 
### Bubble Gum and Monsters
Copyright © 2016 by Young Vampires Publishing

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

First Edition, 2015.

Second Edition, 2016.

ISBN 978-0-9947954-3-4

www.youngvampirespublishing.com
Dedication

To Darcy, who showed what is possible.
Acknowledgements

Special thanks to: Mandy, Tamara, Trevor, Keith, Glenis, Vicky, Shawn, Megan, Pete, Kirsten, Dave, Esther, Derek, Thora, Aaron, Sheryl, Mike, Poopu, Samanta, David, and Geeth.
Chapter 1

Daea awoke in darkness. She must have closed the curtains during the night. Her mother yelled that she was going to be late for school. The young girl groaned and stuck her head under her pillow. Her mom stomped toward the stairs and yelled that school had started only two weeks ago and that she had already missed three days. Daea grumbled that she was on her way.

The dark haired girl with big brown eyes put on a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans lying on the messy floor. She slumped down the stairs. Taking her seat, Daea poured a bowl of Super Choco Os, which claimed to be the chocolatiest cereal on the planet.

Her mom made mini-sandwiches on the large counter. She had fair skin and dark hair. She owned a catering business that provided food services for movie productions. Two years ago, her family had renovated their house to accommodate an industrial sized kitchen. On this day, she had a lunch for the cast and crew of the action blockbuster, Rex Jones 3.

Daea asked if she could skip school to help. She knew the question was futile. Her mother would never allow her to miss class to gawk at the glamor and excitement of the movies. Sometimes on weekends or during the summer, she was allowed to go, but under strict instructions that she stay out of the way.

She loved meeting and chatting with the cast and crew, especially the famous stars. She was often dragged away by her apologetic mother or one of the catering company employees. It didn't take long before everyone on set knew the young girl.

Daea's father entered the kitchen from the back door. He serenaded the room with a good morning song. He had been born in Mexico, and his family moved to the U.S. when he was a baby. He got steady work as an actor, but Daea thought it unfair that he never got to be the leading man. After all, he was tall, dark, handsome, and had a beautiful voice. She hoped that someday he would get a big break so that he could have the illustrious career he deserved.

Daea's mom gave her husband a kiss then asked him to tell his daughter to hurry or she would miss the school bus again. He laughed and told the girl that she needed to hurry because he had an audition, so no one could drive her if she missed it. He picked her up out of her seat, gave her a hug and kiss, and helped with her backpack. He remarked that they could probably expect a phone call from the teacher informing them that she hadn't done her homework again. Daea said that she would do it on the way to school.

She gasped and covered her eyes when the door opened. The girl dodged her father as she ran up to her room. Her parents protested as she rummaged through stuff on the floor. Daea found her sunglasses, hat, and a red wind jacket. She put them on, ran back down the stairs, stopped to give her mother a kiss, and wished her good luck.

The Los Angeles morning was warm and hazy. A dry breeze blew through the sycamore trees that lined her street. Daea sauntered toward the bus stop. She saw the bus turn the corner. She arrived just in time, although she knew the driver would wait since he was familiar with her tardy ways.

The screaming and yelling kids hushed as Daea walked down the aisle. Everyone watched her, and many kids moved to the inside of their seat as she passed, hoping she would sit with them. Daea had never seen them act like that before. She was well-liked, but now she felt popular.

She stuck her tongue out at the kids looking at her before she sat beside a fifth grader she had been meaning to speak with.

"Hey, Sam."

Sam moved his backpack onto his lap. "Hey, Daea. How's it going?"

Daea scrutinized the boy. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, remember last week when I tried to sit with you and you told me to scram?"

Sam lowered his eyes. "Sorry. That was rude. I'm glad you're sitting with me today."

Daea reached over to feel his forehead for a fever when Toby, a fourth grader in her class, leaned over the seat and said, "Hey, Daea."

"Be careful. You're going to fall on us," she said, pushing him back.

Toby giggled and regained his balance. He listened to the conversation while teetering on the back of the seat.

Daea turned back to the boy beside her. "So, do you still have that rash on your hip? I heard some boys talking. They said it's a contagious disease. They said it would eat all your flesh, but I don't believe that. Still, you should go to the hospital to make sure."

Toby giggled.

Sam said, "First, that's none of your business. And second, it's not a disease. It's a skin condition called eczema. It's genetic, and it's not contagious. Why don't you go sit with someone from your own grade?" He composed himself. "Sorry. I know you're trying to help. I've seen the doctor, and she gave me a cream to apply twice a day."

"I'll talk to the boys in your class and explain everything."

"Please don't."

Perched on a high hill, the school overlooked much of Encino. Children ran and screamed across the paved yard. Daea watched a game of marbles in the shadow of the building as the students awaited the bell.

The teacher began class with a homework check. When he got to Daea, he frowned and asked to see her work. She donned a shamed and remorseful face, hoping he'd pass her by without a lecture. She knew how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. In fact, with those operators she realized she could derive complex mathematical proofs. She had no idea why she knew such advanced concepts, however. The teacher took one look at her work, sighed, and then moved on to inspect the next student.

Gym class was before lunch, and dodge ball was the game of the day. Daea dominated. She singlehandedly won the match for her team. The gym teacher told her to take it easy and made her apologize to an opponent after she accidentally hit him square in the face. Her teammates gave her high fives after the match, but she didn't know why she was so much better than everyone else.

At lunch, everyone, even older kids, wanted to sit at Daea's table. She ate one of the sandwiches her mother had packed. She listened and responded to her schoolmates with half an ear. She excused herself to see if she could find out any information about the strange things happening to her.

Daea walked into the school library, past the librarian, to a row of computers. The librarian raised her eyebrows. The girl explained that she needed to do some research. The librarian raised her eyebrows even higher.

She began with a search for sudden physical and mental changes in children. The websites about adolescence didn't seem relevant. She included sensitivity to the sun as a symptom. This search yielded more of the same except for one result. The fourth link had nothing to do with children, bodily changes, or the sun. Rather, it was a website for a furniture store. Daea went to the webpage. It appeared to be a regular business website. The prices, however, did not correspond with what those items should cost. Furthermore, there was no contact information except a sentence directing inquiries to My Lady of the Light.

"My Lady of the Light," Daea whispered under her breath. "My lady... Mylady... Malady?... Malady of the Light? That's it!"

The first numbers of the first three items were 2, 1, and 3—a Los Angeles area code. There were only ten items on the page. She combined the first number from each price, and searched to see if it was a phone number. It was, and it belonged to a place named Moon and Stars Incorporated. She searched for the business but could find no such place in L.A., California, or the U.S.

Daea walked to the back of the library and took her phone from her pocket. She dialed the number but then immediately deleted it. She repeated that process a few times. Finally, she hit the call button and the phone began to ring.
Chapter 2

"Moon and Stars Incorporated," a young female voice answered in a tone dripping with sarcasm. "How can I help you?"

"Umm, do you sell furniture?" Daea asked.

"Please hold."

A pop song played while she waited. Her thumb hovered over the big red disconnect button, but a commanding male voice spoke before she could press it.

"Hi, Daea. My name is Riley, and it's important that you listen to me and follow my instructions. Do you understand?"

"I guess, but..."

"Sorry Daea, no time for guesses, questions, or interruptions. I can't be on the phone for long. First, you are standing in your school library, right? There are windows to your left. Stay away from them. Do you have a jacket and hat?"

"Not with me. They're in my locker."

"OK. Go to your locker, then walk to the school's back door that leads to the parking lot. You know the one?

"Yes, but I think..."

"I know you have questions. I promise they will be explained. What is imperative, though, is that you follow my instructions. Think of the changes you have experienced today. You are probably faster, stronger, smarter, and more popular. Years ago, I was in a similar situation. If you are not careful, you could limit your potential."

Daea took a deep breath and asked, "Tell me why I should trust you?"

Riley answered, "You found this number and called. We have obscure methods to find recently Awakened Childaar, and you found us—not an easy thing to do. Yours was a call for help."

"What's a Childaar?"

"I promise to answer that question as soon as we meet. For now, though, just trust me when I say that you have the potential to make the world a better place. We need you, Daea. If you meet us and don't like what we have to say, we'll prepare you for what you need to know going forward and you will never hear from us again."

"What about my parents? They'll be worried when the school informs them that I've left."

"We will make sure that they and your school understand you are gone and safe."

Daea took a deep breath. "OK, I'll meet you. You said the parking lot?"

"Yes, go to your locker. Put on anything you have. What is important is that you are protected from the sun. You will be taken to the J. Paul Getty Museum, where we can speak face-to-face."

Daea went to her locker and grabbed her things. As she ran to the back door, she collided with the gym teacher, who fell to the ground. He made a joke about her playing football, then asked where she was off to in such a hurry. She told him that she was on a secret mission. He chortled and wished her good luck.

Daea got to the parking lot door and cracked it open. She saw a taxi. She left the school and sped toward the vehicle. Her neck and hands felt like they were on fire. She jumped into the car and slammed the door closed. The driver passed her a blanket and told her to cover up.

Traffic was slow on Ventura but picked up once they turned at Sherman Oaks onto the San Diego freeway. The trip took almost an hour.

They turned onto a twisting road. The museum's fibrous, white, rounded limestone walls seemed to grow out of the mountain side. In addition to a panoramic view of Los Angeles, Daea caught a distant glimpse of the sun reflecting off of the Pacific Ocean. Only a few expensive sports cars filled the large, windowless garage.

A handsome older boy waited for her. He was tall and muscular. He had shaggy blond hair and deep brown eyes. He wore jeans and a blue T-shirt. He stepped forward, opened the door, and offered his hand. "Hello, Daea, I'm Riley. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Transfixed, the girl took his hand and gasped, "A pleasure to meet you too."

He took her phone out of her hand and said, "Young vampires can't use phones." He tossed it back into the taxi. "If you choose not to stay, don't forget it when you are taken home."

Daea composed herself and said, "Young vampire? What are you talking about?"

Riley's voice was little more than a whisper. "Daea, you are becoming a vampire."

She waved her arms in the air. "I want to go home. I don't like this!"

"I understand. This is overwhelming. Of course, if you really want to go home, you can. I urge you, however, to at least see this night out. You've been given a great opportunity. The world needs you."

Daea scrutinized the character standing before her. She slowly nodded her head. Riley smiled and led her away.

As they walked through corridors and down flights of stairs, the boy said, "I expect we will have a mission tonight. We haven't had one in a few days, and this being L.A., we're overdue. If so, we will do it along with my long time teammate Mason and another rookie."

The boy opened a door. "This is our home."

A luxurious space spread out in front of them. It was huge. An open living area centered the room. Couches, chairs, beanbag chairs, desks, tables, and a music player all sat atop an immense, fine rug. In one corner, floor to ceiling shelves housed thousands of books, toys, and games. Daea spotted a counter full of food across the room in a large kitchen. Through a door near the kitchen, the young girl saw a gigantic gymnasium and smelled chlorine from a swimming pool. Double doors, guarded by arcade games along the wall, opened into a full size movie theater.

A small boy, with brown skin and short, tight black hair, sat at a desk with two books open. He finished what he was writing, docked the fountain pen, and raised his gaze. He stood and walked toward the pair. His sharp black suit, white shirt, and shiny shoes all looked new.

The older boy made introductions. "Daea, this is Eli. Eli contacted us yesterday. He too has just Awakened, which is surprising considering how rarely Childaar Awaken, let alone in the same city a day apart. Eli, this is Daea." He turned and said, "I have to attend some matters. I'll leave you two here to make your acquaintances, but I'll be back soon."

The boy looked at Daea. She looked at him.

He smiled and said, "Hey."

"Hey," she replied.

"When is your birthday?"

"What?"

"Your birthday? Mine is November 14th."

Daea scrunched her nose and said, "December 31st."

"New Year's Eve?"

"Yeah."

"How old are you?"

"How old are you?"

"Nine," he answered.

"Me too."

Eli pumped his fist in the air and cheered, "I'm older than you."

"Who cares?"

He said, "I'm a Smart. What are you?"

Daea rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, I bet you're smart. I bet you have a big brain. You're smarter than Einstein—Einstein."

"What? No, I mean my Dynasty. There are six young vampire Dynasties: Smart, Charm, Hardy, Quick, Sight, and Sovereign. I'm a Smart. I'm probably smarter than Einstein was, since he was only Kinedaar—a normal person. I get access to the Gifts of Seeingness, Mindness, and Wizardness. Want to see something cool?" The boy cupped his hands, and little yellow and orange flames spun slowly between them. "That's Fire, the first level of Wizardness. I'm an L1. I only have one Gift out of the possible nine.

"Enough!" Daea shouted. "Let's start at the beginning. How do you know all this?"

Eli pointed to the books on the table. "Riley gave me his Awakening Tome. He suggested I transcribe it. All Childaar are expected to make a copy." The young boy picked up an exquisite journal. He showed Daea the pages. "See how the ink is so faded that it's hard to read? Tomes concerning vampire lore fade over time and eventually disappear. Handwritten and quality materials keep the text longer. Childaar add their own experiences to their Tomes; no two are alike. Riley told me he wrote his seven years ago. He said I can access the city's history Tomes when I finish. The Awakening Tome contains the basics of what it means to become Childaar."

"What if I make a photocopy?" Daea asked.

"Photocopies disappear within a few minutes."

"So, we're really vampires? Like in the movies? Do we have to drink blood?"

"No, we don't. All vampires begin as Childaar. Over time, we gain powers called Gifts, and the longer you have one, the stronger its potential. Young vampires also get improved senses, and basic Tuffness, Powness, and Speedness. Also, and this is cool too, our capacities increase to human maximum. We are as strong and fast as the greatest Olympians, our personal magnetism exceeds those of rock stars, we can understand complex mysteries better than detectives, and we are as intelligent as great thinkers like Einstein.

"And what about food?" Daea asked, looking at the kitchen.

"We don't need to eat. We can, but it's not necessary. Eating doesn't have any effect on our bodies."

Daea pointed at the kitchen. "I could go and eat whatever I want and it doesn't matter? I won't spoil dinner or be unhealthy?"

Eli nodded, and Daea sprinted to the kitchen, where she rummaged through the cupboards and refrigerator. She stuffed junk food into her pockets from a stash found in a group of drawers. She counted ten different kinds of ice cream in the freezers. She created the most amazing sundae of her life. She combined four ice creams, along with chocolate chips, candy coated marshmallows, butterscotch syrup, and jujubes.

Returning to the living room, Daea plopped into a beanbag chair, scooped a spoonful into her mouth, and said, "I'm glad we don't have to drink blood."

"Yes, but there is some truth to blood drinking. If a young vampire skips the Sleepining..."

"What's the Sleepining?"

"It's the transformation from Childaar to Ennui. Young vampires must expose themselves to the sun before their eighteenth birthday or they become Eldaar, who are evil, gain Dark Gifts, and need to drink blood from Kinedaar. It is said that ancient Eldaar, like the Nosferatu, need to drink the blood of other Eldaar or Childaar to survive. Ennui lose their powers, and their Childaar life becomes a distant memory as they return to Kinedaar life. They often live in or near nature."

Daea stood. She had ice cream and chocolate all over her face. She raised her arms in the air and approached Eli. "Ooooo, I'm The Nosferatu, and I'm going to drink your blood." She tickled the boy.

"Stop it," said Eli, pushing her away. "You'll dirty the Tomes."

Daea returned to her seat, took the half empty bowl, and kept eating. "So that's why the sun hurt me today? I was losing my Gifts? I was becoming Ennui?"

"No. You haven't had enough time to develop as a Childaar. You would simply have become a normal kid again and have had little memory of today's events. You probably didn't lose anything while in the sun because you were, and still are, in the midst of your Awakening. From now on, though, we have to avoid the sun. Any time spent in it decreases our chances to learn new Gifts and can cause us to lose the Gifts we have. Eldaar, on the other hand, take damage from the sun."

"Just like in the movies?"

Eli nodded.

"Why aren't there movies about young vampires?"

Eli held up Riley's Tome of Awakening. "You know, a lot of these questions are answered in here. You should start reading and transcribing your own. There are empty journals in the desk."

"Just tell me."

"Kinedaar adults can't remember anything about young vampires. If we use our Gifts in front of them, they will rationalize it to fit their mundane worldview. Kinedaar children, on the other hand, can see and remember. The younger they are, the more they recall."

Daea finished her sundae. "My options, then, are to expose myself to the sun and be a normal kid or stay here and be a Childaar. Why shouldn't I just expose myself and go home?"

"Then you wouldn't be able to fight the Suffering."

"The Suffering?"

Eli held out the book. "You know, it would be easier if you just read this."

Daea shook her head. "What's the Suffering?"

"The Suffering is an omnipresent force that permeates the world. There is pretty much Suffering everywhere, but cities have more than rural areas. Major cities attract the Suffering like black holes attract light. It appears as a wispy, smoky, black and gray fog that swirls along the ground. Only Childaar can see it. We can't see it right now because we're in a museum. Places like museums, galleries, libraries, and schools are safe. Luckily, family and friends of Childaar also have certain protections."

"Do Eldaar make the Suffering?"

"No. If anything, the Suffering makes the Eldaar. We have ways to—"

"We?"

"Childaar are loosely connected through a group of young vampires known as Orakles."

"So they tell us when we have to go fight Eldaar? I heard we have a mission tonight? Are we going to fight an Eldaar?"

Eli shook his head. "No way. Eldaar are rare and powerful. They are also cautious and hard to find. They use the Suffering remotely to increase their influence."

"How?"

"They take advantage of the monsters and situations created by the Suffering."

"Monsters!"

"Yes," Eli replied. "The Suffering can manifest as monsters. Only Chidaar can see and fight monsters. If they are not defeated, they return to the darkness stronger than before. People who live in places with lots of Suffering lead unhappy and unlucky lives. When Childaar fight monsters, it reduces the amount of Suffering in the world. Only the most powerful Childaar are on teams to track and fight Eldaar."

"What kind of monsters are there?"

Eli returned to his seat at the desk. "Seriously, just start reading and transcribing, and these questions will be answered."

"I don't want to. Just tell me."

Eli ignored the girl and worked on his Tome. Daea asked more questions, but Eli remained steadfast. Eventually she returned to the kitchen, grabbed a bag of sour candies, and browsed the toys and games. She explored the rest of their home, shot baskets in the gymnasium, and then watched a movie in the theater. When Riley returned, she joined Eli at the desk.

Eli whispered to Daea, "He must be close to his Sleepining. Look how old he is."

A younger, skinny, olive skinned boy followed behind the leader. He wore beige slacks and a light, green, long-sleeved shirt.

Joining the young vampires in the common area, Riley said, "Daea, Eli, this is Mason. He is joining us on tonight's mission." He pointed at the kids and said, "That's Daea, and that's Eli."

Mason nodded.

Riley walked to an empty table. "Gather around. We have a mission tonight. By the looks of things..."

"Looks of what things?" Daea asked.

The tall boy answered, "Not only can Childaar see the Suffering, but we can track it to places where it's built up. Most of us have to follow it on the ground, but Sights and Smarts with Perception can pinpoint where to go from afar. If the Suffering leads away from people, that usually means we'll have a Stomp—a mission in which we fight monsters. If it leads us toward people, the mission is usually an Operation where we have to resolve a situation. We'll leave in ten minutes." He pointed at a door. "That's your room. Get anything you might need for tonight."

Daea threw open the door to the cavernous, magnificent bedroom. She squealed, "This is so big! Look at all the stuff!" Daea bounced onto the ultra-king-sized bed and jumped.

Mason walked into Daea's room. His eyes narrowed. "If you don't need anything, let's go."

Daea stopped jumping, looked at Mason, and then leapt off the bed toward the closet. She misjudged the strength of her jump and cracked the door as she slammed into it. She stood, pried it open, and fell into a walk-in closet larger than her parent's house.

Every kind of garment Daea could imagine seemed to hang in the closet. There were multiples of each item in different sizes. She weighed her options.

"Hurry up," Mason called.

Daea emerged from her bedroom, hair up in a short ponytail, wearing a sporty red jacket with a midnight blue lightning bolt stitched on the back.

She ran to the kitchen and rummaged through the candy drawers. She opened a tub of individually wrapped bubble gums. Pink wrappers flew furiously through the air as she popped four hard pieces into her mouth. "I'm ready."
Chapter 3

The team walked through the art museum to the front entrance. The white stone walls of the Getty Museum looked beautiful under the night sky. They walked down a wide set of stairs into the arrival area, where a stylish red sports car awaited them.

Riley and Mason took the front seats, while Daea and Eli sat comfortably in the back. The team leader pushed a button, and the roof reclined. The museum cast a lovely silhouette behind them as they drove down the dark, twisting mountain road.

Eli looked out the side of the car. "I can see the Suffering. It's so dark and ominous. It covers everything like a thin fog."

"It's the darkest thing you can imagine," Riley said as the wind blew through his hair.

"I can see it too," Daea said.

The oldest boy continued, "It's important that you develop skills to track it. For instance, I can read a westerly motion in its movements. Hard to say where we will end up, though."

They turned onto Sunset Boulevard and drove west through Beverly Hills and Hollywood. The streets were littered with adults. Billboards plastered the Sunset Strip. The Suffering swayed rhythmically across the road and sidewalks. Riley smiled as he drove; Mason stared straight ahead, and Daea and Eli looked around in awe. They turned left onto West Canyon Road, toward Mount Hollywood.

"Stomp," Mason whispered under his breath.

"How's it going with the Tome of Awakening?" Riley asked over his shoulder.

Eli sat up straight. "Good. I read it and am almost done my transcription. Daea didn't even look at it."

"Hey," Daea exclaimed. She stuck her tongue out at him and whispered, "Tattletale."

"Tell me about monsters," Riley said.

Eli answered, "There are four hundred and ninety-six kinds of monsters. Some monsters are common and others very rare. They have affinities for locations. Zombies are common to general locations like cemeteries, but also to specific places like Haiti and Ghana. The Dracoli, on the other hand, are unknown to modern history."

"If some are so rare that they've never been seen, how do you know there are exactly four hundred and ninety-six?" Daea asked, poking Eli with her finger.

Eli swatted her hand aside. "If you had bothered to look at the Tome of Awakening, you would have seen this number has been passed down through Childaar lore."

"So you don't really know, do you?"

Mason interrupted the escalating argument. "How do you hurt a monster?"

"Monsters are immune to weapons, so we have to use martial arts and Gifts," Eli answered.

"That's right," Riley said. "Let's discuss tonight's tactics. You will both notice that you are physically adept. Use this to your advantage. Eli, since you have Fire, we're going to put you to practice. Every team loves a nuker."

Eli pumped his fists in the air.

"Daea, have you observed any Gifts besides enhanced perceptions, speed, and strength?" Riley asked.

"Not really."

"No problem. You will. You are going to stay with me, and we are going to fight up close. Sound good?"

Daea grinned. "Yep!"

"Childaar usually specialize in a fighting style. I've been boxing since my Awakening, so I'll help you with your punches."

"I chose kung fu, Jeet Kune Do style, just like Bruce Lee," Eli said.

"I want to do kung fu too," Daea said.

"Don't copy me. Do something else."

"No. I want to do kung fu."

"You're a copycat."

"You're a copycat."

"At least choose a different style."

"Like what?"

"How about Five Animals: tiger, crane, leopard, snake, and dragon."

Daea pursed her lips. "OK. Five Animals."

The young vampires in the backseat high-fived, then gave their attention back to the driver.

Riley laughed. "I'm glad that's sorted. Mason is an L4 Quick. He'll use his Hideness and two levels of Speedness to disappear and zip around the battlefield. He also has one level of Psiness which gives him Shield. Expect to see him popping in and out of the fight. I'm an L6 Sovereign. I have Powness level two, which means I can punch more than fifty times harder than the strongest Kinedaar. I also have two levels of Mindness, but those Gifts are more useful on Operations. Finally, I have Upness two, which allows me to Jump and Glide."

"What if we can't beat the monsters?" Daea asked.

Eli answered, "When buildups of Suffering aren't beaten, they multiply and create more Suffering in the area. Stomps are especially dangerous because monsters can knock Childaar out. The duration of unconsciousness is determined by damage taken. In some cases, Childaar are knocked out indefinitely and need to be exposed to the sun, where they experience an early Sleepining. We must be careful when fighting outdoors. Entire teams can be wiped out if they are knocked out and the sun comes up."

"Very good," Riley said. "It's a good strategy to abort a Stomp if the team is at risk. Most Stomps are common monsters that we can handle with ease. The general rule is the rarer a monster, the more dangerous it is."

The car crested the small mountain and then followed a fire road down into a valley. A huge billboard featuring Rex Jones greeted them as they approached the entrance.

"My mom was working here today. She provides food for movie sets."

Riley drove past an empty security booth and parked the car. "Movie set Stomps are common in Los Angeles. We'll start at the front and make our way through—destroying all monsters we find."

"I can see in the dark, and the world is so clear," Daea said as she inspected her surroundings. "The Suffering, it's rolling up over my knees."

Riley gathered the team. "It is especially strong at mission sites. Also, we can't see in the dark, but rather need less light—like a cat." He looked each Childaar straight in the eyes. "Let's review. Daea, what are you going to do?"

Daea stood up straight and answered, "Stay with you and fight things."

"Good. And you, Eli?"

"Take opportunities to shoot my Fire."

"Great, and Mason's going to provide battlefield support." Riley looked around. "Now, what have we here?"

A sturdy crane loaded with lights and cameras, and room for people to stand, jutted into the sky. A small, ruined cabin sat ahead of the crane, near the base of the rise. A narrow, beaten path wound up from the cabin to a mine entrance halfway up the mountain. A tent covered a director's chair, movie cameras, computers, monitors, and other electronic equipment. Past the tent, a clearing full of tables and chairs offered the cast and crew a place to rest while they weren't working.

Daea pointed at the tent. "That's the video village. It's where the director, assistants, and producers watch what's being filmed. In the old days, they had to wait until the day ended to review dailies, but now they see it as it happens. That rest area is where craft supplies sets up to feed people, but most people in the business just call it crafty. Also, actors are referred to as talent on a movie set. One time I met Annaliese Aguirre—"

Mason interrupted the girl. "So what's the plan, boss?"

"First, light us up. Even though we have dark vision, this will be easier with illumination."

Mason became a blur as he zipped to the crane and turned on the power. He returned to the group before Riley could finish his sentence. Humming sprang from the lights as they gradually brightened.

"Whoa," Daea and Eli gasped in unison.

Riley gave the Quick an approving nod. "Next, we will examine the video village before going into the crafty area."

"It's just called crafty."

Riley gave Daea a hard look, and she quieted. "Crafty," he repeated. "From there we'll circle around to that shack, then up toward the mine. Rookies, stay with me. Mason, do your thing." The Sovereign clapped his hands. "Let's do it!"

Mason used his Unnoticeable, and disappeared before their eyes. Riley moved under the tent, scanning the video village for activity. The young kids followed him.

A hiss sounded. Something jumped from under the director's chair. Riley grabbed what looked like a thick, hairy spider, the size of his hand, out of the air. He threw it to the ground and stomped on it. The creature dissolved into black and gray wispy strands.

"Shadow-Spider," Riley remarked. "They're a common monster, part of a group we call Crawlies. They're everywhere."

Daea's eyes were as big as saucers. She inspected the spot where Riley had stomped on the creature and found no sign of its existence. "Where did it go?"

"Back to the Suffering," Riley answered.

"So, it'll come back?"

"In some form or another."

"Then we can never defeat the Suffering?"

Riley laughed and tousled Daea's hair. "That's cute. Nope. The best we can do is ease it."

Eli gasped and pointed. Five Shadow-Spiders scurried into the tent. Mason appeared behind them. He kicked three times, and three enemies disappeared high into the night. Riley grabbed Daea by her arm and pulled her forward. She kicked at one of the monsters but missed. Eli struggled to maintain a flame between his hands. The team leader finished the encounter as he crushed the remaining two Crawlies under his foot. They both dissipated back into the Suffering.

Through the shining floodlights, a crescent moon rose high in the clear night sky. A strong, warm wind rustled the shrubs and bushes as it gusted through the valley. No sound from the city was heard.

Riley walked out of the tent. "Let's check that rest area."

The team walked out of the tent toward a piece of valley floor where plastic chairs surrounded white tables.

"It looks like this will be a quick shoot," Daea informed her teammates. "They don't even have trailers for the talent."

"Spread out and keep your eyes open," the leader said.

The team explored the area. Daea was under a table when she heard Mason shout, "I rounded some Spiders and a Netherhound."

"What's a Netherhound?" Eli asked.

Before an answer could be given, the monsters appeared from the perimeter of light. Five Shadow-Spiders flanked a massive pit bull with fire red eyes and a foaming white mouth that slobbered into the stormy Suffering. It growled like a dog possessed.

Mason disappeared, and Riley stepped toward the Netherhound. Daea and Eli kept tight behind their leader. Before the groups engaged, two lion-sized creatures with the head and body of a lizard but with powerful crab-like pincers dashed in behind their allies.

The lizard creatures reared back their heads and spat globs of green phlegm at the Childaar. Riley took the brunt of the attack. The liquid ate through parts of his shirt and jeans, and his skin underneath reddened.

Mason appeared beside the team and asked, "What are those? I've never seen anything like them before."

"Styyders," Riley answered. "I fought one in Rio de Janeiro years ago. They're quick and their acid powerful. Distract them while I finish the Netherhound."

Mason vanished. Riley turned to the Childaar behind him. "Keep back. Eli, get some Fire on those Shadow-Spiders. Daea, protect him. Don't draw attention from the other monsters."

The Styyders jumped their front line and charged at the team. The Sovereign delivered an uppercut to the first. It dissolved into wispy strands of blackness as it flew through the air. The second opened its pincers and clasped the Sovereign. He struggled to free himself.

Daea stepped out to aid her leader, but found herself face-to-face with the Netherhound. She jumped back as the dog barked and chomped at her. It drove her away from the group. She saw Eli swarmed by Shadow-Spiders. He struggled to maintain concentration as the Crawlies bit at him from all sides.

The dog pounced at Daea. Razor sharp claws protruded from its enormous paws. She jumped to the side, planted her feet, and punched the creature square in its snout. Unfazed, it hurled itself at her and pinned her to the ground. Sickly froth dripped from the demonic pit bull onto the young vampire's face. Its massive jaws opened and bit at her neck. Daea rammed her forearm into its mouth. Snarling and grunting, the Netherhound shook her arm. With her other fist, she punched the monster's thick skull until it released her. She rolled out from under the beast and kick flipped into a crouched position.

Mason appeared, and pried at the pincers holding Riley. The Sovereign, covered in blisters from the acid, struggled, but was unable to break the Styyder's grip. Eli had defeated all the Shadow-Spiders except one. He stood shoulders square, fists at his waist, in front of the last arachnid. It jumped to attack, and he delivered a centerline punch, and a fiery blast exploded from his fist as he struck. The creature melted into gooey black ink, rejoining the wild and unruly Suffering.

Daea ran toward the Smart with the Netherhound close on her tail. Eli prepared a yellow ball of fire in his hands. "Duck," he yelled as he launched the projectile.

The girl dove to the ground. She felt the burning missile soar above her as it sailed wide of its target. She felt the monstrous dog land on her. She protectively covered the back of her head and neck. Fangs ripped into her arms. She wriggled around to face the monster. Eli launched another fireball. This time his aim was too low, and Daea screamed as her shoulder absorbed the fiery impact. Enraged, she wildly punched and kicked the Netherhound until it dissolved and washed over her.

The last Styyder disappeared into the sky as Riley got an arm free and delivered a knockout punch. Daea charged Eli with her fist cocked. Before she could punch him, Mason zipped across the field to intercept.

Catching her fist, he said, "We never fight amongst ourselves. It's a strict rule. No violence amongst Childaar. It's grounds for expulsion."

"But he shot me," she cried.

Eli put his hands in the air. "I was just trying to develop my talents—like I was told."

Daea stuck her tongue out at the boy.

Riley, shirt burned away and skin blistered, approached and said, "We may have learned something about Daea here."

"I noticed that too," Mason replied.

"What? What are you saying about me?"

"Oh, I know," Eli said. "Daea, how do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess. So?"

Riley walked to Daea and patted her on the back. "You have the Gift of Tuffness, which lets you take more damage and endure more pain than other young vampires."

Eli cut into the conversation. "There are only two Dynasties that have Tuffness: Hardys and Charms."

"How do I know which I am?"

Riley was about to answer, but Eli interjected, "We have to wait to see what other powers you have. Hardys also get Powness and Formness, while Charms get Speedness and Adoreness.

"Even if I have Tuffness, I still don't want you shooting fire at me." Then she laughed and gave Eli a high five. "We fought monsters."

Riley looked at the rookies. "You two are going to take point on this next one. It shouldn't be too tough after those Styyders."

Daea beamed. "Great!"

Eli looked at the cabin apprehensively.

"We'll be right behind you," assured the Sovereign.

Daea and Eli crept toward the building. It was made of logs, and as they got closer they saw that it was painted to look old and tattered.

"You go first," Eli told Daea.

"Why me? You go first. Scaredy-cat."

Eli pushed Daea on her back. "Because you're the one with Tuffness."

"Don't push me, and ask me—don't give me orders."

"OK, Daea, will you go first?"

"Say please."

Eli sighed. "Daea, will you please go into the building first because you can take more damage than me?"

"OK, since you asked nicely." She walked up to the building and opened the door. Even though the outside was brightly lit, the cabin was dark. Her eyes adjusted, and she saw the angry Suffering rolling around the room. Eli scuttled in behind her. Two large movie cameras were placed in the corners near the entrance. A small bed with a worn and dirty mattress sat along the far wall. Beside it was a small stove with rusty pots and utensils.

Daea felt Eli shaking behind her. He startled and whispered, "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"A noise. I heard a noise."

The young vampires stood motionless, listening.

"There, under the bed. I think I heard it there."

A Shadow-Spider stuck its head out. It was dead still, watching them with its many eyes.

Eli had conjured a solid, pulsating, yellow and red fireball, which he rolled under the bed.

The girl grabbed Eli and pushed him toward the door. A loud bang rocked the valley, and the cabin exploded. The Childaar flew through the air. Daea fell on top of Eli, who gasped from the impact. Soot, smoke, and ash rained down.

Eli pushed Daea. "Get off me."

Stunned, Daea rolled over on to her side. "What were you thinking?"

Riley and Mason doubled over laughing.

"I saw the creature and wanted to clear the room. Did you see my fireball? I made it explode!"

"You think?" the girl screamed. "There was one Crawlie in there. I could have destroyed it with my pinky finger."

Eli shrugged.

Daea growled and whispered under her breath, "If they weren't here right now, I would punch you in the face."

"You could try, but I'd fireball your face first."

Riley brought the group together. "I guess that's one way to do it," he said with a chuckle. He then became serious and looked up at the mountain. An owl sat perched on the mine entrance; it hooted, spread its wings, and flew away. A gravel trail coiled up the mountain side.

Mason cleared his throat and said, "I think we should get Eli up on that camera crane."

"Good idea." Riley turned to Eli and said, "Be careful up there. You don't want to draw attention to yourself, so don't engage until we do, and don't shoot near us. I want you to clear the trash on the perimeter." He said to Daea, "Stay behind me." He clapped his hands. "Stay focused. We're almost done."

Mason vanished, and Daea and Riley walked up the trail. Daea turned and saw Eli scrambling up the crane. He spotted her, smiled, and waved vigorously. The mountainside was steeper and rougher than it looked. The bushes swayed ominously in the night. The young girl chose her steps carefully so she wouldn't slip on the loose rocks. Like a light waterfall, the Suffering rolled down the slope. The Sovereign surveyed the area for dangers and ambushes.

"So, what do you think of all this?" the older boy asked.

"I hope Eli doesn't shoot me from that crane."

"No. I mean about being a young vampire—a Childaar?"

Daea paused. "I don't know. It's kind of fun beating up monsters."

"So do you think you'll stay?"

"I think so. It seems like the right thing to do."

Riley nodded. "Most young vampires have a sense that it is our duty to help. Just remember to not lose your childhood for this. Sometimes it seems like the world is on our shoulders, and to an extent it is, but you don't want to get to the end and wonder if you missed anything important."

"Eli said you're close to your Sleepining?"

"I turn eighteen in two weeks. I have to decide when I am going to expose myself. I'll probably do it on my birthday."

"What are you going to do after that?"

"I don't know. I've been with recently turned Ennui. They say they feel like the same person, but with a panging sense of loss. I suppose once you've experienced life like us, it's hard to downgrade. After a day or two, they forget their Childaar lives and move on." He smiled. "I am looking forward to spending more time with my parents and sister."

"Have you seen your parents since your Awakening?"

"Of course. Our parents are told we have been accepted to a prestigious boarding school. We sometimes get to go home for holidays and special occasions."

"That's good to hear."

"It's also true. Being a Childaar is kind of like going to boarding school, but with missions. Some cities are busier than others. You'll find a comfortable routine wherever you are sent."

"How many young vampires are there?" Daea asked.

Riley slowed. His eyes were squarely on the opening to the mine. "Not as many as we need. Do you know about the Orakles?"

"They are the leaders of the Childaar, right?"

"Not exactly. Four is the optimal number of Childaar in a city. If there are more, our competitive natures take over and we become bitter and jaded. That's why we can't use communication technologies. They connect us as though we are in the same place."

"That's why we can't use phones or the Internet?"

"Exactly. The Orakles, however, take it upon themselves to ensure that we make best use of our limited numbers. They send us to cities around the world for maximum coverage. They all have Scry—the third level of Seeingness. Scry allows a Smart or Sight to remotely view other areas."

"Like a crystal ball?"

"Kind of. The Orakles try to keep a team in every major city. That's where the Suffering is strongest. Capital cities often have a B-team. Metropolises, like New York, Shanghai, and Sydney, might have C-teams too. The Orakles try to rotate Childaar so that no one spends too much time in cities with B and C teams."

"How many teams are there in L.A.?"

"Three. I am the leader of the B-team. I've been here two years."

"How do the Orakles tell us this information?"

"We use the mail and courier system for most correspondence, but if it's an emergency, they can contact us using their Gifts or telecoms. We try to avoid this, though. They are miserable enough without putting more stress on them. Hope you never meet an Orakle."

They arrived at the mine entrance.

"Stay here," Riley told Daea as he moved in to investigate.

Mason was nowhere to be seen, and Eli looked happy standing atop the camera crane.

The mine exploded into thousands of pieces. In its place, protruding out of the mountainside, flailed a gigantic tube-shaped monster. Its round body had a tough gray hide. A swarm of thick tentacles extended from the creature's wide maw.

Riley was knocked up and over the mountain. The monster thrashed furiously. Daea watched as the monster's body slammed down on her. She managed to dodge the first thwap, but it struck her on the second. She bounced off the ground and rolled down the mountain, out of control. Digging her heels into the ground stopped her descent.

A flicker of flame flew overhead. Daea saw it strike the creature; it didn't seem to notice. Riley glided out of the sky and into the monster's tentacled maw. He punched and pulled from within. The creature roared as the Sovereign ripped out three of the appendages.

Mason appeared beside Daea. "Be careful. This is a Wuurm. They're common to desert areas. I've fought a few here in L.A., but never one this big. Don't get close. We'll weaken it, and then you can help us finish it off."

"Yeah right," Daea yelled behind her as she ran in to engage the monster. She punched the Wuurm with all her might, and its thick, fleshy skin rippled.

Once again, the enormous monster slammed down on the girl. She was too close to dodge, and once again she was sent rolling down the mountainside. It slammed itself into the ground four more times, and Riley was knocked loose. He tumbled down behind the young girl. Daea caught a shrub and regained her balance. Riley plunged to the bottom.

Eli sent a small flame wide. The Sovereign picked himself up, crouched, and then jumped at the creature. From the mountain's base, he zipped through the air, smashed into the side of the monster, gripped its hide, and climbed back into the open maw, where he proceeded to rip out more tentacles. Daea charged the Wuurm, ducked a swinging attack, and landed a wild haymaker.

The monster wrapped its remaining tentacles around the team leader, binding his arms and legs. Riley wriggled to free himself, but he couldn't break the hold. Mason appeared behind the Wuurm, keeping his eyes on his bound teammate. He jumped from side to side, dodging the monster's slams. Riley smashed into the ground during each of the attacks, but was protected by the Quick's Shield.

Daea moved and jabbed around the base of the monster. Eli's Fire grew with each shot, leaving scorch marks across the monster's body. Mason kept Riley in his sight as he zipped around, weaving in and out to attack. The Wuurm continued to smash down at its assailants. It caught Mason off guard. The Quick tumbled down the mountain.

Without Mason's Shield to protect him, Riley screamed in pain as the creature continued to slam him into the ground. Daea saw Riley attempt to wrestle free, but he was unable to break the Wuurm's grasp. He caught her eye and between strained gasps yelled, "It's too strong. Leave me. It's nearly dawn. You can make it back to safety, and the sun will take care of this thing." The slams continued, and the Sovereign's body went limp. His eyes rolled back into his skull as the tentacles released his unconscious body.

Mason appeared beside Daea. "What happened?"

"Riley's out. We have to take this thing down by ourselves."

"Are you kidding? We're going to get his body and get out of here. We can't fight it without him."

Daea grabbed Mason by the shirt and shouted, "We are going to finish this fight. Got it? I'll distract it while you and Eli attack." She jumped away from the Quick and in front of the Wuurm. She shouted and waved her hands in the air. "Hey, ugly. Yeah, you. You with the ugly face. Catch me if you can."

Eli threw solid, orange balls of fire.

The monster crashed down on Daea with all its might.

Daea skipped to the side, narrowly missing the assault. "Is that the best you got? Come on! I dare you!" She tried to dodge the next attack but was struck. She hit the ground and ate a mouthful of dirt. She stood up and continued her taunts. "That didn't even hurt, and you're still ugly!" She stood on the balls of her feet, anticipating the creature's next blow.

Mason moved in and out, keeping his concentration on the girl. He threw straight punches when possible. Eli continued to shoot Fire. The creature split its attention between Mason and Daea. Its wide swings were difficult to dodge, and Mason was flung deep into the valley. Daea was plowed into the ground as the creature's heavy body hammered her. The few remaining tentacles reached out and attempted to grab the girl, but she rolled to the side and escaped their grasp.

She pulled herself off the ground and whispered, "Who's ugly?" With dirt and tears streaming down her face she continued, "You're ugly." The monster pounded down on Daea, who lacked the energy to dodge.

More Fire shot overhead as the girl took another blow and was slammed into a large rock. She slowly stood, stumbled, and fell. She crawled forward. "You can't hurt me! You'll never hurt me!" The monster slammed down, and her world went black.

Daea awoke in her large bed. Sitting beside her, Eli read a leather-bound book. He smiled when he saw her eyes open. "Guess who killed the Wuurm?"

The girl cleared her throat. "What?"

"I did," the boy proclaimed. "I am the slayer of beasts, the master of flame, the executer of—"

"What happened?"

"Well, Mason got knocked out right before you. I was alone, on my perch, facing down the Wuurm. Conjuring elemental powers, I destroyed the creature and saved the day. After that, I checked on the team. Riley and Mason came around. We got you in the car and returned to the museum."

"How long have I been out?" the girl asked.

"About a day. Riley and Mason check on you often."

"I don't know if I want to be a Childaar."

"Oh, don't worry. With me you'll always be safe. I'll burn anything that gets in our way."

Daea rolled her eyes. "Yeah. You're my hero, Eli."
Chapter 4

Daea got out of bed the day after she woke. Eli stayed by her side. He retold the story of the battle versus the Wuurm countless times. In every retelling the monster got bigger and his fireballs more powerful. At one point, Daea argued that she and the others did the most damage, and that he was lucky to be far away from the action. He informed her that she was upset because she got knocked out.

Riley and Mason, after expressing their relief, reprimanded the girl for insubordination. They said that disobeying team leaders was grounds to be held back from future missions.

Over the next few days, Daea began to understand the young vampire routine. They had school during the week. It's the law that all children must go to school, which applied equally to Childaar. The girl complained that it wasn't fair. A classroom had been set up in the Getty's basement to accommodate their needs. They were assigned a teacher who, although not as smart as them, was tasked with ensuring they completed their work. Daea learned that the teacher held the power to keep them off missions should they not pursue their studies. Her favorite part of school was gym, where she and Eli practiced their kung fu.

Class ended early in the afternoon. After they finished their homework, they engaged in leisure activities, provided there was no mission. Daea did the minimal amount of homework she could get away with and then went straight to watching movies and playing games.

She loved supper time. Even though she didn't have to eat for nutrition, she feasted like a queen. She quickly figured out how to order supplies. The museum staff, who believed the Childaar to be gifted and lucky exchange students, ensured the young vampires had everything they needed and wanted. She asked for every kind of chips, chocolate, candy, sugary cereal, and soda on the planet. While they couldn't literally fulfill her request, the playroom kitchen and pantry became well stocked with junk food.

In the evenings, Daea and Eli played outside in the Getty's gardens. Riley and Mason were around, but she rarely saw the former; he had already graduated from school and had duties to attend before his Awakening. Mason liked to read. He always had his nose in a book. Daea said that they were super smart and that he probably didn't have to read anymore. Mason told her that she might find that the more she learned, the less she'd know. Daea told him that didn't make sense.

When Eli wasn't doing homework, he liked to play games. His favorite was a board game named Go, an ancient strategy game played on a nineteen by nineteen grid board. Two players, one with white stones and the other with black ones, place them in such a way as to control as much area as possible. If a player's stones get surrounded by their opponent's, they are removed. Daea preferred video games, but would sometimes play it to make Eli happy. It bothered Eli that he and Daea won about the same number of games. It bothered Daea that Eli took so long to make his moves.

They weren't taken on any more missions, but Mason took them around the neighborhood to show them how to track the Suffering. They found and fought lone monsters lurking in the night.

As dawn approached, the team reconvened at the museum and had a short nap before school. Daea was often late for class because she always ate a big, unhealthy breakfast that her mother would never approve of.

Two weeks after their Awakenings, Daea sat in class watching the clock. The teacher dismissed class right on time. Books and supplies already packed, she ran out of the classroom, and returned to their living area. She found a bag of licorice and began stuffing it in her mouth. A few minutes later, Eli and Mason entered.

Seeing the young girl, Mason remarked, "That's disgusting."

Daea tried to respond, but with a full mouth it just came out as a garble. She swallowed and said, "So what should we do tonight?"

"I am going to read," Mason said.

"Want to play Go?" Eli asked.

"Nah."

"Video games?"

"How about a movie?" the girl replied.

"What do you feel like watching?"

Then, in unison, both said, "Star Wars."

Mason sighed. "Again? How many times can you two watch that?"

Daea gave the Quick a funny look.

Eli ran to the theater and asked, "Can I choose?"

"Sure. But I bet I know what you pick."

"The Phantom Menace!"

"Wooooo," Daea screamed as she pretended to ride a podracer into the cinema. She turned on the popcorn maker. The kids recited every line word for word. They were pumped up after the show. They recreated the fight scenes, and Eli had Daea rolling on the floor laughing with his uncanny Gungan impressions.

Riley walked in and gathered the Childaar. "No class in the morning," he announced.

Daea cheered and double fist pumped the air.

The Sovereign continued, "Reassignments have come in."

Daea frowned. "Are we being split up? I don't want to. I want to stay here with all of you."

Riley looked at Daea and said, "I understand. We all get attached to the friends we make, but our resources are finite and we have to do what's for the best." He tousled her hair and said, "You understand, right?"

Daea hesitated, and her eyes welled with tears. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Mason, you are going to Miami, where you will join a well-established team."

"I've heard crazy things about Florida," the Quick replied.

Riley then looked at the rookies. "I'm sure you will be happy to know that you two are staying together."

"Yes!" both kids exclaimed as they high-fived.

"You are being sent to Ottawa, Canada, to join a newly formed B-team."

Mason's eyes widened. "Wow, a capital city. Have fun with that."

Daea held Eli's hand and said, "I'm not worried."
Chapter 5

They landed at the MacDonald-Cartier international airport shortly after 3:00 am on a private jet. The crew and staff must have been forewarned, since many of Daea's favorite snacks were served. Eli was impressed with the big screen TV and game console. They enjoyed the five hour flight eating and playing.

The airport was small compared to L.A.X. They bypassed customs and went down a series of escalators to the arrivals area. Large monitors showed no airplanes were expected or taking off for a few hours. The restaurant, gift shop, and coffee shop were closed. Only a handful of janitors and security guards worked through the night. As they stepped off the escalator, the Childaar were met by two statues—a man sitting on a bench and another standing beside it.

"I wonder who they are," Daea said.

"You don't know?"

"Do you?"

"Of course. The one standing is Jacques Cartier, the first European explorer to discover Canada. The man sitting is John A. McDonald, the first Canadian Prime Minister."

"Oh."

"Didn't you read anything about Ottawa in those travel books we were given?"

Daea laughed. "No."

"Don't you think that would have been a good idea?"

"First, I'm sure everything I need to know I can learn here. Second, you can answer any questions I might have."

Eli shook his head and muttered, "Why am I not surprised?"

A man approached them. He told them that he was their driver. He already had their bags on a luggage cart.

Fourteen large flags were painted on the parking garage across from the airport exit.

"What are those?" Daea asked.

"Well, you should know the Canadian flag. It's the one with the red maple leaf. The others are for the provinces and territories, which are kind of like our states."

Daea patted Eli on the back. "See."

"And what if I wasn't here?"

"I'm sure the driver could have answered my question."

"You've got it all figured out."

"Yep."

The drive into the city was pleasant. The autumn air was cool, and Daea was struck by the beautiful trees, which were beginning to change color. She spotted red, orange, purple, brown, and yellow amongst the shades of green. Branches swayed back and forth in the strong gusts of wind. Daea asked the driver where they were going. He informed them that they were headed to the National Gallery of Canada.

The drive into the city was straightforward. They drove down the Airport Parkway, past Carleton University, and onto Bronson Avenue. Old brick houses and small shops lined the street. The smaller buildings turned into high-rises as they entered downtown. They took a couple of quick turns and were met by a rectangular building with hundreds of beady windows.

The driver turned right, onto a road lined with Canadian flags and lots of Suffering. Eli said, "This is Wellington Street. It was one of the first roads built in Ottawa—back when it was called Bytown, and many of the city's most important buildings can be found here."

"It's a lot smaller than Los Angeles."

"Most cities are."

"What's that?" Daea asked, pointing at the strange windowed building.

Eli pointed at a sign. "That's Library and Archives Canada. Can't you read?"

Daea scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out at the boy.

He pointed at two big, rectangular, smooth stone buildings that were connected by a colonnade. "Those are the East and West Memorial Buildings. They were built after the Second World War to service the many Canadian veterans who returned.

"And that"—Eli pointed toward a magnificent square building—"is the Supreme Court of Canada."

To their left, two massive, gothic stone buildings, with tall windows and green copper roofs, eclipsed the night sky. Eli said that they were the Justice and Confederation Buildings. Across the street, the Bank of Canada resided in a classical, granite building enclosed by a large glass edifice.

Before they got much further, Daea gasped. "Look! I didn't know they have castles in Canada." She bent her neck so that she could see the top of a tall tower upon which flew the Canadian flag. The tower was part of a great building made of old, shadowy stone. It too had a green copper roof. It was flanked by two similar large stone structures. The buildings, which surrounded an open grass courtyard, were connected by pathways. Open gates allowed public access to the area. The Suffering swirled around aimlessly.

Eli took a moment to appreciate the scene and then said, "Those aren't castles; they're the Center, East, and West Blocks of the Parliament of Canada. That is where the government makes the country's laws. It's kind of like our Congress and White House put together. The stone buildings are considered Gothic-revival, but—"

"Yeah whatever," Daea said. "They look like castles to me."

"Do you even know what a castle is?"

"Do you?"

"Do you?"

"Do you?"

Eli left the argument alone and pointed to the right, at a sandy stone building across the street from Parliament Hill. Small lights illuminated each of the decorative blue windows. "That's the Langevin Block, home to the Prime Minister's office."

Having passed Parliament, a tall, monumental arch sat in the middle of the intersection of Wellington and Elgin. It covered a cluster of marching bronze soldiers. Two winged characters, one holding a wreath and the other a torch, perched atop the National War Memorial.

The road bent slightly left as they passed the monument and crossed the Rideau Canal. Daea's eyes widened as she pointed at a spired, white stone building. "What is that?"

"That's the Chateau Laurier hotel."

"That's a hotel!"

"Yes..."

"I hope we are staying there. It's amazing!"

"We won't be staying at a hotel."

The driver turned left onto Sussex Drive. Ahead of them loomed a huge gray behemoth that looked more like a battleship than a building. American flags flew around the large fenced structure.

Before Daea could ask, Eli answered, "That's the United States' embassy. It's where our ambassador to Canada works."

Impressed, Daea nodded.

Just past the embassy another remarkable building appeared. It was made of flame-finished rose granite and glass. Sparkling in the night, a crystal pyramid rose from its backside. As they got closer, the Childaar saw a large spider statue in front of the entrance.

Eli said, "This is the National Gallery of Canada. This is where we are going. That spider is named Maman, and the artist created it in honor of her mother."

"What if it gets stolen?"

Eli laughed. "Look how big it is. How would you steal that?"

They were met by a sandy haired boy who looked like a mouse and smelled like a wet dog. His gold eyes watched the rookies intently as they exited the car. He wore a gray zip up sweater over a black T-shirt, which was tucked into his olive cargo pants.

"Who are you?" Daea asked.

"Chuck," the boy growled. "And I can't believe I've been stuck with two rookies. Follow me."

Daea scrunched her nose and blurted, "Well, I can't believe we got stuck with someone who stinks."

The boy, who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, turned and walked toward the girl. He lowered his head to look her in the eyes and growled, "What did you say, little girl?"

"I said you stink like a smelly dog."

Eli closed in behind his friend and pulled at her jacket. "Ummm, Daea, maybe we should just follow him to where we need to go."

"You should listen to your boyfriend, squirt."

Daea jumped away from both boys and screamed, "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Yeah, that's gross," Eli said.

The older boy turned and entered the building. The main entrance was magnificent and exciting. A large walkway led visitors up into the gallery, but Chuck took them down a stairwell.

Just like the Getty Museum, they walked down and through a series of hallways to a large, spacious home.

"We wait here," the older boy said. He went to the TV area, plopped on the sofa, and turned on sports highlights.

"Yippee," Daea shouted as she ran to the kitchen.

Eli followed Daea, who was already eating chocolate chips out of a bag she found in the refrigerator. He jerked his head toward the TV area. "I wonder what his problem is?"

"He stinks. That's a pretty big problem if you ask me."

"No, I mean, why is he so angry?"

Daea shrugged and continued to throw handfuls of chocolate chips in her mouth.

"Hey! Rookies, one of you bring me a pop."

"Get it yourself, dog breath," Daea yelled.

Chuck turned in his seat. "Don't make me have to get up. You won't like it if I have to get up."

"You won't like it if I have to get up," Daea imitated annoyingly.

The door to the playroom opened. A beautiful, tall, blond girl entered. She wore a white blouse and a green plaid skirt. She smiled and said something incomprehensible.

"What?" all three Childaar said.

She laughed heartily and walked to the middle of the room. "Aye, my apologies. I must remember to speak a little slower for ye Americans."

Chuck raised his hand and smiled goofily. "Actually, I'm Canadian."

The beautiful girl regarded the boy. "Aye. I should have said North Americans."

Daea bounced over to the girl and said, "I'm American. My name is Daea. I'm nine. I am from Los Angeles. I only recently had my Awakening. I don't know my Dynasty yet. All I know is that I have Tuffness, so that means that I will be either a Charm or a Hardy." She took a deep breath and pointed at Eli, who made his way bashfully into the center of the room. "That's Eli. He's also nine and from L.A. His Awakening was the day before mine. He's a Smart and has Wizardness 1, which means he can make fireballs. We both do kung fu—"

The tall girl cut her off when she paused for a breath. She knelt and gave Daea a hug. "Now, aren't ye a wee little lass. It is my pleasure to meet ye both. My name is Jesi-Sera, and I will be leading the Ottawa B-team. My home is Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm sixteen and have been working mostly in Europe the past six years. My martial art is aikido. I am excited that I get to come and see the new world—and meet all of you."

Eli sidled up to the blond Childaar and slid his hand into hers. The older girl smiled and gave their arms a swing. Chuck crept into the middle of the room. The leader looked at the older boy and said, "And this striking lad must be Charles."

Chuck smiled awkwardly and said, "Yes, ma'am...."

Jesi-Sera put her hands on her waist. "Who are ye calling ma'am?" She looked around. "I don't see my ma."

"Sorry, ma'am, umm, I mean Jesi-Sera." Chuck shuffled nearer to the group. "My name is Charles, but you can call me Chuck. Like I said, I'm from Canada. My hometown is a small village in the Rocky Mountains. I'm fourteen years old and have been in Ottawa since my Awakening three years ago. I'm an L4 Sight with Seeingness 1, Hideness 1, and Animalness 2. Karate is my martial art. My best friends are two dogs named Buddy and Whiskers. They sometimes come with me on missions—that is, if it's OK with you."

"I'm sure the help and company will be much appreciated."

"What Dynasty are you?" Daea asked.

Chuck and Eli both answered, "Charm."

Smiling, Jesi-Sera said, "Aye. I am an L5 Charm. I have Speedness 1, Tuffness 1, and Adoreness 3. I think we will make a pretty good team, aye?"

"Yes," Eli answered.

Chuck said, "You bet."

"Aye," Daea yelled.

Jesi-Sera looked at her watch. "We have to go meet the A-team, but first, Chuck, what can you tell us about Ottawa?" She indicated that everyone should sit down in one of the oversized beanbag chairs.

Chuck plopped down and said, "It's a tough city. There is a lot of Suffering here because it's a capital. The previous A-team recently had two members get knocked out permanently, so two members from the old B-team, Marion and Cameron, were promoted. Our other member was sent to Auckland." He lowered his head. "I was left behind."

Daea jumped out of her seat and went to the kitchen. "Does anyone want something to eat? I feel like chips." Nobody answered. Jesi-Sera and Eli sat and listened intently to Chuck.

The Sight continued, "The A-team's job is to work downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods, as well as Gatineau, Quebec, which is on the other side of the river."

Daea returned and loudly opened chip bags.

"We are responsible for everything else, including the tunnels."

"Tunnels?" Eli asked.

"Yeah, Ottawa has a vast network of tunnels under the city. We mostly find Crawlies, but you have to be careful. I've seen some scary things down there."

Jesi-Sera nodded her head while Daea stuffed her face. The leader looked at her watch and said, "We'd best be off to this meeting."

The newly formed team walked through the gallery. The rooms were large, well lit, and full of paintings and sculptures.

Chuck spoke as they walked. "Owen is the leader of the A-Team. He's an L8 Sovereign and regimentally minded. This gallery is their HQ. Ours is the Museum of Nature, which is in my opinion better. Liam is the second in command. He's an L6 Hardy. Marion is an L5 Smart and Cameron is an L4 Charm."

They entered a room where four Childaar stood lined up at ease in front of a very tall painting that consisted of two dark blue stripes on the outside and a red stripe down the middle.

A deep, French-accented voice boomed, "Attention!" The sound came from a tall Childaar with onyx colored skin, who looked more man than boy. The other members of the A-team quickly brought their feet together and stood up straight.

Chuck looked worried. "Hurry up," he whispered to his group. Eli looked to Jesi-Sera, who smiled, took his hand, and moved into the room. Daea followed and stood by Eli. Chuck pushed the Sight so that he was next to Jesi-Sera. The end result was the two teams facing each other.

Daea looked at the boy across from her. She figured he was probably a little older than her, but not by a lot. He had styled red hair, green eyes, and flawless ivory skin. With a twinkle in his eye, he gave her a wink. She stuck her tongue out at him. Eli stood across from a long-haired Asian girl. Daea whispered to Eli, "Let's switch spots."

"Silence in the ranks," Owen roared. The sound echoed loudly off the walls. Daea looked down the line and saw the Sovereign speak to her leader. He indicated to his watch and said, "You are late, Mademoiselle Jesi-Sera. I do not tolerate lateness."

"Aye. My team and I were making our acquaintances."

"No excuses, Mademoiselle. You are in my city now, and you will follow my rules. First rule, never be late."

Jesi-Sera's smile vanished.

Owen stepped out of the ranked order and walked behind the B-Team. Daea and Eli turned to look, but were quickly admonished. "Turn around," he snapped. "Next rule, you do what I say. I give the commands, you follow them. Oui?"

The members of the A-team and Chuck all declared in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Jesi-Sera stood straight, Eli was stunned, and Daea rolled her eyes.

The young girl felt a looming presence behind her. She looked up out of the corner of her eye and saw Owen. He leaned in. "What was that, mon petite? I couldn't hear you."

Daea looked around as though perhaps he was speaking to Eli or someone else. She saw Chuck mouth the words "Yes, sir." She looked back at Owen and squeaked, "Yes, sir?"

"It's not a question."

"Yes, sir," Daea replied.

"Louder," commanded the Sovereign.

"Yes, sir!"

Owen turned his attention to Eli and asked, "What are the rules?"

Eli cleared his throat. "Don't be late and do what you say."

"Sir," Owen added.

Quivering, Eli said, "Don't be late and do what you say, sir!"

Owen nodded. "It is very important that you understand these rules, oui?"

"Yes, sir," Daea and Eli replied.

"Louder!"

"Yes, sir!"

"That's better." Owen then walked behind the Sight. "How are you today, Chuck?"

"Very good, sir!"

"Do you like your new team?"

"Yes, sir! Very much, sir!"

"I've got some good news. You have been working hard and doing a good job on the B-team. I'm giving you extra duties."

The Sight stood expressionless, eyes straight ahead.

"You are now responsible for these new Childaar. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Owen then moved back to the rookies. "You will listen to and learn from Chuck. If you disobey him, it's like disobeying me. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Eli and Daea replied.

"Trés bon." He walked back to his place at the head of his team. He scrutinized the Scottish girl. "Mademoiselle Jesi-Sera, I have looked at your portfolio. You've done a lot of good work."

The Charm watched Owen with cool eyes.

"I trust you will be as effective here now that you are a team leader. I trust that you will do your jobs as assigned and not overreach your boundaries." He left the questions hanging in the air.

Jesi-Sera quietly said, "Of course, sir."

"If your team keeps the outsides of this city clean of Suffering and you don't enter our territory, then we won't have any problems."

The room was silent.

Owen concluded the meeting. "I expect regular updates. Chuck will now take you to your headquarters."

Outside the gallery's front door, next to the giant spider statue, a black SUV sat parked.

"That's our ride," the team leader said, shaking a set of keys.

Daea shouted, "You can drive?"

Jesi-Sera smiled and said, "Aye, I have a special international license that allows me to drive in any country."

"How can I get one of these licenses?" Daea asked.

"I think ye will have to wait a few years yet."

Dawn neared, and people began their workday. Chuck gave directions to Elgin Street, which took them back to the National War Memorial and past the British High Commission, National Arts Center, and Lord Elgin hotel. The tall buildings gave way to shops and houses.

After ten minutes, they arrived at the Canadian Museum of Nature, a rough stone building. Short towers on the corners connected the low ramparts encircling the roof. Animals and plants were carved into the doorways and windows. High above the entrance, in a big glass encasement, hung a life-sized replica of a blue whale.

"Welcome home," Chuck growled.
Chapter 6

Daea marveled at the Museum of Nature and said, "Now that's a castle."

Eli shook his head. "Just because something is big and made of stone doesn't make it a castle. This building is not designed to repel an attack. There are no battlements, fortifications, or even a moat." The Smart sidled beside the Charm and continued, "Hey, Jesi-Sera, did you know that three hundred Scottish stone masons were brought to Canada to help build this place? Its architectural style is called Scottish baronial."

"I didn't. Now that I do, my new home will remind me of my homeland. Thanks, Eli." The Charm turned to Chuck and asked, "So what can you tell us about our territory?"

The Sight replied, "See that road behind the museum? That's the Trans-Canada highway. It goes coast to coast across the country. Technically it's the King's Highway 417, but it's usually called the Queensway or simply referred to as the Highway. We use it to get to the east and west neighborhoods, or link us to roads which take us south. We have a lot of territory, but at least we don't have to deal with downtown.

He showed them how to access the museum from a back door. A long stairwell took them deep underground. Chuck pointed at a large metal door and said, "This leads to the tunnels. We could have used them to get here from the gallery if we hadn't driven."

They followed a hallway and arrived at a door, which opened into a familiar looking room. It had nearly the same layout and features as the Childaar homes in the Getty and the National Gallery.

Daea was about to sprint to the kitchen when Jesi-Sera said, "Hold up. I want to talk to all of ye." She motioned them toward the oversized beanbag chairs in the middle of the room. "Have a seat."

"Owen came off hard back there," she began. "But he has a job to do, and from what I have heard, he does it well. Is that correct, Chuck?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Jesi-Sera laughed and said, "Don't call me ma'am."

"Yes, Owen is a very good leader. He is organized and gets results. His teams really bring the fight to the Suffering. He's strict but fair. He has never had a team member get permanently knocked out until last week."

Jesi-Sera's voice grew serious. "But his team is not my team. I'm not one for the military structure. I prefer to think of us as a family. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We help each other when we can. And what's for certain is that we are stronger together. I hope ye are all looking forward to being a part of this family."

Chuck, Eli, and Daea all proclaimed their enthusiasm.

"Right then. Class doesn't start until next week. Get some rest, and we can explore our new city at sundown."

Daea spent the day eating junk food and watching movies, Eli transcribed Tomes, Chuck watched sports, and Jesi-Sera stayed in her room reading and writing reports. After sunset, the team headed outside to explore the city. Wool jackets kept the Childaar comfortable on the cold autumn evening. Kinedaar children ran around the museum's lawn screaming and shouting.

Chuck took one look at the ground as they exited the museum and said, "There's a mission tonight."

"How do you know that?" Daea asked as she inspected the Suffering.

"I have Perception, the first level of Seeingness. It gives me insight into the Suffering's behavior. I'd guess it's an Operation since it looks like it will happen near Little Italy, which isn't too far from here. Anyone hungry? There are lots of restaurants over there."

Daea's hand shot into the air.

"Aye, I am a wee bit peckish," Jesi-Sera said.

Chuck pointed down the road. "Follow me. I know a good diner on Preston. It's about twenty minutes away."

The team walked down a residential street lined with maple trees. The houses were big multi-unit brick buildings. Inside, people were beginning their evening routines.

As they walked, Jesi-Sera asked, "So, what do ye two know about Operations?"

Eli spoke. "Where we fight the Suffering directly on Stomps, Operations are indirect. We have to solve a mystery or resolve a situation involving Kinedaar."

"So we have to fight normal people?" Daea asked.

Jesi-Sera answered, "Sometimes, but that's a last resort, and only an option when dealing with the Contaminated. It's always better to find the source of the problem and resolve it without violence. For example, my last Operation had us find a missing mortgage contract. A family was going to get kicked out of their house if they couldn't produce proof that they actually owned it."

"Did you find it?"

"Aye, the computer records had been deleted, but we found a paper copy hidden at the bottom of a drawer in the bank's basement."

"So the family got to keep their home?"

"Aye, it was a happy ending." The Charm paused then said, "The thing to remember is that Operations are time sensitive. If we don't do enough, they pop. If we do too much, they pop. If we fail, Kinedaar lives are left worse off. Operations are more art than science. Luckily we have Gifts like my Adoreness and Chuck's Seeingness and Hideness that can help."

Chuck added, "My Animalness can also be useful. As if on cue, two large dogs ran out from behind a house. They leapt at the Sight, who laughed and played with his friends. He introduced the team to Buddy, a rottweiler with a big head and bushy tail, and Whiskers, a German shepherd with a black and tan coat. The friendly dogs ran around and licked at the teammates. Before they reached Preston Street, he barked at the dogs and they barked back before running off into the night.

Chuck led them to a greasy spoon diner. The vinyl booths by the window offered a nice view of the street. A work crew sat at the counter, where a dozen stools ran down the side of the restaurant. They looked tired and happy to be eating their meal in silence. A group of teenagers sitting in the back laughed and cajoled as they took advantage of the bottomless cups of coffee. The team chose a seat by the window. The waitress brought menus and glasses of water.

Daea turned her menu straight to the desserts page.

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Daea, have you ever had maple syrup?"

"Syrup," she repeated. "Like on pancakes? Yeah, lots of times."

"Was it real? There is a big difference between the stuff your parents buy at the supermarket and the stuff they make around here."

The waitress returned and asked what everyone would like.

Without hesitation, Daea said, "I'll have two orders of waffles, but could you put them both on one plate. I don't want anything on top except for extra maple syrup."

Jesi-Sera put the menu down gracefully. "A vanilla milkshake for me."

"I'll have a milkshake too," Daea added, "but make it chocolate."

The waitress turned to Eli, who said, "I'll have a hamburger with fries." She asked if he wanted to make the fries a poutine.

"What's poutine?" Daea asked.

Chuck said, "It's fries, with gravy and cheese curds."

Before Eli could respond, Daea said, "We'll both have a poutine."

The waitress looked dubiously at the small girl before asking Chuck if he was having the usual.

"The usual," he replied.

Daea squealed when the food arrived. She noticed that her waffles had no syrup on them, and then clapped her hands when the waitress took a full bottle from her apron and placed it in front of her.

"You were right," she told Chuck. "This syrup really is better." She tried to pour it directly from the container into her mouth, but Jesi-Sera stopped her and told her not to be rude.

"Do you like the poutine?" the young girl asked Eli. "I think it's great. I love how the cheese melts on the gravy."

"It's pretty good," he replied.

Daea finished her meal by loudly slurping the bottom of the milkshake. She leaned back in her seat, patted her belly, and asked, "So, anyone want dessert?"

Before she could get the waitress's attention, Eli pointed out the window. "Look at the Suffering; it's rising and swaying."

Chuck looked and said, "Dow's Lake."

They left the restaurant and walked south on Preston Street. A wide tunnel took them under the Queensway. It was filled with pictures celebrating Italian life in Canada.

Chuck pointed at two twelve story, glass towers. "Those are corporate buildings. All kinds of businesses have offices in there." He then waved his hands toward a vast building complex behind the towers. "Those belong to the Department of Natural Resources."

The team crossed Carling Avenue and arrived at a small lake surrounded by a park. The lake's water level was low, and thousands of geese rested around the muddy edges. A large pavilion filled with restaurants and shops sat at the edge of the lake.

"In the summer, I like to come here to kayak and paddleboard," Chuck told the team.

"Can we paddleboard now?" Daea asked.

The older boy growled at the girl. "Not only is it too cold and the water level too low, but we're on a mission. Think before you speak."

Daea stuck her tongue out at the Sight. Jesi-Sera shot him a stern look.

Eli broke the tension. "Did you know that this is a human-made lake and part of the Rideau Canal system? Boats can travel from the Great Lakes to the Ottawa River, then, if they want, to the Atlantic Ocean. Also, in the winter, people can skate from here to downtown. It's the largest skating rink in the world."

"I want to go skating," Daea said.

"We will," Chuck conciliated.

Eli continued, "Dow's Lake is also host to Ottawa's annual tulip festival. During World War 2, Canada protected the Dutch Princess Julianna and helped liberate her country. After the war, as a token of their gratitude, the Netherlands sent Canada one hundred thousand tulip bulbs, and have sent another ten thousand every year since."

Jesi-Sera said, "The Netherlands is a wonderful country, and I can't wait to see the tulips in the spring, but we have a job to do. Keep your eyes open for suspicious activity."

A lone raccoon's fur bristled as it searched for food in the otherwise empty park. The Suffering covered the lake as black and gray waves emanated from its center. They walked into the Pavilion restaurants, but they too were near empty. Jesi-Sera spoke to a hostess who told her that it had been a terrible day. A kitchen fire had disabled their grills. The chef ordered the cooks to use microwaves for everything. Many patrons refused to pay, and walked out with the food still on the table.

Daea pointed and asked, "What's that?"

Two people stood outside at the end of the pier, which was strange since all the boats had been taken in for the year. The Childaar rushed outside to get a better view. They arrived just in time to see a man with a crew cut and muscles bulging inside his expensive suit take a brown manila envelope from a tall, brown haired woman. She wore black rimmed glasses, a beige trench coat, and red, high-heeled shoes.

"Well, let's get that envelope," Daea said as she stepped toward the pier.

The Suffering raged and flared. Chuck grabbed the back of her coat and pulled her in.

Just as he was about to scold her, Jesi-Sera spoke. "We can't be so direct. Remember, to complete an Operation, we have to solve the situation without arousing suspicion."

The woman gave the man a kiss and then left the pier. The muscular man left a minute later.

Jesi-Sera said, "Let's split up. Daea, ye come with me. We're going to follow the woman. Chuck, ye and Eli follow the man. Unless something happens, we'll rendezvous here in thirty minutes."

Jesi-Sera and Daea caught up to the woman. She had crossed Carling Avenue and was headed into the Natural Resources complex. She entered the Sir William Logan Tower, a tall, brown, modern, twenty-one floor high-rise.

Upon entering the building, the girls were stopped by a pair of security guards. Jesi-Sera poured on her Charm, but was rebuffed by the guards, who told her that she needed to be in the computer to system to access the building. The Suffering surged. Jesi-Sera thanked them for their time.

Once outside, Daea asked, "Why didn't your powers work? They should have let us in."

"While we can affect the Kinedaar, our Gifts don't work on procedures and policies. They are especially troublesome when backed up by technology."

"We should climb the building and enter from the roof," Daea suggested.

Jesi-Sera laughed and said, "Let's see what else we can find first."

The girls scouted the area. Many of the buildings looked different but were actually connected by shared walls. They met the boys back at the Highway.

"Find anything?" Jesi-Sera asked.

"Nothing," Chuck replied. "We followed that guy to the corporate towers. We tried to get in, but security stopped us."

"Same thing happened to us." The Charm scanned the area. "The Suffering is rising. Let's split up and look for clues. If you find anything, gather the team. Chuck, you stay here. Eli, you watch those big buildings on Lebreton Street. Daea, patrol the middle area around that tall smokestack. I'll watch the Logan Tower and everything behind it."

Daea walked to her post. She buttoned her red wool coat as high as it would go and put her hands in the pockets. The buildings assigned to her were surrounded by fences, and bars covered their windows. A few cars remained in the parking lot, but it looked as though most people had gone home for the night.

She spotted a heavy, bald man leave the Logan Tower. He wore only a golf shirt and corduroy pants. He hurried through the cold and entered a side door. "Bureau of Mines, Industrial Minerals Laboratories" was inscribed in stone above it. It reopened, and he wedged a piece of newspaper in the hinge to keep it open.

The girl looked around to see if anyone was looking, then walked up and slid through the crack. An open doorway radiated fluorescent light near the end of the otherwise dark hall. Crouched, she placed one foot carefully in front of the other as she moved down the hallway. Each door was a laboratory entrance. The Suffering rose to her knees.

She peeked into the open room and saw the man talking on his phone. He sounded frantic. Daea couldn't hear what the other person said, but could tell that it was a woman's voice. He said that they had to get out of town because they were in big trouble and that they could spend the rest of their lives relaxing on beaches. He insisted that she come see him—the door was open. He put the phone in his pocket and left the room.

Daea froze against the wall. The Suffering spiked and churned. Luckily for the Childaar, he turned away from her and entered a washroom at the end of the hall.

The girl darted into the lab. The room was filled with large pieces of equipment and boxes of rocks. She searched the room. A computer sat upon an organized desk filled with reports on mineral deposits. Inside the desk drawers, she saw pens, pencils, printer paper, a package of large brown envelopes, and a box of staples. The stapler was on the desk. Daea heard the washroom door swing open and the scientist's approaching footsteps. She ducked under a table. The Suffering was above her head.

The man sat at his computer. If he turned around, however, he would definitely see the girl. He selected a report on gold deposits in Northern Canada and printed the report.

Footsteps clacked down the hallway. Daea could only see a pair of red high-heeled shoes as a woman entered the room. She leaned out expecting to see the woman from the pier, but instead saw a woman with red, curly hair who wore a black coat over a long black dress. The Suffering swirled turbulently. The Childaar hid back under the table, and the swirls simmered. The man stood, and the couple kissed.

The woman asked for the report. The man told her that she didn't need it. He said that they had everything they needed to run away. She insisted on the report and promised that it was the last one. He opened his desk and inserted the recently printed papers in an envelope. The woman said she would return soon.

After she left, the man returned to his computer and browsed beaches from around the world. The Suffering was like water about to boil. Daea crawled out from under the table, placing each hand and knee down as quietly as possible. The girl was right behind the man's chair when he sneezed. Daea rolled forward into the hallway. She ran down the corridor and exited the building.

She found her teammates in the parking lot in front of the smokestack. They looked worried.

"Where have you been?" Chuck screamed. "It's going to pop because of you!"

Eli stepped in and said, "That man we saw on the pier is selling government secrets for that woman he was with. He loves her and wants to marry her, but she told him that he has to sell more secrets to pay for their wedding, honeymoon, and life of travel."

Jesi-Sera knelt and put her hands on Daea's shoulder. "Where were ye? Did ye find any information?"

Black and gray swirls began to wash over the Childaar. "Here we go," Chuck said angrily.

"Hey. Look at that," Eli said, pointing.

The brunette woman from the pier walked out of the Logan Tower toward the parking lot. At the same time, the muscular man rounded the corner from the corporate towers. He had a big smile; she looked determined.

"I have an idea." Daea pointed at the Bureau of Mines' entrance. "Jesi-Sera, run and bang that door. Then hide."

"It's going to pop," Chuck said.

"It's our last chance," Jesi-Sera replied as she used her Speedness to zip away and pound on the door with both fists, before hiding behind a bush.

The door opened, and the bald scientist stepped out.

The brawny, suited man held open the door to a small car for the woman. Before she could get in, however, Daea dashed across the lot, leapt, and grabbed the woman's hair, pulling off a brown wig, exposing a luscious head of red, curly hair. The Suffering eased and lowered.

The muscular man stood shocked and confused. The scientist ran to the parking lot. The two men called the woman by different names. The men realized at the same time that the woman had used them and that she loved neither. The scientist angrily took out his phone and called the police. The woman tried to run, but the burly man caught her and held her until the police arrived. Both men agreed that they were in trouble but didn't want to be a part of her schemes any longer.

The Suffering reduced to its normal state when a police car arrived. A confused officer tried to understand what was happening. The constable handcuffed the Kinedaar and called for backup. Two more police cars arrived and the three Kinedaar were taken away.

Jesi-Sera clapped her hands. "Brilliant. That was a close one. How did you know it was the same woman?"

"I saw a package of envelopes in the scientist's office that reminded me of the one we had seen on the pier," explained Daea. "Also, even though the woman was disguised, she hadn't changed her red shoes. It all came together when Eli told me about how the man in the suit was in love with her—just like the scientist was. All I had to do was expose her to the men."

Eli patted Daea on the back. "It worked. Nice thinking."

Chuck also patted her on the back. "Yeah, nice one, rookie."
Chapter 7

"Come on, Daea. Wake up. We're going to be late for class."

Daea rolled to the other side of her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Let's go. We don't have any time."

The girl groaned.

"I'll leave without you."

Daea opened half an eye. She saw Eli standing above her. "OK, go without me." She smiled when he walked away. Only a few moments later, though, a big splash of cold water hit her in the face. Aghast and instantly awake, she shrieked, "Why did you do that?"

"We are late for class."

"So!"

"So you don't want to get grounded again, especially on Halloween. It's one of the few nights of the year we know there won't be a mission

Daea laughed. "Every day should be Halloween, and then we could have fun all the time."

"Try getting the grownups to agree to that."

"All I know is that I am going to get a record haul of candy tonight."

As the duo walked to class, Eli asked, "Why do you care how much candy you'll get when you have the museum requisition such absurd amounts of junk food?"

"It tastes better when you work for it."

The classroom was a clean white room filled with desks of varying sizes. The smallest were at the front and the largest at the back.

Eli protested when the teacher marked them both late. He blamed Daea and said he should be rewarded for bringing her. The teacher told him not to tattle, to which Daea agreed. She, in turn, was told she was on thin ice after her spitballs yesterday, and that she had best behave. The girl rolled her eyes, and the teacher said that was her first strike.

Eli sat at a desk in the middle of the front row. Jesi-Sera sat in the back with Chuck a spot ahead. Daea took the seat in the furthest corner. The teacher, as always, asked her to move closer to the front. Daea looked at Jesi-Sera, who pointed forward. The girl scrunched her nose and moved up a couple of seats. She crossed her arms and banged her head on the desk.

The teacher told her to be quiet, then presented the day's lesson. Eli asked questions and engaged the teacher in academic conversation. Chuck slumped in his chair and tracked the teacher with his gold eyes. Jesi-Sera used Chuck to hide the comic book she read.

Daea looked at the clock. She closed her eyes and counted to sixty. When she opened them, the second hand indicated that only fifty-eight seconds had passed.

Daea whispered to Chuck about the dinosaur exhibit in the museum, but he ignored her. She ripped a piece of paper from her notebook, wrote something, folded it, and tossed it toward the Sight. Her note was intercepted by the teacher, who read it aloud to the class. It said, "Do you like dinosaurs?" Two check boxes, one for yes and the other for no, were drawn under the question. The teacher told her that was strike two.

She then drew pictures in her notebook of the missions they had been on since arriving in Ottawa. The first was a Stomp in Vanier, where they fought a group of evil leprechauns called Ollphisttes. The second was an Operation in Gloucester, which was quickly solved when the team helped a bureaucrat clear her name after she had been falsely accused of embezzlement. The last mission had been a Stomp in the Greenbelt where they tracked and destroyed thousands of Crawlies. At first it had been fun, but it became repetitive and boring. Daea still enjoyed it more than school.

The teammates took turns scouring the tunnels. In teams of two, they would rid the passageways of Crawlies and whatever else they found. It was better to do a little every day than have something really big spawn. Daea liked working with Jesi-Sera the most, then Eli, and she hated when it was just her and Chuck. The bell rang, and the girl was startled out of her daydreams. She packed her things and ran out of the class.

The common room was filled with excitement as the Childaar awaited sundown. Chuck had a shower and put on his hockey equipment. Jesi-Sera dressed as a fairy princess. She wore a pink gown with translucent wings coming out the back, her shoes looked like glass, and she held a simple wooden wand. Eli was zipped inside a green dinosaur costume with a long tail and spikes down the ridge. Only his face poked out of the neck. Daea dressed as a classic vampire with slicked back hair, a white face, and fangs that fit onto her teeth. She wore a black cape around a dark suit. Jesi-Sera and Chuck told her that her outfit was in bad taste because it celebrated the evil Eldaar, Dracul. Daea told them to relax.

The Childaar were allowed in the Byward Market, near the Chateau Laurier and U.S. Embassy. It was one of the few nights of the year that the B-team was allowed into the A-team's territory. The Byward Market, popular with tourists and locals alike, was full of shops and restaurants.

The team trick-or-treated as they walked. Excitement greeted them at each door as their costumes were praised as the best of the night. Their bags were half full of candy by the time they got to the market.

The first place Chuck took them was a small BeaverTails shack. He ordered four of the flat, oval, deep-fried pastries. He handed one to each of the team members. Daea devoured hers, looked at the menu, and ordered four more. The ones she got had specialty toppings like chocolate candies, maple syrup, and banana. She offered them to her teammates, who declined, so the little girl ate them herself as they explored.

They followed Chuck in and out of a list of restaurants. They sampled a wide variety of cuisines, from New Orleanian to Vietnamese.

A group of costumed teenagers befriended the Childaar. All the boys sidled up to Jesi-Sera, and the girls wanted to be close to Chuck. The rookies found the company boring, so they left to explore on their own.

"We should find places to get more candy," said Daea as she shook her bag, which was three-quarters full. "There are houses behind the market we can get to before it's too late."

Eli sighed. "It's too late already, and you have enough. Let's explore. We never get into this area."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Let's walk around Parliament."

"Sure. I wonder if they are giving out candy."

The Childaar walked to Rideau Street and crossed Sussex. Eli halted Daea as they passed the Chateau Laurier. He pointed over the bridge. "See that? Those are locks which allow boats to go uphill from the Ottawa River onto the Rideau Canal, or downhill in the other direction. The boat enters a gate at the first stage, and then they flood or drain the compartment until the water level is in line with the next one. They open the gate and the boat moves through. The process repeats eight times until they get to the river or canal."

Daea paid the Smart little attention as she unwrapped candies and stuffed them in her mouth. The parliament buildings were only steps away from the locks. The young vampires walked into the large courtyard. The Canadian flag flapped atop the Peace Tower, and shadows hid in the walls of the great buildings of Parliament.

"Are we done? There must be somewhere we can get candy?"

"Let's stay here and enjoy the night," Eli replied.

"Candy!"

"Alright, let's go into downtown. We'll see if the apartments and shops are giving any."

They left Parliament and crossed Wellington Street. Eli pointed at a solid, rectangular sandstone building with ornate blue-trimmed windows. "Remember this place? It's the Langevin Block. It's where the Prime Minister's office is located. The Prime Minister is kind of like the Canadian president."

"I know what the Prime Minister is," snapped Daea. Her eyes sparkled as she pointed to a side door behind a spiked iron fence. "Look at that. The door is open. We could get in."

"No way. Even though we're allowed downtown tonight, there's no chance we'd be allowed to enter these buildings."

"What's the harm? We're safe. There aren't any Stomps or Operations. We'll be fine."

"If Owen found out, we'd be dead meat."

Daea jumped and pulled herself over the barrier. "It's a good thing that Owen won't find out." She landed nimbly on the other side and snuck toward the door.

Eli struggled to get over the fence in his dinosaur costume. "This is a bad idea."

The Childaar crept and peeked inside and saw nothing but an elaborate staircase and a corridor.

Daea entered the building. "Where do you think the Prime Minister's office is?"

"Probably on one of the upper floors, but we should leave."

Daea stopped on the first landing. "I'm just going to take a peek."

Eli sighed. "Be quick. I want to get out of here."

The girl walked up to the second floor landing. There was a big wood door. She opened it and saw a dark hallway lined with office doors. The third floor was the same. When she peeked through the door to the top floor, however, she heard a voice resonate from an open office halfway down the hall.

"Let's go."

Daea jumped, started by Eli. "Shhh, someone is up here. I want to see who it is. Maybe it's the Prime Minister."

"Are you crazy? You have had your look, now let's get out of here already."

Daea slid through the door and skulked down the hall. The office doors were further apart than in the halls below. The nameplates said that they were the offices of different kinds of ministers. She felt Eli behind her. As they approached the office in the middle of the hall, she saw a nameplate which stated that it was indeed the Prime Minister's.

Inside, wood walls surrounded a large wooden desk. She made out five figures in the room. Two men and two women sat in front of the desk. They all wore square, dark suits. They sat, transfixed and trembling, in front of the individual standing behind the desk.

Dracul was tall and skinny. Fangs peeked out from a thin mouth on an alabaster face. His slicked back dark hair enhanced an already distinctive V-shaped hairline. He wore a fine, black velvet suit. His black, leather, pointy-toed shoes reflected their surroundings. The only thing that marred his immaculate appearance was the long, thick, claw-like fingernails protruding from his hands.

"This is sheer incompetence," the vampire said. His voice had a Transylvanian accent. "How can this be explained?"

The Prime Minister cleared his throat and said that he had been clear with the minister when he had given his instructions. A woman cut him off and nervously responded to the accusation, claiming that she was assured that the Senator was under control. The other man cut her off, and they all began to squabble.

"Silence." Dracul's head snapped to the side, and he peered into the dark hallway. "What's this? What have we here?" He turned to the Kinedaar. "Is this a gift? For me? You may yet survive this night after all."

Daea and Eli stood frozen in terror.

"Come closer," the Eldaar said.

Daea and Eli walked into the room.

"Stand still."

Daea tried to move but was powerless. He walked behind the kids, leaned down, and took a deep breath.

"Delicious," he whispered, "simply delicious." He turned to the Kinedaar and asked, "Who is responsible for this? Who has my gratitude on this hallowed eve?"

The room sat in silence. The tall vampire turned to the children and said, "Tell me, then, what brings you two tasty specimens to me?"

Eli blurted, "My name is Eli, and that's Daea. It's Halloween, so we were allowed to go to the market. We decided to explore the area, and as we passed this building, we saw an open door. Daea jumped the fence and entered. I didn't want to, but she wouldn't listen to me."

"Is that so? So no one knows that you are here?"

The Childaar nodded their heads.

"Do you know who I am?" the vampire asked.

"An Eldaar?" Eli said.

A low, raspy laugh came out of the man. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

"If you're going to eat us, just get it over with already," Daea stammered.

"Oh, my lookalike is a feisty one," the Eldaar remarked. "Don't be so hasty. In life, or rather unlife," he cackled, "we must savor the finer things." The vampire paced behind them muttering, "What to do? What to do?" He eyed them like a lion eyes a zebra.

A scraping sound preceded two balls of fur pouncing into the room. Buddy and Whiskers leapt at the Eldaar. His eyes flash with hatred as he shot the dogs a furious look. The dogs hit the ground, slid, whelped, and ran away.

Dracul then flicked his wrist, and Chuck was spun into the room. He flicked his wrist again, and the boy was thrown up into the ceiling, which he bounced off of before he fell back to the ground.

"How cute," the Eldaar said. "He thought he could hide from me. Get up!"

Chuck pushed himself off the ground. The man asked them a detailed series of questions. The Childaar held nothing back. The Eldaar's tongue darted in and out of his mouth as he listened.

"What we have here is a classic example of short-term gratification versus long-term benefit." He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. "On the one hand, I could eat you all right now. It's been too long since I've tasted sweet Childaar blood. On the other hand, I could use you as a resource."

He rubbed his hands through his hair. "Unfortunately, I can't eat just one or two of you. That would draw suspicion." He licked his lips, frowned, and said, "The prudent choice is to use you. You Childaar have gotten more organized and powerful in recent times. I need information."

"Here's what's going to happen," he told the group. "I am going to wipe this memory from your minds. If you ever think back to this night, you will only remember having a fun Halloween. I am, however, going to give you a new friend."

He snapped his fingers, and a blue feline creature appeared in front of them. It had the body of a tiger and the head of a bat. It was hairless, with tough, taut, leathery blue skin. It sat down next to the Eldaar and yawned. Its open mouth revealed a full set of shark teeth. The Eldaar stroked the creature's head.

The vampire smiled. "This here is my little friend, Hyelsing. She is going to watch you and report to me." The creature disappeared and then reappeared. "As you can see, my friend has special powers. You don't need to be afraid since you won't even know she's around." He looked at his watch. "Well, then, shall we get on with it?"

He told the Kinedaar that he would be back shortly to deal with them. The vampires, young and old, walked down a lavish staircase to the front entrance. The Eldaar leaned down and smelled each Childaar in turn. He waved his hand in front of their faces and said, "You will remember nothing of this night." The Childaar's eyes glazed, and they nodded their heads.

"I look forward to seeing you all again. I hope your usefulness will have expired by then." He took one last deep breath, opened the door, and showed them out.

Glassy-eyed, the Childaar stumbled down the street.

When they arrived back at the museum, Jesi-Sera had just showered and was making a cup of tea.

She looked at the bedraggled kids. "I take it ye had a happy Halloween?"

Daea ran to the Charm and showed her the bag of candy. "It was the best Halloween ever. Look at all my loot. I think I could have got more, but people started to get annoyed when we knocked on their doors too late." She poured the sweets onto a table and began to sort them.

"Don't get to comfortable," the team leader said. "We have class now."

The young girl returned the treats to her bag. "I'm taking my candy with me."
Chapter 8

Most of the red, orange, purple, and yellow leaves had fallen off the trees. They spread across lawns and gathered in corners. It was mid-November, and the team hadn't had a mission since Halloween.

Jesi-Sera and Chuck told the rookies to enjoy the downtime while they could. Chuck watched a hockey game, and Eli worked on his Tomes. Jesi-Sera processed reports in her bedroom. Daea walked into the common area.

"There's going to be a mission tonight," the girl said, breathing warmth into her hands. "And it's really cold out."

"You haven't felt cold yet, rookie," Chuck said, pulling himself off the couch. "Eli, why don't you get Seeingness already? That way you can inspect the Suffering and I can stay and watch this game."

Without looking up the Smart said, "Not really something I can control, Chuck."

Daea said, "You might need your warm hat. What do you call it?"

"Tuque," the Sight replied.

Daea laughed. "Tuque. That sounds so funny."

"Not really," the older boy snarled.

As Daea made herself a banana split, Jesi-Sera exited her room. "Did I hear we have a mission tonight?"

"Yep, Chuck is out looking at the Suffering. I wonder what it'll be," the girl said as she dumped a container of pineapple cubes into her bowl.

The Sight returned with a knitted cap atop his head. "It looks like a Stomp in Kanata. We should leave in about an hour. Traffic shouldn't be too bad."

Eli packed away his Tome materials. "In the old days, Kanata didn't get many missions. Now that it is home to the city's technology sector, it has become part of the regular rotation."

Chuck nodded. "If it's a Stomp, we can probably expect to fight Polters and Geists."

"What are those?" Daea asked.

Eli answered, "They are the ghosts in the machine, spirits that possess anything with mechanical parts. Centuries ago they could only affect simple things like windows and clocks, but these days they are far more formidable."

"What's the difference between a Polter and a Geist?"

"Polters are more powerful."

"So, we fight machines?"

The Sight replied, "Yes. I've fought possessed farm equipment, snow blowers, cars, and computers."

Jesi-Sera spoke. "Ye know Big Ben, the famous clock tower in London? I once helped on a mission where it was possessed by a Polter. Not fun. We had to abandon that one."

The team suited up and walked to their black SUV. Buddy and Whiskers, tails wagging vigorously, awaited the team outside the museum. Chuck opened the back hatch and in they jumped. Jesi-Sera got in the driver's seat, while Chuck hopped in the passenger seat, and Eli and Daea climbed into the back.

They drove west on the Queensway.

Daea poked Eli, who had taken out a Gameboy. He ignored her, but she kept poking.

"Stop it, Daea! You're being annoying."

"I'm not doing anything," she said as she tried to poke him again, but he pushed her hand away.

Jesi-Sera looked in the rearview mirror. "Come on, Daea. This drive is long enough without ye bugging Eli."

"OK," the girl said as she drew an imaginary line down the middle of the backseat. "This side is mine, and that side is yours."

Eli returned to his game. "Perfect."

Daea put her finger over the imaginary line and giggled.

When Eli looked at her, she pulled her hand back and asked, "What?"

Eli would return to his game and she would do it again. If Eli ignored her, she would encroach into his space and poke him.

"Stop it, Daea!" Eli yelled.

"Daea. I thought ye said you would behave? What happened?"

"I was," she protested. "We have a barrier. Sure, I was over it a little, but it's not my fault if he can't take a joke."

Chuck swung around and snarled, "It's not a joke. There is nothing funny about it. You are just irritating us. Now sit still!"

They drove into a warehouse parking lot. The temperature had dropped to near freezing.

Daea buttoned up her red, wool jacket and donned the tuque she had stuffed in a pocket. "Hey, Jesi-Sera, check this out." The girl performed a well-executed roundhouse kick. "Our kung fu is getting good. I'm going to kung fu all kinds of things tonight, tiger style."

Eli ran in front of Daea. His shoulders paralleled hers. Imitating Bruce Lee, he pretended to taste blood on his hand, then attacked his teammate.

The Childaar sparred until Chuck yelled at them to quit.

"Looking good," Jesi-Sera said. "You'll get to test your skills soon enough."

Chuck let the dogs out. They licked and jumped all over the Sight, seemingly unaware of the cold. He laughed, then walked toward the leader.

Daea yelled, "Woohoo," and rushed the building.

The team ran after her. They arrived at the entrance to the warehouse just as the girl kicked the door in.

"Daea," Jesi-Sera yelled. "We always make a plan. Ye know that."

"Sorry. I'm just so excited to kung fu some monsters."

"So, what do ye reckon?" the Charm asked Chuck.

"Let's find out what this place is and then move from front to back. I think we should stick together."

Eli pointed at a sign. "Umm, this is a factory for bomb detonation robots."

Chuck shook his head. "Of course it is."

The front door opened into a typical office. The Suffering was knee-high, and it rolled angrily around the room. A reception desk sat outside the manager's office in front of a closed door which read "staff only."

"Chuck, open that staff door and see what's back there. Eli and Daea, stay behind me," Jesi-Sera said as she entered the manager's office. "Don't forget that you need to see me to get my Adoreness buffs." The Charm's Adoreness made the team stronger, tougher, faster, and more confident.

A paper shredder jumped onto the manager's desk. Its feed had become a mouth with spinning blades for teeth. As it was about to leap, Jesi-Sera waved her hand at it. A glow radiated from her body, and the machine dropped lifeless on the desk. A glob of Suffering leaked out of the machine and rolled off the side into the inky black pool of Suffering.

"That was a Geist. My Fear rarely works on Polters."

"This is a staff room," Chuck called. His eyes grew wide, and he braced himself as a refrigerator exploded through the doorway sending splinters and the Sight flying. Buddy and Whiskers jumped into the room and pulled their friend out of the animated appliance's path.

Daea crouched and was about to charge the big machine when she was struck in the back by a bolt of light that shot from the manager's computer monitor. Then the monitor on the receptionist's desk came to life and also shot a bolt at the girl. Jesi-Sera became a blur as she used her Quickness to step in front of Daea and absorb the attack.

Eli jumped onto the reception desk and threw a centerline punch at the monitor. His strike stopped short of hitting the machine, and a firebolt shot out of his open palm. The monitor exploded into thousands of pieces.

Daea rushed into the manager's office. She jumped at the monitor with a flying kick, but it dodged her attack. She skidded across the desk and landed on the floor.

Jesi-Sera pointed at the refrigerator; her body glowed, but nothing happened.

Daea jumped and attempted a flying reverse kick, but the monitor once again dodged her attack. It exploded like its counterpart when Eli hit it with a fireball.

"Looks like you need more kung fu practice," the young boy said. He posed like Bruce Lee in a low crouch with one arm outstretched and the other near his chest.

"Come on, Eli. Why do you shoot at my targets?"

"Why do you poke me in the back of the car?"

Daea scrunched her nose, then broke out laughing. She ran out of the manager's office, jumped, and high-fived the Smart as she landed on the desk beside him.

Jesi-Sera and Chuck were backed up against a wall, where the refrigerator's door beat on them. Jesi-Sera stood in front of her teammate, taking the hits. Buddy and Whiskers barked from the flank, unsure what to do.

Daea flipped off the desk, charged the refrigerator, and climbed up its side. With little room between herself and the ceiling, she kept low, like a tiger, and hammered punches down on the fridge top. Eli shot a fireball that struck the monster's broad side, giving Jesi-Sera and Chuck an opportunity to escape.

Through the busted door frame, in the staff room kitchen, more appliances came to life. Jesi-Sera used her Fear on the room. Suffering oozed out of the coffeemaker and toaster, but the microwave shot a series of blue lasers at Daea. The Charm blurred and jumped in front of the shots, taking them square on her torso.

The refrigerator flailed and rocked violently. Daea fell flat on her stomach and held tight. On Chuck's command the dogs got behind the fridge and ripped at its cords and hoses. Eli launched another fireball, but it fizzled out, like a birthday cake sparkler.

Jesi-Sera reengaged and dented the door of the refrigerator with a knife hand strike. Stuck between the large appliance and the staff room, her back was peppered with blue lasers from the microwave while the freezer door smashed her in the face.

Daea slipped and fell off the fridge. Jesi-Sera caught her midair and set her down. The younger girl scampered back up and dropped a succession of blows. The machine rumbled and shook as it tried to shake her off.

The dogs withdrew from the thrashing monster. Hissing coils and hoses whipped wildly. Chuck disappeared. Eli jumped off the reception desk and ran toward the staff room. As he was about to enter, more blue lasers fired and hit the Charm. She stumbled and lost her balance.

Chuck was engaged with the microwave when Eli entered the staff room. Each time the Sight moved in for an attack, the Polter would shoot a series of blue lasers, forcing him to step back.

"Incoming," the Smart yelled as he prepared a fireball.

Chuck disappeared, and a soft, yellow ball of fire grazed the microwave.

Jesi-Sera timed her strikes to coincide with the momentum of the refrigerator. When it was most off balance, she pushed her attack and toppled it. The fridge swung its doors at the Charm one last time before it toppled. She flew back through the air and landed in the middle of the reception area. The fridge gurgled, and substantial, thick ooze of Suffering leaked out of the machine.

Daea jumped off the refrigerator as it fell. She landed in the busted staff room entrance and used her momentum to launch herself back into the air, where she dropped a midair punch on the microwave. The small machine's lights blinked ERROR ERROR. It lost power and fell off the counter.

The staff room was dirty and disorganized. A week's worth of trash piled over the can and onto the floor.

Jesi-Sera entered the room and asked, "Everyone alright?"

The teammates brushed themselves off and said they were fine. Chuck gave the dogs a treat from his pocket.

A banging noise rumbled from the other side of a double door.

Daea yelled, "I got it." She flung open the doors and saw a large warehouse construction area filled with tools, supplies, and workstations. The noise became near deafening as machines came to life.

In a flash, Jesi-Sera stood in front of the little girl. Arms outstretched, she used her Fear, and a majority of the machines died and seeped murky blackness into the roiling Suffering that swayed across the concrete floor. "Daea! Ye are too hasty. We need to be more careful."

As if to prove her point, a Polter-infused motorized pallet jack rammed into the girls. The machine's lifted prongs struck them in their legs, and they fell to the ground. Three nail guns, which had climbed and attached themselves to the rafters, rained steel spikes at the prone targets. Jesi-Sera rolled onto Daea as a hail of thick, sharp nails hit her in the back. A welding rig, which consisted of two tanks strapped into a wheeled cart, rolled in behind the jack. Attached to the tanks, a torch swayed in the air like a cobra about to strike. It unleashed a torrent of electricity at the team leader.

Jesi-Sera pushed herself off the ground and charged the pallet jack, pushing it and the welder back into the assembly room. Chuck told his dogs to stay put and then disappeared. Daea moved into her tiger pose, charged across the floor, hopped onto one of the pallet jack's prongs, and delivered a low kick to its chassis. Eli moved into the doorway and shot a fireball at one of the nail guns in the rafters. The projectile missed as the nail gun scooted to the side.

The pallet jack swung to strike Jesi-Sera. The team leader dodged the attack by jumping in front of Daea on the prong, where she promptly intercepted another volley of nails from up high. The torch, which had regained its balance, blasted the Charm, who fell off the jack onto the cement floor. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she lost consciousness.

Buddy and Whiskers pulled the comatose Childaar back into the staff room. Chuck climbed up the wall into the rafters. He kicked a nail gun off the beam. It fell to the ground and smashed into pieces. Daea vaulted off the pallet jack and knocked the welding cart over with a drop kick. Eli screamed and threw a hard red and green fireball at the jack. Its prongs slowly lowered to the ground, and a glob of Suffering exited the lifeless machine.

The nail guns turned and fired at Chuck. He jumped and the nails flew underneath him.

The welding torch blasted Daea. The girl grimaced as electrical currents flowed through her body.

Chuck kicked another of the nail guns off the beam while Eli finished the other with a direct hit. Daea pounded on the welding tanks. She continued to strike even after the Polter had rejoined the Suffering.

Eli pulled the girl off and said, "We cleared the room."

Chuck, who had climbed down, attended Jesi-Sera in the staff room. The rookies ran to join him, but before they got to her, the Sight grabbed Daea by her shirt and screamed, "This is your fault! You careless fool!"

Daea pushed him back. "What! My fault?"

"You rushed headfirst into every encounter. Jesi-Sera shielded you from every attack. It should be your lifeless body lying here."

Eli squeezed himself between the quarrelling Childaar. "Stop fighting. This isn't over. The Suffering is flowing out of those loading doors. What are we going to do?"

Dirt, sweat, tears, and fury covered Daea's face. She ran back into the assembly room. The boys ran after her but were unable to stop her before she flung the loading doors open, nearly dislodging them from the track.

Cold wind and a wave of Suffering blew into the warehouse. The moon lit the yard, and bomb removal robots rolled out of a large cargo ship container. Treaded wheels supported their low bodies. A long arm with a camera and claw protruded from the machine frames. Red lights blinked from the cameras, and shrill sounds, like garbage trucks in reverse, blasted the area.

Between sobs, the girl screamed, "This ends now!"

Eli stopped beside her and said, "Calm down! Think! We don't have Jesi-Sera's buffs anymore. If we lose this fight and we are outside, we could wipe."

"I won't lose," Daea said as she stepped into the night.

Chuck pulled the girl back into the building. He pushed a red button on the wall and the doors made horrible grinding noises as they tried to close.

Daea screamed and tried to push past him, but he blocked her way. "It's not worth the risk," he barked.

"I don't care," Daea yelled. "They hurt Jesi-Sera, and I am going to hurt them."

Chuck stuck his face into Daea's and said, "I am the ranking Childaar here, and I am ordering you to back down. If you don't, I will ensure that you get grounded and hopefully expelled for insubordination."

Daea stepped back from the older boy. Eli put his arm around her shoulder. "We'll have other opportunities. Let's go."

The team left the warehouse and got into their vehicle. Chuck laid Jesi-Sera in the backseat. Daea cushioned her head on her lap.

Chuck got into the driver's seat. Eli opened the passenger side door. "You have a driver's license too?"

The Sight started the vehicle. "No."

"Then you aren't allowed to drive."

"Feel free to stay."

Nobody said anything during the drive back to the museum.

Upon their return, they took Jesi-Sera to her room. She began to regain consciousness. "What happened?"

Eli held her hand and Chuck said, "We lost. The fight was about to move outside, and I aborted the mission."

Jesi-Sera lowered her eyes and nodded.

Daea sat on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I never should have rushed in like I did. I won't do it again. But you can't place yourself in front of all the attacks. I know I'm a rookie, but I can help too. I've got Tuffness if nothing else."

Jesi-Sera patted the girl's arm. "Aye. We still have lots to learn about working together." She took a deep breath and said, "Now, please leave me. I need to rest."

Chuck went to the couch to watch sports.

"Hey, Daea, can I make you a snack?" Eli asked.

Daea shook her head. "No thanks. I'm going to go to my room."

A couple of hours later, Jesi-Sera joined the boys in the common area. Daea heard her and joined the team.

"Tough night," Jesi-Sera said. "Don't take it personally. We win more than we lose. What's important is that we keep fighting. Aye?"

The rest of the team mumbled their agreement.

The Charm looked at the TV. "Chuck, now why wouldn't ye watch proper football? Ye know the kind that is actually played with feet and a ball? Not hands and an egg."

Chuck laughed. "This is Canadian football, and it's one of my favorite sports. You should give it a chance."

"Maybe someday we can watch a game together and ye can explain the rules to me."

"Anytime, Jesi-Sera."

She walked over to Eli, who had opened a box to a new board game. He smiled. "Want to play?"

"Does it play three?"

"Yes."

"Daea, how would ye like to make some popcorn and play a game with Eli and myself?"

Daea beamed. "I would love to. I'll even pour maple syrup on the popcorn."

Jesi-Sera chuckled. "Maybe take it easy on the syrup."

Daea shook her head. "No way, the more syrup the better."
Chapter 9

Class finished, and Daea ran to the Childaar room. The newest Lego sets that Daea and Eli ordered had arrived. She'd spent the whole class dreaming of the things she would build. Eli was quick on her heels. Usually he stayed after class to talk to the teacher, but today he was as excited as his friend to get out.

When they got to their home, fifty packs awaited them. Daea started ripping them open.

"Hey. Don't mix the pieces. I want to build the sets."

Daea kept ripping. "It's more fun putting them all together and building whatever you want."

Eli stacked the remaining packages behind him. "Leave these alone. They're mine."

Daea started to crawl over the Sight to reach the unopened boxes, when Chuck walked into the room. "Put those away. We have a mission."

"Really? We just had that Kanata Stomp a couple of days ago," Daea said.

"Don't whine, and start getting ready," the Sight said. "It looks like an Operation in Rockcliffe."

"Do you think you and Jesi-Sera could do it alone?"

Jesi-Sera entered the room and answered, "Ye know better than that. Let's go."

It was just after dusk and the moon was full. It was a few degrees below freezing. Only the toughest of leaves held onto the tree branches.

To avoid entering the A-team's territory, they took the Queensway to the Vanier Parkway, which they followed to Hemlock Road.

Rockcliffe Park is a well-to-do neighborhood on the east side of Ottawa. The houses are large and the yards manicured. Mature maple and elm trees line the streets. The roads aren't square, but rather meander through the community.

The Suffering didn't lead them to any place in particular, but rather washed evenly throughout the streets and yards.

"Anything we need to know?" Jesi-Sera asked Chuck as she parked the SUV.

"I'd say we should split up and look for things out of the ordinary. After that, it's usually best to stake out the location. In Rockcliffe, that usually means someone's house. After the stakeout, we should have an idea what the problem is and how to fix it."

Jesi-Sera got out of the vehicle, stretched, and inspected the neighborhood. "It is nice here."

Chuck said, "It looks nice on the outside, but it's amazing how dark things get behind some of these doors."

"Aye, it would take a lot to surprise me. Some of the Operations we had to do in London's high end areas were horrific. Goodness help us when royalty was involved." Jesi-Sera turned to the team and said, "Unless we find something sooner, meet back here in thirty minutes."

Daea buttoned up her jacket and put on her tuque and gloves. "So, we just walk around looking for something strange?"

"Yes. But you and Eli will go together," Chuck said.

The rookies ran down the street. Daea kicked a mound of leaves blown up against the curb and Eli ran through them. As they rounded a corner, they encountered a school. The Suffering didn't encroach on the yard. Six children milled around a jungle gym in the park.

Daea approached the oldest kid, who looked about nine or ten years old. "Hey," she said to the well-dressed young boy. He had black hair and a fair complexion.

"Hey, yourself."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Umm." The boy looked around. "Not much. You?"

"Yeah, nothing much either. We're new in town, and just checking things out."

The boy extended his hand and said, "My name is Aiden."

Daea shook his hand. "I'm Daea."

All the kids in the yard moved toward the newcomers. Aiden asked, "So what are you doing in town?"

"We are—," Daea began.

Eli cut her off and finished, "Exchange students."

One of the other kids in the group, a small pretty girl named So-E, joined the conversation. "Where are you from?"

Eli answered, "We're both from Los Angeles."

"Ahhh," the kids said in unison.

"Yeah, and I've even met famous movie stars like Annaliese Aguirre, Patricia Kortney, and Basil Milborne," Daea said.

The kids were impressed.

"Want to play something?" Aiden asked.

"Like what?"

He kicked some leaves. "I don't know..."

So-E said, "I know, let's play hide and go seek."

Daea beamed. "I love hide-and-seek! Can I be it first, please?" It was decided, and Daea stuck her face in a large tree and counted to one hundred as fast as possible. When she finished, she yelled as loud as she could, "Ready or not, here I come." She opened her eyes and surveyed the empty park. She walked away from the tree, making sure not to go too far.

Quiet streets filled with large houses surrounded the school yard. House lights shone as people finished late dinners and began their evening routines. Through the windows, she saw lots of people watching big TVs.

Daea spotted a plump boy from the group move from behind a garbage can and make a run for home base. He was no match for Daea, who easily outran him to the tree. She then proceeded to catch all the kids except for Eli and Aiden.

The caught children gathered around the tree to see if she could find the last two hiders. A parent yelled out their door and So-E grumbled that she had to go.

Daea walked to the road in front of the school. To the left she could see a well-lit intersection, and to her right the road disappeared around a corner. She walked to the left and heard a crackling noise behind her. Aiden dropped out of a tree and began to run. The other kids clapped and cheered. He was fast and had a head start, but the girl closed the gap and easily touched the tree before him.

Daea ran back to the road and walked down the dark street. She kept turning around to make sure Eli wasn't going to surprise her from behind. She spotted a strange brick house. It was dark and looked as though no one was home, but there were three cars in the driveway and four more on the street. She crossed the road. Eli crouched in a shrub watching the house.

"This is weird," she whispered. "What's going on in there?"

"I have no idea," Eli replied.

The children from the playground began to walk toward them.

Daea said, "We have to get those kids out of here."

Eli looked at his watch. "And we have to get back to the car. We're five minutes late. Race to home base?"

Daea yelled, "Go!"

The spectators cheered as Eli and Daea ran toward the tree. Daea was quicker off the start, but Eli caught up to her. The girl squeezed through the fence gate, and Eli jumped it like an Olympic hurdler. They were neck and neck down the homestretch. At the last moment, Eli stretched out his hand and touched the tree. The kids in the yard roared with delight.

Daea, gasping for air, laughed and patted Eli on the back. "Good game."

As they said their goodbyes, Aiden took out his phone. "I was wondering if maybe I could get your numbers and we could hang out?"

Eli said, "Actually, we don't get a lot of free time. Also, our school doesn't let us have phones."

The boy looked disappointed. "Well, it was nice meeting you. Hopefully we can have a rematch someday."

Everyone agreed and they parted ways.

Jesi-Sera looked annoyed upon the rookies' return. "Where have ye been? You're ten minutes late."

"We were playing hide-and-seek," Daea began.

"And I won," Eli finished.

The team leader said, "This isn't the time to be playing games. We need to complete the Operation. Look at the Suffering. It's rising fast."

In unison, Daea and Eli said, "Sorry."

Did you find anything?" Chuck growled.

"Yeah, there is a house with seven cars in front of it, but no lights on inside," Eli replied.

"Show us," said the Sight.

The team drove to the dark, empty brick house. After they exited the vehicle, Jesi-Sera said, "Chuck, ye scout it out. We'll wait here."

"On it." The older boy disappeared in front of their eyes.

Jesi-Sera turned to Eli and Daea. "Ye two have to learn to manage your time better. Chuck and I were getting worried."

"But we found the house," Daea said.

"We make plans for a reason. Ye may not realize it yet, but we young vampires can be hurt. It isn't all fun and games out here. We have an important job. Could you imagine the world without us? And it's not like we have a surplus of Childaar. Our resources are thin so we must be wise. Aye?"

The rookies hung their heads and said, "Aye."

Daea took the older girl's hand. "I'm sorry, Jesi-Sera. It's just we were having so much fun playing with the other kids. We lost track of time."

"I'm sorry too," Eli said.

Jesi-Sera smiled and asked, "Was the game close?"

Daea made a hand gesture with her thumb and forefinger with very little room between them.

Chuck appeared. "This house is locked up tighter than the Royal Mint. All the doors and windows are locked, and they have a security system to prevent intruders."

Jesi-Sera took a deep breath. "We have to find some way to find out what's going on inside that place."

Eli asked, "Chuck, do you think you could get an animal in there?"

"Maybe some insects, but they are so unreliable and hard to talk to. I'd be lucky to be able to even give them directions, let alone understand their results."

"Why don't we smash a window and just go in?" Daea asked.

Jesi-Sera shook her head. "No, that'd pop the mission. Keep the suggestions coming."

"What if we rang the doorbell and Chuck snuck in?" suggested Eli.

Jesi-Sera smiled at the boy. "Hmmm, and what would we say?"

Daea stuck her hand up and blurted, "We could sell chocolates, like for a school fundraiser. I'll go buy some at the corner store."

Chuck replied, "The chocolates schools use for those events are different than what you buy at the store."

"What else do schools do to fundraise?" Jesi-Sera asked.

"Pledge donations," Eli said.

"True, but we don't have the proper papers for that. Anything else?"

Chuck's gold eyes flickered in the night. He grinned and said, "Bottle drive."

Jesi-Sera nodded. "That works. Chuck and I will go to the door. Daea and Eli, one of you sit in the driver's seat to make it look like a parent in the vehicle."

"Me," Daea shouted.

"No, me," Eli said. "Besides, Daea isn't tall enough."

"Like you are?"

"Rock, paper, scissors," Jesi-Sera told the kids.

It was agreed, and Daea threw rock and Eli scissors. The girl pumped her fist in the air and hopped into the driver's side seat. Eli got in the passenger side door. Chuck used his Unnoticeable to vanish.

Jesi-Sera pressed the doorbell repeatedly until a light turned on in the house. Then another light lit up the hall, and finally the outside light turned on and the door opened. She engaged a stylish woman in conversation. The Charm pointed toward the vehicle on the street, and the woman stuck her head out to take a look. A man appeared in the doorway. Jesi-Sera talked to him and he nodded, and walked back into the house. He returned with boxes of bottles. He left and then came back with more boxes and bags of cans. Daea saw the man and woman putting on jackets and shoes. Jesi-Sera waved her arms, but the adults insisted on helping.

"Uh oh," Daea said.

Eli nodded. "We have to get out of here."

"Yeah," Daea agreed. "Can you work the pedals while I steer?"

The boy scrambled into the lower compartment.

The girl moved the shifter to D, for drive, and the car jolted. The couple and Jesi-Sera were halfway down the long driveway. "Let's go!"

Eli pushed down on the gas pedal. He pushed too hard. Daea was thrown back, and Eli tumbled around the car floor. The SUV surged forward and smashed into an expensive car in front of them.

"Uh oh," the rookies said in unison.

The shocked man and woman dropped their things and ran toward the vehicles. Jesi-Sera looked mortified. She was quick on the couple's heels to inspect the damage.

"What should we do?" Eli asked, getting up off the floor.

"Hide?"

"Where?"

"Run?"

Before they could do anything, the couple was at the door. Their brows furrowed when they saw the kids sitting in the front seat. The couple demanded answers.

Jesi-Sera gave the rookies a hard stare, then smiled and explained to the adults that the kids should not have been horsing around. She wrote some information down on a paper and said that insurance would cover the damages. The couple changed their attitude; they even helped load the rest of the cans and bottles before returning to their house.

"What was that?" Jesi-Sera yelled once they were all back in the vehicle.

"Eli pushed down too hard when we drove away."

"Daea doesn't know how to drive."

"Ye shouldn't have been driving at all." The leader drove the vehicle around the corner. She sighed and said, "Just so ye know, to pull onto the street like that, ye don't even need to press the gas. The car will move slowly while in gear." She parked the vehicle. "Shall we find Chuck?"

They got out and crept around the big brick house and found the patio door in the back ajar. Chuck suddenly appeared beside them.

"They are having a meeting downstairs," he whispered.

"What kind of meeting?" the Charm asked.

"It seems like some members of the wife's law firm are trying to start their own. They say that there is no room for advancement in the company."

"Why are they being so secretive?"

"I don't know. It's all rather boring business talk."

"Did ye look around the rest of the house?"

"A little. There's nothing suspicious. It is a big house for just two people."

"No kids?"

"No."

"Any ideas?" Jesi-Sera asked the team.

"I'd guess that someone in this group is the key," Chuck said.

"Aye. Why don't ye go back into the house and see what ye can learn about these individuals. I'll take Eli and Daea and look around the back."

Chuck nodded and disappeared.

Jesi-Sera turned to her teammates. "Spread out and look for clues."

It was a big yard. There was a swimming pool and a poolside deck. An enormous barbeque dominated the patio. Daea walked to the detached garage, Eli snooped around the garden, and Jesi-Sera looked in the windows.

The young girl couldn't open the locked garage door. She checked under the doormat and found the key. The Suffering stirred. The garage was a disaster filled full of sports equipment, garden and lawn tools, old furniture, and boxes upon boxes. Daea was inspecting the boxes when she heard something move. She scanned the room.

A red flicker ran outside. She exited the garage and saw a small body scamper over a stone wall into the alley. The Childaar jumped the wall, but had to twist to avoid hitting a small girl on the other side. The little girl scrambled to escape.

"Wait," Daea said softly. "I won't hurt you."

The girl's eyes widened, then she fell to the ground and began to cry. She was much younger than Daea. Her matted black hair was full of knots and tangles. Her face was grimy and her clothes dirty.

In her hand was a raggedy old doll. The thick plastic of the doll's head had taken the years of wear and tear well. Its brown hair had kept some of its fullness, while its stuffed cotton body had lost much of its plump. Sewn to the body was a pair of red overalls.

Daea sat beside the girl on the cold, hard ground. She placed a hand on the girl's leg and said, "It's going to be alright. I am here to help you. My name is Daea. What's yours?"

"Eva," the girl said as silent tears streamed down her face. She had an East European accent.

"Do you like dolls?"

The girl looked at the stuffed toy in her hand and said, "They're my favorite."

"I like dolls too. At my home, in Los Angeles, I have four. When I was a kid I used to have tea parties with them."

The little girl's lips almost smiled.

Daea continued, "One time, three summers ago, we had a four-hour tea party. Mr. Tiger thought it went too long, but Mrs. Tiger had a great time. Mango, a big parrot, told stories to everyone. Me and Bob the Snake just listened and laughed the whole time. Mango even told us a joke. Want to hear it?"

The little girl nodded.

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Duane."

"Duane who?"

"Duane da bathtub, I'm dwowning."

Eva smiled but didn't laugh. "That's funny."

Daea laughed. "I like it." After a moment, she asked, "Why are you here, Eva?"

The girl sat on the ground in silence.

"I want to help you."

The girl looked at Daea for a long time. "It's my home," she answered and began to cry again.

"But where are your parents?"

"My mom is sick, and I don't know where my dad is."

"Where's your mom?"

"In the hospital."

"Don't you have any other family to take care of you?"

"Not in Canada."

"There must be somewhere for you to go. You can't live alone out here."

The Suffering eased but continued to churn.

Jesi-Sera and Eli jumped onto the wall. The girl looked frightened and began to move. Daea patted her leg. "It's OK. They're my friends, and we are going to get you help."

Daea waved her hands. "Take it easy. We've got a new friend."

Jesi-Sera dropped to the ground, and Eli plopped down atop the wall.

"What have we here?" Jesi-Sera asked. "Why, aren't ye just a wee little thing? A little dirty, but so pretty."

"My name is Eva."

"Eva, well that is a beautiful name. My name is Jesi-Sera and"—she pointed up—"that's Eli."

The boy smiled and waved.

Daea turned to Jesi-Sera and said, "Her only family in the country is her mother and father. Her mom is sick in the hospital and she doesn't know where her dad is."

The little girl snuggled up to the Charm, who embraced her. "You're OK, Eva. We're going to make sure you get the help you need."

Daea saw Chuck approach from down the alley. He looked at the girl. "Good. Problem solved. If we hurry, I'll be able to watch the end of the hockey game."

Jesi-Sera frowned. "No, not problem solved. We still have to help this girl."

"You know what I meant."

"It's not just about solving the problem. It's about making a difference in the lives of people."

"You're right." He lowered himself to face Eva. "My name's Charles, but you can call me Chuck."

The little girl looked at Jesi-Sera, who gave her an approving nod. "I'm Eva."

"Nice to meet you, Eva. Want to meet my best friends?"

Buddy and Whiskers emerged from the dark. Eva's eyes widened as the large dogs approached.

Chuck said, "It's OK, they won't hurt you."

Buddy licked Eva's hand. The little girl laughed. Whiskers nuzzled her hand and rolled on his belly. Eva rubbed his exposed underside, and Buddy licked the tearstains off her face.

The team walked the little girl out of the alley and back to the SUV.

"Anything else happen at the meeting?" Jesi-Sera asked.

Chuck shook his head. "No, it was so boring. All they talked about was projections and revenue growth."

They got into the vehicle. Buddy and Whiskers got their heads over the backseat and continued to shower Eva with dog kisses.

Jesi-Sera drove the team to the Civic Hospital. Holding the girl's hand, the Charm escorted her inside. Before they got to the entrance, however, Eva turned and ran back to the vehicle. "I want you to have this," she said, giving Daea the raggedy old doll.

"I can't take it, Eva. It's yours. You keep it. Maybe someday we'll meet again, and we can have a proper tea party then."

Eva gave Daea another hug, then ran back to the Charm and entered the hospital.

The Suffering returned to its normal, wispy state.

When Jesi-Sera returned she said, "Apparently, Eva was afraid and didn't know what to do after her mom was taken to the hospital, so she ran away. The hospital staff assured the girl that she has nothing to be afraid of. Her mother was asleep at the moment and couldn't be disturbed, but a doctor said that she will be fine. They said they will contact the proper authorities and that Eva will be taken care of until her mom is discharged."

Eli and Daea high-fived, and even Chuck smiled.

"Brilliant work, team," Jesi-Sera said. "Let's go home. We have lots of time to relax before class. Daea and Eli, I'm sure you're excited to get back to your Lego. And Chuck can watch the end of the game."

Daea said, "I think we shouldn't have school on days after successful missions."
Chapter 10

The first big snowfall of the year had started during the day. Daea told their teacher that she couldn't work because she was too excited to see the snow. After class, she paced around the Childaar room awaiting sundown.

Large, heavy, wet snowflakes still fell when the team finally got outside. The night was beautiful as flakes fell through the illumination of the city lights. The temperature wasn't cold, so the snow was perfectly sticky.

They built gigantic snowmen in the Museum of Nature's yard. Eli methodically planned routes to maximize the amount of snow they could roll, and the combined strength of the Childaar allowed them to lift the heavy balls on top of each other.

Chuck pointed across the street. "The Suffering is rising. We have a mission."

They finished their snowmen using rocks for eyes and mouths, and broken tree branches for arms. By the time they finished, the Suffering had developed enough for Chuck to identify it as an Operation in Vanier. They returned to their room to prepare. Daea made hot chocolate and gave everyone a travel mug to go.

Vanier neighbors Rockcliffe Park on the east side of Ottawa, but they are very different places. While the latter is known for its big houses and snaking roads, the former is modest and conventional. Vanier is special in that its residents predominantly speak French.

They drove east on the Queensway to the Vanier Parkway, and then turned onto Montreal Road, Vanier's main thoroughfare. The heavy snow relaxed into light flurries. Trucks and snowplows were already busy clearing the streets. The dark Suffering contrasted with the white snow as it rolled through the freshly laid blanket. They stopped at a strip mall on St. Laurent Boulevard. The building contained a convenience store, tax office, dollar store, shwarma restaurant, and courier depot.

Everyone jumped out of the vehicle. Chuck popped the back, releasing Buddy and Whiskers.

Jesi-Sera surveyed the area. "Any ideas?"

Chuck stopped petting Buddy's belly and barked at his pets. The dogs bounded off.

Eli and Jesi-Sera patrolled the parking lot, and Daea walked to the store to buy a snack.

Inside the shop, a group of teenage boys crowded the candy aisle.

"Move it or lose it," the girl said as she tried to push through the group.

A boy wearing a Blue Jays cap laughed and stood in her way. When she tried to go around him, he moved over to keep blocking her. "Lose what?" he asked.

Daea slowly removed her tuque and gloves. She looked the boys straight in the eye and asked, "You want a piece of this?"

The boy recoiled and stammered, "Uhhh, no. Sorry, I was just teasing you."

Daea pushed by him, grabbed a large bag of ketchup chips, and stormed back through the group. "Don't you all have something better you could be doing than loitering in this store? Go make a snowman or something."

The shopkeeper's jaw dropped when the boys left. He thanked her for the help. Daea rejoined the team, which was discussing possibilities.

"I might be a Charm," Daea said through a mouthful of chips.

Eli turned to Daea. "Really? What happened?"

"I told those boys to do something better than hang out in the store and they listened to me. They all left."

Jesi-Sera looked at the boys down the road. "Perhaps the force of your personality drove them away. Don't read too much into what just happened."

Eli asked, "Would you like to be a Charm?"

Chuck said, "If I were you, I'd want to be a Hardy."

"But Charms are more often team leaders," Eli replied.

Chuck shrugged.

"I don't know which I would prefer," Daea said.

Jesi-Sera patted the girl's back. "Whatever ye are, ye are an invaluable member of this team."

Jesi-Sera brought everyone together. "Let's spread out." She pointed to Daea and Eli. "Ye two will be together again. We will meet back here in twenty minutes—don't be late." She pulled a silver whistle out of her pocket. "I will blow this if I need you back sooner."

"Can I have a whistle too?" Daea asked.

"Sorry, luv, it's the only one."

Daea and Eli walked behind the mall. They spotted some Crawlies under a trash bin. Eli shot them with a rolling fireball before Daea could engage.

"I win," Eli said.

"I wish I could shoot from afar. I have to get in close to do anything."

"Well, if you are a Charm, you'll get Speedness and be able to close in quick, but if you are a Hardy you'll keep being a slowpoke."

"Just imagine my kung fu with Speedness," Daea said as she moved into her tiger pose.

"True," Eli agreed, "but as a Hardy you would also have Powness and Formness."

The Smart faced the girl, fists at his waist and shoulders square. They sparred in the parking lot behind the mall until they heard the whistle blow. Jesi-Sera's eyes narrowed when they rounded the corner. "Find anything?"

Daea pointed. "Just some Crawlies. We cleaned them out."

Buddy and Whiskers had returned. Whiskers pawed at Chuck's pockets. The Sight took out a couple of treats and gave them to his pets.

Jesi-Sera said, "The dogs found Eva's scent down the road."

"Eva?" Eli asked. "But I thought we solved that Operation last week?"

"It seems like she has something to do with this one as well. It's rare for missions to be linked, but it can happen."

The team walked down the road to a series of townhouses located between two large cemeteries. The snow had stopped, and the night was dark. The moon hid behind thick clouds. Brick townhouses, in various states of disrepair, lined both sides of the street. Garbage spread across the yards. The Suffering was twitchy and anxious.

Buddy barked at one of the homes. Chuck pointed. "That's the one."

Jesi-Sera looked at the house. "Hmm, how should we do this?"

Daea smirked and said, "Why don't we pretend to have a bottle drive."

Everyone laughed.

Jesi-Sera said, "I don't think we need to be too elaborate. Why don't we see if Eva is home and if she wants to come out to play?"

They walked up and rang the doorbell. A middle school aged boy opened the door. He looked at them and asked, "Quoi?"

Daea gave the boy a funny look. "What?"

Jesi-Sera stepped up and said, "Bonsoir. Eva est à la maison?"

"Qui?"

"Is Eva here?" Daea asked, pausing on each syllable.

Three kids in the background ran down a set of stairs into the basement. Television light reflected from a side room.

The boy yelled into the house. "Qui est Eva!"

"The new girl," a voice shouted from the TV room.

The boy yelled up the stairs, "Eva! Porte!"

He left the door open and unattended and ran down the stairs to join the other children. Jesi-Sera hurried her team into the front entrance and closed the door.

Eli looked at Daea. "Haven't you learned any French? Don't you pay attention during class? If you just looked through a French dictionary and some books, you'd be fluent within hours."

"I like English," the girl replied.

"But don't you see how it's important to speak the language of the place you are in?"

"That's why I have you, Eli. Remember?"

Before he could respond, Eva appeared at the top of the stairs with her doll in hand. Her sad face brightened upon seeing the Childaar. She ran down the stairs, hugged Daea, and reached to touch the rest of the members.

She looked at Jesi-Sera and asked, "Why are you here?"

"What is this place?" Daea asked.

"It's a foster home," Chuck said. "Kids whose parents can't care for them get put in places like this." He lowered himself and through gritted teeth asked, "Are you OK?"

"Yes. I have my own bed and we get fed three times a day. The foster parents treat us well. The other kids have been leaving me alone. I start school next week."

"How's your mom?"

Holding Jesi-Sera's hand, Eva looked down and said, "I don't know. They won't tell me anything. They keep saying that everything will be alright and that it just takes time. I'm worried."

Jesi-Sera looked at the group. "What do ye think? She isn't in danger here?"

"What about your father? Have you heard from him?" Daea asked.

The little girl shook her head.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"About six months ago. He disappeared shortly after we arrived in Canada."

"Do you know anything about where he went? Did you contact the police?" Eli asked.

Eva shook her head. "No, my mom said that she didn't want to make any trouble."

The Suffering continued to rise.

Chuck shrugged. "I'd say this has something to do with her dad."

Jesi-Sera nodded and looked at her watch. "We'd better get moving. You're sure you're alright, Eva?"

The girl nodded and gave everyone a hug before they left.

"We don't have a lot to go on here," Eli informed the team as they walked to their vehicle. "Just a name and vague description."

"It's a start," Chuck growled. "I've worked with less."

Jesi-Sera nodded. "Aye. Me too."

"Do you think her dad is in trouble?" Daea asked.

Jesi-Sera replied, "Or is the dad the trouble?"

Midnight neared; the Suffering whirled turbulently through the snow.

Jesi-Sera looked at the group and said, "Let's brainstorm. Throw out any ideas you have."

"Eva's dad is an Eldaar," Daea said.

"I didn't mean brainstorm bad ideas."

Chuck scratched behind Buddy's ear. "Eva's dad is in the area?"

Daea shot her hand in the air. "Eva's dad is a prince from another country but has to hide from his wicked father—the king."

"Be serious. We're running short on time, and we don't want this Operation to pop," Chuck snarled.

Daea stuck her tongue out at him. "I was being serious."

Eli kicked at the swirling darkness that surrounded them. "Could we look online?"

Jesi-Sera shook her head. "No. I've seen Childaar think they are above such a rule, but every time things turned out worse for them than had they not used the Internet."

"Yeah," Chuck agreed, "don't ever go online."

Eli nodded. "I know. It's just that this would be a lot easier if we could."

"Could we go to the police?" Daea asked.

Jesi-Sera asked, "Chuck, how are your relations with the city police?"

"Not great. I know the A-team has connections, but I've got nothing."

"Well, let's drive around a bit and see what we see," said the Charm.

They got in the SUV and patrolled the dark streets. Buddy and Whiskers managed to get into the backseat, crowding the young kids.

Daea pointed. "What's that?"

"Where?" Jesi-Sera asked.

The young girl pointed at a building with a group of adults outside. Even though the temperature had dropped, there was a sizable crowd. Clouds of cigarette smoke swirled above the group, which stood knee deep in Suffering.

"That's a homeless shelter," Chuck replied. "It provides food and beds for the less fortunate."

Daea sat straight in her seat, examining the crowd. "Maybe Eva's dad is there."

"Let's check it out," Jesi-Sera said as she parked the vehicle.

Jesi-Sera and Chuck led the team into the building.

The leader turned to Chuck and asked, "Any idea how Contaminated this place is?"

He shrugged. "Fairly, I'm sure."

"What's Contaminated?" Daea asked.

Eli sighed. "Do you willingly try to not learn anything? This is Childaar 101."

Daea gave him a pointed look. "Just tell me."

Eli sighed again. "Sometimes the Suffering infects adult Kinedaar. These people are the Contaminated."

"Animals can be Contaminated too," Chuck added.

"What happens to a Contaminated person?"

Eli explained, "At low levels they become more selfish and rude, and at the higher levels they are outright evil."

"Like a criminal?"

Jesi-Sera nodded her head. "Aye, lots of the people we would call 'bad guys' are Contaminated. Even some we don't think of as bad. The worst Contaminated I ever encountered was a doctor."

"How do you cure them?"

Chuck grimaced. "You have to beat it out of them."

Daea's eyes widened. "What?"

Jesi-Sera added, "That's partially true. There is another way, but it requires lots of time and resources for rehabilitation. I hate missions versus the Contaminated. I feel absolutely awful afterward."

Chuck bared his teeth. "I'll take care of it."

"So Eva's dad is a Contaminated," Daea said.

"We don't know that yet. We don't even know if he's here," the Charm replied.

The two adults working at the counter looked surprised when the kids walked in. Jesi-Sera told them that they were trying to help their friend find her father and wondered if he was at the shelter. She gave them his name and description. They knew exactly who he was but seemed hesitant to speak.

Jesi-Sera charmed the workers, and they learned that he didn't stay at the shelter but frequented it. They explained that he ran a gambling operation. He travelled around the city preying on tourists and the unfortunate. He played a game called Three-card Monty. He dealt two aces and a queen and then shuffled them facedown. The players had to guess which one was the queen. If they guessed correctly, they won money. If they didn't, they lost their bet. He would make it seem easy at first, but then start to cheat. He made the game impossible to win by replacing the lone queen with an ace from his sleeve.

The shelter staff said that they have tried calling the police, but he'd be gone by the time they arrived. Jesi-Sera asked if he was there at the moment, and the counter workers didn't know. They said if he was, he'd be out back by the alley either running his scam or threatening people for the money they owed. They warned the kids that they should not try to find him.

The young vampires walked to the alley. They saw Eva's dad behind a small collapsible table talking to a group of people. He was big, intimidating, and had the voice of a carnival barker. He played with a frail woman who placed her money on the table. He counted his shuffles and told her to watch the queen, even turning it over at times to show her where it was.

Before the woman had a chance to guess at the card, Chuck cracked his knuckles and said, "I got this."

The Sight walked straight up to the table and kicked its underside, sending cards and money flying. He told the man that the game was over and that they had business. The man seemed shocked at first, but the shock turned into anger. Chuck whistled. Buddy and Whiskers emerged out of the shadows. The dogs flanked Eva's father and growled. The man took a step back and raised his hands, explaining that he was only playing a game and that people had a choice to play or not. Chuck didn't respond and slowly walked forward. He gave the man a straight punch to the stomach.

"That's for taking advantage of people."

The man sputtered that they didn't have to play.

Chuck punched the man again. "And that's for cheating."

The man protested that he didn't cheat. Chuck gave him a hard backhand across the face. The man acknowledged that he did cheat but wouldn't anymore.

Chuck gave him another slap. "How about you stop this game altogether?"

He agreed and said he would.

Chuck gave the man one last punch in the gut. "And what are you going to do? Who are the important people in your life?"

The man's eyes flashed with realization. He fell to the ground and began to cry. He explained that he had a wife and daughter in the city but that he had failed them. Between sobs, he said that they would hate him if he returned after abandoning them.

Jesi-Sera walked over to the man lying on the ground. She rubbed his back and told him that things would be alright. She said that his wife was ill in the hospital and that Eva was in a foster home.

Eva's dad retched. A stream of inky black Suffering exploded from his mouth. He promised to find them both and take care of them from then on. Jesi-Sera smiled and said she knew that he would. He continued to retch, and the Suffering spewed onto the ground. The overall level of Suffering, however, had lowered and calmed.

"We did it," Daea shouted, giving Eli a high five.

Jesi-Sera patted Chuck on the back. "Thanks."

The Sight dusted off his hands.

The team walked back to the SUV and returned to the museum in silence. For the rest of the night, everyone sat in the TV area and watched sports.
Chapter 11

Daea sat in her desk unable to sit still. It was Friday, and class was almost done for the long weekend. Daea and Eli were going home to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. Canada and the United States celebrate the holiday at different times because the Canadian harvest happens sooner, so the rookies were relieved to learn that they could go home for the American one.

The girl was excited for the traditional activities like food, parades, and fireworks, but couldn't wait to see her parents and hear about normal life in the movie business. She hoped her parents would cook a Turkey dinner with apple pie for dessert.

She wondered if the Rex Jones movie had wrapped. She hoped not and that she would be able to go to the set and see everyone.

There was an hour of daylight left when class finished. The days in Ottawa were shorter than when they had arrived.

The airport was busy. The Childaar found their airline and got in line. The man working at the counter had to peer over the edge to see them. They checked their bags then went to security. Daea put a bunch of loonies and toonies in the plastic tray. She walked through the scanner where a woman waved a metal detector around her body. Daea found a shop and spent the coins on all her favorite Canadian candies. Eli browsed the magazines. They found their gate and waited for the boarding call.

Daea said, "The flight here was way better."

"Yeah, that private jet was pretty nice."

"Why can't we have it today?"

"I heard the A-team is using it."

"It doesn't matter. We're flying. I love it. I always feel important when I'm in an airport. I'm the person going somewhere."

"This will only be the second time I have flown."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my family takes road trips, but even then not too far. We saw the Grand Canyon once."

"I've been there too. It's huge."

"Yeah. Did you take the donkey ride?"

"No. We didn't have a lot of time that day. Did you?"

"Yeah, it was fun."

"I'd like to do that someday."

"You might have to wait until your Sleepining, though. I don't think you can do it at night."

Daea thought for a moment. "I don't suppose we even need the donkeys. I bet we could climb down there ourselves."

"For sure," Eli agreed.

"Let's do it if we ever get a chance."

The Smart gave Daea a high five and said, "Deal."

Eli read a magazine and Daea watched movies on the inflight entertainment system. It was a joyful reunion at the airport. Daea and Eli hugged their parents. They introduced their families then went their separate ways.

Daea stuffed her red wool coat on the seat beside her as they drove home. It was a beautiful L.A. evening. The palm trees swayed in a gentle breeze and a half moon shone in the clear night sky. The near perfect scene was tarnished only by the ever present Suffering rolling along the ground.

Her parents asked about her new school. Daea told them it was alright. She said she didn't like class but everything afterward was great. Her parents laughed.

They asked what she wanted to do for the weekend and Daea said that she just wanted to stay home and visit.

Her parents had her favorite chocolate cream pie prepared for when they got home. After the snack, her mom and dad said they were tired and went to bed. Daea walked around the house looking for something to do. Not finding anything interesting, she snuck outside to inspect the neighborhood.

She had never seen it at night like this, especially alone. She noticed that the Suffering didn't encroach on her family's house. The girl wandered the streets hunting monsters. She found some small, round creatures with large mouths and sharp teeth in an alley and quickly dispatched them. The stores were closed and house lights off for the night.

Daea returned home and watched the movie on the television. She had a nap and waited for her parents to wake up.

She remained in the basement Saturday morning. When her parents came down, she said she just wanted spend the day downstairs watching movies. She also asked her mom to read her fairy tales like when she was little.

They watched the first two episodes of Star Wars even though her dad protested that the old ones were better.

After the movies, Daea's mom read her stories while her father prepared dinner. As evening approached, Daea danced around the house to the delicious smell of cooked turkey. She helped her parents set the table. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, peas and carrots, nachos, butternut squash, Caesar salad, biscuits, cranberries, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, and ice cream. Daea ate so much that her father remarked that perhaps they should take her to the doctor because there was no way that a nine-year-old girl could eat that much food. Daea helped herself to another piece of pie.

After dinner they cleaned the dining room and kitchen and then watched the third Star Wars episode. After the movie, they ate a late snack before Daea's parents retired for the evening.

The girl found a phone book and looked up Eli's address. She snuck out of the house and got a taxi. His family lived in Lynwood, which is quite far from her family's Encino home. The taxi driver thought it strange that such a young girl would be out alone so late. Daea told him not to worry about it. They took the 405 through Culver City. Daea noticed the Getty museum as they drove by. It felt like longer than two months had passed since she'd been there learning about her Awakening. There was little traffic, and the trip took only forty-five minutes.

The taxi pulled up to Eli's house. It was small and well maintained. Daea crept up to the house and looked in the windows. She heard a rustle behind her. Turning quickly, she saw Eli standing with a big smile.

"Hey, Eli."

"Hey. I was just thinking about going to your place. How has your visit been?"

"Good. We spent the day eating and watching movies. We watched episodes one, two, and three today. We'll watch the rest later."

"I love those movies."

"What did you do?"

Eli shrugged. "Not a lot. My parents had to work, so they asked if I would babysit my brother and sisters. We're going to belatedly celebrate my birthday tonight."

"I didn't know you had siblings."

"There are four of us. I'm the oldest. So I watched them all day, but it was hard because I couldn't go outside even though that's what they most wanted to do. We played a lot of games."

"What did you play?"

"They're young and can't play anything too heavy, so we mostly played Crokinole and Chutes and Ladders. It wasn't bad. I was just glad to be with them."

Daea kicked a small rock as they walked down the street. Sometimes it went near Eli, who would then kick it back to her side. Then he kicked the rock and it went too far away. Daea let it be. They encountered a few Crawlies, which Eli shot with little fireballs.

"You are sure getting good with those," Daea said.

"The more I practice, the more control I have. It would be nice, though, to maybe do something else. Get some Seeingness, Mindness, or more Wizardness."

Daea was quiet.

"Are you alright?"

"At least you have a useful power and know what you are. All I can do is get hit."

"Don't worry, you'll manifest other Gifts. Give it some time. And just think how good your kung fu is getting. Also, think about how cool it is developing your Tuffness early. By the time you're eighteen, you'll be near indestructible."

Daea smiled and assumed a kung fu tiger pose, while Eli moved into his Jeet Kune Do stance. They sparred under the streetlights. Daea beat Eli by getting behind him and dropping him to the ground with a leg sweep.

She helped him up and asked, "So is this where you grew up?"

"Born and raised. Come on, I'll give you the tour."

Eli showed Daea his old school. The yard was mostly paved and had only a small patch of grass near the entrance. A large, elaborate jungle gym was the centerpiece of the playground.

"That's new," Eli said. "It was built just this year."

They played on the apparatus. They stopped when they heard shouts and hollers from down the road. The voices belonged to a gang of loud, obnoxious youth. Their faces darkened when they saw the Childaar.

The Suffering swirled angrily around the school's perimeter.

The biggest boy stepped forward and said, "You're on our turf. That means you have to pay."

Daea gave Eli a wink. "Watch this."

She jumped off the top of the gym, landing in front of the gang. "You want a piece of this?" she said, tapping her shoulders.

The gang leader was momentarily stunned by the child's boldness. He recovered and said, "Get a load of this punk."

The boys laughed. One of them piped up, "Ethan, show her who's the boss."

Ethan gave Daea a hard stare. He lifted his shirt, exposing a handgun tucked into his pants.

Daea looked at Eli. "I think they're Contaminated."

"I'm not sure," the Smart said before he jumped to the ground. "They don't look older than eighteen. Kinedaar children can't be Contaminated." He stepped up and said, "What my friend meant is that we don't want any trouble. How about we just leave and you can have the park to yourselves."

Daea looked at Eli. "That's not going to fix the problem."

Ethan stepped forward. "You had better have some money or you're getting a beating."

Eli reached into his pocket, but Daea stopped him. "No way." She turned to the boys. "You guys are Contaminated. And guess what? I'm the doctor."

Ethan pulled out his gun and aimed it at the girl. He stepped forward. "Give us your money."

Daea was about to front kick Ethan, but Eli moved in front of her and knocked the gun out of Ethan's hand. "Daea! No! Beating up these kids won't do any good."

"What do we do then?"

The gang stood stunned.

"We have to reason with them."

Daea scrunched her nose and turned to Ethan. "How old are you?"

He looked at his gun on the ground then back to the girl. "Seventeen."

"You're the oldest here?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think you should be setting a better example? It's late and you should be in bed resting for school tomorrow."

"We don't go to school," a small boy said from the back.

Daea frowned. "Why not?"

"Ethan says we don't need to. He says that we'll get our training on the street."

Daea poked Ethan on the chest. "Do you think that's good advice? Where will you all be in the future without any education?"

Ethan replied, "Uhh, I haven't thought that far ahead."

Daea poked him again. "Maybe you should."

Ethan hung his head and said. "You're right. I've been a bad leader. I thought being tough and scary was more important than anything, but we need to think about our futures."

"What are you going to do about it," the girl pressed.

Ethan looked at the group of kids and said, "Everything I've told you up until now has been wrong. We shouldn't get our training on the streets. We need to get back in school. Let's go home. We have class in the morning." He gave Daea a nod and led the group away.

Eli smiled and said, "That's funny."

"What?"

"You telling that group that they need to be in school."

"So? They should be."

"What about you? Shouldn't you also take school more seriously?"

"Nah, I'm good."

The boy laughed. "Of course you are."

Eli picked up the gun, unloaded it, and disassembled it. He dropped pieces of the weapon in random garbage cans as they walked back to his place.

Before they arrived at Eli's house, an empty taxi drove by. Daea flagged it. She gave Eli a high five and returned to her home.

She snuck into the house and spent another couple of days enjoying Thanksgiving activities with her mom and dad; Monday came quick. Her parents took her to L.A.X., where she met with Eli, and they returned to Ottawa.
Chapter 12

The evening sky was clear. Ottawa was much colder than when they had left. Daea and Eli marveled at the fog of their breath in the frigid air. Piles of snow gathered on the edges of the streets. Strings of lights hung on houses to celebrate the holiday season. A driver returned them to the Museum of Nature.

Daea pointed out the window. "Things have really changed since we first arrived."

Eli nodded. "I read that Ottawa gets a lot of snow, but it's something else to actually see it."

Daea impersonated Chuck. She bared her teeth and said, "You haven't seen snow yet, rookie."

Upon their return, they were informed that they hadn't missed anything. Jesi-Sera sat in a beanbag chair with a stack of comic books.

"Reading, huh?" Daea said to the team leader.

Jesi-Sera looked at Daea over the comic. "Aye. Want to join me?"

"Sure. What should I read?"

The Charm leaned forward and rummaged through the pile. "Well, it depends what ye like. This is mostly superhero stuff but there is some serious stuff too."

"Superhero, please."

"Team or individual?"

"Individual."

"Larger-than-life or part of society?"

"Larger-than-life."

Jesi-Sera handed the girl an oversized hardcover. "Here. I always like to read this during the holiday season. Do you think Superman could solve world hunger?"

"Sure. Superman can do anything, right?"

The Charm shrugged her shoulders. "I won't spoil it for ye."

Daea pulled her beanbag chair next to Jesi-Sera. She got a bowl of candy from the kitchen and read the comic. A few snack breaks later, Daea finished and said, "That was amazing. It wasn't what I expected. I always thought Superman was kind of boring because he's so powerful, but he is actually really interesting."

"I agree. Superman is one of my favorite characters. Want to see something cool?"

Daea nodded, and Jesi-Sera went to her room. She returned with a comic that had been bagged and boarded. Superman was on the cover holding up a car while people ran around in panic. The cover price of the comic was ten cents.

She tossed it to the seated girl.

"What's this?"

"Action Comics #1. The first appearance of Superman."

Daea ran her fingers across the cover. "How old is it?"

"It was published in 1938. There are probably less than one hundred left in the world."

"I bet it's expensive," Daea said in awe.

"It is. I got it as a reward for a mission we did in London. I tried to refuse, but the owner insisted. I promised to cherish it forever."

"Can I read it?"

"Sure. Be warned, though, that it is a little outdated. Ye probably won't find it as exciting as the newer stuff. And wash your hands first."

Chuck, who had gone to check the Suffering, entered the room and said, "Put on your fighting shoes. We've got a Stomp at the Palladium."

"Is there a hockey game tonight?" Eli asked.

Chuck grinned. "Seven o'clock—Senators versus the Rangers."

The Palladium is home to the Ottawa Senators. The hockey team's colors are black and red. Their logo features an ancient Roman senator. The stadium is located on the west end of the city in Kanata. It is a large oval building surrounded by a parking lot. While hockey games are the most numerous, the stadium hosts other events such as shows and concerts.

The game was scheduled to start at 7:30. The team drove west on the Queensway along with hundreds of cars filled with thousands of fans. The bumper to bumper traffic could not reach the posted speed limit.

The night was well below freezing, and a hard wind blew snow and Suffering across the Highway. The radio announcer said to expect stormy conditions over the next few days.

"Anything we need to know?" Jesi-Sera asked Chuck.

"I've been to three Stomps at a hockey game, and it seems to depend on the location. If we are lucky, it'll happen away from the crowd. If we find monsters in a public place, we have to lure them away."

"Any info on the kinds of monsters we can expect?"

"Not really. It's pretty random."

Jesi-Sera gave the boy a smile and said, "You're a real boon to this team."

"Part of me wonders if we should have called in the A-team for help given that we have two rookies."

Jesi-Sera looked in the rearview mirror. Daea poked her pinky finger over the imaginary middle line separating the sides of the seat, and Eli ignored her.

"What?" the young girl asked.

"I'm glad you didn't," Eli said. "I don't ever want to see the A-team again."

Daea sat straight in her seat. "What? What are you talking about?"

Jesi-Sera nodded. "I think we'll do just fine. Daea and I will tank at the front, Eli can nuke from the back, and Chuck will support where needed."

They arrived and joined the queue into the parking lot. The long walk felt even longer because of the sharp, icy, gusting wind.

There was a sense of electricity in the air. Loud music blared over the sound system. The Suffering pulsed on the floor. Someone, somewhere, blew a horn that bellowed throughout the arena. Fans wore red and black jerseys, hats, shirts, and jackets. Other people sold merchandise and food. Daea spotted a hot dog vendor and took a step toward it.

Chuck grabbed the back of her jacket. "Not yet. We have work."

Daea scrunched her nose. "Can I have one when we finish?"

"Of course ye can. Ye can have as many as ye want. But Chuck is correct. We have a job to do."

Daea stuck her tongue out at the Sight, who gave the young girl a hard stare.

The team set out and looked for clues. Players warmed up on the ice and the fans took their seats. Not finding anything unusual, they expanded their search to an off-limits area.

A security guard stopped them, and Jesi-Sera told him a story about her father being an important man in the Senators' organization. He moved to the side and allowed them through. As they walked away, he shouted that they should be wearing their passes. The Charm said she had forgotten them at home. He threw her four lanyards with badges that read "VIP." She gave him her biggest smile and waved goodbye.

Where the public area of the stadium was clean and welcoming, the private area was not. Dusty crates and boxes lined the hallway. Tape marked travel lanes on the concrete floor. Because of the sloped seating in the stadium, from below it looked like a crashing wave rising high into the dull florescent lights.

The game began, and the crowd reacted to the back and forth of the action. Every shot, pass, and check produced loud cheers and groans. A horn blared and the crowd grumbled. The Rangers had scored a goal.

They walked the perimeter but only found a few Crawlies, which Eli scorched with ease.

"Ye are handy to have around," Jesi-Sera said.

Eli pretended to blow gun smoke off the top of his finger.

Bright lights emerged ahead. The floor changed from simple concrete to a red plastic covering. Huge Senators logos were painted on the red and black walls.

"What's this?" Daea asked.

"Locker rooms," Chuck replied.

They walked up to two guards in front of a velvet rope. Five people holding clipboards and walkie-talkies stood behind them. The guards explained that their passes wouldn't allow them any further, and besides, they should be up watching the game. Jesi-Sera tried to talk her way by the men, but they wouldn't change their minds. They kept repeating that it was policy that only people associated with the teams could enter the area. The Suffering fluttered.

The end of the first period was indicated by a loud buzzer. The Childaar watched as the Rangers walked off the ice and into their locker room. People in the stadium stomped above as they moved out of their seats and into the concession areas.

The Childaar turned and walked back around the stadium. By the time intermission finished, they had looped around to the Senators' locker room. The second period was about to begin and the players headed back to the ice. Chuck rushed to the rope barricade. He patted players on their back, calling out their nicknames as they passed.

"I think we should see if there's anything in those locker rooms," Jesi-Sera said.

Chuck gave her a nod and disappeared.

The Sight reappeared after a few minutes. "The Ranger's locker room is clear," he told the team, "but I heard noises coming from behind a door in the Sen's room."

"Good job," Jesi-Sera said. "Now we have to find a way to clear these people out so that we can investigate."

"Leave that to me," Chuck said with a twinkle in his gold eyes.

The Sight walked into the darkened tunnel. He clapped his hands and made chattering sounds. Hundreds of rats arrived from high and low. The rats squealed with delight. He pointed, and they ran down the hall toward the locker rooms. People screamed and shouted. The area cleared in a rush.

"Whoa," Eli and Daea exclaimed in unison.

"That should buy us some time," the Sight said.

Jesi-Sera patted Chuck's back. "Brilliant."

The Roman senator logo dominated the center of the locker room floor. Luxurious, wooden compartments for each player encircled the space. Chuck pointed at a door that had "EQUIPMENT" written on it. They heard tumbling and thrashing from within.

"We should crack it open and have Eli launch fireballs," Daea said.

Jesi-Sera shook her head. "We have to see what it is first. What if it's not even monsters and we hurt innocent people?"

The thrashing continued and Daea lifted an eyebrow.

"What say ye, Chuck?"

"Jesi-Sera, you open the door. Daea, stay next to her, but be careful. Eli, you stay by the lockers. Focus your fire on whatever Daea and Jesi-Sera are fighting, but if they switch targets and you think you can finish off a monster, do that. I will get into a flanking position."

Jesi-Sera stood tall, radiating confidence. "Daea, it's us up at the front. Feel up to it?"

Daea jumped and gave her a high five.

"Eli, those fireballs are looking good. How're ye feeling?"

The Smart swung his arms stylishly and struck his Bruce Lee pose.

"Great plan, Chuck. Your experience and knowledge are invaluable. Ye ready?"

Chuck nodded and disappeared

As soon as Jesi-Sera turned the handle, the heavy door flung open. Five brutes wielding hockey sticks stormed out of the equipment room.

"Orccs," Jesi-Sera shouted as she was pushed back.

The Orccs were humanoid, but bigger, stronger, uglier, hairier, and smellier than a regular person. Their whiskered faces were dark and scarred. Anger flared in their eyes. Daea stood not much higher than their knees. They wore full hockey equipment, except rather than skates, their large, hairy feet stood them solidly on the dressing room floor.

"Prepare to meet your doom, ye filthy beasts," Jesi-Sera screamed as her body radiated and she thrust her hands toward them. Her Fear affected only one of the monsters and it faded into the Suffering. The rest made her the focus of their rage.

The monsters grunted and howled as they surrounded the girls, who stood back-to-back. Using a well-executed aikido chop, Jesi-Sera delivered a blow to the Orcc on her left, but it glanced off its chest pad.

Daea adopted her tiger pose and leg swept the monster in front of her. The girl's foot rebounded off the monster's leg as it speared her with its stick. Daea tried to deflect the blow, but winced as the bottom of the shaft struck the top of her shoulder.

The remaining Orccs all hacked at Jesi-Sera, who was able to deflect an overhead smash, but took slashes to her hip and ribs.

Eli, who stood in a locker, hit the Orcc that flanked Jesi-Sera's rear with a deep, red fireball trailed by yellow flames. The monster filled the room with howls of pain.

With so many incoming attacks, Jesi-Sera adopted a defensive stance and did her best to block the incoming blows. She grimaced as a blade caught her on the side of her head.

Daea and the Orcc she fought exchanged blows back and forth.

Eli threw a dud fireball.

Chuck appeared and charged the Orcc nearest the door. He landed a double jump front kick, which caused the monster to stumble. "We should draw them back. They'll be easier to fight outside."

Jesi-Sera squeezed through the opening. "Aye. Daea, get beside me. Eli, keep back and keep shooting. Chuck, disrupt where you can."

Before Daea could escape, a massive glove caught her around the waist. The Orcc smashed her into the ground three times before throwing her across the room. The Orcc Chuck had attacked regained its balance, spotted Daea on the ground, and charged the girl. She dodged a kick, but a punch from its gloved fist caused her head to bounce off the floor. The two Orccs near Jesi-Sera wound up and hit the Charm with swinging uppercuts. She flew into the ceiling, then fell hard to the ground.

Eli fizzled another fireball as he ran for the hallway. Chuck threatened snap kicks as he retreated. Jesi-Sera and Daea pulled themselves off the ground and met at the doorway in front of the boys.

The Orccs' noses flared. They banged their sticks on the floor, roared, and charged. The door into the hallway exploded into splinters as the team was slammed into the hall floor. Hockey sticks shattered as they swung down at the young vampires. The monsters jabbed with their broken sticks. The Childaar yelled in pain as sharp stakes stabbed at them.

Jesi-Sera and Daea pushed back against the beasts. Chuck helped Eli off the floor and down the hall. The Smart spun and launched a fast, hard blast into the pack of monsters. The Orcc it struck howled as it melted into the darkness of the Suffering.

The crowd in the stadium cheered as the Senators tied the game.

"Is everyone OK?" the team leader asked.

"I'm fine," Chuck replied.

"Me too," Eli said.

Daea crouched like a tiger and yelled, "Let's finish this!"

The Orccs dropped the broken sticks and began to throw heavy punches. Jesi-Sera and Daea grunted as they absorbed the blows. Rage and hate filled the monsters' eyes as they pushed the team back.

"Daea, stay low. Incoming." Eli launched a dense, yellow fireball. Another Orcc wailed before it dissipated into inky swirls.

"Great shot," Jesi-Sera shouted.

Eli fist pumped the air. "Yeah!"

The two remaining Orrcs closed in on Jesi-Sera. Daea distracted one as she ran up its body and raked its face. Jesi-Sera soaked more punches but held her ground in front of the boys. Chuck protected Eli, who launched a ball of flame from the end of a centerline punch. The projectile exploded from his fist and annihilated the Orcc upon which Daea rode. The girl jumped off and landed on the last Orcc. She scratched at the monster's face while Jesi-Sera delivered a knife hand strike to its face. Chuck moved forward and finished the brute with a simple front kick.

The team didn't have time to celebrate before a pounding noise emanated from the locker room. The damaged door blew apart as a sickly gray, bulbous but humanoid creature with six hands, each with a hockey stick, burst through. The creature's head was large and round, just like its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Tiny, sharp, crooked teeth protruded from fat crimson lips. It turned in the hallway to face the team.

"Trolle," Chuck yelled.

"Hold the line," Jesi-Sera said.

The massive monster gurgled and lumbered forward. The hockey sticks swung wildly as the gargantuan creature bore down on the Childaar.

Daea and Jesi-Sera formed a defensive wall. Chuck vanished while Eli readied a fireball.

Jesi-Sera found room between the battery of sticks and tried to throw the massive creature to the ground. She got her foot behind the Trolle's leg but couldn't get enough leverage to push it over. Daea moved in low. She jumped on the Trolle's leg, but when she grabbed on to its waist to climb further, a stick struck her on the head, and she fell to the ground. Eli launched a fireball, but it barely damaged the monster's thick hide.

Loud squeaks came from down the hallway as an unusually large rat rounded the corner.

"Shadow-Rats," Chuck called, appearing behind the Trolle.

"What?" Daea asked as she kick flipped off the floor.

"The Suffering transformed my summoned animals into Shadow-creatures."

The rats were now bigger and scarier, and not at all friendly. They stampeded through the corridor. They crawled on and over Childaar and monster alike, biting and scratching everything.

Eli screamed in pain. He tried to shoot a fireball but lost concentration and it faded into nothing.

Chuck ran around the Trolle, grabbed Eli, and pulled him further down the hall. He pointed at a door with an exit sign above it. "Get outside. Now."

The Trolle's sticks continued to whirl. Jesi-Sera and Daea blocked, wove, and dodged the attacks, but were unable to land any of their own.

"Ready to make a break?" the leader asked.

Daea nodded and shook a Shadow-Rat off her arm.

The girls jumped away from the Trolle. They kicked and hurdled dozens of rats as they sprinted toward the exit. Eli and Chuck had just opened the door.

A biting wind filled with hard sleet hit them as they moved into the cold, moonlit evening. A loud horn and cheer erupted from the stadium as the home team scored a goal. Rats and waves of Suffering poured out behind them. The Childaar used the open space to escape from the packs of rats.

Unable to fit through the door, the Trolle smashed at the door frame.

A coach bus sat parked not far from the door. A red, white, and blue crest which read "New York" across the top and "Rangers" diagonally through the logo was stuck to the front window.

The Shadow-Rats chased and bit the Childaar. Eli tripped, but Chuck helped him up.

"Get on the bus," Jesi-Sera yelled as she leapt and climbed onto the vehicle's roof. She helped pull Daea atop, where they waited to assist the boys.

A shadow flickered in the sky, then against the backdrop of the night, four purple bird monsters with sleek bodies, long necks, thick talons, and sharpened bills swooped out of the sky.

Daea dropped to her stomach, but Jesi-Sera got scratched by the flying creatures.

"Fantalons," Jesi-Sera shouted. She stumbled but caught herself from falling off the bus.

Eli hobbled and jumped. Daea caught his hand and pulled him up. Chuck appeared beside them. He surveyed the sky.

The exit door exploded as the Trolle stepped into the cold night.

The Fantalons had circled and launched another dive attack. Jesi-Sera caught one out of the air and smashed it against the top of the bus. Daea delivered a roundhouse kick to another as it swooped away. They both turned into wispy strands of Suffering, which rolled over the bus and onto the snowy ground.

Chuck cupped his hands to his mouth and released a high-pitched screech. He looked at the ground and said, "Eli, get some Fire on those rats. We can't have them swarm us up here."

Eli stood at the bus's edge. He threw yellow and orange fireballs. Big explosions eliminated groups of rodents. The rats on the periphery of the blasts grew smaller and scampered into the night.

The Trolle lumbered forward. It dropped the hockey sticks and pounded and pushed the large vehicle. The Childaar struggled to keep their balance.

Jesi-Sera, battered and bruised, said, "Get to our vehicle. Trolles are slow and we can outrun it. If possible, we'll stop occasionally so Eli can get some shots off. If our situation hasn't improved when we arrive, we may have to abort."

A whistling sound preceded a diving flight of Fantalons. They all targeted the Smart. Jesi-Sera jumped in front of Eli to block him from getting hit. She grabbed one, and using its momentum against it, threw it down onto the bus. It dissipated into blackness. The remaining monsters found their target as they pecked, clawed, and raked the young boy, who fell unconscious.

Chuck picked up the Smart in a fireman's carry. "Let's go!" He jumped off the side. Jesi-Sera and Daea jumped after him. The team sprinted across the parking lot.

Daea looked behind her and saw the Trolle's muscles strain as it picked up and threw the bus at them. She screamed, "Watch out," as the massive vehicle flew through the air.

Her warning was too late. Daea managed to avoid the attack, but Chuck and Jesi-Sera tumbled across the concrete road as they were hit. Chuck lost hold of Eli, who skidded off to the side.

Daea ran to her knocked out teammates while swatting away the Fantalons. The Trolle continued to walk toward them.

The young vampire screamed and charged the Trolle. She felt a strange sensation in her hands. She looked down and saw razor sharp claws protruding from her fingers. The Hardy pounced at the creature with her newfound Gift.

The Trolle howled, then smashed her with fists the size of car tires. Daea took the blows, counterattacking with slashes and swipes. The combatants beat on each other until Daea clawed her way up the monster's body and finished it by ripping off its lower jaw. The creature gurgled and melted into a large pool of inky darkness.

An aerial battle ensued overhead as the girl limped back to her team. A parliament of owls engaged the Fantalons. The battle didn't last long. The owls overwhelmed and destroyed the air monsters. The Suffering returned to its normal state.

Eli stirred. "What happened?"

Daea knelt by her friend. "It's OK, we won. I defeated the Trolle."

Eli struggled to sit. "Really?"

Daea held up her hand and extended her claws before quickly retracting them back into her fingers.

"I knew it," the boy said with a smile as he pulled himself off the ground.

They picked up their fallen companions and returned to the SUV.

"How about this," Eli said, "the two rookies saving the day."

Daea shook her head. "No, if it wasn't for Jesi-Sera and Chuck, we never would have gotten this far."

Eli nodded. "I guess, but still..."

"No buts," Daea said with determination in her voice. "We are a team. We win and lose together."

They laid the Childaar in the backseat.

"So, should we try this again?" the girl asked.

"Because last time went so well."

"It was a learning experience."

"I guess we don't have much of a choice."

Daea found a box of emergency supplies in the back of the vehicle. She placed it on the driver's seat and climbed in. "Sit on the floor and put your feet on the pedals. I'll hang my feet over your shoulders and push down on the right for gas and on the left for brake."

It didn't take them long to work out a driving system. They merged onto the Queensway and drove home. Traffic was sparse since the hockey game hadn't yet finished. As they approached the exit to the museum, a woman in a white car passed them. She looked shocked to see such a young girl in the driver's seat. Daea grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
Chapter 13

The rookies kept watch over their fallen teammates throughout the morning.

"Now what?" Daea asked.

"I guess we have to tell the A-team," Eli replied.

"What time is sundown?"

"Early, about 4:30."

"What if Jesi-Sera and Chuck wake up before then?"

"That would be great."

"What if we get a mission tonight?"

Eli's eyes widened. "That wouldn't be great, but it's unlikely."

"Sounds good. What should we do until then? Want to play a game?"

"Sure. What?"

The girl ran to the TV. "Video games!"

Daea won most of the matches. Eli's excuse for losing was soreness from literally being hit by a bus the night before.

"So, how do you feel about being a Hardy?"

Daea looked at her hands and snapped out the claws. "I don't know. I think it might have been better being a Charm. Everyone loves them. Now all I am good for is fighting."

"That's not necessarily true, but you are going to be a great fighter."

Daea shrugged. "What else can a Hardy do?"

"You know this."

"Just tell me."

"Besides Tuffness, you have access to Powness. Remember how hard Riley could punch? Your claws are the first level of Formness, and the second level is Dirt Sleep—"

"Dirt Sleep!"

"If you are ever outside, or perhaps inside, and need to hide from the sun, you can meld into earthen ground. Some Childaar who have developed this power over long periods can even move through it."

"I wonder if I'll be dirty when I get out. My mom would hate that."

"The final power for Formness is Transform, which would allow you to change into a bat, wolf, or mist."

"Classic," Daea said, flapping her arms like wings.

"Now if only I could do more than fireballs."

Daea poked the boy. "Maybe that will be the only Gift you ever have."

"Don't say that. Could you imagine?"

Eli went to his room to do homework. Daea got a snack from the kitchen and then checked on her fallen teammates. She knew they weren't allowed to have animals in the house, but she snuck upstairs, carefully cracked open their private door, and yelled for Chuck's dogs. Within seconds Buddy and Whiskers were at the door and wormed their way inside. She led them to Chuck's room where they licked his face, whimpered, jumped on his bed, and lay by his side.

Daea then went to see Jesi-Sera. She lay in her bed like Sleeping Beauty. Daea found some comic books, crawled into her bed, and read them to her. She took great care to describe the art on each panel.

Eli knocked on the room's door. "Ready?"

"What time is it?" Daea asked, rubbing her eyes. She had fallen asleep.

"The sun just set. It's time to go."

They walked to the National Art Gallery. It was warmer than the night before. Heavy clouds rolled through the sky. Cars, trees, street signs, and buildings were all covered in a layer of snow. The Suffering whipped and stirred atop the snowy streets.

"That doesn't look good," Eli said.

"Hopefully since it's in the A-team's territory, they will deal with it," Daea replied.

The National Art Gallery looked as beautiful as always in the winter night. The Childaar played a quick game of tag around the large spider statue before entering the building. They walked down the stairs to the A-team's home.

Eli inspected the common area. "It doesn't seem like they've been here today."

"Where are they?"

"How should I know?"

"Aren't you smart?"

Eli ignored the girl as he continued to inspect the place.

Daea examined the kitchen and said, "They have a pretty poor selection of food. There are hardly any snacks."

Eli returned from the pool and gymnasium areas. "Nobody's here. What are we going to do about that mission brewing outside?"

"I guess we have to do it," Daea said, opening a container of strawberry yogurt.

"I don't know if we can."

"Somebody has to, and we're all that's left."

The boy frowned. "I'm older, so I'm the team leader. It's my decision."

"Whatever," the girl replied. "I'm doing it with or without you."

"You have to do what I say. It's the rules."

Daea extended her claws and showed them to Eli as she walked out of the room.

"What are you going to tell Owen when he yells at you for insubordination? We are under strict orders not to be in their area."

"I'll tell him we did the right thing."

Outside, large, fluffy snowflakes had begun to fall, and the Suffering was wilder than when they had entered the gallery.

"So, where should we go since you're the leader?" the Smart asked.

"I don't know. Usually Chuck leads us to a mission. What do you think?"

"How should I know, I'm but your follower."

"Get real, Eli. If you're going to sulk, go home. If not, start being useful."

The boy frowned and watched the Suffering. "We have to follow it like we did in Los Angeles when we drove to that mountain."

"Do we know if it's a Stomp or Operation?"

"Not yet. We have to follow it to see where it goes."

"Chuck was right; you should get that Gift that lets you track the Suffering."

"Perception? Of course I would like to have it."

The wild and turbulent waves of Suffering pushed south. Rather than walk down Sussex, the Childaar cut through Major Hill's park, where they walked by the locks, past the Chateau Laurier, and onto Wellington.

Parliament was awash in wide, dark, inky waves. Floodlights had been set up to project multi-colored snowflakes on the buildings, and strings of lights wrapped around the trees. The top of the Peace Tower was barely visible through the falling snow. The Suffering flowed further down the street.

The important buildings on Wellington Street, such as the Bank of Canada and the Justice and Confederation buildings, loomed ominously in the winter night. The Childaar followed the Suffering into the magnificent Supreme Court area, where a deep pool of the inky blackness gathered in the parking lot next to the beady eyed Library and Archives building.

An unusual number of people and cars filled the lot. Engines revved and anticipation flowed through the air.

"I guess it's an Operation," Eli said.

Daea pointed at a man in the crowd. "That's Eva's dad!" She scanned the crowd. "And there's Eva. What are they doing here?"

"Hey, Eva," Daea said as they walked up to the girl.

Eva smiled when she saw the Childaar. "Daea!" The little girl hugged the young vampire. She reached over and held Eli's hand. "Hi, Eli."

The boy smiled. "Hey. How're you doing?"

"Not great. My dad's in trouble."

"How so?" the Smart asked.

Before Eva could answer, Daea stormed toward the girl's father. Her breath bellowed in the snowy air. She parted the crowd. A middle aged man in an oversized coat and backwards ball cap told her to go home and that it was past her bedtime. She shot him a fierce look and he quieted. Daea poked Eva's father in the chest and told him he should be home with his family, not playing cars with his friends. The adults laughed at him. He asked if he could speak to her privately.

Eli caught up to the pair away from the crowd. Eva's father explained that he had to participate in a street race. He said that it cost him and his wife a lot of money to come to Canada. He couldn't pay for the whole cost of the trip, so he borrowed money from the man who owned the car shop he worked at. The family would have been able to repay him except that Eva's mother became ill. The money he made as a mechanic wasn't enough to pay back the debt. The shop owner was a dangerous man who had contacts within the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, and if he didn't get his money he would have the family deported in the morning. If so, Eva's mother would not receive adequate health care and would be in real danger. The shop owner told the dad that if he won the street race, he'd forgive the debt. He finished by stating his worry about being a mechanic and not a driver. He didn't think he could win.

Daea took Eli away a few paces. "We have to drive for him."

"What!"

"You heard the man, if they don't win the race, they are in big trouble."

"And you think the best thing to do is race?"

"I see no other choice."

"We could try to find the shop owner and convince him to leave Eva's family alone."

"He's not here, and we only have until sunrise to find him."

"So we find him," Eli stated matter-of-factly.

"First, I don't think he will be that easy to find. Second, even if we do find him, I don't think he will listen to reason; he is almost certainly Contaminated. What if he has security? Also, look at how wild the Suffering is. It could pop at any minute."

"There must be some other way. We don't even know how to drive."

"That's not true," Daea replied. "Driving back from the Palladium we got pretty good. Don't forget how much better we are at everything than the Kinedaar. Even untrained, we should be able to win the race."

They walked back to Eva's dad and told him that they would take his place. The only condition being that when they won, he had to find a new job and focus on taking care of his family. He scoffed at the idea that two kids could drive the car, let alone win the race. Daea puffed up and told him that they were more than capable and that he should keep that opinion to himself. The man, taken aback, apologized.

Eva's dad brought them to a new, all-wheel drive rally car. It was fire-engine red with yellow racing stripes on the side. Eva's dad explained that he'd put on snow tires. It would give them better traction but limit their top speed.

Daea found some pieces of wood at a nearby construction zone. She placed them on the seat and told Eli to get in. When the other adults saw the kids getting in the car, they laughed and jeered the duo.

Daea's face got red, and just as she was about to yell at the crowd, Eli grabbed her arm. "Let it be. It won't do us any good to get into a fight with this group. Let's just win this thing."

Daea ignored the taunts. Eli moved the car seat as far back as it would go. "Ughh, there is way less room in here than our SUV."

Daea got in and sat atop the wooden planks. She rested her legs on Eli's shoulders. "You OK down there?"

"Couldn't be better."

Eva's father leaned in the driver's side window. He took a map out of his pocket. Daea swatted at the incoming snowflakes.

The map outlined the one lap race. From the National Archives Building, they would travel along the Sir John A. McDonald Parkway to the Queensway, where they would cross the city to Orleans. Then they would turn around, get onto the Rockcliffe Parkway, head toward downtown and finish back at the start line.

Eva's father told them that there wouldn't be much traffic on such a stormy night, and to not worry about the police. He warned them that snow could hide black ice and that they should be very careful.

Daea took the map and told the man to relax. She closed the window and threw the paper down to Eli. "What do you think?"

"It's long. It would take a normal car under normal conditions at least an hour."

"We'll do it in half."

"Yeah right. The roads are icy, and we haven't ever raced cars before."

"Don't worry," the girl said as she pushed her foot down on Eli's shoulder.

"Daea, we have a problem."

"What?"

"There are three pedals."

"Three?"

"Yeah, it's a manual transmission."

Daea looked at her gearshift. In the SUV it was simple. It had a position for park, reverse, neutral, and drive, along with some lower gears for climbing and pulling. This gearshift had a series of numbers from one to six, along with an N and R.

"How does this work?" she asked.

"An automatic transmission will move a vehicle from gear to gear automatically, but a manual transmission has to be moved using the gearshift. This third pedal is called a clutch. It has to be pushed while changing gears. Yell for clutch when you want me to push it. Got it?"

Daea pumped her fists. "Got it!"

The girl jammed the car in first gear but it groaned, shook, and then stalled.

"You didn't tell me to put the clutch in."

"OK, put the clutch in."

Eli followed the order.

Daea started the car, put it in first gear, and said, "Clutch out."

Eli slowly depressed the pedal while giving some gas. The car moved forward. Daea steered the car through the parking lot and onto the street. She turned left, eastbound, away from the start line.

Daea kicked down on Eli's shoulder. "Punch it!"

Eli hit the gas and the car accelerated like a bullet.

"Clutch." Daea moved into second gear. "Clutch out and lots of gas!"

Eli complied.

"Clutch," she yelled again, and Eli pressed and released the pedal, giving Daea just enough time to get into third gear.

The car bolted down Wellington toward downtown. When they were in front of the Supreme Court, Daea kicked her left foot and held it hard against Eli's chest. The Smart pushed down the clutch and brake while Daea cranked the wheel. The car spun around one hundred and eighty degrees. Snow and Suffering sprayed through the air. Eli revved the engine a few times before they drove up to the start line.

"You ready to win this?" Daea asked. "I'm sure we are the best car here."

Eli laughed. "Yeah, next stop Formula 1."
Chapter 14

Ten cars waited in double file at the Bay Street intersection in front of the Archives building. The wild Suffering contrasted with the falling snow as they met near the ground.

The car beside them was deep purple with white racing stripes. The driver was a young woman with black lipstick and lots of dark eye shadow. She looked surprised when she saw Daea. The young Hardy waved and stuck out her tongue.

A man on the side of the road pointed a starter pistol into the night. A loud bang sounded and the race began. The cars roared as they accelerated down the road.

"Punch it," Daea yelled. She jammed the shifter into second gear. The car rattled violently and stalled.

Sitting on the floor of the car with his feet on the pedals and Daea's legs hanging over his shoulders, Eli said, "You have to tell me when to clutch! Start the car and let's go!"

Daea turned the key and brought the car back to life. She saw Eva on the side of the road holding her shaking head.

By the time the Childaar had crossed the start line, the other racers were out of sight.

Eli looked at the map and said, "Keep left. We don't want to get on that bridge and end up in Quebec."

Daea navigated the car down through the intersection and past the somber Canadian War Museum. They geared up and sped down the Sir John A. McDonald Parkway.

The four lane road twisted alongside the wide Ottawa River. The road darkened as the street lamps spread further apart.

Daea spotted an old, orange car with a thin green pinstripe. Black smoke sputtered from its tailpipe. Daea got into the left lane and overtook the old beater. She stuck her tongue out at the driver, who looked like he could still be in high school.

"Ninth place," she announced.

Eli studied the map. "We should be nearing the end of this parkway soon. We have to cut back to get to the Queensway."

The Smart had just given his warning when the road veered left, away from the river. They turned onto Carling Avenue, passed a series of apartment buildings, small shops, restaurants, and houses, and got onto Woodruff Avenue. Two blocks later, at the ramp onto the Queensway, they caught up to a teal and black car.

The Childaar pulled alongside the other racer on the single lane exit. He had narrow eyes and a large nose. The man honked his horn and screamed from the confines of his vehicle. The aggressive move paid off as Daea and Eli got the inside track, which gave them the lead onto the Highway.

"Eighth place!"

No other vehicles could be seen on the 417. The falling snow and the angry sea of Suffering created a tunnel of white and black between the sound barriers alongside the roads. Daea turned on the car's high beams, which made visibility worse. She couldn't see past the hood of the car as a blizzard of snowflakes pelted the windshield. She returned to the low beams as they sped down the narrow tube.

"Maitland, Parkdale, Rochester," the girl called as they flew by the street exits. "Where is everyone?"

"We're about a quarter done this race. We have to catch up to them soon if we want to win," Eli replied.

Daea gripped the wheel tightly, focused on the road, and said, "We'll win."

The storm lulled momentarily as they passed Bronson Avenue. Daea saw the Museum of Nature's silhouette across the street. She jumped in her seat. "I see our home!"

Eli, who kept steady pressure on the gas pedal, consulted the map. "That means we'll be crossing the Rideau Canal soon. We're going to stay on the Queensway for a while yet."

"Just keep that pedal to the metal," the girl said as they put the car into top gear.

The car hit black ice above the canal, and it began to fishtail. The rear end of their rally car swerved back and forth across the bridge. Daea regained control, but they had lost speed during the near catastrophic slide.

"What happened?" Eli yelled.

"Nothing to worry about. I see another racer. Let's get them."

A young woman wearing a tiara drove a pink decaled car with green flames painted on the side. Her driver's side panel was crinkled. As they passed the car on the bridge across the Ottawa river, her face grew angry and she swerved at the Childaar. Daea kicked Eli to tap the brake. The woman missed. She lost control and slammed into the short concrete wall separating the direction of traffic.

"Nice pedal work, Eli. That woman just tried to hit us with her car."

"That's not very sporting."

"I know. I guess people really want to win this race, and if they can't, they want to make sure that others can't either. At least we're in seventh place now."

The Childaar's red car continued to zip down the snowy road. The exits for the Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard were but a blur. Daea increased the wiper speed to as fast as they would go, but it made little difference. She could barely see beyond the fence lining the highway as the landscape changed from office buildings and apartments to bushes, trees, and empty fields.

Eli said, "Expect a confusing intersection soon. The 417 highway splits towards Montreal, but we want to be on the 174 to Orleans."

"Got it," Daea said as she navigated the car under two overpasses to follow the proper course. Given the car's incredible speed, it wasn't long before they were outside of the city, surrounded by wintery fields of snow. The Suffering flowed over and between the tire tracks on the road.

"I see a sign for the Jeanne D'Arc exit. That's what we want, right?"

"Yes. It's a cloverleaf intersection, so we want to follow the signs back onto the Queensway."

"No problem," Daea replied.

"Do you know who Jeanne D'Arc was?"

"No, but I bet you do."

"Seriously, you don't know?"

"Just tell me."

"Joan of Arc. It's how you say her name en français."

"Who?"

"You don't know who Joan of Arc was? The fifteenth century French heroine? Her nickname was the Maid of Orléans. The English burned her at the stake when she was nineteen years old. Rumor has it that she was a young vampire."

"She was?"

"I don't know. She may have Awakened, but there's no evidence to prove it."

Daea exited the Queensway, drove past a covered bus stop, turned onto the boulevard, and then turned back onto the Highway. She and Eli had their driving system mastered. It didn't take long for them to reach maximum speed as they returned to the city.

"Well, I think she was a young vampire. I think she was probably a Hardy."

Eli sighed. "Says the girl who never reads books."

"That's why we make such a great team."

The streetlights offered little illumination as the car plowed down the highway. Daea spotted a white and red rally car stuck in the ditch.

"Sixth," the girl squealed in delight. "That was easy."

"What happened?"

"Someone spun off the road."

"Awesome," Eli replied. Not much further, they traversed an overpass, and Eli said, "We just crossed the Rockcliffe Parkway."

"How do you know?"

"I felt it. Anyway, that's where we're going."

"But we just passed it."

"I know. That's why I'm telling you. You have to take the Montreal Road exit, then get onto St. Joseph's Boulevard, which turns into the parkway."

Daea's eyes widened. "Uh oh."

"What!"

"There's a crash at the bottom of the turnoff. Slow down so that we can get through this mess."

Their car rolled up to the accident. Two rally cars blocked the road. The racers stood outside yelling and screaming at each other. As they got closer, Daea saw the young woman with dark makeup who they had lined up beside at the beginning of the race.

"Give it a bit of gas. You're going to feel a bump," Daea told her partner.

They drove their car into the back panel of the woman's purple car. It moved enough so that they could get by. The other racers stopped yelling at each other and began yelling at the Childaar. They cleared the wreckage and turned onto the Rockcliffe Parkway, where the car howled as it moved through the gears and regained top speed.

The tall trees that lined the road looked beautiful in the dark and stormy night. Daea focused on the road as she piloted the twisty path.

"I see brake lights. It's hard to tell how far ahead they are."

The trees opened and Daea saw the blizzard rage across the Ottawa River. She saw occasional glimpses of the car in front as they wove through the bends in the road.

"We'll be at the Aviation museum soon," Eli said.

"There's an aviation museum?"

"I've been there twice."

"Really, when did you go?"

"I don't know, some night we were just hanging out. I asked if you wanted to join me, but you said you weren't interested."

"I think I see it. It looks like a big gray lump in the middle of a field."

They caught up to a two-toned blue car. Daea coasted behind the vehicle. The road split at the intersection of the Rockcliffe and Aviation parkways.

Daea asked, "Left or right at the museum?"

"Stay left."

"The car in front went right."

"That was a mistake. That's the entrance to the museum. It meets up with the Parkway again, but there's an intersection to cross."

Daea smiled and took the car up and across the overpass. It was close, but when the cars met at the merge, the Childaar had the lead. The bright blue car was so close behind them that Daea could see the driver in her rearview mirror. He was an old, bald man, with a curled mustache.

"We beat him. We're ahead," the girl yelled.

A large field opened on their left, and a black blur approached the road.

"I think I see a horse!"

"We're next to the RCMP's musical ride, but I can't imagine why there would be a horse out in these conditions."

"RCMP Musical ride?"

"Yeah, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They're Canada's federal police force. In the past, they would patrol the country on horseback. They keep the tradition alive by performing horse shows across the country."

The lone black stallion ran parallel to the cars but was soon outpaced by the speeding automobiles.

The cars jockeyed for position, but no matter what Daea and Eli did, the blue car stayed on their tail.

The road narrowed and turned hard to the left. The parkway darkened as the snow muffled the street lamps. Daea and Eli hit a patch of ice and almost smashed into a large rock wall. The blue car slowed to match their pace as the cars drove between a wall of rock and the river. The cars plowed forward, kicking snow and Suffering in their wake.

"Where are we?" Daea asked.

"Can you see the river?"

"No."

"We must be close to Rideau Hall. The Governor General's home."

"Who?"

"Canada's Head of State. It's a mostly ceremonial position. He or she—"

"Whatever," Daea cut him off. "This road is hard to follow. It's too snowy and too dark."

"There will be two roundabouts coming up. Take it easy. We won't win if we crash."

Daea's eyes narrowed. "We won't win if we take it easy."

They approached the first roundabout. The blue car pulled alongside the Childaar, and the old man entered the junction the wrong way—clockwise. His car slid through the intersection without losing much speed. He was in the lead when they exited.

"He got ahead of us," Daea yelled. "He didn't slow down like we had to."

"He must have drifted. We'll catch him on the next one."

"How do I drift?"

"As we enter the second roundabout, we'll put the car in second gear. I'll keep the clutch down and you crank the wheel. Then I'll tap the brake causing our back end to slide out. Tell me when, and I'll pop the clutch and we'll blast out of the turn."

The Childaar's car was less than a hand's length from the man's. The second roundabout appeared out of the dark. The Suffering was in an absolute frenzy. To their left was the entrance to Rideau Hall, while the Prime Minister's house was on the right. This time the man took his car into the proper lane of the roundabout, which forced the Childaar into the wrong side of the circular junction. Both cars shot snow into the air as they drifted. The young vampires popped the clutch too early and smashed into their opponent as they headed back onto Sussex Drive. The blue car spun out of control and crashed into the Prime Minister's driveway. Daea fought with the wheel and regained control of their car. The last thing she saw in the rearview mirror as they sped away was the old man shaking his fist at them.

Daea and Eli accelerated like professionals and plowed down Sussex. They passed the exquisite French embassy; the modern John G. Diefenbaker building; the National Research Council; and the Department of Foreign Affairs, a large brown, stepped building, whose design was inspired by the Egyptian Sphinx. The Childaar crossed over a bridge and passed the Saudi Arabian and Japanese embassies.

"It's the A-team's home. The art gallery," Daea said when she spotted the large spider statue.

"We're coming into downtown. Just remember, we want to be on the right-hand side of the U.S. embassy."

Daea steered around a monument to Canadian Peace Keeping. It was a wall upon which three soldier statues observed the surrounding area. In the distance, the Chateau Laurier was but a faint outline in the night.

"I see cars," Daea said.

"How many?"

"Two. They're just passing our embassy."

"We have to beat them to win this thing."

"We will."

The girl guided the car into the tracks of the cars ahead. They passed the embassy and a big, Gothic government building. The Childaar caught up to their competition at the Wellington Street intersection.

A chocolate brown car with a blue racing stripe and a black car with tinted windows and a skull on the hood rounded the corner in front of the hotel. Daea and Eli used their drifting technique to keep behind them.

Just before the National War Monument, the girl steered the car into the far left lane, but a large dump truck with a snowplow on its front blocked them as it turned off of Elgin onto Wellington.

The girl screamed while kicking down on Eli. "Brake! Brake!"

Decelerating and swerving at the same time, they got back behind the brown car.

"I can't get by. There's no room."

"Get into the oncoming lane!"

On the other side of the monument, Daea pulled their car into the lane for oncoming traffic. She spotted a lone figure on the left, peeking from behind the Langevin building. He or she ran out to the street and threw a fist sized object.

The Childaar's windshield shattered and airbags exploded from the steering wheel and passenger's dash.

"What was that?" Eli screamed.

"Someone threw a rock at us. I can't see anything."

Daea moved her head around trying to find a clear spot in the window, but the spiderweb of cracks, blowing snow, and crashing waves of Suffering made visibility impossible. The Hardy protracted her claws, punctured the airbag, and then swiped at the windshield. Glass, snow, and Suffering exploded into the car. By the time she could see anything, the other racers had advanced past Parliament.

Little could be seen of the looming buildings as they sped down the street. The brown and black cars exchanged leads as they funneled between the Bank of Canada and Justice Building.

Daea held the wheel tight, and Eli kept the gas pedal floored. They dashed blindly through the storm. They caught up to the racers in front of the Supreme Court. Snow flew behind the three cars as they barreled toward the finish line. The man who'd started the race waved a checkered flag as they all crossed the intersection in front of Library and Archives Canada.

The Suffering transformed from an angry sea into a simmering pool of darkness. The snowstorm also relaxed. The blizzard was now a snowy night.

Eva ran toward Daea and Eli with a big smile. "You won! You won!" She showed them a camera. "My dad got a picture of the finish."

The photo showed the Childaar's red car as it crossed the finish line a few hairs ahead of the others. All the kids jumped and hugged each other. Eva's father walked over and thanked them for the win.

The celebration was interrupted when five large black pickup trucks ran the group onto the steps of the Archives building. A big, mean looking man in a leather jacket and a ball cap with a red X on the front pointed at them. Angry men and women with rifles jumped out of the trucks.

Eli whispered to Daea, "Firearms can really hurt us. You could take some hits, but I'd be done pretty quickly. We should try to get out of this situation and deal with it later—on our terms."

The fattest man Daea had ever seen got out of the front truck and walked into the circle to face the Childaar.

"I wonder if he's Contaminated?" Eli asked sarcastically.

"I'd bet everyone here is. If we had Jesi-Sera and Chuck, this wouldn't be a problem."

Eli shrugged.

The man yelled at them to be silent. He yelled for a long time, and froth sputtered from his mouth. He told them that they had ruined everything. He accused the Childaar of cheating and disqualified them from the race. The adults cheered when the man in the black car, with the oversized coat and backwards hat, was declared the winner.

Eva looked sad. Her dad looked angry, but he kept his opinion to himself.

Daea protested that it wasn't fair and that they were the true winners. The fat man laughed and told them that life wasn't fair. He said they should leave before they got hurt. Daea told him that he should reverse his decision before he got hurt.

The fat man nodded to one of his henchmen, who fired two shots at Daea's feet. The girl didn't flinch and stood her ground. The fat man nodded toward Eva and her father.

Daea and Eli jumped in front of the girl and her dad. The Hardy extended her claws and crouched, ready to pounce. The Smart struck his Bruce Lee pose.

The fat man brought his arm up in the air and called everyone to be ready. A series of clinks sounded as the guns cocked. He called for everyone to set, and the adults aimed their rifles at the group. The man was about to bring down his arm to order the fire, when a hairless blue creature with a bat's head and tiger's body appeared out of thin air. It charged the fat man and knocked down half of his underlings in the process.

The other adults shot their guns. Daea jumped forward and soaked most of the hits and was thrown back into a snowbank. Eli took two bullets as he pushed Eva and her father to the ground.

Hyelsing charged the next group of adults. She swung her head and sent them hurtling through the air. Terrified, the grownups abandoned their trucks and ran away. The blue creature looked at the Childaar knowingly before she vanished.

"Is everyone OK?" Daea asked as she checked on the group.

Eva lay atop Eli. "Don't die, Eli. Please don't die."

The Suffering had returned to its normal wispy state.

Daea pulled the girl away and inspected the wounds. They had already begun to heal.

The boy sat up and said, "I'm OK."

Eva laughed and hugged him. Her face darkened. "Did you see that monster?"

The Smart looked at Eva's dad, who stood in a state of bewilderment. He whispered, "I did."

"Monsters are real?"

"They are. You don't need to worry about them, though. That's our job."

The dad shook his head and told his daughter that they had to go. He thanked the Childaar, again, for saving his family.

Tears streamed down the little girl's face. "I don't want you to go."

Daea rubbed the girl's back. "We have to. And you do too. You and your family have a life to get on with."

"So I won't ever see you again?"

"We help people, and I think you are done being helped."

Eli said, "Unless they are involved in another Operation."

Daea shot him a hard look.

"But you're my friends. I don't want you to go away," Eva said.

Daea held her hand. "It's OK. Sometimes friends have to say goodbye to each other."

"Will I see you again?"

"Maybe," Daea said, and gave the girl one last hug.

"I'll miss you and never forget you. I will get two dolls. Their names will be Daea and Eli. You will be with me every time I have a tea party."

Daea smiled. "Goodbye, Eva."

"Are you OK?" Daea asked her friend.

Eli inspected his side. "That hurt, but I seem to be alright. How are you?"

"No problem," the girl replied.

"Did you see that monster?"

"Yeah, what was that? It saved us."

Eli's brow furrowed. "I have no idea. I've never heard of a monster helping Childaar. I've got a bad feeling."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. How should we get home? Want to drive?"

Eli laughed. "Yeah, right."

The young vampires trekked home through the knee-high snow.
Chapter 15

Jesi-Sera and Chuck had regained consciousness. They had to miss a few days of school, which Daea thought was rather lucky for them. By midweek they were out of bed and hanging out in the common area.

Chuck watched sports on the big screen TV. Jesi-Sera sat in a beanbag chair and read comic books. Daea shared her time between the two of them, bouncing back and forth with stops at the kitchen for snacks.

Eli walked in the room with a big leather bound book.

"What's that?" Jesi-Sera asked.

"It's a Tome I found in the A-team's library. I hope it will help me figure out what that blue monster was. I think it must have been one of the four hundred and ninety-six, but I can't understand why it helped us."

Chuck called from the couch, "Any word from the A-team?"

"Still missing," the Charm said. "I've sent messages to Montreal, Toronto, and New York to see if they have heard anything. If we don't hear from them soon, I'll contact the Orakles."

"Have you ever seen activity like this before?" Eli asked.

"Not like this," Chuck replied.

Jesi-Sera looked into the distance. "I've seen a lot of things, but I've never heard of a monster protecting a young vampire."

"Something's amiss. That's for sure," Eli said as he sat down at his desk and opened the book.

Daea scooped ice cream in the kitchen. "Not to change the subject, but my birthday is coming up. I just want you to know that you don't have to get me anything for Christmas if you don't want to. Then you can get me an extra big present for my birthday." She shoved a humongous spoonful of mint chocolate chip ice cream into her mouth.

Her teammates stopped talking and took a long look at the girl.

Daea shrugged her shoulders. "Either way, you're all invited to my party. It's going to be a great time. I promise."

Everyone laughed.

The End
Lexicon

Adoreness Gift. Level 1: Awe, Level 2: Fear, Level 3: Love. Only Charms have access to this Gift.

Animalness Gift. Level 1: Talk to Animals, Level 2: Summon Animals, Level 3: Possess Animals. Only Sights have access to this Gift.

Awakening The time when a Kinedaar child becomes a young vampire. Newly Awakened Childaar develop physical and mental capacities which reach the upper limits of human achievement. Over time they develop Gifts. They also gain the ability to see and track the Suffering. The Awakening process completes within a week.

Charm One of the six Childaar Dynasties. Charms have access to the Adoreness, Speedness,and Tuffness Gifts.

Childaar A young vampire.

Dynasty Each Childaar belongs to one of six Dynasties: Charm, Hardy, Quick, Sight, Sovereign, and Smart. A Childaar's Dynasty determines which Gifts they have access to.

Eldaar Vampires who were once Childaar but skipped their Sleepining. Eldaar receive Dark Gifts and are evil. They must drink the blood of Kinedaar for sustenance.

Ennui

Kinedaar who were once young vampires but underwent the Sleepining. They tend to have a love for nature.

Formness Gift. Level 1: Claws, Level 2: Dirt Sleep, Level 3: Transform (bat, mist, wolf). Only Hardys have access to this Gift.

Gifts Young vampire powers: Adoreness, Animalness, Formness, Hideness, Mindness, Powness, Psiness, Seeingness, Speedness, Tuffness, Upness, and Wizardness. Each Gift has 3 levels. The longer a Childaar has a Gift from a level, the stronger it is. For example, a Sovereign who develops Jump at ten years old will be able to jump further than if they had developed it at sixteen.

Hardy One of the six Childaar Dynasties. Hardys have access to the Formness, Powness, and Tuffness Gifts.

Hideness Gift. Level 1: Unnoticeable, Level 2: Stranger, Level 3: Cloak. Quicks and Sights have access to this Gift.

Kinedaar Normal humans. Adult Kinedaar rationalize away and forget supernatural activities. Child Kinedaar see and remember supernatural activities. The younger they are, the clearer their memories.

Mindness Gift. Level 1: Suggest, Level 2: Command, Level 3: Memory. Smarts and Sovereigns have access to this Gift.

Missions An encounter in which young vampires attempt to ease a buildup of Suffering. There are two kinds of missions: Stomps and Operations.

Operation A mission in which a situation must be resolved in order to ease the Suffering. Young vampires must be careful to not draw unwanted attention during an Operation or the Suffering pops and they fail.

Orakles A group of young vampires with Scry who organize Childaar around the world by assigning them to teams and placing them in various cities.

Powness Gift. All Childaar have access to basic Powness which lets them punch x2 as hard as the strongest person in the world. Level 1: x10, Level 2: x50, Level 3: x100. Hardys and Sovereigns have access to this Gift.

Psiness Gift. Level 1: Shield, Level 2: Telekinesis, Level 3: Blast. Only Quicks have access to this Gift.

Quick One of the six Childaar Dynasties. Sights have access to the Hideness, Psiness, and Speedness Gifts.

Seeingness Gift. Level 1: Perception, Level 2: Telepathy, Level 3: Scry. Sights and Smarts have access to this Gift.

Sight One of the six Childaar Dynasties. Sights have access to the Animalness, Hideness, and Seeingness Gifts.

Sleepining The process of changing from Childaar to Ennui through prolonged exposure to the sun. Childaar must have their Sleepining before their eighteenth birthday or become an Eldaar.

Smart One of the six Childaar Dynasties. Smarts have access to the Mindness, Seeingness, and Wizardness Gifts.

Sovereign One of the six Childaar Dynasties. Sovereigns have access to the Mindness, Powness, and Upness Gifts.

Speedness Gift. All Childaar have access to basic Speedness, which lets them move x2 as fast as the fastest person in the world. Level 1: x10, Level 2: x50, Level 3: x100. Quicks and Charms have access to this Gift.

Stomps A mission in which young vampires fight monsters to ease the Suffering.

The Suffering An omnipresent force that manifests as a gray and black, wispy, swirling mist or fog. Only Childaar can see the Suffering. Locations such as museums, galleries, libraries, and schools are mostly safe from it. Furthermore, the families of Childaar also have protections.

Tomes Handwritten books of the finest materials, used to store vampire lore.

Tuffness Gift. All Childaar have access to basic Tuffness, which lets them take x2 damage as the toughest person in the world. Level 1: x10, Level 2: x50, Level 3: x100. Hardys and Charms have access to this Gift.

Upness Gift. Level 1: Jump, Level 2: Glide, Level 3: Fly. Only Sovereigns have access to this Gift.

Wizardness Gift. Level 1: Fire, Level 2: Illusion, Level 3: Time. Only Smarts have access to this Gift.
