A spark of anger rippled over my skin. I wasn't mad at them. I knew they were just joking, but I wanted to prove I could do it. I wanted the jokes to stop, because the twins held it over my head every chance they got. I didn't need my friends' jabs, too.

"I guess I'd better practice, then." I moved toward the difficult track. My competitive rage was peaking, and I wanted a small victory over my friends today. I'd run the track, showing them I could beat Aiden.

"You can't run the difficult course!" Vicky wailed. "It's for adults."

"They let hoverboard competitors run it. Aiden does it. I can, too."

"Your arm," Pirra replied. "If you break it again, Mom will do something drastic."

"I'm not sure your board is powerful enough," Luke said, but I knew he was lying.

I stopped and began to shout at them: "I'll—"

"The track is closed today!" an announcement over the speaker bellowed, interrupting my rage. "The air over Acadia City is too thin for outdoor activities. Please move into the domes for your protection. Anyone outdoors will be fined."

"What?" I screamed at the track safety official, George Morrow. He was just off to the side. "What do you mean, the air is too thin?"

"By order of the Martian council," the large man said, "Mars has instituted air restrictions across the planet. You will have to go inside, Molly Lennox."

"George, when can we race again?"

"When we're cleared for it." He pointed toward the plaza doors. "Go inside now."

"Luke," I said. "Do you understand what is happening?"

"Yes. Mars's atmosphere isn't as thick as Earth's, and recently, it has been losing oxygen at dangerous levels. The council must've voted for the ban."

I looked across the empty track and down the hill to the barren lands of Mars. It broke my heart to think my home planet was in trouble. "They can't take away hoverboarding from me!"

"I guess we know why Mom never bought you a new board," Pirra replied.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" I questioned her. "Naomi was probably behind this."

Pirra looked hurt. "You can't believe Mom would restrict all of Mars to take away a hoverboard from you."

My hands were shaking, I was so angry and frustrated. "I don't know what I believe. I'm just not happy."

"Then let's go over to Valley's and get a cheeseburger," Vicky said. "My father is working today, so I can get us each a plate without any trouble."

I nodded in agreement. I had no better options. Although I knew Naomi hadn't done this to hurt me, I couldn't help but see it that way. She knew I was heading to the park and never said anything. She should've mentioned that these restrictions were coming.

I slammed my helmet to the ground. The medal rattled off and fell next to a garbage can. Pirra picked up my helmet, and I never bothered to retrieve the medal. I hurried into the dome.

Chapter 5  
Burgers with a Side of Mystery

We ended up at Vicky's family's restaurant a short time later with a huge pile of hamburgers and French fries. This was Earth junk food, and we didn't get it very often, other than when Vicky wanted to cheer us up.

"Thanks for the burgers, Mr. Valentine," I said. "How's business?"

"The loss of Martian Fun Land has hurt our big business," he said. "I won't lie to you, and I appreciate you getting your mom involved. We had too many other council members against us. The shipyard for Mega Corp had to be built!"

"I'm sick that I won't get to see you and Vicky open the gates for the summer season next year. But I did tell off Crawley for you when I saw him at the party the other night. He was pretending nothing happened."

Mr. Valentine looked concerned. "Don't go getting in trouble with Conrad Crawley. He's a powerful man, and when you're an adult, you might need powerful friends."

"I'll never need him," I insisted.

"Well, you never know," Mr. Valentine said again, but this time he looked at Vicky.

"My father is right," Vicky said. "Can't burn too many bridges, or you'll never get anything done on Mars."

"See," he said. "Vicky knows how to play the game already. She'll make a great CEO of Valentine Entertainment."

Vicky blushed. "I hope so. It might not matter at this rate. Fun Land would be off limits with the oxygen levels as they are. So are our other parks on Mars."

"Really?" I said. "What about the new tents?"

"The tents would've been fine," Mr. Valentine said. "It was the open areas between the tents. It would've cost us a fortune to build oxygen shields over the whole place."

"So it was good to sell, then," I said, a bit happier.

"No. We would've still made a profit on the place, but Conrad convinced the council it would've been a health hazard. It's why we only got half the price."

"I don't like that he did that to you," I said. "The lower air came at the perfect time for him."

"It's just a coincidence," Vicky said. "He used it to play his political game. It's the way the world works."

I groaned and slumped a little in my seat, sulking about life. "Our parents and their power. It's made us too smart about these political games. It was so much simpler before the war. Now I see the games adults play, and I don't like how the little guys and gals are getting stepped on."

Mr. Valentine put his hand on my shoulder. "You're a fighter, Molly. Keep that up."

I crossed my arms. "I'll try, but it's hard to always stay positive."

"You'll do it." Mr. Valentine walked away to the kitchen, and Vicky smiled as she watched him. Vicky loved her family. They were all close, and with her being the oldest of five children, she felt protective of them, especially since her mom worked long hours as CEO of their corporation.

I dipped my fries in ketchup. "I just don't understand why Naomi hates me now."

"She doesn't hate you," Pirra said. "She's troubled being on the council. She's getting angrier with you because you challenge her."

"You could challenge her a bit. Take the heat off of me."

"More arguing?" Pirra said. "No thanks. She has defined the rules, so I follow them."

"You're such a kiss-up."

"I was told that kids have rules for a reason."

"Don't quote something I said when I first met you. I was teaching you about the rules for our room. You slept in my bed the first night because you thought your bed was only for your guests."

"In my culture, we give our beds to guests."

"Kids don't have guests!"

"I learned _that_ rule."

"What rule told you not to eat your bun?" Vicky asked.

Pirra had stacked three buns on the table. "Buns and ketchup. Yuck!"

"No way. The bun makes it taste better," Luke said, chomping down on his burger.

"Wait a second," I said. "You eat toast and jam every morning. Why is that okay?"

"Toast and jam is paradise. Who wouldn't take a bite of paradise?"

I laughed. "A hamburger is paradise with a bun."

Pirra shook her head. "Humans. Always indulging and never thinking ahead."

"I'm actually thinking behind." I took another bite. "Remember the face I saw in the cargo container? Maybe someone was kidnapped from the party."

"Who's missing?" Pirra asked. "Wouldn't they be mentioned in the news reports? A lot of important guests were there."

I rubbed my chin in thought. "I don't know. Luke, anything on the news about the party?"

Luke opened his phone and called up the news cycles. "No kidnappings. The Atrocias were featured. Because of the fund-raising they were doing."

I began to think about the scientists again. Mostly about how Naomi said she hadn't found them. Naomi was smart. Surely she would've found those scientists, had they been there. "Maybe the scientists were kidnapped."

"Their families would've reported it," Vicky said.

"You might be right," I replied. "How can we check?"

"Call them," Pirra said. "Always go to the source."

"Good idea," I said, grabbing Luke's phone from his hand. After a quick search, I activated the number for Dr. Siskin. "It's ringing."

"Are you crazy? What're you going to say?" Vicky asked as each of my friends leaned toward me.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello, this is Judy Siskin. Who is this?" a woman said.

"Is this Dr. Siskin's residence?"

"Yes, who's calling?"

"This is Doctor . . ." I lowered my voice. "Doctor Lautner with the space university. Can I speak with him?"

"He's off the planet for three weeks. Why aren't you calling his office?"

"He wasn't there," I said. "Where off-planet did he go?"

"Saturn Station. What's your business with him?"

"I want to ask him some questions," I stammered.

"Are you a kid?" the woman asked. "Is this a prank—"

Panicked, I hung up.

"Why did you use my name?" Luke asked.

"It was your phone. If they trace it, at least they'll see your last name attached to it."

Luke snatched the phone from me. "It's encrypted from being traced. You should've made a name up."

"Well, I need to make another call, so I can make up a new name for that one," I replied.

"Where?"

"To Saturn."

"If he's on Saturn Station," Pirra said, "he should be easy to find. Only a few hundred live there now."

I smiled at Luke, stretching out my hand, wanting the phone again.

Reluctantly, Luke handed it back to me. I made the call and found out that no ship had arrived at or left Saturn in the last five days. It would be impossible for the doctor to be there. I retried the same technique with Dr. Mantha, and his office said he was supposed to be on Saturn also.

"Could your mom have been mistaken about the doctors?" Vicky asked.

"Mom doesn't make mistakes, and I saw the doctor at the party," Pirra replied. "He was the one in the purple suit. He introduced himself to Molly and me."

"So why do their families think they left Mars?" Vicky asked. "Someone is lying. It's either Saturn or the doctors' families."

"Or neither is lying," I replied. "What if the families were told they would be off Mars, but they never left?"

"So how do we find out if you weren't seeing phantoms?" Vicky asked.

I smiled. "We need to take a trip to Trivium Port and find the owl symbol I saw. If we can track the ship down, we might find the men who took them."

"I remember what they look like from the party," Pirra said.

"I know you do," I said. "That memory of yours will come in handy."

"That isn't necessary," Luke said, holding a small picture of two men. "I just printed off their photos."

I grabbed it from Luke and stared at it. It was hard to tell if it was the men I'd seen the other night, but I was sure it was.

"But Mom told us not to take the train," Pirra reminded me.

"She told _me_ to not take the train," I said. "You can't stop me from breaking rules. You aren't breaking it, so your ethics are intact."

"I want to go to Trivium to look for parts," Luke added. "My parents are okay with it."

"My dad is, too," Vicky replied. "I can convince him if we're back by dinner."

Pirra grumbled and looked at me with drooping eyes. "If you're caught . . . Mom will . . ."

I sprang to my feet. "And if we find those men, we'll be heroes. You can't ground a hero."

Pirra shook her head. "I vaguely remember you saying something like that recently."

This time, I was the one who grumbled.

Chapter 6  
Hidden Owl

Mars had been my home for my entire life. Humans had journeyed here almost four hundred years ago when meteors threatened the Earth. Humanity did everything they could to make it breathable for human needs. But recently, within the last two years, the air quality had lowered, and today it was so dangerously low that the council banished everyone from going outdoors. I hated being stuck in the domes of Mars.

Twenty minutes earlier, we'd boarded a train to Trivium Port without any problems. It was free to everyone. However, I knew that Naomi's warnings might come at a price. Though I played it off as unconcerned to my friends, I was starting to worry about the punishment she had in store for me. My adoptive mom was building up to something. She never let me slide as she had the other night.

But my sense of honor overwhelmed me. I was convinced those men were in trouble, and I couldn't stand by. Because every time I saw someone in trouble. I thought of my real mom. She'd sacrificed herself for me during the alien war. A part of me would always want to repay her. The only way I knew how was to help others in trouble.

Pirra patted my leg as the train sped along the track.

"Thanks for coming," I said, so only she could hear me.

"My Sephian code demands it," she said, but added, "I'd do anything for you, anyway."

"I know." I squeezed her hand.

The Sephians were Pirra's people, and they had attacked us three years ago to destroy humanity. Pirra and several humans banded together and stopped them. But it came at a cost to Pirra. Her superhuman warrior abilities were lost. She'd killed hundreds of her people to stop them from destroying humanity, but she was no longer as strong as she used to be. Sometimes I thought my sister missed her old life. Other times, like today, when she was showing off her new outfit to Vicky, I hardly recognized the only alien who lived among us.

Personally, I had spent most of the war kidnapped by the Sephians. It was scary, and I'd never fully gotten over being their prisoner. The nightmares occurred from time to time. I still couldn't walk into a new room without making sure an exit was open. It changed me, no matter how hard I tried to get normal again.

"Luke," I said. "Have you found out who the caterer for the party was yet?"

"They didn't list that information in the news article."

I sighed. "I guess we don't have a starting point, and Trivium Port is so big."

"You need to call Aiden and Aubrey," Pirra said. "They'll know the caterer."

"They probably do," I replied. "But they also hate us. They'll never do us a favor, and I would rather be dead than give them the satisfaction of holding it over my head."

"Would you protect your ego over rescuing the scientists?" Pirra asked.

"I—if—they wouldn't tell me," I stammered. She had a point, but she didn't understand our rivalry. "Even if I explained the situation, it isn't how humans work. Their ego would get in the way. You know how selfish they are."

Pirra didn't appear satisfied with my reply. "So we won't even try? I thought you had more character than that."

"Don't try to guilt me, Pirra. I don't see you calling."

"I wouldn't know how to ask them. This is your case."

"Case?" I repeated, suddenly thinking of myself as a detective. "Give me the phone. I'll call Aiden."

"No," Vicky said. "He won't talk to you, but he will to me. He likes me."

Luke handed Vicky the phone. She took it, but her hands were shaking.

"You don't have to do this," I said to her.

"I'm just nervous," she said. "I don't normally lie, and I don't want the twins thinking I want to be their friend."

Deep down, the real problem was only apparent to me. Vicky thought Aiden was handsome. They had been friends long ago, and I didn't think it had ever ended. Additionally, her parents had put her in the advanced classes not only to give her the best education for being the CEO of their company, but also so she could be friends with those types of people. People with power.

"You like parties," I encouraged her. "Aren't you a bit curious as to what they served?"

"I guess I am a bit. I never get to go to those events like Pirra and you."

"Then think of it that way."

Vicky fingered the phone and held it up to her ear. "Hello? . . . Is this Aiden? . . . This is Vicky Valentine . . . Yes, it was good to talk to you, too. My brother's graduation from elementary school is coming up soon, and I was wondering what caterer your father used for the party the other night . . . No, they didn't hate it. Pirra recommended them . . . She isn't a freak. She is a normal kid."

Vicky rolled her eyes as Aiden talked about something for a minute or so.

"Do you know the caterer? . . . My mom and father don't want to cook for the party they are hosting . . . I don't know . . . Oh, that sounds fun . . . Okay . . . That would be great . . . Thanks, and I hope to see you soon, too."

Vicky hung up the phone.

"Did you get it?" I asked.

"Yes," Vicky said. "Mealtime Express. But the worst part, I think I just made a date with Aiden."

"What?" Luke exclaimed. "How did you manage that?"

"He said he would tell me if we met at the roller rink tomorrow night. I had to say yes."

"I'm so sorry," I said. "You can blow it off if you want. We have the information."

"No," she replied. "If I did, he would ruin me at school. I'll show up to the rink one time and then blow him off."

"If you think that's best," I said to her, but the gleam in her eye told me more. She was excited about the date. My instincts were right. "Where's Mealtime Express headquarters?"

"It's on the main pads." Luke looked it up on his phone. "It'll be busy today. You had better watch out for the traffic."

The train began to slow as it came into the port. Luke hopped to his feet. "You girls check that out. I'll meet you there after I visit my friends at the junkyard."

"Let's go, Vicky," I said as she stared off into nothingness, probably imagining the date or picking an outfit from her closet. "Forget about the twins and the date. We'll find the ship and find a scientist."

"Of course," she said. "The date is a group thing, anyway. No worries."

"Mealtime Express has only bright yellow ships," I said, upset that we had no way of finding the ship from the party. "The ship we saw was dark gray or black."

"I agree." Pirra put her hands on her hips and looked around the spaceport.

I did the same as we stood in the middle of the landing pads along the bottom of Trivium Port. The spaceport was a giant city built into the side of a Martian cliff, and along the bottom of the cliff were the landing pads. Almost everything imported to Mars came through the port, and if I had a few years, I might spot the mystery ship. But in the sea of exhaust fumes, wings, and cargo containers, it wasn't a quick find.

"Vicky, do you see anything?" I inhaled the bitter smell of burnt oil and held my hand to my nose.

"I don't even know what we're looking for," she admitted. "I don't see any owls on any wings. I see a shooting star over there, a rocket on that side, and Mealtime Express's fork-and-knife design."

"We didn't mix up a fork and knife for an owl." I bit my lip in thought. "We were lied to about the ship."

"Mr. Atrocia is a member of the Martian council," Pirra said. "I can't believe he would lie to us."

Vicky waved her hand in front of her face. "The smoke is getting in my hair. It'll take five washings to get it out. Can we go back into the domes?"

"I don't see a point in sticking around, either." I wasn't happy about it, but we weren't going to find anything. It was a wild idea. "Let's find Luke and go home. Our case has ended."

We walked across the pad in silence. My mind kept replaying the loading of the cargo containers from the night before. Could I remember anything new?

As we entered the dome, I saw the ordering station for Mealtime Express, and an idea hit me. "Pirra, maybe we should figure out if Mealtime had any ships in the area. Get the ship number from them."

Pirra sneered in doubt. "What will that accomplish?"

"'Cause," I said, mocking her doubting face with an expression of my own. "We can find out if Mr. Atrocia was lying or not."

"He's a member—"

"Pirra, the leaders of Mars lie. Even Naomi does."

Pirra turned and grabbed me hard by the jacket. "Don't you say that about Mom!"

"I'm not saying she's a criminal." I ripped her hand off my jacket. "But everyone lies."

Pirra crossed her arms. "I don't believe she does."

"That isn't the point. The point is that Aston Atrocia lied to us. Or at least we might have a way of proving it."

Vicky stepped between us. "We can ask Mealtime Express if any ships were in the area last night. It can't hurt, Pirra. And adults do lie."

"I don't like it," Pirra said.

"What matters is the truth, Pirra," I said. "And Vicky and I will get it from them."

Pirra didn't seem satisfied, but she waved us to proceed. We walked up to the counter where a middle-aged man was at a computer.

"Hello," I said. "I was wondering if you had information about your ship movements."

"Well, little lady," he said. "Why would you need that information?"

_Little_ _lady_! It was typical of adults not to take me seriously. "Please. What ship was at the Atrocia estate two days ago, at midnight?"

"The Atrocias are good customers of ours. I don't know if they would want you to know about activity in the area."

"Please, sir," Vicky said. "I left my purse on one of your carts, and I have to find what ship it was on."

"We need to know if the pilot found it," I added.

"I'll die if I don't get it back," Vicky said, putting her hands together in a mocking plea. "It has a note from a boy I like. Please!"

"I guess it can't hurt," the man said. "Give me a few moments."

"Thank you, sir." I grinned at Vicky, as her improvisation was perfect.

A few minutes later, he looked up at us. "I'm sorry, ladies, but we didn't have a ship in the area until the morning. We retrieved all of the carts then."

"They never ordered more food?"

"No," he said. "We never run out of food at our events. We always bring more than enough. The Mealtime guarantee."

"Is the Atrocia estate outside of the colony shield?" I asked. I thought that maybe the ship might trigger the colony's motion detectors.

"No," he said. "The Atrocias are within our colony shield. Rich families like to be protected by the shield."

Vicky pounded the countertop. "I'll never get the note back."

"Are you sure it was a Mealtime Express ship?" he asked. "All of our ships have the bright yellow paint."

"Come to think of it," I said to him. "Would you know of any ships around here with the owl on its wings?"

The man fingered his chin. "I've been working here for twenty years. I've never seen a ship with an owl on it. An eagle and a hawk. But never an owl."

"You know everywhere on the Trivium pads?" Pirra questioned him.

"Almost everywhere. I was a flight controller for years."

"Almost?" I repeated.

"I don't know the new private pads on the top of Trivium. They have some odd markings. You might be able to ask up there."

New life surged through my veins. We had another place to check, and I was confident we would find the ship. Without a food shortage at the party, I had caught Aston Atrocia in a lie. And lies had a way of unraveling.

"Come on," I said to the girls. "Let's get to the top of Trivium quickly."

"I'll send a note to Luke," Vicky said.

"I guess you were right," Pirra said to me as we walked away. Her face was long. There was a sadness on it that I never wanted to see on my sister's face again. "Everyone lies."

"At least humans," I said, and put my hand on her shoulder. "But I'll never lie to you. Count on it."
Chapter 7  
A Lapse in Judgment

The elevator to the top landing pad of Trivium Port snapped open. Since this was the private pad where all of the rich people held their ships, it was a much nicer dome leading out. Vicky, Pirra, and I walked quickly toward the windows overlooking the landing pads.

My eyes darted to several docked private ships. Of greatest concern to me were the full winged ships resting on the newest installed landing pads to my right. Disappointed, my shoulders slumped. I didn't see any ships with an owl symbol on their wings or tail fin.

"Excuse me?" I asked a woman walking past. "Do you know of a ship with an owl symbol on it?"

"No," she said, not pausing to think. She walked briskly away.

I asked a few more people, but they all ignored me and continued on their way. My enthusiasm was quickly waning. One man was entirely rude and told me to buzz off. This stopped our inquiries.

"The ship isn't visible from here," Pirra said, focusing intensely on the landing pad.

"Let's go out on the pad," I said. "We can't see the close side toward the cliff."

"I'm not going out there again," Vicky replied. "My hair may never recover. I'll watch from here."

"I'll go with you," Pirra said.

Pirra and I headed out onto the pad. The air was colder on top of Trivium Port, and it smelled of ship fuel. Immediately, I remembered Naomi's warning about Pirra and her aversion to cold weather.

I stopped Pirra with my arm. "Will you be okay? Seriously, I don't want you having one of your cold comas."

"I engaged my thermosuit's internal heater. I'll be fine. I'm not as fragile as everyone makes me out to be."

I walked for several minutes between ships without seeing the owl. Pirra was thorough, as usual, and she didn't find anything.

"Hey, there you are," Luke said, walking up with a full sack. "I found lots of great stuff."

I threw my hands up dramatically. "We didn't find anything."

Luke smiled at me. "I asked my friend John, and he said there are rumors of the Syndicate, but he'd never seen one of their ships. They've poked around his junkyard looking for alien tech, but he doesn't have anything as good as alien tech."

"A syndicate?" I said, wondering what group that was. Alien tech, I knew about. It was any alien gadgets, medicine, or materials that had survived the alien war. There wasn't much of it left, so it was valuable.

"No, _the_ Syndicate. Apparently, they're a secret society of Martians. There weren't a lot of details, and it was very hush-hush. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"Secret?" I rubbed my head. "How did he know anything, then? Seems like a story to me."

"Yeah. It's just a wild rumor because of the alien tech. John is older, but he said they'd been around for years. Rumors coming in and out every few years. If it were real, I would think your mom would know about it. Everyone would."

"Maybe she does," I said. "And she didn't want to worry us."

"Do you know if she ever mentioned it, Pirra?" Luke asked.

"She has never mentioned it to me," Pirra replied. "I find the whole idea of conspiracy unsettling."

I agreed. "The Syndicate is definitely a scary idea."

"Hey!" two men shouted to us. They hurried over, and all three of us stepped back. "What're you talking about?"

I recognized one of them as the guy who had told me to buzz off.

"Why don't you _buzz_ _off_?" I snapped back. "We can talk about whatever we want to talk about."

"Where did you get those parts?" one of them demanded, snatching Luke's bag from his hand.

"Give that back!" I ordered, trying to grab it, but he pushed me back hard. "Hey! He got those from the junkyard."

"I'm sure he did," the man said angrily. "No one throws out a power converter."

Luke grabbed the bag. "I did get it from the junkyard, and it isn't working completely."

The man reacted violently by pushing Luke to the deck. Luke let out a whimper.

Pirra reacted to defend Luke. She jumped on the back of the other man and wrapped her arms around his head. But Pirra's warrior strength and agility were long gone. The man tossed her over his shoulder, and she landed firmly beside Luke. She gasped for air, winded.

Anger surged through me. I grabbed the power converter from the man and ran as fast as I could through the ships.

"You can't have this," I called over my shoulder.

I didn't have a plan. I was breathing hard and panicking as the men closed in on me from behind. I sensed a hand close to my shoulder. Instantly, I ducked under the closest ship, escaping his grip. Moving toward the edge of the cliff, I didn't really know what I would do if they caught me, but I knew I didn't want them to get the power converter. It would be our one victory against these bullies.

Like a girl on fire, I sprinted through the spaceport. From the side, one of the men ran at me, and then the other came from the other side. They converged. In a hurry, I slid on my knees under their outstretched hands. They collided and spilled across the deck.

I turned as I rolled to my feet, amazed at what I had done. "Buzz off! Nah! Nah!"

The men rolled to their feet. Anger boiled behind their eyes. I quickly realized I needed to keep moving and stop my taunting. Pirra would say it was unbecoming of me.

"You little turd," one said.

"Catch me if you can." I couldn't help myself.

I hurried down another row of ships, but when I looked over my shoulder, the men were gone.

Breathing heavily now, I cut down another lane in case they were coming from another direction. I turned down another and another until I stopped at the edge of the cliff.

I heaved giant breaths as the thin air of Mars was getting to me. The oxygen really was disappearing. I could feel Mars dying with every labored breath.

"Nowhere to go?" a male voice rasped.

I stepped back, but the two men were right in front of me. They trapped me between them and the cliff.

Alone and feeling vulnerable, my hands started to shake. I wondered if they'd kill me, or worse, kidnap me.

"Let me go. My mom is a council member," I warned them.

One of the men reached out his dirty, greasy hand. "Give us the power converter. It's ours."

"It's my friend's. Not yours!"

They stepped toward me. I screamed. I couldn't fight them any other way. I didn't have the muscle. Maybe someone would come.

"Shut up!" one of them rasped. "Give me it."

_Buzz_ _off_ lingered in my mind. I couldn't let them get away with it. Reaching back, I tossed the power converter over the edge of Trivium Port's cliff to the bottom. It was so far down I didn't hear it hit.

"What have you done?" one of the men screamed.

"I wasn't going to let you steal it," I seethed.

The men took a menacing step toward me but stopped short when the whistle of a police officer came from behind.

"Arrest these men," I said. "They attacked me and my friends."

Luke and Pirra walked up from behind. Luke's bag of parts was in the police officer's hand.

"Officer," one of the men said, "I'm Jase Jonson. These kids stole parts from the port and us. We were trying to stop them."

"That's a lie!" I shouted. "We did no such thing."

Jase Jonson pointed. He was the _buzz_ _off_ loser. "She just threw a power converter over the edge. They're stealing and destroying property."

The police officer narrowed his eyes on me. My guilt was sealed now. "Did you throw the power converter over the edge?"

"No . . ." But when I looked at Pirra, I couldn't continue the lie. "I did, but only because they were going to steal it from Luke."

The police officer was furious. He stomped up, grabbed me under the arm, and pulled me toward the edge. His thick fingers dug into the underside of my arm. I squealed in pain, but he didn't care. He forced me to look over the edge.

"See those people down there?" he rasped. "If you hit any one of them with that power converter, you'll be going to jail for the rest of your life. What you did was unacceptable!"

"I didn't mean to . . ." I trailed off.

In the distance, down near the port's surface, a ship with an owl on it streaked upward and out toward the open plains of Mars. That was my ship! If I hadn't thrown the converter . . . and if the police officer hadn't shown me my mistake . . . Was it fate?

"Say something, young lady."

"I'm sorry," I said plainly.

The police officer wouldn't listen to any more arguments from Luke, Pirra, or me. He believed the two men, and we were the criminals.

_Fate_ _is_ _stupid_ , I thought as I looked at the people walking in the port below. I felt like a criminal. I was sick to my stomach. I hadn't thought about the people on the bottom. My only concern was not letting the men have the power converter. It was some dumb point I was trying to make to a bully. My anger had gotten the better of me. If I had hit anyone, I should be in jail.
Chapter 8  
My Worst Nightmare

Hours later, Pirra and I were on the couch back in our apartment. Naomi had come to Trivium Port, and she hadn't said anything other than to scream at us for being irresponsible. She even yelled at Pirra, which was the first time. Pirra hadn't handled it well. She'd been crying and sniffling for the hour since. So much for the warrior within her.

I was taking it much better as I was angry with those men for lying. They'd tricked the police officer into giving them the parts. Luke had rightfully retrieved them from the junkyard. But Luke wouldn't tell them John's name because he didn't want him in trouble. We had no proof, so I decided to take the punishment.

"Whose idea was it to go to Trivium Port?" Naomi finally asked, after plenty of pacing in front of us. "Conrad Crawley had a nasty message for me on my answering service. He didn't appreciate you using his landing pads as a playground, especially with the air restrictions. His liability concerns are warranted."

Crawley's concern caught my interest. "Why's he worried about air?"

"Everyone is. He specifically stated he didn't want children in the thin air. He just issued a planet-wide announcement warning people that his company's air monitors were reporting dangerous levels across the planet. It's escalating. We'll be out of air within months."

Crawley had issued the warning about the air at the same time I spotted the owl ship in a Mega Corp landing pad. I was onto something.

"Focus, Molly!" Naomi snapped her fingers at me. "Whose idea was it to go to Trivium Port?"

"Mine," I said. I wanted to be honest with Naomi, since Pirra would be in trouble, too. I was hoping to get her out of any punishment. "Pirra was forced to go."

"Pirra makes her own choices. She knew better than to go."

"You never forbade her from going. You forbade me." As usual, I was sticking up for my sister. The sniffling mess needed it, and it was pulling at my compassion.

Naomi stood tall above us. Her blond hair was tied into an intimidating bun. "She knew the rules. She knew I was talking about both of you. Do not use semantics to get out of it."

Pirra cried audibly. Finally, after a minute or so, she was able to talk. "You can send me away, Mom. I don't deserve to live with you."

"Pirra," Naomi said, "don't be so dramatic. You did something against the rules and endangered yourself. Your punishment will be working with me for a week. I expect you at my office directly after school."

"Thank you." Pirra nodded. "I would be glad to work with you."

I didn't think Pirra should be punished, but I held my tongue since Pirra was clearly relieved. Now I had to save myself. "We went to Trivium Port to find the missing men from the cargo container at the Atrocia party. Aston Atrocia lied to us, and we have proof."

"Nonsense," Naomi said. "I spoke with Vicky Valentine and her mom. She's grounded, and she mentioned that you lied and broke privacy laws by asking about Mealtime ship movements. You told that poor man she had lost her purse. He could be fired for giving you that information."

Panic struck me. "You can't fire him. He didn't know. That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair. But since I know you lied, I'm ignoring it for his benefit. No harm was done. In the future, you will get people into trouble if you go on with your antics."

"I had to find—"

Naomi leaned over me, pointing her finger into my face. "No one was taken that night, Molly. Mr. Atrocia told you what happened, and he had to order more food."

"But Mealtime Express said they never had to order more food. They have a guarantee."

"Molly, don't believe everything you hear. Pirra smashed an entire table of food. Do you think they account for people turning over tables? It would be a waste."

"But they never had a ship in the area when he said it happened."

Naomi stood straight up. "I'm not here to debate facts with you. You're wrong. Flights aren't always listed, especially when people will be embarrassed. The caterer didn't want to have a shortage of food, and Mr. Atrocia didn't want it to be known. They probably had a deal with the flight controller."

My eyes lit up. "That's against the law."

"Most likely," Naomi said, "but it isn't a conspiracy you need to investigate. I may speak to Mr. Atrocia about it."

I sat up. "But those men were kid—"

"Enough! I can't listen to it anymore. There were _no_ _men_!"

"I saw them!" I screamed at her. She was being entirely closed-minded.

Naomi's eyes narrowed so far I thought she would burn a hole in me. "Don't yell at me. You almost killed someone today. You cost us twenty-four hundred bucks. If the power converter had hit someone, you would've killed them. Your irresponsibility has gone too far, Molly."

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone, but those men were stealing Luke's parts. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction."

"Those men gave statements that Luke stole their parts."

"Luke got them in the junkyard."

Naomi rubbed her forehead. "Those men say differently, and they're professionals on the pad. They have no reason to lie."

"They want those parts. Isn't that reason enough?"

"You can't accuse someone of being a criminal so flippantly. Ruining someone's reputation is a serious matter. Those men are parts dealers, and if anyone thinks they're stealing parts, no one will order from them. Consequences aren't always just to you. Sometimes others are hurt."

"Luke found those parts in the junkyard!" I said again. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"Did you see Luke get these parts in the junkyard?"

"No."

"Have you met the person he talks about in the junkyard?"

"No."

"Then how do you know he got it there?"

"He wouldn't lie," I insisted, but again this was a futile effort. I was never going to convince her anything was wrong, even if the crate with the men rolled through the front door. "So what is my punishment? I can't believe you don't believe us."

"Why should I?" Naomi asked, which hurt my feelings more than she could ever know. "You have given me no reason to trust you. You've lied before to get out of trouble."

"When have I ever been a liar?"

"Since you started to hate everything about your life. So I'm going to give you reason to reconsider."

This had me at a loss for words for a few seconds. I didn't hate my life. I hated that Naomi had changed. "What does that mean?"

Naomi walked over to a stack of papers on the table, shuffled to the bottom, and retrieved a pamphlet. "This is where you are going if you do anything else to get yourself in trouble. I've already got you accepted, so it's only a matter of sending you there."

I took the pamphlet and immediately started to cry. "I can't go to Neptune Academy! I just can't. I'll die if I go there."

"You left me no choice." Naomi's jaw tightened. "You need to learn discipline, and they have teachers there who will teach you how to control your impulses."

"I can't go there. What can I do to stop this? I can't leave Pirra or my friends." I also wanted to say that I didn't want to spend any time with the Atrocia twins. I thought better of it. Naomi liked their family.

Naomi softened a bit. "If you're good—and I mean really good—you can stay in your school for the year."

"You'll find some excuse to send me," I seethed. "How can you do this? I thought you loved me. This would kill me."

"This is for your own good, Molly. I can't lose you. You have to straighten yourself out and become a good girl."

"I _am_ good."

"Yet we're always having a conversation about one of your punishments. You should be more like Pirra. She follows the rules and respects my judgment."

I stood, anger rippling over my skin. I could feel heat building in my face. "Don't you dare tell me to be like Pirra. I'm Molly, and I do things my way."

"Your way is putting people in danger. Mostly yourself."

"I hate you!" I couldn't look at her anymore. I ran toward my room and slammed the door. I never wanted to see her again. I never thought it possible that Naomi would want to get rid of me. Sending me to the Neptune Academy while she and Pirra lived a happy life was unfathomable.
Chapter 9  
Zombielike

I went through the next day of school in a walking coma. I didn't feel much of anything. Pirra tried to convince me that the Neptune Academy was a good school, but it fell on deaf ears. I was shocked that Naomi wanted to get rid of me.

After the final bell rang, Pirra left for her punishment with Naomi, which left me without anywhere to go. Usually, Pirra and I did our homework together in the library and then traveled down to the mall for dinner. But Pirra would be with Naomi well into late evening. There was no way I was going to wait for them. I had no desire to look at Naomi. My adoptive mom had abandoned me, so I would return the favor.

I didn't want to do my homework, but I listened to Naomi's lifeline. If I was good, I might be able to stay. I finished it in record time because I didn't have to explain anything to Pirra. I walked for several minutes through Acadia City's dome, wishing I could go outside and run the hoverboard courses. I couldn't get the desire out of me, since they'd shut down access to the outside recreational areas.

In the common area, I leaned over the railing, looking down at the motorbike track running underneath the public mall of Acadia City. Every so often, I could see the motorbikes loop up and around and then back down into the underground. Excitement rushed into me, and I raced down the stairs into the underground tunnels.

The motorbike track was busy with the older kids. I moved over to the glass window overlooking the track. Around and around the motorbikes ran. Wafts of rubber smoke filled the waiting area, and it tickled my excitement again. I wanted on a motorbike.

I stepped toward the booth to buy an hour of track time. I stopped short, though, tears welling in my eyes. Naomi had forbidden me from motorbiking until I was older. A few months ago, I had broken my leg on the track. If I did anything on a motorbike, she would find out. I could break my leg again, or more likely, she would check my purchase history.

Suddenly, with the purchase card in my hand, I felt powerless and defeated. Naomi had taken the fun out of my life. If I did anything I enjoyed doing, she'd send me to the one place in the solar system where I'd die inside. Naomi was slowly cutting off everything I liked doing. She truly did hate me. First, it was hyperball, then motorbiking, the train, and then finally, hoverboarding.

"Are you okay?" an older teenage girl asked. It was Heidi Hollister. I knew her from the other school.

I shook her off. "I'm fine."

I ran up the stairs back into the main walkway of Acadia City. I was more upset now after realizing what Naomi had been doing to me. She said everything I did was unsafe, but hundreds of kids did these activities. They weren't being stopped. Only me.

After another few minutes of walking and thinking, I ended up at the chess grounds on the far side of Acadia City. People of all ages were playing. I sat at one of the tables, not looking exactly inviting to anyone on the grounds. Thankfully no one came up to me. I really didn't want to play, but it was the safest activity I enjoyed doing. Or at least I _used_ to enjoy it until I discovered hoverboarding and motorbiking.

Twenty or so minutes passed with me fingering the pieces around the board as I thought about Naomi and our time together. We used to be best friends.

"You need to set up the board properly to get someone to play you," Mrs. McDougall said as she sat down. She was in her seventies and had escaped the initial alien attack on Mars. I knew her from the day the aliens came. "I haven't seen you here in months."

"I've been busy," I grumbled. I was still not in the mood to play, even seeing my old friend.

"Wow," she replied. "Sounds like someone punched you in the gut."

"My mom did. What's the point of doing anything?"

Mrs. McDougall set up the pieces and played the first move as she always did. "What's troubling Molly of Mars? A hero."

"Molly of Mars is dead," I replied. "I have to be boring Molly Lennox."

"I don't think you've ever had a boring moment in your life," she said with a smile. "Do you plan on coming around here more? We could use the excitement."

I moved my piece across the board, and then Mrs. McDougall played hers. "This might be my last game of chess. Naomi is shipping me to Neptune Academy to mold me into another politician or business owner. My dream of being a starship captain is ruined."

"It's a great school. Renowned throughout the solar system."

"It's also in the middle of nowhere without anything to do."

"You get to learn."

"Learning is boring. I like to do stuff. Hoverboarding or motorbiking. I want to be a starship captain. Neptune Academy won't let me do any of those things."

"Starship captain is a tough job. Not many have the stomach for it."

"But I do. I want to be among the stars. Just like Pirra was, and I want to discover new places."

Mrs. McDougall eyed me. "The last time we discovered a new place, humans started the alien war."

"And sure, people died, but I got the best sister in the world out of it," I replied. "I know treasures and adventures are out there."

"Did you tell your mom you don't want to go to the academy?"

"Yes, but she pretty much hates me now. She'd enjoy watching me leave."

"I doubt that."

"Really she would. I've turned into a troublemaker, and she doesn't want to deal with me anymore. I'm a liability to her political career. If I break my arm hoverboarding or go somewhere in search of a little excitement, I get in trouble. Shouldn't I be curious? Am I weird?"

The old lady laughed. "No, Molly. You're a kid, but your mom is probably worried about you."

"She's worried I might make a headline in the news," I said angrily. I sat back and realized I might've been too sharp with Mrs. McDougal. "Sorry for snapping like that."

"This really does have you upset."

"Of course it does. Wouldn't you be upset if someone you thought you loved and you thought loved you wanted to get rid of you? She wants to take me away from Pirra. I can't stand the thought of leaving her, because she's so naive about humans. I'm here to protect her."

"Pirra is a warrior who saved humanity. She can take care of herself."

"She can't always," I replied. "Some of the boys convinced her to play spin the bottle the other week. She would've ended up kissing half of the class if I hadn't stopped them. She had no idea. She just trusts everyone."

"Don't you want to play spin the bottle? Most girls do at your age."

I blushed. "I—well, I wouldn't object to it. But I know what I would be getting into. That isn't the point. The point is that if Naomi sends me away, Pirra will be vulnerable."

"So you don't want to go to Neptune for Pirra? Any other reason?"

I played my next turn as I summoned the courage to tell her. "I don't know anybody who is in the advanced classes at school. I can't relate to them."

"Vicky Valentine is in those classes."

"She's different."

"And you think everyone wants to be on Neptune station?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm the only one being sent there because their mother hates them. All because I was trying to find the ship that took some people."

"You saw someone being kidnapped?"

"According to Naomi," I said, moving my queen across the board, "I was seeing shadows, but I swear I saw a face in the crates."

"How many people?"

"I think two, because there were two crates. There was an owl on the ship, too, but I got into trouble trying to find it in Trivium. Some guys tried to steal some parts from my friend, and I may have thrown some of it over the cliff to the ground below. I swear we didn't steal it, but we got accused of doing it."

"Stealing on Mars is rare," Mrs. McDougal said.

"I thought so, too, but these guys just came right up to us and grabbed it. Everyone accused Luke of taking it. Even Naomi did. But he would never. I know him."

"Well, maybe those men weren't after the parts but something else."

"We didn't have anything else. We were looking for the owl ship, talking to each other about it and a syndicate when they came up to us."

"Maybe that's it," Mrs. McDougal said. "Maybe they didn't like you talking about the owl ship."

I was confused. "But we didn't find the ship. We were just talking about it, and no one in the port had ever heard of it."

"The Syndicate is a powerful group on Mars. Not many have talked about them in years."

I sat up, suddenly interested. "You know of the Syndicate? Luke said it was just a myth or a rumor."

"It's real, or at least it has been since the Great War over two hundred years ago."

"It's that old!" I said, surprised. "What're they trying to do?"

Mrs. McDougal leaned closer and whispered, "They want to take over Mars. But they do it in secret. It's an old idea I'd forgotten."

"Taking over Mars through blackmail, bribery, and threats!" I exclaimed. "Did I find a secret plan of theirs?"

"Hush, hush. I don't know about that," she replied, moving her bishop to a new position on the board. "You saw an owl on a ship. No one said anything about the Syndicate."

I countered with my own move. "But it's a secret ship, and no one talks about the owl or the Syndicate in the ports. Someone has to have seen them before, but maybe they're scared."

"No one has mentioned them since the alien war. The last time I heard about them was twenty years ago, and that was on one of those holodramas. Not like they announce themselves or anything."

"But I saw them. I just know it." I tapped my feet on the ground in excitement. "If I could expose them, it would be so exciting. Like unearthing an old Martian civilization."

"If you play with fire, you might get burned," the old lady replied. "Remember, your search for the Syndicate has sent you to Neptune."

" _Naomi_ sent me to Neptune," I said, moving my queen to knock over her bishop. "Checkmate."

"Oh gosh," she said. "You snuck that victory in there."

"And I'll do the same to the Syndicate. I have to find the ship. Maybe they painted over the symbol because I saw it. They knew Pirra and I were out there that night. I have to remember the outline of the ship and look for fresh paint."

"Molly!" an exhausted Luke shouted as he ran up. He bent over with his hands on his knees. "I finally . . . found you."

"Take a moment," Mrs. McDougal said. I agreed, allowing Luke to sit in my seat.

"Mrs. Siskin," he panted, "called me back on my phone."

"Mrs. Siskin?" I repeated, rubbing my chin. "Oh, the scientist's wife, Judy. Did you get in trouble? I thought you said it was encrypted."

"Not as good as I thought." Luke blushed. "She asked if I knew where Dr. Siskin was because she hasn't been able to reach him on Saturn. She said that when she called his office, they talked to him on Saturn, but she hasn't talked to him. She's worried about where he is."

It didn't surprise me to hear about more lies. This situation was getting trickier now. "Did you tell her our story? About how we aren't from his office."

"Yes, she knew we were kids, but if we had any information, she needed to know for the police."

"The police . . ." My stomach knotted. If the police showed up at Naomi's door, I would be on Neptune's station within the day. "Did you tell her we knew nothing?"

"Yes," he replied. "I didn't want to get us in trouble again. She was disappointed we couldn't help her."

I had two worries conflicting at the same moment. I didn't want the police to call Naomi and have me sent to Neptune, but at the same time, we had a trail leading to missing men on the owl ship. If it could help the police, I should tell them.

Luke pushed the picture of a man in my face. "This is a picture of Dr. Siskin. A better one."

"That's him!" The image of the face in the crate was Dr. Siskin. "We have to go to the police."

Luke looked at me nervously.

"No," I admitted. "We can't. No one believes the evidence we've collected. It would only get us into more trouble."

"You have a duty to those men," Mrs. McDougal said. "You should go to the police."

"No," I replied. "I'm a kid, and no one listens to us. I'm supposed to be on my best behavior, so I'm going to stay with it." I put my arm around Luke. "Sorry she called you back. I didn't mean for her to find you."

"Don't worry about it. I've got bigger troubles at home. I have to pay back the money for those parts I 'stole.'"

"I'll get you some credits out of my account. Not much, but it's something."

"Anything would help out," Luke said.

I turned to Mrs. McDougal. "Thanks for the game. I'll be back tomorrow probably. I've got nothing else to do."

"Just remember to do what is right, Molly."

"I will. Naomi keeps reminding me."
Chapter 10  
Field Trip

Though I had some clues, I didn't do anything about it. Except think. So I wasn't in the mood for the school trip to the alien museum the next morning. Pirra had been looking forward to it for a few weeks. It would give her a chance to see some items from her home. I didn't begrudge her excitement. I missed my old home from before the war. It was only a few miles away in Trivium Port. Pirra was thousands of light years from her home.

As I watched her laughing with Vicki on the transport to the museum, I couldn't help but smirk. Pirra could motivate my day. She was my best friend, and with her loyalty, she always would be. I'd miss her if I went to Neptune, so I promised myself I wouldn't do anything wrong for the rest of the school year.

"Get a load of this, Molly," Pirra said. "Vicky kissed Atrocia."

"Which one?" I asked, astonished.

"Aiden!" Vicky said emphatically. "He was just so charming at the roller rink. He helped me around. I fall a lot."

I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Mars is really ending. I might as well go to Neptune."

"You're going to Neptune?" Luke asked.

"The academy!" Vicky added.

"No," I replied. "Well, probably. Naomi didn't like that I threw the converter over Trivium's cliff."

"It was dumb," Vicky said.

I gave Vicky a twisted look of frustration. Was anyone on my side?

"Mom hasn't made up her mind," Pirra replied. "Molly'll be with us in the fall semester."

I looked away from my friends. The incident in Trivium was still embarrassing. "Or I'll be on Neptune."

"That's only two weeks away," Vicki said. "What will change your mom's mind?"

"A new daughter," I bemoaned. "One who is more like Pirra."

Pirra frowned. "Don't blame me! You and Mom have your own stubborn issues to resolve."

"Maybe I can go to Neptune with you," Vicky stated. "I'm sure my parents would approve."

I didn't understand Vicky's reasoning for wanting to go. She hated the idea of Neptune, but suddenly she wanted to go? It worried me that maybe she was falling for Aiden Atrocia. He'd hurt her eventually. I didn't trust his motives. I would never trust the Atrocia family after they lied about those men.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I just have to behave for a couple weeks."

"Pack your bags," Luke grumbled. "It's impossible."

"Shut up," I replied, a little irked by his statement. I was a good girl. I just had an adventurous side. Not like the Atrocia twins; they were rotten to the core.

We walked off the transport into the main museum to start the tour. The teachers were corraling us tightly, but I knew we'd have more freedom farther in where we could explore some of the structures the Sephians had built. This was when Pirra's real excitement would come out.

"Did anyone see a Sephian during the war?" the tour guide asked.

Everyone put up their hand nervously. I didn't bother, since I was roommates with the most famous one. My war experiences were generally worse than anyone in our class. Most of the survivors had hid within the bunkers around Mars as the Martian military fought the battles. It was the tale of almost all the survivors. Really, it was the only way to survive the Sephians. Fighting meant death. The aliens were ruthless.

"This is one of their short blades," the tour guide said, holding up the shell of a blade. "It's brittle now, but it used to have . . ."

My focus faded. I knew the blade used to contain a special metal which made it hard. As part of Pirra's extermination of the Sephians, she and her friends had eliminated the element that had made their weapons so fearsome. Now they were brittle as an eggshell.

Ultimately, it was the physical evidence of Pirra's sacrifice to humanity. It made her almost as brittle, when compared to her old self.

I looked away as he explained how the knife's edge glowed blue when activated. Really, I couldn't concentrate on anything except for Neptune. That blue ball of dread. I really didn't want to go.

Pirra bumped me on the shoulder as we moved along to the next room.

"This is so exciting," she whispered. "Some of the facts are a bit off, but it gets the message across."

"Why don't you correct him?"

"Mom says I shouldn't show that I'm Sephian. It scares people."

"Everyone knows. You're the only Pirra on the planet."

"Untrue," Pirra said smartly. "I know of at least four babies with my name."

"You're _the_ Pirra. It's enough," I said, and then I pointed across the hallway to a display case. "What do all those hairstyles mean from your people?"

"Battle styles. One is bravery, the other is luck, and that one with the cross on the back of the head is accuracy."

"Looks like a bull's-eye," I said. "Your accuracy or the enemy's?"

Pirra chuckled. "You never wish your enemy anything but fear."

"And maybe some diarrhea?"

Her face soured. "Crude . . . but accurate."

We walked for some time and listened to the tour. I still wasn't paying much attention. Occasionally, Pirra would whisper some additional facts. I feigned listening so I wouldn't hurt her feelings. Her excitement was building, and I could tell that the good times from her warrior days were dancing in her head.

"This might be a little nerve-racking for some of the girls," the tour guide stated.

That caught my attention, and I looked around more carefully. I recognized the room instantly from its stark walls and darkened lighting. They even had the bitter, musky smell close enough to the real location.

The tour guide boomed: "This is a replica of the holding cell for the girls of Mars."

My breath skipped when I heard "the girls of Mars." Vicki, Luke, and Pirra looked at me with curious eyes. I hoped I didn't betray my instant fear of the room. My stomach was queasy and my hands were sweating. Not this room! Only twenty of us survived of more than a thousand.

The tour guide continued. "The girls were kept in cells like these because the Sephians wanted to engineer humanity's DNA. Their . . ."

With each word of this explanation, my stomach knotted tighter and tighter. Every fear I had in the war rushed back into me. My vision swirled more and more. My knees buckled, and Pirra caught me.

I could still hear the guide's droning, and I couldn't take any more of it. "Stop! Just stop!"

"Molly can't take it!" Aubrey teased.

"She's going down!" Aiden replied. "Timber!"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed as I pressed my head against Pirra. I was going to faint any second. "Just stop talking about it."

"Miss Lennox. You'll be quiet," Mrs. Gablehouser ordered. "A report will go to your—"

"She was in one of these cells," Pirra said. "Mrs. Gablehouser, she's having flashbacks."

"She was?" the teacher said. "It isn't in her records."

Pirra waved for the other kids to move back. "She's Molly of Mars because she helped rescue the other girls. Her records were sealed."

I was still not feeling well, and the fact that everyone's eyes were trained on me wasn't helping. "Take me out. Just get me outside."

"Yes," Mrs. Gablehouser said. "Take her outside for some air."

By the time we got outside, Pirra was taking most of my weight.

"To the ground," I said.

She placed me down gently and rubbed the top of my head slowly. She was a good sister, always comforting.

"You should really let me do your hair," she said. "It's always all over the place."

"It's strawberry and loud," I mumbled as Pirra pushed my hair away from my face. "My real mom picked it out when I was born. It's intimidating."

"If you say so," she replied. "I could straighten it and then braid it into a French bun or . . ."

"I know what you're doing," I said, sitting up finally. "Thanks. It was the smell in there. They even replicated the smell. It's awful."

"Sephian muskeg," Pirra replied. "Yes. Somehow, they replicated it. It's from a flower in the swamps on one of our planets. It sterilizes the air."

"They found a lot of relics from your planets," I said as Pirra helped me to my feet. My head was a bit unstable, but I was overcoming it. "How're you doing?"

Pirra's eyes betrayed sadness, but she tried to remain strong. "I miss home. I miss being a warrior sometimes. I really love it with you and mom. If you leave . . ."

I didn't need any more motivation than my sister's friendship to stay. "I'll be good. I won't leave you. We're sisters forever."

Pirra nodded. "It's a pact, then."

"Did I just swear some Sephian oath?" I replied, kidding with her. But I knew she took her oaths seriously.

Pirra put her arm around me. "You have no idea how serious I am."

"Don't do anything stupid," I replied. "What's in there?"

Pirra turned to see what had caused me to stop. "We should go back to the tour. Don't want to get in trouble."

"I can't go back in there," I replied. "Plus, we might learn something new with a little exploration. They can't get us in trouble for learning."

Reluctantly, Pirra followed me into the next room. It contained the skeletons and pelts of several animals. Only they weren't Earth animals. These were Sephian beasts.

"Have you seen all these animals?" I asked Pirra. "In real life?"

She nodded yes. The beasts mesmerized me. Pirra had never mentioned the animals in her home system. I ran my fingers along the soft furs and tickling feathers of a dozen or so skins. The skeletons were scary, which made my blue eyes widen in wonder. All the fangs, horns, and spikes running across the animals' faces and backs looked scary and awesome at the same time.

One of the creatures was particularly intimidating. It had six-inch claws on each of its six legs, and its back held three rows of razor-sharp spikes to impale its prey with a flick of its tail or ramming of its body.

"I killed this one." Pirra pointed to a twenty-foot-high apelike lizard standing on two feet. It had feathers on its shoulders and long, bony claws. "With only a knife."

"The knife in our room?" I asked, feeling the creature's dry, elephant-like skin.

"Yes . . . when it had Sephian metal in it," she said.

"Mom had it strengthened for you," I replied.

"With Martian metals, yes. The hunt was a trial. I passed and earned my short sword from the warriors."

"How many times did you try?"

"Once. You only get one, or you die." The sorrow in her voice was apparent. "I lost a friend to it. Everyone loses someone during warrior training."

I wanted to touch her and magically conjure her abilities. In this place, among the relics of her people, she deserved it for only a moment. "Do you miss killing people?"

Her face tightened, and I was instantly sorry that I'd asked the question.

"Molly. I did it to win a war. It wasn't for fun. I regret I took even a single life. You and Mom have taught me how wrong it is."

"I want to give you your abilities back. I wish I could take that pain from you."

"The pain is not bad—because of you. My planet doesn't have family in the same way you have. We aren't as dependent on one another. I enjoy humanity's way more. I'd trade my abilities for it, and I did."

"I'm glad, and I would love to live in your home world someday. So you can show me around."

"Probably not in our lifetime. My home world is not as friendly as Mars." Pirra picked up a rubbery bug. "These creatures were fierce fighters. They were small compared to the others and not very strong, but their fangs are sharp. Interestingly, it poisons its prey with a toxin that makes you drunk."

"Have you fought them?"

"No," she said. "At my academy, it was actually a nighttime activity to get stung by one. Being drunk was fun. It's the only time I fit in with the older kids."

"You were drunk?"

"Poisoned," she said with a grin. "Remember, it's a toxin. I was only nine."

"Sounds like you had fun at your academy. I'll be miserable."

"I was miserable," Pirra replied. "I was special, and I was younger than the others. They feared and envied what I could do. Even the instructors were mean to me. I had to escape."

"They threatened you."

"Yes," she said. "The headmasters would've dissected me eventually."

"Dissected? Cut you open and taken you apart?"

"Yes," Pirra said. "My people forced me to the academy. You know my people attacked and almost destroyed your solar system to get the secrets from your DNA. Why wouldn't they kill a little girl like me?"

Remembering the aliens, I had no doubts about what Pirra had said.

"Do you think any of these creatures survived?" I asked, to change the subject. "I mean on the ships your people left?"

"I can't say for sure, but the Sephian ships were obliterated. There's no way they could survive in the vacuum of space."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't want to meet any of these creatures on Mars. They were big, powerful, and ugly. "Come on. Let's find the group again."

We walked outside. The Martian breezes were warm, and as I adjusted my breathing mask over my face, I looked down the gully along the red surface. Several ships were resting along a landing pad. A thunder ship caught my eye first. It was a sporty-looking hovercar. Even though I wouldn't have a license to drive a hovercar for another three years, I'd always wanted Naomi to get one.

This one was black with a silver racing strip along its back. I took a step toward it but paused. A week ago, I would've raced down to see it. Then Mrs. Gablehouser would've given me detention. Now, any detention would mean I would have to go to the academy.

I gnashed my teeth together. I hated having these consequences over my head. I should be able to check out the hovercar without worrying. It was harmless fun. I looked down at my hands, shaking nervously. It was as if I couldn't be myself.

Pirra touched my shoulder and nodded. When I locked on her green eyes, I could tell she understood my torment.

"I just wanted to see it," I said. "But I can't."

"I know," she said. "Maybe another time in Acadia City."

"I wonder who owns it," I said.

"Probably the curator or a worker," Pirra replied.

But I knew better. Pirra had little concept of the value of money, and it showed in this situation. No low-level curator or worker at a museum could afford a sports car. It had to be someone else.

"Let's get back to the group," I muttered and turned away with a bit of despair.

"You showed great maturity, Molly," Pirra said. "We'll make a warrior out of you."

"Warrior?"

"Something someone at the Warrior Academy used to tell me," Pirra said. "Octavia, she was the one person I miss from the academy."

I turned to look at the sports hovercar one last time. The wind blew in my face, and from the side, someone screamed angrily. Then a loud thump caused Pirra and me both to turn.

"The owl!" Pirra said before I could say anything, but I was already dashing toward the edge of the gully.

"They're taking something . . . Look!" I pointed to a group of men loading a large object into the ship.

"Alien power amplifier," Pirra said beside me. "It makes making energy easier, but it is broken alien tech."

"Apparently someone has found a need for it," I said.

The men saw us at the top of the gully. I froze, suddenly afraid we were exposed, and we were.

"Stop!" I shouted to scare them. "Get security!"

"They won't come." Pirra jumped off the edge of the gully and scrambled down toward the ship.

I didn't want to go, but she left me no choice. I'd save my sister and suffer the consequences any day of the week.

Pirra was at the bottom and heading toward the ship by the time I hit the sandy edges of the Martian soil. Martian dirt was different from most of the Earth's. It had almost no water, so the powdery grains were easily surfed to the bottom as the sand rolled under my shoes.

One of the men loading the equipment noticed us. He turned and fired a shot from some type of gun, and a green glob ripped past my ear. I dropped to the ground, knocking my chin hard against the rocky Martian surface. I felt blood gushing, and tasted it warm and coppery between my tongue and teeth.

Another green glob kicked up dirt beside me, and I rolled behind a large rock. The man continued to fire at me, throwing more and more dust into the air. I could hardly see, but I heard Pirra shout a fighting cry.

"By order of Naomi Ravenswood, you're under arrest," Pirra stated. "Don't make me detain you."

That crazy sister of mine was trying to arrest them. The shooting had stopped. I braved a peek and couldn't see a thing.

"Shut up, little girl," a man spat back. "Don't make us hurt you."

"No!" I shouted, running through the dust toward them as Pirra jumped into the air and kicked her foot at the man's head.

He threw his arms up and deflected the much-lighter Pirra brutally, sending her to the ground. She whimpered as she grabbed at her side. I took a step toward Pirra, but another man cut me off.

"Don't touch me," I said as sharply as I could.

"Too late for that," the man said, lunging toward me.

I rolled to the side, kicking against his knee and knocking him to the ground. My kickboxing class had paid off. Another man made his way to Pirra, but I couldn't allow it. I snagged a rock from the Martian ground and flung it for a direct hit on the man's temple. He staggered to one knee. My delay had worked.

"Freeze," a guard said from behind.

I didn't listen. I ran to Pirra and grabbed her hand. "What hurts?"

"My ribs," she said, wincing as she tried to get up. "They're broken."

"Stay down."

A flash of green caused me to look over at the guard. He was on the ground, and the ship's cargo door was closing with the three men escaping.

"They're getting away!"

Pirra pressed her phone into my hand. "Tracker."

I understood what she wanted. With a heave, I tossed the phone into the hold as the big door closed.

The engines fired up. I dragged a cursing Pirra out of the way of its afterburners. Exhausted, I fell to the ground, wondering if Pirra and those thieves had just punched my ticket to Neptune.
Chapter 11  
Thanks for Nothing

I collected myself on the ground. I couldn't believe those men had shot at me. Lethal weapons had been outlawed on Mars since the war. I'd never heard of anyone breaking the law. Mars could trace it easily, and in the cities, you could be zapped unconscious by the automated systems.

"Help the guard," Pirra muttered.

"Of course," I replied, scrambling to my feet and moving over to the guard.

I felt sad for him. He had put his life in danger for Pirra and me.

My heart pounded as I looked at him. His back was to me, and I didn't see any blood.

I reached down. My breath quickened, and I was having a hard time breathing in the thinning Martian air. I grabbed his rough blue jacket.

"Grrrahhh!" the guard shouted.

I jumped back, tripping on my heels and hitting my tailbone hard against the surface. "Ouch!"

"Arrr," he grunted again. "Are you hurt, little girl?"

"I'm hardly little," I replied.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? The blood on your face."

I reached for my lip. It stung on touch. With my breathing mask over my face, I'd forgotten about my lip. "I need a doctor."

"Is the other girl okay?" he asked.

"Why aren't you dead? You were shot."

"Smart thieves," he replied. "They're using stunners. Won't be detected by the weapon scanners because they aren't lethal. Some type of new technology."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a bit of a weapons' historian for the museum. The Sephians had stunners when they invaded to round up the girls."

"I know. I own a stun gun for playing commandos with my friends," I replied. Commandos was like paintball only with energy pulses. It was harmless, but it stung. "All the alien technology was destroyed. The green blobs shouldn't exist."

He rose to his feet. "It wasn't destroyed. Most was deactivated."

"What's the difference?"

"Destroyed means we wouldn't have had the skeletons in the creature hall, and we wouldn't have had the devices in the gadgets wings. They just don't work."

"I see your point," I said. "But . . ."

He pulled me to my feet. "I'm Justin Leopold."

I dusted myself off. "How do you know so much about the weapons if you're a guard?"

"I'm a student at Mars University, but I work here to pay tuition."

"What're you studying?"

"What else?" Mr. Leopold said. "The Sephians."

"Then you'll love me," Pirra said, walking up to us. "I'm Pirra. Thanks for saving us."

Mr. Leopold's face lit up. " _The_ Pirra?"

"Yes," I replied. "She doesn't like to be singled out as an alien. She's just a kid."

Pirra put her hand up, signaling to me. "It's okay, Molly. I can answer a few questions. He saved us."

"What was it like going against your own people?" he asked her.

I felt the question was out of line, but I didn't object. My lip was beginning to swell, and talking wasn't much fun.

"I didn't go against my people," Pirra replied. "I fought against evil. I'm good. The lines of race hold no meaning to me."

"What—"

"Molly! Pirra!" Vicki Valentine shouted from on top of the gully. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" Mrs. Gablehouser added.

"We—" I said, before my lip stung too much for me to talk.

"Someone stole something from the museum," Pirra shouted. "We almost stopped them."

From the side, the police ships came into view. I stepped toward Pirra, worried about what Naomi would think.
Chapter 12  
Prognosis: Betrayal

I was in the hospital room when Naomi walked in. Her face was awash with worry, and it was a welcome change from her normal scowl toward me.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Naomi asked.

"I'm fine. See the stitches?" I had twenty stitches running from the top of my lip down to my chin. My entire lip and jaw were swollen, and it hurt when I smiled. With Naomi around, that wouldn't be a problem.

She rubbed my head. "Why didn't they use the regenerator?"

"They said I've had it too many times in the past month. Remember my ribs and my shoulder?"

"How could I forget?" Naomi said, sitting on the bed next to me. She rubbed her hands nervously. I knew she was recalling a physically violent marriage from her past and how much she'd used a regenerator. Even though doctors used it to heal, it was a dangerous tool. Naomi wasn't allowed to use it anymore. She developed a condition from it.

"Pirra's okay," I said, without any angst. The one thing in the universe we could agree to set aside our differences over was Pirra. "She just had a few bruises on her ribs, and the concussion was healed with the regenerator."

"I saw her. She said you helped her try to stop the attackers. It was dangerous to try something like that."

"I told her," I said. "Pirra doesn't have her abilities anymore. I couldn't let her stand up to those men alone."

"Did you try to stop her?"

"I told her not to, but I support her. I won't beat her up to stop her."

Naomi scowled. "She's not from this solar system. She doesn't understand how it works. You have to be a mentor to her."

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

"There's no blame, but you have to tell her she can't fight grown men. You know better."

"She knows better, too," I argued. "She still thinks she's a warrior."

"She's a good girl. She—"

I crossed my arms, angry with Naomi. "She wouldn't do anything bad unless it was my fault."

"Ms. Ravenswood," a nurse said. "You need to fill out the paperwork to release your girls."

"I'm talking to my daughter."

"Go ahead, Na-o-mi," I replied harshly. "I've nothing to say."

Naomi frowned and left with the nurse. I was alone for a minute or so before Pirra walked into the room.

"Hello, hello!" she beamed. "I'm all better now. Geesh, they made you keep those stitches."

"Yes. No thanks to you." I was a bit snarky, but her jovial attitude wasn't anything I was interested in experiencing.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Damn right I'm mad at you," I said, even hotter. "Naomi just blamed me because _you_ had to stop those men."

"I did the right thing. Mom complimented me."

I hopped to my feet and stood face to face with Pirra. "That makes it even worse. She loves everything you do and hates anything I do. How am I supposed to live like that?"

"You have to be mistaken. Naomi loves you as much as me. Probably even more, since you're human."

I rolled my eyes. "Sephians can't be this stupid. It's clear to everyone that Naomi singled me out because she hates me. She loves everything you do, and she worships you. Don't you see what you're doing to me?"

"I'm doing nothing on purpose. I'm trying to fit in to human culture."

"If it wasn't for me, you'd have been taken advantage of by now. Show a little gratitude and stand up to Naomi for me. Show her I'm not doing anything wrong. I saved your life, and I'm getting in trouble for it."

"I told her the truth. I said that I started us down the gully and that I attacked those men. I don't need to defend your innocence because I already did."

"Naomi doesn't see it that way," I said. "And you're too naive and dumb to see it. 'La la la, I told the truth. I'm Pirra. I'm so innocent.' There is more to the truth than the facts. You have to make her understand deep down that I did nothing wrong."

Tears pooled in Pirra's eyes. "I—I'm your sister, and I would do anything for you. But I don't understand."

"Figures. When the battle gets tough, Pirra pretends to be innocent. Just like when you ran away from that academy on your home planet. It was tough, so you ran home. It's tough now, and you ran back to Naomi, throwing me under the bus."

"I told Mom I started it."

"She doesn't believe you."

Pirra shook her head repeatedly. "I can't help it if she doesn't believe me. I don't lie."

I grabbed Pirra by the arm. "I told you to make her believe."

Pirra wrestled free. "Why're you saying these things?"

"I don't want to go to Neptune, and you punched my ticket on the next starship out of here. I never expected you to betray me."

Tears rolled down my sister's face. I was too angry to comfort her or even care. She deserved it.

Pirra mumbled between whimpers. "I never . . . never meant to hurt you. I was helping . . ."

"Helping yourself to Naomi. Were you planning on getting me kicked to Neptune this entire time?"

"Don't!" Pirra shouted. "Don't ever say I wanted to get rid of you."

I turned away and looked out the window toward the surface of Mars. I was hoping when I turned back around Pirra would be gone. I might've said some hurtful things, but Pirra needed to hear them. Everyone thought she was so innocent, but her actions were causing me pain.

"You made your sister cry," Naomi said from behind me a few minutes later.

"She got me in trouble for helping her. She needed to be scolded and not complimented. Be a mother."

"She isn't from our solar system. Her morals are different."

"Not that different. I share a room with her."

"Be that as it may, I called the headmaster at Neptune Academy. He's expecting you in two days. I booked a flight for you the day after tomorrow in the morning. You will return to Mars for holidays and special events."

My lip trembled, and tears ran down my face. I held as well as I could from completely losing control. She couldn't get that satisfaction. "So you finally got rid of me."

"Neptune will teach you what I can't," Naomi said solemnly.

"You're a bad mother," I said sharply, "and I have to suffer because of it. Great!"

"I don't like this, Molly. I did the best I could, considering the circumstances. You fought me at every corner. Now I need help with the battle."

"I'm not a war you fight! I'm a person!"

"It isn't personal, Molly. I—"

"You made it personal!" I screamed, and ran past her. Everyone I loved had betrayed me today.
Chapter 13  
Twins' Revenge

The morning on the way to school was better than I expected. Pirra stayed home because she wasn't feeling well, but I knew she was still upset about my argument with her. She never handled those well and slept in Naomi's room. My new mom avoided me and left for work early. For the first time in a long time, I was free of worry from those two, even if it would only last for one day on Mars.

Tomorrow, I was going to Neptune, and I would be out of their life.

"Bummer," Vicky said to me as she walked up to my locker. "You're leaving tomorrow. I thought we had two weeks."

"Luke was right. I can't stay out of trouble," I replied. "Too bad we can't have a going away party."

"I would've planned one, but maybe my dad will give us free burgers."

I didn't need Vicky or anyone feeling sorry for me. It just made me angrier. "Don't worry about it. I'm supposed to meet Naomi after school. She wants to keep an eye on me. Maybe you can meet me on the takeoff pad for the outgoing ship to Neptune."

Vicky nodded. "I'll be there, definitely."

"Neptune!" Luke walked over. "I'm going to miss you. All I have is Pirra and Vicky, and they won't want to fix any hoverboards."

"I'll send you some specs for a skimmer," I said. "I'll have to get between the Neptune colonies somehow."

"Space vehicles are for older kids," Luke replied.

"But by the time you finish," I said, "I'll have my license."

Luke shook his head. "I get no respect. I provide my services for free, but I get charged in ridicule."

Vicky laughed. "Make sure it has four seats!"

"Don't be such a downer," I replied to Luke. "We can talk about it at lunch. We're just kidding."

"I can't make lunch," Vicky replied. "I'll be in the lab working on my final chem experiment all day. If I don't get it right, I'll be in trouble to pass."

I put my hands out. "I had to read about Neptune last night in preparation for the trip. You're going to miss some riveting details about the farthest planet. It's so exciting."

Vicky waved her hand at me. "You so love Neptune now."

"No," I said. "It's awful. But it's a billion kilometers from Pirra and Naomi. I hope that is enough."

"Do you really think Pirra set you up?" Vicky asked. "She would never do that."

"Not directly," I said, knowing that Vicky and Pirra had talked last night on the phone. "But she never helps me with Naomi. She's always curling up those dimples of hers, smirking, and then telling Naomi the _truth_. Only it's the truth from her perspective. She never defends me."

"The truth is the truth," Vicky replied. "But I understand your point. Last year, she told Mrs. Gaffer that she only threw the ball off the wall during our sonic ball game. But when I hit the light and broke it, I got in trouble, and she didn't say we were both trying to hit it. It was true that she only hit the wall, but only because she had poor accuracy. I was so mad at her for not taking the fall with me."

"She's from another world," Luke replied. "Cut her some slack."

"She's been here long enough," Vicky and I said in unison.

"Good luck at Neptune station, Molly," the Paglio sisters shouted from across the hall.

I waved thanks as the short, petite blond-haired girls moved away.

"Have fun on Neptune!" Josh Baker and Jonny Knight said next. "Don't get sucked into the big blue ball." This was a reference to Neptune's size and color.

"I escaped your mom's gravity," I replied. "I can handle Neptune."

The boys laughed, as I generally kidded with them in the morning. They were a year older, but I'd seen them many times at the hoverboard course. I had a bit of a crush on Jonny, but I'd never admit it to anyone.

"We're going to miss you," Mrs. Gablehouser said, walking up to me next. "I'm sorry your lip can't be regenerated. Won't make for a very nice ID card on Neptune station."

I fingered my stitches. The swelling was down, but it still stung when I ate. "They said in two days I'll be able to do it."

"My sister works on Neptune station—Miss Jacoby. Tell her I said hi. She'll help you with whatever you need."

"Thanks," I replied. "If I run into trouble, I'll let her know."

My teacher left, and I turned to Vicky. "How did you tell everyone I was leaving so quickly?"

"I didn't," Vicky replied. "Aiden and Aubrey have been complaining about it all morning to everyone who will listen. They're leaving with you on the shuttle. Molly of Mars has overshadowed their grand departure."

"Are you going to miss Aiden?" I asked her.

Vicky tilted her head in an attempt to comfort me. "Not more than I'll miss you. But truthfully, Molly, I'm not sure what my intentions with Aiden are. He's from a powerful family, and my parents say it helps to know him."

"At what cost? Just your principles."

Vicky shook her head. "My mom . . . we aren't kids anymore in some ways. He isn't that bad, and he can be charming when you aren't attacking him."

I shook my head. "He attacks me. He starts the confrontations, remember."

"I do," Vicky replied. "You should be the bigger person and end the feud. Especially if you're going to room with Aubrey."

I threw my arms up dramatically. "If I room with Aubrey, I'll leave school and become a space pirate. It would be an easier life."

Luke laughed. "Can we go to class now?"

"Yes," I said. "Vicky, I'll think about it with the twins. I understand you like Aiden, but I might never be able to."

Vicky said ominously, "It would be a shame if I had to choose."

We'd been friends for three years, even through the times when the twins bullied us. I couldn't believe she had feelings for Aiden, but I understood her need. Her family's wishes were always the most important to her.

We walked to Vicky's classroom first and stopped at the doorway to drop her off.

"Nice face, Moley. Kissing more of those dogs you call boyfriends?" Aiden said carelessly.

He caused me to touch my stitches self-consciously.

"Those scars will probably make her look better," Aubrey added.

I glowered at them. "It would take a million scars to make me as ugly as you."

Luke gave a slight cough, which was an attempt to conceal his enjoyment of the joke.

Aiden glared at Luke. "Think that's funny, do you? Just another poor boy ashamed he can't go to Neptune with us." Aiden turned back to me. "You can still be our friend, Moley. Just admit that the Ravenswoods aren't as powerful as the Atrocias. It wouldn't be shameful to fall in line behind us, like your mother does with my father."

If it had been any other day and if I wasn't so mad at Naomi already, I would've popped Aiden in the nose. In the end, I could not care less about his father and Naomi.

"Don't call me Moley, or I'll punch you right in the face," I replied. "See what I mean, Vicky?"

"I'm starting to," Vicky said, crossing her arms at Aiden.

Aiden didn't go red with anger, but tinges of color lit his fair skin. I'd found the one weakness in Aiden: Vicky Valentine.

"Vicky, I'm sorry, but Moley . . . Molly has always harassed me, and now she's following me to Neptune. She's just jealous."

"She doesn't even want to go." Vicky brushed past Aiden into the classroom. "Have a good day, Molly."

I sneered at Aiden. "I will now."

Aiden leaned in close to me. "Don't think you've won this. I will make Vicky my girlfriend, and I'll ruin you at the same time. I hate you."

"Vicky's seeing what a jerk you are."

"She'll come to my side eventually. My father has the power on Mars, and her family needs favors to stay in business."

I leaned in closer to him, putting the heel of my shoe on the top of his foot. "We agree on one thing. I hate you, too." With a push downward, I pressed my shoe into the bony part of his foot.

He jumped back in pain. "You see what she did?" he yelped. "She tried to break my foot!"

"Goodbye, Aiden," I replied, kicking the back of my skirt at him indignantly as I walked away.

"I'll get you back!" He hopped on one foot.

"You're too dumb to get me."

"Maybe I'll do something to that freak sister of yours, and don't think you'll survive Neptune."

I called back over my shoulder: "Not today, Atrocia."

Surprisingly, my confrontation with Aiden had lifted my spirits. I had a feeling Vicky was beginning to see the evil side of the Atrocias, but rarely did anyone see it for very long. Except me. I guess I was lucky to get the brunt of it. It had given me confidence that I could handle myself on Neptune station.

The classroom was silent as we worked the math problems on our screens. I never really found the appeal of math, unlike Luke, but I was good at it. I tapped on the screen aimlessly, wondering if the lunchtime bell would ever ring.

"Don't forget that during your lunch hour, you can't go outside," my teacher, Mrs. Gablehouser, announced. "The Martian oxygen levels are running dangerously low."

I raised my hand and said, "What about the oxygen generators in the playground? Can't they activate those for us?"

"No, Molly," Mrs. Gablehouser said. "They've been removed by the authorities."

I didn't reply and went back to my math problems. I didn't like being trapped in the colony, and who would've removed those generators? It made no sense.

Luke leaned over to me. "Mega Corp issued a recall. Vicky told me that their family's other theme park was closed because of a defective part in the portable oxygen generators."

"Is it just me or are Martians being more and more trapped in the colonies? Remember when we could go to Lake Miranda and have fun?"

"Not anymore—"

_Buzz_! _Buzz_! _Buzz_!

I sat up in my chair. That was not the lunch bell. It was an alarm!

Over the school speaker came an announcement. "This is Principal Pohl. This is not a drill. Evacuate according to fire drill standards."

Unsurprisingly, all of the kids in my class ran toward the doorway at the same time, smashing into one another, knocking people to the floor.

Naomi had taught me a valuable lesson during the war. Never panic. Always stay in control. I sat at my chair, waiting patiently for Mrs. Gablehouser to get everyone clear so I could leave.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a face in the doorway on the opposite side of the room. It was Aubrey Atrocia.

I rushed to the door, but she fled immediately.

"Not that way, Molly," Mrs. Gablehouser called out. "It leads farther toward the fire."

"I know," I replied. "I thought I saw someone."

"Oh gosh, are they okay?"

"It was nothing. My imagination." I shook it off. If I knew the Atrocias, it was probably them pulling a prank.

"Please exit the school," Principal Pohl announced again. "The fire is in the lab."

"Vicky," I muttered, and when I turned back to tell Mrs. Gablehouser, she and my classmates were gone—everyone but Luke. "To heck with them. Vicky is in the lab."

"Molly," Luke said. "You get to Vicky. I'll try to convince the firemen that someone is in the lab. Maybe if I panic enough, help will come."

We agreed with head nods and parted. I rushed out of the other door and sprinted toward the lab. I had turned down three corridors when I thought I felt someone watching me. I turned around. No one was there.

I continued to the lab. Sweat was running down my back by the time I arrived at the door. I took slow steps, but I saw no indications of a fire. The buzzing had also stopped. Was it a false alarm?

At the lab, I was about to pull on the handle when I remembered my fire safety. The handle could be hot.

Footsteps came from around the corner, and I stopped. "Who's there?"

No answer.

"Aiden? Aubrey? Vicky, is that you?"

No reply.

I stepped toward the sound. Then I heard a scream. It was Vicky.

I disregarded safety precautions and ripped the door open, running into whatever fire might be inside.

"Vicky?"

Through the first room, I went through the swinging door and entered the back lab. Large stainless-steel tables created rows within the room, burners were scattered on the tables, and, beyond that, huge windows showed the surface of Mars. I ran from row to row until I found Vicky huddled under one of the tables, shaking with fear.

"Where's the fire?" I asked, grabbing her hand.

"Creatures."

I tried to pull her from under the table, but she wouldn't move. "Will you get a move on? We have to get out of here."

"Where're the creatures?" Vicky asked in a shaky voice.

"This is the chem lab, not biology."

"Molly . . . something's here. Two of them."

She was whispering, and for a moment, her words didn't mean anything to me. I was still focused on the fire. When I knelt beside her, the fear in her shaking hands caused me to refocus.

Vicky glared at the doorway, and I turned.

Then I heard a low growling sound. It started loud and went soft. The focus behind it was unmistakable. Something was hunting us.

"Molly," Vicky whispered, "I'm scared."

"Me, too."

From the table, I grabbed a long metal stick used for mixing solutions. It would give us some protection. Vicky and I held hands as she moved out from under the table. We tiptoed toward the doorway, both listening for the sounds again, our eyes darting for any movement. An eerie scraping sound tore at our nerves.

Then nothing. I found the silence even more terrifying.

We heard a crash behind us, and Vicky almost knocked me over as she dashed away. I managed to stay upright. We bolted into the first room. I raced toward the door when I saw Aubrey's face through the window.

"Help us!" I screamed.

Instead, the door clicked, and when I grabbed the handle to escape, it wouldn't budge.

"The twins locked us in," I said, cursing.

"That's crazy," Vicky replied. "They wouldn't do that."

"They just did. Didn't you see Aubrey?"

"Where? No," Vicky said. "She can help us."

"There," I pointed across to the other door. "Aiden."

Vicky turned, and by that time, he was gone, locking the other door. "I don't see—"

But Vicky cut her words off. She moved behind me, grabbing at my shirt. I saw what she saw. Lucky me, for being in the front. I held the metal stir stick like a knife, protecting us as well as I could.

The beast was four feet tall, and muscular, with a furry tail. Its strong legs were slowly stepping toward Vicky and me. I could barely recognize what I was seeing. Its upper torso reared off the ground, and its yellow-and-orange fur rippled as it stuck up from its skin. It was excited for a kill.

It turned back and forth, unsure. I could see the rainbow-like orange, red, yellow, and purple stripes along its back. With several bobs of its head, the beast settled with a focus on my eyes. As it crept, it shifted from side to side, moving its head, snapping at the air, and making a low clucking sound.

An alien predator stood before us.

Suddenly, the power snapped off, and darkness caused the beast to jump back. Vicky screamed, and I held my breath. Neither of us made a move. Vicky's fingernails dug into my back as she balled her hands in fear.

Soon we adjusted to the new darkness. The creature started its slow movements toward us. I swear it sniffed faster and faster as it approached.

Vicky trembled behind me.

"Get back!" I shouted.

This caused the creature to stand up, baring its claws at us. It roared viciously. I put my hand to my nose. I had a hard time concentrating, its breath was so bad.

"It'll kill us," Vicky said in a hollow voice.

"Not today," I said, remembering the irony when I had said that to Aiden. He knew he was going to try to kill me.

"Molly! Vicky!" Luke shouted through the door, but he couldn't see us through the fogged windows. "Get out of there."

"Of course I'm trying to get out of here," I snapped at him. "Open the door."

"Hurry!" Vicky squealed.

"I can't. Someone stuck something in the lock!"

"Look out!" I yanked Vicky hard and sprinted to the other side of the room, with Vicky behind me. The creature sailed over us and slammed hard against the doorway Luke was trying to open.

"What was that?" Luke shouted. "Why is the window fogged?"

"Get help!" I replied.

The creature turned, bounding toward us. I flung my weight against the stainless-steel door to get into the other room, but it didn't move. Another creature was on the other side of the doorway, clawing at the glass. The door wouldn't open! The creature roared—a terrifying, gut-wrenching sound.

From behind us, the first creature jumped at us, squealing with delight at its impending kill. I turned, pushing against the door to keep the other creature at bay. I had no solution for the first one.

But Vicky was ready. She pulled up a metal tray the size of her arm and held it like a shield between her and the creature. It slammed into both of us, wedging Vicky and me between the door and the tray. The creature snapped its jaws, just out of reach of the kill.

"Vicks! Vicky!" I screamed. "Hold it back."

"It's so strong!"

The other creature pounded against the door. _Thump_! _Thump_! I braced for each collision.

"Lock the door! Lock the door!" Vicky shouted. "We can try to get this one."

"Ahh!" I felt something dig into my shoulder. The other creature's fingered claws were coming through the doorway. I took in a deep breath.

Vicky was right. I had to get the door locked. "It's coming through!"

Vicky pushed hard against me.

"Get back. I can't get the snap on!" I turned my head to see the long teeth of the creature only inches from my face, its neck extending as far as it could to kill me.

"Lock it!" Vicky shouted.

I leaned against the door, smashing my free hand against the snap lock, and it didn't move. It was fractions of an inch from clicking shut.

The creature roared like a snarling dog, sensing my flesh in his jaws.

"Lock it! Lock the door!" Vicky shouted.

"I'm trying!" I said, aggravated. With a sweeping motion, I grabbed the metal stick and pushed it into the neck of the creature pressing against Vicky.

The creature jumped back, feeling our claw.

The weight dropped, and the other creature pushed the door farther. But my adrenaline was high, and with a heave I kicked against the floor, stopping the momentum and causing the creature to buckle against the sudden stop. I snapped the lock in place and turned toward the first one.

Vicky held the tray up. It was our only weapon against the creature. She swung it back and forth helplessly.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

I tossed several beakers at the creature, trying to keep it at bay. This only made it angrier.

"Hope someone comes. It won't take long for his friend to figure out there is another door in here."

Vicky slammed the tray down a couple of times. It made a loud banging sound that kept the creature nervous as it eyed us. "Who would lock us in?"

"It was the twins!"

"Be serious. Aiden wouldn't do that to us. Not ever."

"He would to me. Remember our argument? He said he would get me back."

"He always says that."

She had a point. Most of my conversations with the twins ended in a threat from one of them. Maybe I was seeing things.

The creature jumped at us again. Vicky leaped behind a desk and was safe for a few moments, but I wasn't so lucky. I was still in the open.

The creature curled back toward me. Its fur stood on end. Its teeth dripped with saliva. It was imagining tasting my blood.

The table beside me had nothing on it, and the floor was bare.

I bumped into the wall, and my shoulder hit the fire extinguisher. I ripped it off the wall, pointed the nozzle at the creature, and fired.

The cold stream hit the creature in the face. It backed up. I gave it another blast from the fire extinguisher. It backed farther toward the open door. With several blasts, I pushed it through the doorway into the other room. I stepped quickly and locked the other door, leaving the creatures trapped in the back laboratory.

"Vicky, come out. I found its weakness. The cold. It's trapped now."

Vicky, still scared, popped her head out from under the desk. She looked around, and when she finally thought it was safe, ran over to me.

We hugged for joy.

"Thanks! I thought we were goners," she said.

"Thank you. If you hadn't pulled that tray up—"

"Oh no!" Vicky shouted.

"What?" I tensed and spun around, ready for another attack.

"My outfit is ruined! My skirt is torn, and my blouse is dirty."

I let out a sigh of frustration. "I thought you'd spotted another one for a second."

The door behind us opened. Principal Pohl walked in with a security team from the fire department.

"There's no fire in here," I said. "But inside the back lab, you'll find two alien creatures that attacked us."

"Creatures?" Principal Pohl repeated.

"Yes," I replied. "Alien ones. Back there."

The security team moved into the back room. At first, I didn't hear any noise, and I started to worry again. But seconds later, the team was back.

"It's empty," the guard said. "Nothing back there."

"No way," I said, moving into the lab to see for myself. But it was empty, aside from a tuft of fur on the window's latch. In the distance, however, a small ship with the owl symbol on it blasted away. "They were here, Mr. Pohl."

"Creatures attacked you," the principal said. "The Atrocia twins said you were trashing the place."

"See, Vicky," I replied. "They'll say anything to get us in trouble."

"Not Vicky," Mr. Pohl said. "You."

"Are you sure they said that?" Vicky asked. "Maybe you heard it wrong, Mr. Pohl."

"Something was here," Luke said. "I heard roars."

"It's nice that you're helping, Vicky and Luke," the principal said. "But we can't have you lying for her."

"She didn't trash the lab," Vicky said. "Why doesn't anyone believe her? A creature attacked us."

"Now, now," the principal said. "The twins have no reason to lie. I'm not calling you a liar, either. Let's just say nothing happened, since Molly is going to Neptune tomorrow."

I crossed my arms. "How do you explain these claw marks on my arm?" I asked.

Mr. Pohl waved for some personnel behind me. "Give Miss Lennox some attention. She's injured. Then release her for the day."

I didn't argue. I wasn't in trouble, and judging how this week had gone, it was a point in my favor. I wasn't worse off.

Again, they couldn't use the regeneration device on me. I was a few days away, so I had to bear the marks of the creature's claws along my shoulder. I also had Vicky-patterned fingernail scratches circling my back, and my already swollen lip had a partner with a large bruise running from my shoulder to my ear. I was a mess.

Luckily, I had a change of clothes in my locker. Vicky and I were just heading out of the changing room when we spotted the twins coming up to us.

Anger burned in my heart. I was about to jump on Aubrey when Vicky stepped between us.

"Do you know anything about the creature that attacked us?" Vicky snapped at Aiden.

His thin lips curled knowingly. "We were the ones who told the authorities something was happening. Did you ask Principal Pohl?"

"He said you accused Molly of trashing the lab."

"We said the lab was being trashed," Aubrey added. "He must've inferred something we never said."

"Molly claims you locked us in," Vicky replied. "Did you do that?"

"No. I ran as fast as I could to tell someone. Why do you think the principal came?"

"I doubt it," I replied. "You set those creatures loose on us."

Aiden shook his head. "You're paranoid, Moley. How could I possibly do that? I don't own a ship, and I don't own creatures."

"I don't trust liars," I said. "And I doubt you saved us. It was probably an alibi so you wouldn't get caught. What were you doing in that part of the school?"

"We're hall monitors. We wanted to see if everything was cleared."

"Unlikely. And how did the door get locked?"

"I don't know. Maybe you did it. Principal Pohl said you made up the creature, so why wouldn't you make up that?"

"I didn't make anything up! Ask Vicky."

"We were attacked," Vicky replied. "But at the same time, Aiden is right. How would he get hold of those alien creatures?"

"I can't believe you're taking his side," I shouted at Vicky. "You're letting your friends down, Vicky. Aiden isn't someone you want to associate with."

Vicky stomped her foot. "I can be friends with whoever I want! Don't think you're my leader, Molly Lennox."

"I'm warning you about him. He tried to kill you, and you still want to be his friend."

"Maybe I do. I don't think he would kill us. Such drama from you, Molly. Luke said the lock was stuck. Maybe Aiden found the same thing and went for help."

"I did find it stuck," Aiden said. "We both did."

Aubrey stuck her nose up. "Yeah. We aren't killers."

I was too upset with Vicky to reply further. She was heading toward the Atrocias, and I didn't like it. It would only be a matter of time before I lost her to them.

And that would mean Pirra would go toward Atrocia because of Vicky. I could never let that happen.

"Vicky," I said. "I have to go. Call me later, and we can talk about what happened."

"Maybe," Vicky replied. "I have a lot to do tonight."

"I understand," I said, but I didn't. Vicky openly defying me meant she was further toward the twins than I thought. Somehow, I hoped some type of evidence would show the twins had sabotaged the door. It was my only hope with Vicky. Love was blinding her.
Chapter 14  
Pirra!

By the time I was finished with Vicky, the twins, and the medical staff, it was the end of the school day. Naomi had told me I was to report to her after school. She'd even sent an escort, and I was ushered like a piece of meat to her office.

High up, inside the lavish government suites, the escort directed me to the couch outside my adoptive mom's office. I lay down while I could. No doubt, Naomi would have some tedious chore for me.

"Miss Lennox," Mr. Conroy, Naomi's assistant, said, "I need you to clean the meeting room for tomorrow's big meeting."

"Clarence," I whined, "aren't you sick of taking orders from Naomi?"

"Ms. Ravenswood is a fabulous boss. I hear you're going to Neptune tomorrow for the academy."

I stood and moved toward the meeting room. "Hear? You probably set up the travel arrangements."

"I was being polite. I know you're upset about it, but you can't look at the worst side of it. Neptune could be fun."

"Naomi and Pirra will have fun. I'll get brainwashed."

"You can't believe that. To tell you the truth, I think I caught Ms. Ravenswood crying because you were leaving."

"Are you sure she wasn't chopping onions?"

"Molly." He looked me in the eye. "She cares for you. Loves you more than life itself."

"I don't care what she thinks. It hurts that she doesn't want me around. I really don't want to be around if she thinks that way. But Neptune. They're sending me as far away as possible."

"I'll miss you," Clarence replied. "I heard you were trying to solve a mystery."

"No one believes me on that, either. I saw someone kidnapped, I saw something stolen, and Vicky and I saw alien creatures. But no one seems to think there's a connection."

"You saw alien creatures?"

"Yes," I replied, pulling my shirtsleeve over my shoulder to show him the claw marks. "One of them slashed me there."

His face contorted in doubt. "Those look like claw marks. How's Vicky?"

"She's fine. We kinda saved each other. And keeping my bad week alive, she doesn't want to be friends with me anymore. I'm a 'troublemaker,' but her crush on Aiden is more likely her reason."

"The Atrocia boy. I can understand why it would upset you. You don't like him very much, or you do like him and are jealous."

"Eww, gross!" I put my finger in my mouth as if I was vomiting. "He's a bully. Vicky'll get hurt."

"Vicky's a strong, smart girl."

"Clarence, stop trying to get me to see the other side. I'm not ten anymore. Aiden's a jerk. No other way to spin it."

"Okay. Your mind is made up."

I grumbled a bit at his patronization of my belief. "Is Pirra going to help today? I want to say I'm sorry to her."

"She's scheduled to accompany your mother on a meeting with an Earth delegation."

"Being paraded as the savior of the solar system. When are those going to stop?"

"They have stopped. Pirra is a valuable member of the team. She helps give input on the negotiations. Sephians have an interesting point of view on some topics."

I was a bit ashamed of myself for thinking Pirra hadn't done anything but clean rooms in her hours of helping Naomi at the office. She had done important things. I felt regret pull at my mind. Maybe I should have helped more. "Well, I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Thanks for your help, Miss Lennox."

"Anything for you, Clarence," I said with a touch of whimsy.

I spent the next hour preparing the meeting room. I straightened the chairs, set out nameplates, folded and displayed the datapads as Clarence wanted them, ran diagnostics on the display systems, and did a thousand other things according to protocol. I didn't really know how Naomi tolerated the little things about politics. Who cares about nameplates or if someone sits somewhere at the table? If that matters to someone, he or she shouldn't be in office.

The door to the room clicked open. "Have you seen Pirra?"

"I thought she was with you," I said to Naomi.

"She never arrived," Naomi said. Concern pulled on her face.

I shrugged. "I don't know. She wasn't at school. Remember, she was too upset that I told her off."

"Was it necessary?"

"Yes, it was. I don't know where she is."

"I wanted to take you and her to dinner. To Lake Miranda, the Fish House."

The Fish House was my favorite restaurant, but it seemed disgusting now that she recommended it. "I'm not hungry."

Naomi reached out for me, but I backed away. "Let's be civil the last night you're here," she said. "Neptune will be good for you."

"I'm not going to agree with you. Did you call home? She might be sulking still."

"She didn't answer. I checked the police stations and the hospitals."

Worry gripped my stomach. If Pirra was in trouble . . .

"Go home," Naomi said. Suddenly she clutched her arm and fell to one knee.

"Is it acting up?" I asked, reaching for her to help her up.

She waved me off. My mom suffered from a condition because of the abuse she endured from her husband before the war. She'd used the medical regenerator to heal herself too many times. She had weak cell walls. Though it would take years, eventually the injury would cause her greater discomfort. The stress was getting to her.

"Please," I said. "Let me help."

"No. I'm fine." She rose slowly until she again stood tall. "See if Pirra is at home. I'll wait here in case she shows up."

"Clarence will need to finish the flowers."

"Okay—just go."

I dashed out of the room and sprinted to our apartment in a matter of minutes. The elevator leading to our apartment opened slower than it ever had. I pushed through before it fully opened.

"Please be okay. Please be okay," I muttered as I burst through the doorway of our apartment. "Pirra! Pirra! Where are you?"

No reply. I went into our room. It was empty. Bathroom. Empty. Kitchen. Empty. Naomi's room. Empty. Everywhere was empty!

My breaths were quick and short. I was starting to panic, but stopped and closed my eyes. _Where_ _would_ _she_ _have_ _gone_? _Vicky_!

I dialed her number and left a message that Pirra was missing. I called Luke next, but he hadn't seen her all day.

A second after I hung up with Luke, the phone rang. I picked it up. "Vicky?"

"This is your mother."

"She isn't here," I said to Naomi. "Luke hasn't seen her. I left a message with Vicky."

"I called Vicky. She hasn't talked to Pirra."

"Everything looks normal here," I said. "I don't think anyone took her."

"Why would someone take Pirra?"

"I don't know," I said, thinking back to Aiden's threat and how part of it had come true in regard to the attack on me. He had threatened Pirra, too. "She never runs off, so someone must've influenced her."

"Stay there. I'll have the DNA scanners run in the colony. We'll find her."

"But I have to look for her."

"Stay there, Molly," Naomi ordered. "If she returns, you should speak with her. I'll be with the police department, and I'll call when we find her."

"I'll be here," I promised, but I was even more worried now that Naomi was going to use DNA scanners. They used those only in mortal situations. "Bye."

I paced for about fifteen minutes before I sat on the couch for maybe five seconds. I jumped up and rushed to the front door. If Pirra had been taken, she would've left a clue.

Carefully, unsure of what I would find, I ran my fingers along the frame. I saw no signs of damage, and everything in the main room was perfectly in place. Pirra would've fought harder than anyone I knew if someone had grabbed her. This place should be a mess if an attack happened. But nothing was out of place.

I moved to our bedroom next. It was its usual mess on her side of the room. Clothes were scattered about, and her homework was on her desk. I didn't see anything unusual, either. The bed sat normally. Her chair was partly pushed in.

Again, there was no sign she'd fought off anyone.

I looked out of the window, desperately hoping to spot something along the surface.

Then I saw it. I realized something was missing from between the two window frames. Pirra's short sword. It was her most prized possession, and . . .

I gasped. She would only use it if she was going into battle.

"Her phone!" I instantly put everything together. She had found out where the stolen equipment had been taken and was planning to get it back. Pirra was just dumb enough to be a hero. I was furious with myself for forgetting about our tracker. After what I had said to her, she wanted to prove me right. She wanted me to stay, and getting the equipment back was how she thought it would happen.

I flipped on every datapad on her desk. Accessing the data on the tablets, I used her phone ID to track the signal to a set of caves outside of the colony. I knew where she was going now.

Next, I would need to find a ride.

I phoned Luke. "Meet me downstairs at the hoverbike stands," I said. "Pirra's in trouble."

"What happened?" he asked.

I explained the situation, but he was worried still.

"You should call the authorities," he insisted. "They'll be able to help."

"By the time they're convinced, it'll be tomorrow. I'll be gone, and Pirra might be hurt or worse. We have to go now."

"Fine," he grumbled. "But let's meet at hangar fourteen in twenty minutes."

"Your parents' hangar?"

"Yes, and trust me."

I didn't argue with him further. I changed into something more rugged for the journey. I was so mad at myself for saying those things to Pirra. It had caused me to forget about the tracker on her phone. And more so, everyone else was right. She wasn't human. She took words harder than others did. I should've realized it. I knew her better than anyone did.

But really, I was mostly mad at her for being that way.
Chapter 15  
Strained Friendship

My mind was still racing with all the possibilities of what had happened to Pirra. I knew she could take care of herself, but as at the museum, she always tried to take on more than she could handle.

I rubbed my hand over my tight, wrapped hair. I'd taken a page out of Pirra's playbook and wrapped my usually bushy red hair into two buns on the back of my head. My outfit was all black except for the pink-and-purple striped skirt. I just wasn't comfortable unless I had a skirt over my thermosuit. As for weapons, I didn't have anything other than a stun gun I used for commandos.

I tucked the pistol into my waist and sighed. Pirra loved commando matches, but she'd been too busy with Naomi to participate lately. I assured myself we'd go again after I rescued her. The paintball-type game was her favorite.

I stepped into the hangar. I was surprised to see Vicky standing next to Luke. "So what's the surprise?"

Luke looked up at me. "These."

In focusing on Vicky, I had missed the two hoverbikes resting on the deck. They were both smaller than an adult bike. They had radical stripes running down the sides. One was blue and silver, and the other, which I assumed was mine, was pink and white. "Where did you get these?"

"I made them. I just needed a power converter to complete them."

I groaned. "And I threw it off Trivium Port. Sorry."

"You had no choice but to act," he said. "We never would've got them anyway with those thieves. I took these two out of my parents' ship. They won't be running for a few days, and we can borrow them."

"Playing with power converters is dangerous," Vicky said. "You should be careful, Luke."

"I was," he replied. "We're set to go."

Vicky put a helmet on and hopped on the blue-and-silver bike. "Let's go, then."

"Hold on," I said, grabbing Vicky by the arm. "I thought you hated me now."

"I don't hate you, but I'm not very impressed with your attitude lately. Your adventures might've got Pirra mixed up in something."

"You're lecturing me? When we find Pirra, you'll be saying sorry."

"I doubt that," Vicky replied. "You think you're smart and adventurous. Really, you're dumb for putting everyone in danger. Running out in the middle of the night to stop a ship at the Artocias' was stupid. Pirra can't stand the cold, and you locked the twins in the closet. What would've happened if a fire had started? The twins would've died."

"It didn't happen, and I saw someone being kidnapped. Pirra ran off herself. She—"

"People are responsible when they anticipate what can happen. If someone throws a power converter off Trivium Port and it doesn't hit someone, does it make it right to throw it in the first place? You don't think, Molly. You never have, and I'm sick of it. You'll bring me down with you."

I was mad now. I waved my hands at her. "Why're you even coming, then? Luke and I can handle this on our own."

Vicky tightened the strap on her helmet hard. "I love Pirra. If she's in trouble, I want to help."

Luke stepped between us. "Let's get going. We'll come up with a plan on the way."

"Fine," Vicky and I said in unison. At least we agreed on one thing. We wanted to save Pirra. But I didn't understand her shift in attitude toward me. It was probably due to Aiden feeding her lies.

The hoverbikes skimmed along the surface at blazing speeds. I screamed out in joy as the wind pushed over my helmet. I loved riding hoverboards, but I could never go back to them after experiencing these. Luke had outdone himself.

I swerved back and forth. We skimmed up the side of a long ridge.

"Coordinates are coming up," Vicky radioed as she slowed her hoverbike with Luke on it. "I don't see anything."

After a long run up a hill and several minutes traveling over flat land, I stopped directly over the spot of Pirra's signal and jumped off. We were on the open expanses of the surface, which was like most of Mars. There were few natural objects on the planet other than rock and sand. Here was no exception. I won't lie. I was nervous. The silence in the area was scary.

I put my scanner over the coordinates. I was within inches of the right place. There was nothing there. I rubbed my hand along the surface, through the powdery sand, and over the rocks, looking for Pirra's phone. The bad guys hadn't dropped it. I was within inches of where the signal had come from, but there was nothing there but rock and sand. Nothing man-made.

Luke looked over my shoulder. "I think Pirra might've given us her last coordinates because someone destroyed the beacon."

"Maybe," I replied. I was sure it was still transmitting, because my scanner was picking up a fresh signal. "We have to look around."

The wind over the hillside picked up and knocked over my hoverbike. The thud caused Vicky to jump and Luke to stand straight up. I was undaunted. I continued to try to figure out a way to locate Pirra.

"I'm nervous," Vicky said.

"Maybe we should go," Luke said. "Pirra could be anywhere."

I wasn't going to give in to fear. "She's here. I can sense it."

"Sense?" Vicky asked.

"Hope," I replied, waving my scanner on the phone. "Come on. There might be caves around here."

We moved the bikes behind a large rock to give them some protection and dashed down the hillside to the canyon below. It was getting colder, and even my thermosuit wasn't enough to stop me from shivering.

"I can't believe you talked me into coming down here," Vicky said. "How can we possibly get our bikes now?"

I helped Luke down a boulder to the bottom and looked up. She was right. The climb up would be a troubling one. But it would be a lot easier with Pirra by our side.

"A little climb never hurt you before."

Vicky crossed her arms. "I'm not ten, and these aren't the Acadia City rock walls."

I shook my finger at her. "Don't complain about something you volunteered for."

"I wouldn't be here if . . . ," she grumbled. "Oh, Molly, adventures are so annoying."

"The Atrocia twins are probably playing boring video games."

"Sounds better than this."

"Your parents' troubles are causing you to make the wrong friends."

"My dad still works in the restaurant that started my family's success. The Valentines are a family-first business, and you'd never understand how much that means to us. Aiden isn't that bad."

I shrugged. "More credits. More power. That means more entitlement. You're hanging out with Aiden because you think that is what you're supposed to do."

"My mom said that his family has helped ours. Just yesterday, they gave us permits we've been waiting months to acquire. My date with Aiden won us a rental in Trivium for a new theme park. My family can't afford to lose more land. Not with the air like it is."

"What land are you losing?" Luke asked.

"It's Valentine business." Vicky's voice was troubled. "We're losing land to the thin air."

"So you didn't have the date with Aiden for us," I said. "You did it for your family. Do you realize your family sold you to the Atrocias? Don't you see that?"

Instantly Vicky went stiff. Her face turned a Martian red. "Shut up, you Martian tramp. I did no such thing. If I can help my family, I will. We've given you plenty of free food. Why shouldn't we take something free from the Atrocias? It's called friendship."

"It isn't free. A tramp is someone who sells herself, Vicky. It isn't right because you should earn it legitimately. I don't want to see you hurt one day. Or miserable in a nowhere relationship."

"Aiden's a nice boy," Vicky replied. "You don't see it because you always make fun of him."

"Not this again," Luke grumbled. "We need to find Pirra."

He was right, so I didn't reply to either of them. Vicky was getting on my nerves. I understood her loyalty to her family, but I thought she was misguided.

I started to walk down along the side of a large canyon wall. These were the spots where Martian caves opened.

Luke followed, and then Vicky at a distance. The air seemed colder and thinner between Vicky and me than on the surface. A part of me saw Vicky's side of it. Vicky's mother was overbearing, and Vicky was always at odds with her. She wanted to impress her mother.

She called me a tramp. Almost instantly, I'd forgiven her for her insult, but my words may have cut our friendship in two. She needed a friend to tell her, though. If I lost her, but saved her in the end, I would have done the right thing. That's what you do for loved ones.

Walking briskly, I didn't see anything for a half mile until I noticed several large doors.

"Something is here," I said, excited. "Pirra's inside. I just know it."

"How can we possibly get in?" Vicky asked, running up.

"Let's move back and find a different entry point," I suggested. "Knocking on the front door will get us nowhere. At least we know something is here."

We shuffled along the side of the cliff some two or three football fields out of sight of the huge doors. We climbed up several rock formations to higher ground. The surface was getting nastier as the sharp surface rocks in the area made climbing more difficult. My hands felt raw, and I could tell Vicky was miserable from her grumbling.

Luke hadn't said much, but I saw a growing concern on his face.

"Stop," I said, and we halted. "I understand your fears are rising, and you can return to Acadia City, if you wish."

"No," they both said.

"Look." I tried to give them another out. "I don't see anything, and the chance of us coming upon something is remote."

"But we can't go back to the door," Vicky said. "What's your suggestion?"

"I don't know."

"Let's keep going, then." Vicky pushed Luke along, and I followed. "If a door is back there, something else has to be around."

"Maybe an air vent or sewage pipe," Luke offered.

"We're returning to Acadia City if it's a sewage pipe," Vicky and I said, amazingly in unison.

It caused a slight smirk between us, and we continued.

Behind us, I was keeping an eye on the land formations as Pirra had taught me. She might not have had warrior abilities anymore, but she still had their tracking and survival training. Her advice had served me well on several occasions. Using the Maroon Mountains in the distance, I could find my way back to the front with no trouble and to the hoverbikes. So far, we'd traveled maybe a quarter of the way around the hill.

"I'm feeling tired," Luke said. "My head is spinning."

"My eyes are fogging up," Vicky said as she stumbled to the ground. "I can't stay awake."

"Uh-oh," I said as I rapidly took in and breathed out huge gulps of air. I was getting oxygen in my blood as fast as possible. A trick almost every Martian knew. This was a low-oxygen area, and I'd have to get my friends out fast.

I dashed over to Vicky and pulled on her arm. "Get up. Keep moving."

"I can't."

"Luke," I called. "Keep moving down toward . . ." Then I saw an artificial structure down the hill. It was the pipe to an exhaust vent. I pointed. "Head toward that."

Luke moved drunkenly downward toward the vent. Vicky was limp. I grabbed her under the arms and yanked her, a foot at a time, down. Her feet were dragging as we moved.

"Kick your feet," I pleaded. "Help me out."

She tried, but it was no use. She was in and out of consciousness. I pulled harder and harder, but even I was starting to feel sluggish.

My foot wedged between two rocks, and I fell backward on the ground. I hit my elbow against a rock, and my funny bone vibrated in pain. Vicky fell like a bag of sand to the ground.

My eyes started to spot, but I took in as deep a breath as I could muster. I pulled Vicky, with a great surge, down the side of the cliff. I would never forgive myself if she died, even with our terrible fighting lately.

Again I tripped, falling to one knee, but I was able to hold Vicky up.

"Luke," I said, looking around. But I'd fallen over him. "Get up."

He couldn't. He looked worse than Vicky. I scanned for the exhaust pipe, and it was a dozen meters away. I yanked and yanked until I had Vicky under the pipe. With a quick examination, I found there was air flowing out of the vent, far more than I would've expected. With a dozen breaths, I could feel oxygen coming back into my system.

I marched over to Luke and pulled the heavier boy, with four or five great heaves, to the pipe. I'd saved them for now.
Chapter 16  
Into the Owl's Nest

For the next five or ten minutes, I massaged my friends, getting oxygen back into their bodies. The air from the vent felt good. I could see life spark back into them. Vicky sat up without a word, rubbing her legs.

My fingers tingled like pins and needles as I rubbed Luke's back, hoping he'd wake up, too.

He did a couple of moments later.

"You saved us," Luke muttered. "Thanks."

"It was another crazy plan to bring us out here," I said. "I'm sorry I put you in danger. Vicky was right. I'm a fool."

"We chose to come," Luke said. "Right, Vicks?"

"Yes," she muttered unconvincingly. Her eyes were glassy and weak. I was wondering how my friends would be able to continue. Vicky surprised me, though. She reached into her pocket and pulled out three packets.

I recognized the brand on it. "Bursts?"

"Yes," Vicky replied. "I thought we might need them if we missed dinner. But now seems like the best time."

She handed one to each of us, and we ate the energy-rich bars quickly. The Burst bars worked. I felt like I could lift both Vicky and Luke.

"Ready?" I hopped to my feet.

"Let's get Pirra and go _home_ ," Vicky said with a bit of an attitude. She was clearly miserable.

I examined the vent. "We can just fit inside."

Luke removed his Swiss Army tool and unbolted it. Together, we removed the grate and slipped in one at a time. I was in the lead with Vicky behind me. Luke took up the rear and closed the grate behind us.

As we crawled slowly deeper into the complex, I wasn't ashamed to admit that every time I accidently kicked Vicky, I got a little satisfaction. She was so annoying now, trying to be above herself. She was a kid, like me, but she was acting and doing things that an adult would do. She thought she had struck a deal for her parents, but Aiden had used her. It was so easy to see.

"How much farther?" Vicky whined. "It smells like feet in here, and my knees are killing me."

"Hey, is that a crack at me?"

"No," she said. "It's foul air."

"It's an exhaust," Luke said. "It'll smell, but enjoy the oxygen."

We crawled for another ten minutes before we spoke again. I checked my phone continually for Pirra's signal. "Pirra is close."

"So she could be in here," Vicky said. "The locator is only a north, south, east, and west indicator. It doesn't read up and down."

"No," I said. "It uses the satellites, so it can't tell how deep she is. I was so dumb not to think of that."

"How do we get out of here?" Vicky asked, rolling back and forth. "I'm starting to freak out."

"Don't worry. I see light ahead." I crawled another few yards and unclasped the vent in front of me. I helped Vicky and Luke down into a small room and jumped to the floor below.

"Wow," I muttered. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"I don't think we should be here," Vicky said. "I mean, it seems like dangerous things are happening . . . not just finding Pirra and leaving."

"Don't be so worried. No one's going to hurt kids," I said, unconvinced.

I moved over to the ledge overlooking the great room in front of us. The inside of the cave was massive. To their left, several cages with creatures were lined along and into the walls. And they weren't lions, bears, and elephants from Earth. These were all Sephian creatures I'd seen in the museum. The snarling and snapping jaws echoed through the chamber.

Along the right side, a dozen workers were running between the different workstations, tinkering, testing, and installing the alien tech into various machines. This was a factory for some secret evil.

"That's an alien engine they're putting into that shuttle," Luke said. "And they're testing the energy levels on those machines there. The museum was very accurate."

"How do you know it's for energy?" I asked.

"Because the big box with the yellow top is a Telsa device. It measures various energy readings. I have a smaller version in the garage."

"And they're testing cloak clothes over there," Vicky said. "I'd remember that shimmer anywhere. Oh, no. The war memories are back."

I gasped, seeing where Vicky was pointing. When I was captured, the shimmering suit was the last thing I saw before the alien knocked me out. I hated to think the alien suits would exist again. I'd fought so many nights to put it out of my nightmares.

"Luke," I said, "there's the equipment they stole from the museum. What're they putting it into?"

"No, it isn't the original. It was copied with new metal," he replied. "But it's an air-making machine for sure."

"Air?" I said, remembering the Martian-wide air restrictions. "But—"

"Yes, see the stacks on the top?" Luke said. "Those're definitely air release stacks. Never seen them so big."

"Remember how everyone said the air was clearer and crisper when the Sephians were defeated?" I said. "Maybe they're trying to turn Mars into Earth-like conditions faster with the alien tech."

"But we're losing air," Vicky said. "Remember the restrictions. Shouldn't it be helping?"

"This isn't online yet," Luke offered. "Maybe they're trying to save us."

"Save? People rarely help without getting something in return," I said. "And especially not something this expensive. It could be that the air machine recalls were aimed so these guys could profit."

"You have a point," Luke said. "But where's Pirra?"

"I don't see her . . . Oh my . . . ," I said as I realized what I was now seeing on the floor below. I pulled the photo out of my pocket. "Those men are Dr. Siskin and Dr. Mantha. The two abducted at the party. Look!"

Vicky grabbed the photo. She studied the two men on the floor below working on the air device. "I don't know."

"What're you talking about?" I exclaimed. "Naomi said they're experts in the air conversion technology, and they're working on the biggest air converter we've ever seen with alien tech. Of course it's them."

"It's them," Luke said. "No doubt about it. Molly was telling the truth!"

"You ready to apologize yet, Vicks?" I said with satisfaction.

Vicky shook her head. "How do you know they were kidnapped?"

"Those guys!" I pointed across Vicky's sight to the three men along the wall. Each had a stun rifle. "They mean business."

"Oh boy! You said these guys wouldn't hurt kids." Vicky's face went white. "I didn't know it would be this dangerous."

"This is for Pirra," I said, checking my scanner. "She should be right . . . there!"

We looked in the direction I was pointing. The only thing there was the ship from the museum. "Oh, that isn't her."

"Think it out, Molly. You found the ship her phone is on," Luke said. "If Pirra is here, she can't be far away."

"Let go of me!" a familiar voice said from below. "I'll have Naomi Ravenswood arrest both of you."

"Pirra!" Vicky shouted, before I muffled her with my fingers.

I was quick to stop my friend from giving away our position. Sure, I wanted to run down and rescue Pirra myself, but it would be useless. They would capture us, too.

"I don't know the plan," I confessed to them. "But shouting and making demands will get us in the same position as Pirra. We need to do something but be smart about it."

Slowly, I removed my fingers from Vicky's mouth.

Luke offered, "We have our plasma guns. We could shoot the one holding Pirra and run."

"No," I said, focusing intently on Pirra. Her face was bruised, and she had scrapes along her neck, but she could run without assistance. "Well, I like the spirit of the idea, but we need more to the plan. I think I know how to do it. Luke, I need you to work fast, and Vicky, maybe you can grab Pirra out from under their noses."

"And you?" Vicky asked.

"I'll be the bait."
Chapter 17  
The Best-Laid Plans . . .

The arrival of Pirra had created a huge distraction for everyone in the complex. Luke, Vicky, and I were happy to see everyone so focused on her. It allowed us to start our plan without any prying eyes.

Vicky was able to move down to the main floor, follow behind a set of cargo crates, and come out within a few yards of the cloaking tests. She grabbed one of the suits and slipped it on. She was invisible to the hangar, unless you looked hard, because she still emitted a bit of a shadow.

Luke had a task that was a bit more difficult. He crawled along the ledge to the other side of the room, ready to open the main doorways. We'd need a way to escape to the surface, and this was our best chance. He thought he could trigger all the doors in the complex with one command—a sort of _emergency_ , _everything_ _is_ _on_ _fire_ , _get_ _out_ _now_ command. This would hopefully scatter security to not only the main door but the others as well.

I was the closest to the group of men interrogating Pirra. My job was the riskiest, and I wanted it to be. I listened, waiting for my opportunity.

"Did you find any more of them?" the leader of the group barked at the man holding Pirra.

"No," the man said. "She attacked us with this."

He handed over Pirra's short sword to the man. It wasn't bloody, so Pirra hadn't gotten very far.

"Those Sephian animals you're holding are more dangerous than you can imagine," Pirra said sharply. "They'll kill you."

"We have the aliens under control."

"My mom, Naomi Ravenswood, won't stand for this facility. Alien tech is banned. What you're doing here is immoral."

The leader eyed her carefully. Realizing her mistake, Pirra lowered her head, but the man was wiser than he appeared. He grabbed hard. Pirra squealed in resistance, but the man raised her chin to push her head up.

"Pirra . . . the Sephian!" the leader said excitedly. "The faceless one will be happy with this."

"Who's the faceless one?" Pirra asked with a shaky voice.

I'd never heard Pirra nervous before, but she was asking the right questions. If there was some ultimate leader to this organization, it was best for us to find out now, so they could stop him or her later.

"He's not your concern. You should be worried that you'll spend the rest of your life here."

"My mom will come for me."

"No one knows you came."

"I told lots of people," Pirra said without conviction. "Everyone's coming."

"I doubt that, or you would've brought them. I know your sister has been meddling in our affairs. She met two of our creatures earlier, and judging by the blood on their claws, I don't think she'll be meddling anymore."

"If you did anything to her . . ."

"You should worry more about yourself," the leader replied ominously. "You aren't bound to ever see the light of day again."

Suddenly, alerts roared through the complex, and with a booming start, the huge doorways began to slide open. These were the two doors on the far end where Luke was positioned and several smaller ones along both sides. I could see daylight only meters away.

I jumped from crates and shot several stun shots at the men. I hit the leader several times, and he fell to his knees. The other men scrambled.

Vicky surprised the man holding Pirra and kicked the top of his foot, causing him to yelp in pain. He let go of Pirra.

"Run!" I screamed at everyone. "Let's go."

We sprinted toward the exit closest to Luke. He was through in seconds. Vicky was a faster runner than Pirra, who was lagging behind.

"I don't think so, Pirra," the leader of the group snapped. He raised his stun gun at my sister.

I stopped, aimed, and got several shots off, which hit the leader in the leg, causing him to lower his gun. But he nonetheless fired on target. The green blob struck Pirra in the leg, and she fell, wailing in pain.

I hurried back for her.

With a heave, I pulled her to her feet, but her leg was dragging behind her. "I can't make it, Molly," Pirra whined. "Go without me."

"Nonsense," I replied. "I won't leave you."

"Hurry!" Vicky said. "The door's closing."

"They overrode my override!" Luke called. "Seconds, tops."

Her arm over my shoulder, Pirra and I dashed, with Pirra dragging her limp leg. But reality was setting in. We'd never make it to the door. Then I remembered something the leader had said: "No one knows you're here." I had to change that.

"Vicky, Luke, get Naomi. Bring her back here."

"Hurry!" they both urged.

"We can't—get help!" My plan changed instantly. I noticed a large silver pipe with several vertical grates to our left. It was within reach, and we could escape there.

The main door closed a few seconds later. After Vicky's terrified scream cut off, I heard the panicked breaths of the men behind me.

I pushed Pirra through the grate first, and she dropped down and out of sight. I jumped through next, but hesitated for just a moment to collect my thoughts and calm my nerves. It was a huge mistake.

From behind, a hand grabbed a fistful of my hair. The pain was instant, and I snarled with aggression. I yanked and pulled but couldn't get free.

"Stop!" the man ordered.

He pulled hard, and my head slammed into the metal rung.

"I have you," the man rasped. "Give up."

"Never," I said. I slashed my fists at his forearm, but it was useless. He was too strong.

Instead, with my fingers, I dug my nails into his thumb. He lashed out at me with the other hand, hitting me in the nose. It was as if my mind was scrambled; the pain and confusion were instant. My feet stumbled, and I began to slide down the pipe.

Only I wasn't sliding completely. The man was still grasping one of the buns knocked loose on my head. I thought he was going to rip my scalp off.

Desperately, I hammered his arm with my fist repeatedly. He growled as the weight of my body and the repeated blows of my fist were wearing on him. He also had another problem. He couldn't fit through the bars, so his shoulder and head were wedged awkwardly.

Suddenly, I was in free fall. He had let go.

I spilled into Pirra with a thud. Almost instantly, I dabbed at the top of my head. It was tender where he had pulled my hair, and my nose was bleeding. I pinched it shut.

"Here," Pirra said, pulling out a pair of tissues from her pocket. "Stuff these up your nose."

I did and stood up. "Where are we?" I asked with a packed nose.

"Farther in. We should be safe for now."

"Good." I undid my reddish-blond hair and pulled it out of the buns. "We need to stay alive until Vicky and Luke return with Naomi."

"You look like hell."

I touched my lip and my nose. "I'll be sporting black eyes soon enough."

"Too late."

"Well, I did it for you."

Her face compressed with concern between her feathered black hair. "Why did you come? I didn't need your help."

I rolled my eyes at her. "You did a bang-up job of getting captured. They were going to kill you."

"I doubt it."

"You can doubt all you want, but alien tech is the worst offense on Mars. These're serious criminals, and treason means death for them. You think they care about a girl? About us?"

I left her to think about it while I looked around the tunnel. It was a cave with artificial lights running along the top. It led in four directions. Each looked about the same, so we headed into the tunnel to our right. I felt a breeze coming down it and knew the surface or a vent source was causing it. I wanted to be there. Our best shot at survival was to get out and hide.

After only a brief rest, we walked for some time. I was eager to get away from where the evil men thought we were. I'd seen the owl symbol many times within the facility, and I thought back to the organization Mrs. McDougall said existed. The Syndicate. It appeared we had discovered them, and the myth was fact. I wondered if I'd stumbled upon something beyond my understanding or even Naomi's ability to stop.

Pirra walked in front of me. Her leg was limp, but she was getting better. The determination on her face was unlike anything I'd ever seen before from her. I was catching a glimpse of her warrior side. I thought I'd seen it before, but I was wrong.

The passage was a combination of natural and dug tunnels, twisting around a few turns and beginning to descend farther into Mars. It went steadily down for some time until it leveled off again. The air grew thinner, forcing us to put our breathing masks on. I smelled something chemical and sharp. Pirra said she recognized the smell but couldn't place it.

After twenty minutes of walking, we came out of the tunnel into a huge room. The room was egg-shaped and the size of a skyscraper. I felt like an ant against the wall of the huge complex. An angled ramp wrapped around the outside, slowing progress up and down.

Pirra picked her way upward, and I followed without questioning her. She seemed to be determined about something.

"Where're you taking us?" I asked, finally catching up to her.

She didn't reply until I touched her arm to slow her. "Why did you come?" she asked again. "Now you're in danger."

"We're outgunned and outmanned," I said. "You can't hope to do anything against them."

"I saved the solar system once. I think I can take on a few guys with stun guns."

"Your leg says otherwise."

Pirra stopped, feeling along the outside of her thigh. "I wasn't expecting you to come. I was caught a bit flat-footed when Vicky appeared out of nowhere. I'm rusty."

"You should be rusty," I said. "Being a warrior is your old life. I can see it in your eyes that you still think you're a warrior. Pirra, your abilities have gone."

"The heart of a warrior never dies."

"But the body does. You're weak. You have a child's body now. You don't have extraordinary abilities. Those were taken when you defeated your people."

"I've fought those creatures in the cavern and won. Don't tell me I'm weak."

I grabbed her hard this time.

"Let go of me," she protested, thrashing at my arm, but I would not let her go. I pulled her in close with an arm lock. She fought but made little headway. "What're you doing?"

"I'm proving a point." I let go of her. "You can't out muscle me very well. A full-grown man would pin you within seconds. This isn't about going in guns blazing."

She shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "So what do you suggest?"

"I suggest we hide until Naomi comes."

"That's a coward's option."

"How is it possibly cowardly to break into a secret base, confront the enemy, escape him when we find out his true power, and then find a way for our friends to bring backup? We did something on Mars no one has been able to do. We found the Syndicate."

Pirra crossed her arms. "A warrior would fight until she died."

"Exactly. That's why warriors don't last long and are expendable. We're smarter than a couple of dumb warriors. We're smart. We should be attacking them differently."

"Like sabotaging this power supply?" Pirra pointed to the large lightning charges being set off in the roof above. "That's an alien power generator. It would probably power Mars if it was cranked to full."

"How would sabotaging it help us?"

"It would hurt them."

"We need power to survive. We'd die of suffocation, and we'd kill a lot of them."

"Isn't that the point?" Pirra said. "To fight them."

"No," I replied. "Killing isn't something I condone."

"We can't just sit here."

"I didn't say we would. It makes sense they wouldn't have the power supply charged to anything other than low, or Mars's satellites would know. Remember how Mom says huge energy levels are monitored because they could be bombs?"

"Yes," Pirra said. "But this place is shielded by the rocks."

"I don't think it would be enough to shield it if we maximized the power."

Pirra's face lit up. "And send out a beacon that we are here."

"If Vicky and Luke fail, this is our best shot at calling for help. Plus, it'll allow us to create something for them to work on other than finding us. Patrols will come soon."

"Come on, then," Pirra said, brushing past me and sprinting as fast as she could around the outside of the large chamber. I hurried after her. She had a new focus, and with her alien tech experience, she might be the only person who could override their system.

We reached the bottom a couple of minutes later. The heavy thumping of the energizer made it hard for us to hear each other. Pirra pointed for me to follow her, and I continued to do so.

I was still nervous, but Pirra didn't seem fazed by the whole situation. Even as time wore on, she remained resolute. I admired and envied her for it because my throat was dry, and my hands were shaking.

I looked at the entirely alien machine. "What's the plan?"

"Here," Pirra said, pointing upward. "See the panel above? I need to get up there to start the override. I can crank a handle. Every Sephian generator has one for emergencies, and I doubt whoever built this would leave it off."

"How do you know?"

"The academy taught me everything to help us fight—before I ran away like a _coward_."

"Look," I said, remembering the pain I'd caused her. "Is that why you did this? Because I called you a coward?"

"No. Yes. Not exactly. I did it because I was the reason Mom sent you to Neptune. I tried to do the right thing, but really, I was wrong to force you to save me. You couldn't resist because I was in danger."

I dabbed my stitched lip and removed the bloody tissues from my nose. "I would do anything for you. I don't think you sent me to Neptune, but I sometimes wish you understood how much your awesomeness hurts me. Naomi thinks I have to be awesome, too, but I can't be as good as you."

"You're better than me," Pirra said. "I don't know what to do on Mars half the time. Most of the time, I apply Sephian common sense to human situations. The translation isn't there, and I feel dumb."

"You're doing great. You and Vicky are best friends now. I didn't become friends with her first. You did, and you do great work at the office. Clarence was raving about you. Don't give up on being Pirra of Mars."

"I try," Pirra said. "Give me a boost up there."

I shook my head. "I'll do it. You're stronger, and I'm lighter. You tell me what to do."

Pirra didn't argue. She folded her hands together and heaved me upward. I grabbed the overhanging bars and pulled myself up to the consoles in the maintenance hub.

The screens were glittering green and blue. I recognized the display as Sephian script from my time as a prisoner. It sent chills down my back that any human would want to replicate it again.

"Where's the device?"

"It should have a silver handle—or maybe not, since it isn't Sephian-made. It's made to fit a hand."

"That is the worst help in finding something I've ever heard."

"You just know what it looks like. I can't describe it better."

I scanned the area. Above my head, there was a handle extending downward. It said—or at least I think it said— _Emergency_ _Override_ _Primer_. The script was Sephian, so it was hard to read.

"I think I have it," I called down.

"Pump it."

I grabbed hold and started working it back and forth. The energizer thumped louder, and I couldn't hear anything Pirra was saying to me. After a dozen more pumps, the energizer hummed an ear-splitting whine. I released the handle, and it snapped back into place.

With a surge, the energizer thumped rapidly for five or six seconds until it sounded like it had expended all of its energy. I was satisfied that I'd accomplished my goal. I called down to Pirra, but the noise from the energizer filled the room. Her reply was either nonexistent or muffled so I couldn't hear it.

Grabbing hold, I dangled from the bars, and dropped until I hung. When I was ready, I fell the remaining four feet to the floor.

When I stood from kneeling, a series of green guns greeted me. The energizer hadn't drowned out Pirra's voice. The bad guys had.
Chapter 18  
Eyes without a Face

We were back in the main room several minutes later. The walk was long up the spiraling staircase. Pirra's leg didn't hold up well because the leader didn't allow me to help her. They had kept us separated until now.

"I see why we didn't take the elevator," I said snarkily at the group's leader. I tilted my head at him.

"And why is that?"

"Your machines are all fried. We ruined everything with our power surge, including the elevator."

"Not everything," the man said. "Just the things in the area."

"And your power surge allowed us to find you," another voice said from behind us.

I spun around. The voice was deep and altered by some type of machine. The man was also faceless. It was some type of mask, but it blended with his skin and helmet perfectly. All I could see was his eyes.

"Who're you?" I asked, rather terrified. I stepped back as he moved forward, but Pirra stopped me, wanting me to stand up to the man.

"You can call me the masked man, and these are the troopers. My charge is to bring back Mars to its full glory, and you've been a speed bump the entire way, Molly Lennox. And so has Pirra . . . what's your last name now?"

"Pirra Lennox," my sister said. "Molly's my sister."

"Very well," the masked man said. His all-black suit was intimidating; it had several weapons and gadgets attached to it. The masked man's labored breath made me uncomfortable as I thought he might be sick. "You didn't realize how careful we'd had to be to keep you away from our business, Molly of Mars. Your tenacity reminds me of a former spy."

He was referring to Naomi—a comparison he thought would compliment me in some perverse way. At this moment, though, with my anger toward her, it was an insult. "And we'll stop you," I said. "My friends are on their way to reveal your plans."

"You mean Vicky Valentine and Luke Lautner. I'm afraid they're dead! We shot them down escaping on two hoverbikes."

"Liar," I replied, not wanting it to be true, although I knew it was entirely possible. "You'll say anything to make us scared."

"I've no reason to lie to you. They're dead, and you've no way to escape."

I quickly put Vicky and Luke out of my mind. This was a cold side of me from the war. I couldn't control the lie. I looked over at the two scientists at the controls to the air processor. They were just as scared as I was.

"The power surge will tell the people in orbit that something is wrong here," I said. "They'll come to investigate. No matter, you're finished. Let us go, and maybe my mom will have sympathy for you."

"You think you have it all worked out. You spotted the kidnapping at the party, and we made you seem crazy and immature. You tried to find my ships at Trivium Port, and we framed you for stealing. You tried to stop us at the museum, and we got away, and now you traced us to this location, and we caught you. At every turn, we've ended up winning."

I let out an uncharacteristic nervous chuckle. "I see it differently. I got closer and closer to you every time. You couldn't outsmart a _little_ girl, and you expect to take over Mars?"

"Your friends are dead. We stopped your attempts to have Mars discover this facility. How did you find us, anyway?" He stepped toward me menacingly.

I tried to stay defiant, but I cowered a little. I was just so scared he would hit me, or worse. "For once, you don't know something. Why should I tell you?"

He grabbed me by the arm, squeezing hard. I thought he was going to break it out of my shoulder socket.

"Okay, okay," I whined. "I'll tell you because it doesn't matter. When you stopped us at the museum, we put a tracker on the ship over there."

"Tracker? We sweep for trackers. How did you really find us?"

He squeezed again, and I screamed in pain.

"It's true," Pirra said. "I tossed my phone on the ship and used a simple phone finder through Telecorp."

The masked man's face tilted up and down, as he studied Pirra for a moment. He let go of my arm.

"Gahh!" I exclaimed. "My shoulder."

"Shut up." The masked man turned toward his troopers. "I told you to scan the ship for bugs."

The man took a step back. "Those scanners don't track that frequency because it's a phone."

"Squad Leader," the masked man said, "you let a couple of girls trick you."

"As you said," the squad leader replied, "they've gained nothing. I'll execute them immediately."

My stance tightened. If I had to fight, I would, even if I was outmatched and terrified.

"Not so fast," the masked man replied. "I need Pirra alive. She's my prize. A real-life Sephian with their pretty black hair. No one knows she's here. We can gain valuable information from her."

I didn't like the sound of his tone one bit. It was as if he wanted to dissect my sister, and I would never allow it. "We aren't your prisoners. Let us go or else."

"Or else what?" the masked man boomed. "I've beaten you. I have Pirra the alien to further my progress, and Molly of Mars is my bargaining chip in case Naomi Ravenswood ever finds out about the Syndicate."

"The other leaders will be most pleased," the squad leader stated.

"Shut up!" the masked man barked at his trooper. "Keep your mouth shut about our affairs. It's my job to know and your job to follow."

The squad leader nodded. "Understood."

"Take them to the cells while we prep Pirra's station for the experiments."

Fear surged within me. Even more than a few moments ago, I felt desperation to escape with my sister. Naomi had charged me with protecting her from Martians, and I wouldn't let these men do anything to her. Not even a blood test.

I sprang to my left, and as I twisted my arm, the man released his grip. A quick step later, I kicked the side of the knee of the trooper who was holding Pirra. He buckled and fell to the ground.

Pirra jumped across my body and kicked the man lunging at me. She hit him squarely in the face. His jaw cracked, and he slumped to the ground in pain.

Four women converged on us. They were wielding stun guns, but we were too close for them to use them. Stun guns had a nasty side effect of jumping from person to person in tight quarters. They couldn't risk stunning themselves.

Pirra and I rolled backward away from the attack. We didn't do anything and were surprised to see two of the women drop to the ground, convulsing in pain.

"The masked man has a stun gun!" Pirra screamed in warning.

"He doesn't care who he hits," I concluded, continuing to back up. "How's your leg?"

"Good enough," my sister said. Surprisingly, she had a plasma gun in her hand. She passed one to me. "Those dumb guards dropped them."

"I see." I flipped on the power cell. "Half charged."

"That's enough." Pirra shot three times at the squad leader, who was readying his aim at us.

I snapped off two rounds, hitting one of the incoming troopers. Stunned, the trooper stumbled enough for Pirra and me to get away.

"Where're we going?" I shouted. "I don't think we can open the doors."

"Not that way," Pirra said as she yanked on my shirt. We veered to the left, toward the animal cages.

"What are you thinking?" I was beside myself. "A dozen more troopers just entered the room. We'll never escape."

"As you said before, we don't need to escape. We just need to survive long enough for Naomi to come."

"She isn't coming. Vicky and Luke are dead."

We climbed over a row of barrels and then slid past a grouping of several large machines. We emerged in the center of the animal cages, which was terrifying. The beasts roared at the commotion. Great booms rattled my nerves as they threw their weight against the bars. Each wanted us as a snack.

"Down!" Pirra pulled on my collar, and I dropped. A stream of spit flew over the top of us and landed on the ground. I turned in the direction of the cage, and the snarling, green-scaled lizard snapped its jaws at us. "Don't worry about him. The tarlac wasted his toxin. Won't spit again for a few minutes."

"Toxin," I muttered. Getting to my feet slowly, I was fully aware of every creature now. "If the tarlac can spit a toxin, what else is here?"

"No more danger," Pirra said. "But we don't have any options. We've nowhere to run."

I was about to encourage Pirra to find a place when the troopers ran around from all sides, trapping us.

Pirra and I stood back-to-back. The troopers closed in. I swallowed slowly.

"Now!" Pirra shouted as she fired her gun.

"Now what?" I asked, but the sparks along the two cages over my shoulder indicated that I was to do something. I pivoted to face the hulking creature as the doors to its cage burst open.

The animal was three times as tall as I was, and its nasty teeth were as long as my arm. It roared at Pirra, whose green eyes narrowed with determination.

I understood what she was doing now. She was creating a problem for the troopers, but it was also going to be a problem for us.

"The troll is loose!" one of the troopers screamed. Half of them turned and ran the other way, while the others retrieved a long prodding stick.

Pirra and I had nothing. As the troll jumped toward me, I dashed to the side, tripping over my feet and falling to the ground. The fall was jarring, and snotty blood was all over my face as the fall forced air through my broken, stuffed nose.

With my eyes locked on the creature's dripping teeth, I wiped blood off my face, feeling every cut and bruise. My hair stuck to the side of my cheek, which was caked with blood, snot, and spit from the fall.

Huge roars drowned out every other sound in the cave, and I pulled my body in tighter, wondering if the troll would scoop me up in its jaws.

"No!" Pirra screamed. "Don't touch her."

But the troll was already on me. It grabbed my jacket and threw me a dozen feet across the ground. My hair was splayed across my face, and I looked through the tattered blond-red strands.

It lunged at me again, but I collected myself enough to discharge several plasma shots into its chest. It reared back, stung by the sharp-energy ammo.

I was back on my feet a second later.

Pirra rushed beside me, grabbing my hand. "I think you made it mad."

"Really?" I said. "I thought it was already mad."

"Well, you hurt its feelings, at least."

"It almost tore my arms off," I said, feeling along my shoulders where it had ripped my jacket. I pulled it off and threw it to the ground.

"Where'd it go?"

Pirra pointed. "Those troopers are helping us!"

The troll moved toward the troopers as they stupidly prodded it with shocking sticks. With a great heave, the troll knocked several troopers to the ground. I couldn't tell if they were unconscious or deliberately lying limp to avoid the troll's further wrath.

In any case, it helped Pirra and me greatly. We moved up a nearby service staircase and along the gangway above the room. I looked behind us as we moved away from the cages to relative safety from the alien creatures. We might just pull it off . . .

"Stop!" The masked man stood in front of us on the gangway.

Pirra and I stopped.

"He has a gun," I said in a hollow voice. "And it isn't a stun gun. It's real!"

Pirra gasped.
Chapter 19  
A Deep Breath

I stared at the gun for a long moment. Pirra wanted to step in front of me to shield me from the first shot, but I wouldn't allow it. I drew in a quick breath, trying to formulate some plan for keeping us both alive.

"What now, masked man?" I said to stall him. "Are you going to kill your prized possession, Pirra?"

"Hand her over," the masked man said, pushing his gun toward me. He was several feet away, so it had no effect on my already peaking terror.

"She isn't going anywhere."

Pirra pushed past me, harder than I expected, so I couldn't stop her. "I'll be your shield," Pirra whispered. "He won't shoot me."

It was a sound idea, I admitted, but one I hated. "Okay, but don't go with him. I'm dead that way."

"I know."

"Come with me, Pirra. You're a beautiful Sephian specimen," the masked man said. "We need your abilities. I can restore them."

"You can? How?" Pirra asked with a bit more enthusiasm than I would've liked. The offer tempted her.

"You see our equipment. You see our alien tech— _your_ people's technology. We can use it to restore your powers. We've been following you, and we can help you."

"Don't listen to him," I pleaded. "His tech hasn't helped him yet."

"Hasn't it?" the masked man said. "We'll sell air to Mars and make a fortune. Then we'll rule Mars within the year. Pirra, you can either allow your mother to be a part of it, or you can be used against your will."

I grabbed Pirra's arm. "Don't listen—"

"Shut up," Pirra said to me. I was taken aback, but I also understood how much her abilities had meant to her. The threat to our mom might be too tempting. Then she lowered her voice. "Molly, you never get it. If the atmosphere _is_ _released_ , they can't help me. They'll lose their advantage, and I'll be normal forever!"

Instantly, I understood what she was doing. She did not intend to accept the masked man's offer. She was telling me that I needed to start the air processor on the ground level. I would need the help of one of the scientists.

I looked down toward the controls. It would be tough, but I could make it.

"I know you want your abilities back," I said loudly. "You can't allow that guy to shoot me. I'm your sister."

"Can we make an agreement, masked man?" Pirra said. "You'll let her go, and I'll cooperate."

The masked man eyed us curiously for a long moment. The blank face on the mask gave nothing away, but his relaxing of the pistol gave me comfort that he was accepting Pirra's terms.

While he decided, I eyed the air processor on the floor below. It was a huge machine, stretching through the roof of the complex. It had to be large to extend the air converter into the atmosphere. All I had to do was start the main reaction on full power. This would split carbon dioxide, the unbreathable part of Martian air, into healthy, pure oxygen. It would take minutes to saturate the area and stop their crazy scheme.

"I'm afraid I only need you, Pirra. I don't need your cooperation." He pointed his gun at me.

_Bang_!

I was already jumping over the side of the railing as I heard the shot. The surge of adrenaline coursed through me as the ground approached quickly. I braced for the impact. I landed on a stack of barrels. Fortunately, they were empty. I toppled over backward and came to a jolting stop under the gangway, out of sight of the masked man.

My knees stung with pain as I rose to my feet. The pain was manageable, but I had no doubts I had some deep scrapes underneath my pants.

From above, something warm and liquid struck my face. I dabbed at my cheek to find droplets of blood.

Another tap-tap of blood struck my shoulder.

I looked up to see Pirra on the gangway. She was on her knees, grabbing at her side.

"Pirra!" I shouted.

"Molly, I'm shot," she whimpered. "Get to the controls."

"I—" I was about to say more but couldn't. I needed to help her, but with the masked man wielding a gun, my only defense was to distract him. Maybe I could pull him away from Pirra for the moment.

I dashed around the atmospheric converter to the other side, out of sight of the masked man.

"Stop her!" he yelled.

His command was ignored. Chaos surrounded me. The creatures were running everywhere on the ground level. Pirra had unleashed a tidal wave of brutality on the Syndicate. A part of me was glad that the fire they started was burning them.

"You are Dr. Siskin?" I called as the scientist cowered under the control station. "I need you."

"They'll kill me if I help," he said.

"Your wife, Judy, was worried about you, so we came looking for you. You were taken from the party, and I saw it. Please help me. My sister's been shot, and I need their plan to fail so I can help her."

"But—"

"Do this for your wife, your children."

Reluctantly, Dr. Siskin got to his feet and moved to the controls.

"Release everything," I said. "We need the air to blanket the region so they can't sell it."

"I know," the doctor said. "I wanted to do it to warn Mars."

"Why didn't you, then? You could've stopped this. People are suffering without properly balanced air."

"They would've killed me or perhaps my family. I just need to clear this bank of pow—"

Dr. Siskin fell to the ground as one of the creatures pulled him away. I jumped to grab him, but he was taken swiftly toward one of the cages. I wanted to help but I knew that my priority was to get the air flowing. It would help everyone if I could get the air going again.

"Just get the power bank back on," I whispered to myself.

I turned to the controls, ignoring the chaos behind me. I was looking for two options: the start sequence and the power levels.

I turned on the row of power cells he'd indicated, and the alien tech hummed louder. I was going to do it!

"Get her!" the masked man barked from above me. He was racing down the ramp to the main floor.

_Ping_! _Ping_! Bullets whizzed over my head.

I moved the controls to maximum power, then a terrific crash resounded from above the console. I looked up to see a creature curling its tail aggressively.

I stepped back, feeling my breaths shorten. I shuffled to the side, and the creature followed with its eyes. It was a nasty beast with a hard shell for skin and long spikes for feet. Its hind legs sunk into the metal as its weight pushed against the claws.

I curled my fingers into fists. My last weapon.

Just when I thought I would die, the fans on the air converter kicked on. The thunderous sound was deafening. The creature flinched and thrashed. And before I knew it, the fans swept both of us upward. I kicked my feet out, wedging myself against the console and the main exhaust pipe.

The beast wasn't as lucky. It was sucked into the humongous machine. Diced and chopped, the creature split into a million pieces as the turbine ground it down.

As suddenly as it started, the pressure slackened, and I dropped to the ground, gasping for air. The machine was supposed to produce air, not remove it.

I gripped my throat, twisting and turning as I looked for an ounce of oxygen. It sickened me to hear my gulps of desperation.

Nothing.

I was going to die by my own hand. The machine had sucked all of the oxygen out of the cave. Spots formed in my vision as I searched for Pirra. My sister would be my last sight in this terrible chaos. I'd make sure of that.

The main claxon roared once again. At the same time, a grinding squawk erupted, and the massive main doors slowly parted. A gentle breeze from outside washed over everything. Though the air was thin, it was clean. I gulped in several breaths as my lungs pained to process it.

Soon, the thinness subsided, my breaths loosened, and I could breathe fully again.

_Pirra_!

I was on my feet scrambling up the gangway toward my sister. She was still in the same position when I reached her. Her face was white. I put my hand into hers, squeezing it gently to let her know I was there.

"I'm okay," Pirra said. "I just need a few stitches."

"Be quiet. I'll get you to a hospital if I can figure out how to escape."

I looked over the room; all of the creatures were unconscious as well as several of the men. But they'd awake soon. We needed to make our escape now.

"I can't," Pirra said.

I stopped. "Just stay here. I'll—" But I couldn't leave her. Not alone. I sat with her for several minutes, hoping someone would come to save us. I'd never leave her to find help. Not with the masked man's threats so fresh in my mind.

"Everyone freeze!" a booming voice said over a megaphone from the ground level. From the doorway, several Martian troopers piled in.

Behind them, walking in with a serious look on her face, was Naomi, my mom.

"Naomi!" I called, but she didn't hear me. She was looking elsewhere. "Naomi!" I said again. No reply. "Mom!"

Finally, she spotted us. She and several troopers ran up the ramp. The medical troopers immediately treated Pirra and assured me that she would be okay. I was relieved, mostly because she had sacrificed herself. I didn't know how I would react to such a gift if she died. I didn't deserve it. She did.

Naomi attended to me. A warmed wet rag rubbed along my face and neck. I tried to resist, but Naomi pushed herself into me. "We need to get the blood off you. Red, green, and blue. What did you get yourself into? You look like—"

"Hell. I know."

"No, like a warrior."

"Watch my nose. It's broken."

"I have to get it all."

I looked down at the towel. It had the blue and green blood from the creature. But there was also my blood and Pirra's blood on my hands and face.

I couldn't handle it. Not my sister's blood. I vomited over the railing to the floor below.

"Take it slow," Naomi said, holding me gently as she hadn't in months. She was mothering, and I was shocked—but glad.

"What about Pirra?" If she died and I saw it, I'd never get it out of my mind. I needed her to be okay. "Is Pirra safe?"

"The medics told you she would be," Naomi said. "They're administering the regenerator now. She'll be good as new in a few minutes."

I turned, finally confident that I could look. "You okay?"

"I'll make it," Pirra said. "But what about the masked man?"

I swung my head around, searching for the mystery man. I broke away from Naomi and raced down the ramp to the floor below. I couldn't find him. "Did you get him? Did you see him?" I called to Naomi.

"Who's the masked man?"

"He ran this operation," I said, coming back up. Pirra was standing by this time. "A group called the Syndicate has been engineering alien tech, trying to gain power on Mars. He was the leader. I used that machine to set up a signal. I knew the orbital scanners would spot the oxygen concentration, and you found me."

Naomi smiled. "So it was you who used their equipment to give air to Mars?"

I was confused. "Yes. Out of the stack. You saw the air pocket with the satellites?"

"Sweetie," Naomi said, putting her hand on my cheek, "you started a chain reaction of machines. Look here." She showed me her handheld screen. "Over four hundred machines are running on max power. You've taken Mars from the brink of suffocation to almost earthlike levels. We'll be able to breathe for centuries without cost. You saved Mars."

"I did!" I found it hard to believe. I wanted to take credit, but I really hadn't done anything on purpose. "I had help—"

Naomi hugged me hard and pulled me in close. I wasn't expecting it. Rather the opposite—I thought she would be mad that I had run off to save Pirra. I put everyone in danger, and for the first time, I saw how reckless I'd become.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I let you down with all my risky behavior."

"No, no, no," Naomi said. "I was dumb. I tried to put a square peg into a round hole. You have to be Molly, and I missed that."

"I should've talked to you more. Explained things. But I ended up yelling." She brushed my face lovingly. "I wasn't listening, and you don't have to go to Neptune or anywhere you don't want. I want you here. I always have."

"I want to be here, with you and Pirra," I said, smiling. "I thought we'd lost each other."

"Never. Never."

We hugged for a long moment. It was one of the best feelings of my life, and I really needed it. And I really needed it from her.

"Molly!" Vicky and Luke shouted as they ran up the gangway.

"You're alive!" I screamed for joy. "Thank the stars!"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Luke asked. "We got Naomi, as you asked."

"I'll go check on security," Naomi said and walked away from the four of us.

Vicky hugged me. "I'm sorry I thought you were paranoid. I didn't know you were telling the truth. You've been overzealous lately."

I put my hand in Vicky's. "I know it appears that way, but I always have a good reason. Trouble just seems to find me."

"I don't want us to fight," Vicky said. "But I like Aiden. I thought you might come to like him, too."

"Like Aiden?" I twisted my face.

"Enjoy his company?"

I twisted my face further.

"Tolerate him," Vicky said, wanting me to agree.

I grunted. "I still think he tried to kill us back at the school, and I think . . ." I didn't finish my sentence. I didn't want the others to know I suspected Mr. Atrocia of being the masked man. It would be too big a guess. I had several other suspects, as well. I tightened my lips and thought it best to leave everyone happy with me for one night.

"You think what?" Vicky crossed her arms.

"I think Aiden's sister isn't very nice, either."

"That," Vicky said with a laugh, "we can agree on. I think Aubrey is jealous of me."

"Luke," I said. "I know we put you in a bad position with your parents. Do you think they can forgive you?"

"About the power converter? Now that they'll find out, they'll be upset, but if I can show them I know a little about alien tech, they'll forgive me. My dad will want all the details."

"It disturbs me that any alien tech exists," Pirra said. "I truly believed I was the last piece in the Sephian puzzle in our solar system."

"I wasn't expecting it, either, but Luke might be onto something," I replied. "He'll need to know alien tech in the future. It appears the aliens are gone, but their legacy remains. I just hope humanity doesn't destroy itself trying to find what they left behind."

"Why is the tech bad? The tech didn't destroy anything this time," Vicky said.

"You were part of the war," I replied. "Alien tech isn't something to play around with. It's powerful and destructive."

"But not this time," Vicky insisted. "You gave Mars air, so therefore the alien tech helped everyone. It wasn't destructive. When used correctly, it can help the whole planet."

Pirra seemed to agree. "Maybe my people have finally given humanity one good thing."

I looked into my sister's eyes. "You're the best thing the Sephians gave to humanity, and don't ever doubt it."
Chapter 20  
Molly of Mars Reborn

Two days later, I was healed and feeling a lot better about myself. My mom had taken us to the water park on Mars's space station, Millennium One, and we had a great time. Vicky and I were back to normal, too, except that she'd invited Aiden, and by extension, Aubrey, to the park with us. I wasn't happy at first, but they kept out of my way for most of the trip. It was an odd occurrence. I was suspicious of them, but eventually Pirra and I had too much fun to care.

Tonight Pirra, my mom, and I were together again. Pirra and Mom were in the other room preparing a snack. I was getting the screen ready for the movie when I heard the door buzzer ring. Immediately, I answered it.

"Aiden," I said as the door swung open.

"What have you done?" he snapped at me.

"I didn't do anything to you," I said back at him. "Did you get water in your ears at the park?"

"Not that, you stupid fool. I mean with Vicky. She said she might not want to be my girlfriend—that maybe we should just be friends."

"Girlfriend? You were on two dates. And I know you tried to kill us at the school. Friendship is more than you deserve."

Aiden shoved his finger at me. "I know you did something to her."

"She's her own woman," I replied, trying to keep my voice down. I didn't need Pirra or my mom hearing his rant. "I've warned her about you the entire time. She doesn't listen to me."

Aiden's eyebrows lowered as he frowned. He was turning aggressive. "She doesn't get to make those choices."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm Aiden Atrocia. It's my job to lead, and it's her job to follow."

I was taken aback for a second, hearing him saying he commanded Vicky and that he could dictate their relationship. The masked man had said the same words to me. Now I was convinced more than ever that his father was involved and that the twins were involved, too.

"Just get out of here, Aiden. I don't need your threats. If you weren't such a terrible toad, maybe Vicky would have a reason to like you. I don't see it."

"Watch it, Molly . . . _of_ _Mars_. My father is still more powerful than your mother is. No matter what publicity might have occurred lately or what you might've done for Mars. I'll find something to help the Valentines, and I'll get Vicky back."

"Just leave. I'm trying to enjoy my night, not listen to your shrieking voice."

And he did. Surprisingly, he rushed away. I knew his act at the water park was fake, and I was concerned that the twins were involved more than ever. I thought I could control the twins as I always had in school, but Aiden's threats seemed more personal now. I thinned my lips in determination. The battle against evil would never end, but it had to be fought.

I would fight for Mars. I had to be _Molly_ _of_ _Mars_ sometimes. Apathy, complacency, and laziness had no role in freedom. If the Syndicate showed its nose again, I'd punch it off.

I closed the door as Aiden walked out of sight.

"Who was that?" my mom asked as I focused back on the present.

"No one," I said. "Just someone from school wanting to tell me what I did again."

"Like you already don't know you saved Mars," Pirra replied.

"Yep," I nodded. "Another person who thinks they're my friend all of a sudden."

"People like to be part of history," my mom said. "I can't blame them. I couldn't be prouder of my two daughters."

I blushed. "Oh, stop it. I can't handle it inside the house, too. All these congratulations are embarrassing me."

Pirra rushed over to the stereo. "Remember this song?"

With thumping beats, the music played, and it was from my favorite band—a pop song all three of us had listened to the first time we met. From time to time, Pirra would play it when Naomi and I had been fighting. It always put us in a good mood.

And it worked once again. Naomi started dancing with Pirra, and soon enough, all three of us were laughing and dancing around.

But in the back of my mind, I knew I wouldn't forget what Aiden had said to me. The threats he had made.

For tonight, though, I would enjoy my life with my family. On Mars.
Check out more Molly of Mars books,

Molly of Mars and the Alien Nebula

Molly of Mars and her Alien Sister

Molly of Mars and the Alien Creature

or try my other series, LUNARA.

