 
# Project ELE Boxed Set One

## Rebecca Gober

## Courtney Nuckels

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

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NO part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Project ELE Boxed Set One

Copyright ©2018 Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels

All rights reserved.

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Summary: From best-selling authors Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels comes a boxed set of the first three full-length ELE Series books. This set includes a newly revised edition of Project ELE with expanded scenes, and offers the reader a discount over purchasing each novel individually. The ELE Series is a best-selling Young Adult Science Fiction Romance series with over seven hundred five-star reviews on Goodreads.

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ISBN: 978-1-63422-350-8 (e-book)

Cover Design by: Marya Heidel

Typography by: Courtney Knight

Editing by: Cynthia Shepp

### Contents

Content Disclosure

Also by Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels

Project ELE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

Finding ELE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

Exposing ELE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

Also by Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels

Eye Colors and Their Meanings

About the Authors

Newsletter

For more information about our content disclosure,

please click on the picture above or visit us at

www.CleanTeenPublishing.com.

# Also by Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels

**The ELE Series**

Book 1: Project ELE

Book 2: Finding ELE

Book 3: Exposing ELE

Book 4: Surviving ELE

Book 5: Ending ELE

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**Night Marchers Series**

Night Marchers

Redemption

# Project ELE
# CHAPTER 1

### Six days in line

Waiting in line totally bites! What's worse than waiting in line? Waiting in line, outside in the stifling heat, with escalating temperatures. The only relief being a hand held, battery operated fan and a portable misting machine that ran through our daily ration of water in less than two hours.

Beads of sweat drip down my face, causing my eyes to sting. My dad turns his fan so it hits the back of my neck. He always looks composed and collected, but even he isn't immune to this sweltering weather. His salt and pepper hair is plastered to his head with sweat and his usually vibrant green eyes show telltale signs of heat exhaustion.

"They could have at least left the patches up until we had a chance to apply for entry. Maybe then the heat wouldn't be this intense!" Our neighbor in line, Mr. Leroy mumbles. The patches that cover the holes in the ozone layer is all anyone talks about lately. They're the only thing that keeps us all from burning to a crisp. Mr. Leroy is an elderly man with leathery skin, shiny grey hair and beady brown eyes. He walks around all day in only a pair of plaid boxers and a 'wife beater' undershirt. Some of the older women scoff at his choice of attire. It doesn't faze him though; he says that dying of heat stroke while waiting in line to see if you pass inspection would defeat the purpose entirely.

While I may agree with Mr. Leroy on that part, I have to say that honestly, nobody wants to see all of that 'old-man' skin. Making his case even worse, he wears a nasty frown twenty-four seven and always reeks of stinky old man sweat. He kind of creeps me out. My mom assures us that he's just a cranky old geezer with a thousand conspiracy theories and that he has nothing better to do other than to share them with us.

"You know Lee, they're doing the best they can. The virus is spreading at rapid speeds and they have no choice but to begin the heating process to stop it." My dad says, not bothering to remove the annoyance from his voice. After all, they seem to have the same conversation three times a day lately.

"Is that why they let all of the rich ones in first?" Mr. Leroy asks with a cynical expression. "They've been in there for two weeks already and the rest of us 'lower class' just now got invited to the party!"

I catch my dad rolling his eyes behind Mr. Leroy's back. It makes me grin, especially since he always gets onto me when I do it. My parents are none too happy to have Mr. Leroy behind us in line. Up until Mr. Leroy opened his mouth, my parents had done their best to shelter us from the impending doom that we all face. Mr. Leroy on the other hand, couldn't care less that we're 'merely' children as my mom would put it. He voices his distaste for this whole situation—which he deems completely the government's fault—whenever he feels like it. With him running his mouth non-stop, my parents had no choice but to tell me most everything. My four-year-old little brother Sebastian, is too young to understand. However, at fifteen, _I_ can handle the truth. Well, at least I think I can. Honestly I'm scared to death, but I'm dealing with it the same way any other teenage girl would—by acting like I don't care. It's a hard facade to pull off.

My brother and I have had a rather closed off life for the past few years, as have many children. With the fear of the virus looming over everyone's heads, our parents did what most others did, they pulled me out of school and kept us quarantined in our house. I stopped going to a formal school when I turned ten. Now I'm homeschooled online. It wasn't until Mr. Leroy opened his mouth that I finally realized why I was pulled out of school.

Since millions have already died, and thousands more die every day, the government had no choice but to implement Project ELE. I'm not sure who ELE is, or why this crazy plan was named after her. I asked my dad once who she was. His expression went dark as he answered, "All you need to know is that you don't want to meet her." I never asked him that question again. After all, if ELE scares my dad, I'm sure she would terrify me.

With Project ELE in place we only have another seventy-two hours before the temperatures are predicted to increase above one hundred and seventy degrees, which will most likely kill the remaining survivors outside of the F.E.M.A. shelters. Our bodies are not meant to withstand that kind of heat, and neither is the virus.

Currently the temperature is at one hundred degrees and some of the people in line have already faded away because of it. Fading away from heat stroke seems like a more pleasant way to die than to experience the excruciating death caused by the virus. I never thought I'd get used to watching people that have died being whisked away on a stretcher covered by a white sheet draped over their bodies. But since it happens multiple times each day, the shock has worn off.

This shelter is our only hope to survive this thing. All remaining power that isn't being used for Project ELE has been re-routed or conserved to run the few F.E.M.A. shelters across the country. The line to our shelter is running at a snail's pace. There are so many tests stations to go through before people are permitted to enter the shelter where we will supposedly spend the next three years, or until they can get the patches back up, whichever comes first.

Before you can enter the shelter the government workers have to verify that you're not infected and that you're fit to survive. Mr. Leroy says repeatedly that this is not the place to bring the weak or weary and it's especially not the place to bring the sick.

This whole business started with the sick. A virus brought forth from a cure. They thought it would work, that it could heal everything. Cancer, diabetes, depression, the flu, even the common cold could be healed by 'The C.U.R.E.' or Counteractive Universal Recovery Elixir. It worked miracles for several years, until a super virus came along that not even our precious 'C.U.R.E.' could combat. My mom says that we weren't meant to live forever and perhaps this is nature's way of reminding us of that fact. The super virus did a great job of reminding us of that, because it killed off more than half of the world's population. No country was safe from this airborne virus that can take a life in the mere span of a few days.

In an attempt to kill off the super virus, the United Nations agreed to pull down the patches that they spent over a hundred years perfecting. Obviously I wasn't around when the patches first went up to cover the giant gaping holes in the ozone layer, but I heard that it took a tremendous amount of energy and power to put them up in the first place. It's said that the entire world worked together back then and went for a full month without electricity of any sort in order to put the patches in place. This is another reason why they're diverting all of the energy now and not allowing us to stay in our homes. They need that power to put the patches back up after the warming does its job. On a side note, the project for creating those patches a hundred years ago was also called Project ELE. That's kind of creepy if you ask me. This ELE chick obviously caused a whole world of trouble to have so many horrible things named after her.

Scientists anticipate that with the patches gone it will cause a long-term heating of the earth's surface that will hopefully kill off the virus. They aren't sure if the plan will work, so it's quite a gamble. They don't know what the long-term effects will be on the planet after they cause this heating, but the United Nations agreed that the possible reward outweighs the risk.

Mr. Leroy said that our planet will never be virus free and that this whole scheme will most likely end in the destruction of all life on Earth as we know it. My dad says that Mr. Leroy, or Lee as he calls him, grossly exaggerates.

"Willow, it's time for bed." My mom tells me. I look to my dad hoping he can make the call to allow me to stay up a little longer, but he just shrugs his shoulders. I roll my eyes, like a typical teenager, and head over to our tent. I carefully unzip the tent door and cool air piles out. "Hurry, don't let out all of the cold air," my mom calls. I hurry inside and zip the door up again.

F.E.M.A. passed out portable cooling units to the families with small children yesterday as temperatures exceeded the hundred-degree mark. Mr. Leroy said that they only want the younger ones. He doesn't even know why he's wasting his time in this line when they're just going to stamp a big old DECLINE across his passport card. He says it's all about the survival of the fittest. The young ones who can one day re-populate the planet.

I asked my mom what Mr. Leroy meant about re-populating the planet. She wouldn't answer me, so I asked Mr. Leroy when she wasn't looking. Unfortunately, _he_ answered me without hesitation. _Gross!_ I could have gone the rest of my life without having 'the talk' with Mr. Grumps-a-lot! I wish I could scrub my memory out with soap and hot water. Scratch that, soap and cold water, ice-cold water. Yes, that would be nice right now.

"Wello," Sebastian calls out.

"It's Willow!" I say a little too harshly.

His big blue eyes tear up and his face crumples into a sad puppy dog look. It breaks my heart. My little brother is the chink in my 'all-attitude-twenty-four-hours-a-day-teen-armor.'

"I'm sorry Sabby, I'm just a little grumpy tonight." I lay down next to him on the small air mattress that we share. My parents sleep on the hard ground, but all of the children get air mattresses, which gave Mr. Leroy one more reason to complain about the 'travesties of his existence,' as he calls it.

"It's okay Wello. Mommy says we need to sleep when we're grumpy." He pats me softly on the shoulder as if he's the grownup reassuring me. My little brother is a little too cute for his own good sometimes. He's going to be a heartbreaker one day; at least that's what all of the old ladies say. Sebastian has huge cherub cheeks, big bright baby blue eyes and soft brown curls that are long enough to fall in front of his eyes.

We look so different. I'm wiry and thin with hollow cheeks, brown eyes and caramel colored hair that has a mind of its own. I sometimes find myself envious of Sebastian's perfect ringlets. My hair seems to twist and bend every which way, leaving me no choice but to throw it under a cap or into a ponytail.

"I'm not grumpy because I'm tired, I'm grumpy because I'm too old to be going to bed at eight o'clock." I throw my arms across my chest in a physical gesture to prove my frustration.

Sebastian turns over and cuddles next to me. "I not tired eter." He says with a yawn.

"I love you Sabby." I reply as I watch his little eyelids droop heavily.

"Wuv you too Wello." He says before he drifts off to dreamland. Right now he looks like the poster child for innocence. I wonder if I will ever feel that innocent again. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when my only worry was what dress to put on my Barbie or whether my mom would let me have that extra cookie after dinner. I push the idea out of my mind. There's no reminiscing allowed these days, after all we should all be grateful just to be alive.

I stare at Sebastian for a while, then turn my sights on the shadows that dance across the white tent walls. I try not to think about the future, the insecure feeling I get when I hear people talking about the upcoming tests, but they weigh heavily on my heart. My father used to tell me when I was younger that I should tell myself a story when I felt scared. I know I'm getting older, but I justify the fact that it's okay to tell a story to the sleeping toddler next to me, just in case he's feeling as scared as I am. I reach over and sweep the tiny ringlets from his face with my fingers. With a voice just above a whisper I begin, "Once upon a time..."

# CHAPTER 2

### Seven Days in Line

"Numbers one hundred thirty-nine thousand through one hundred forty-five thousand, please pack your belongings and proceed towards the entry gate." A voice booms from a loud speaker.

"Willow, Sebastian, it's time to get up." My mom calls cheerfully out to us.

I bolt up out of bed with excitement and immediately start packing my stuff. After waiting for so many days doing nothing, we're finally going to get to go inside! After all, there are only so many games one can play with a deck of cards. I pull my passport out of my bag to make sure it's still safe and examine the number that's stamped in red ink. I'm number one hundred forty-four thousand and one. The number unsettles me; I don't like odd numbers.

"Sebastian, it's time to get up," I shake him slightly. He whimpers a little and sits up groggily.

"I still sleepy." He says rubbing his eyes.

"I know buddy, but today is the day we get to go inside." My father says to him. "Aren't you excited Sabby?" He ruffles my brother's little curls with his hand. Sebastian gives him a big sleepy smile.

"I bet you're excited Willow," My dad says to me.

"Yeah, well, it's okay I guess." I say trying to act like I could care less when inside I'm jumping for joy.

"Yeah, uh-huh." My dad jokes around and playfully tries to ruffle my hair; except his hand ends up catching a tangle in my wild mane. He begins pulling at my hair trying to untangle his fingers. "Sorry love." He says with a half-smile while I wince as he frees his hand from my Venus-fly-trap hair.

"No biggie." I reply self-consciously.

As a family we all work speedily to pack our belongings. I help get Sebastian ready. In fifteen minutes we're all dressed, have our single bag packed, and are out the door of the tent headed towards the food line. The morning air already brings a heavy heat and with the clear skies it looks like the rest of the day will be unrelenting.

I decide that I'm not going to allow my heavily perspiring skin to bother me. Nope, today is going to be a good day. Since our number was called, we're granted an express pass to the front of the line to get our breakfast, consisting of some type of cold cream of wheat concoction and a bottle of water. I scarf down the cold cereal as if I haven't eaten for days. My mom gives me a sideways look and shakes her head. Instead of calling me out for my bad table manners she just jokes, "I guess someone is about to have a growth spurt."

"Yeah, I guess so." I smile back, a real smile this time. I can't help it! I'm too ecstatic that we'll be out of this smothering heat soon. Plus, my mom seems to be in a much better mood than she's been for days. I can see the worry lines easing from her forehead now that our numbers have been called.

Once we finish our meals we head to the entry gate and get into yet another line. Fans run along the path of the line circulating the already hot air around us. You would think something like this would provide some sort of relief, but with as hot as it is out here, nothing can take our minds off the scorching temperatures. A few mister stations are set up along the way for the children. Children can't handle the heat as well as adults can. Even though the heat's intense, this set up in line is much better than the one back at camp, because thankfully, this line leads inside.

"I love you all." My dad says while pulling us all into a big bear hug. Normally I'm grossed out at even the idea of putting my arms around sweaty bodies, but it feels right to share this physical affirmation with my loved ones.

"Wuv you too!" Sebastian calls out from the middle of our group hug.

"I love you all so much," my mom says.

Everyone looks at me expectantly, "Come on! You guys know I love you." I say trying to be nonchalant but meaning every ounce of it. I wouldn't trade my family for the world.

"This is it; we're going to make it." My mom says with relief pouring from her voice.

"Yeah, speak for yourself. Do you see how many people they're turning away? Ageist bastards; almost all of the ones leaving are over fifty." Mr. Leroy spits out venomously.

I turn back startled. I hadn't realized that he was standing behind us. My dad tries to diffuse the situation by saying, "Please watch your language around my children Lee. This is stressful for everyone, but I'm sure the F.E.M.A. agents have their reasons for turning those people away."

"Yeah, their reason is that they don't give a crap about us. We're nothing but a number to them, a statistic." Mr. Leroy huffs. "This whole thing is a giant science experiment to them."

"I'm sure they'll let you in Mr. Leroy." I don't know why I speak up to comfort him, but I do. I can tell that under that grumpy old man exterior he really is just as scared as the rest of us. Perhaps he's a little lonely too. He mentioned that he lost his wife to the virus last year. I give him an awkward pat on his back. I know I'm giving up my tough girl, annoyed attitude but I don't want anything to ruin today. Today is about hope. We're all going to be just fine. His eyes lighten up slightly and his posture relaxes.

"Willow's right, we're all going to get to go inside. Just you wait and see." My mom chimes in. I can tell that her face shows a little bit of anxiety but she's doing her best to remain calm for us.

"I don' feel so good." Sebastian tugs on my mom's shirt.

My mom's hand immediately goes up to his forehead checking his temperature. Her face shows a look of concern. "Willow, I think Sebastian's overheating. Do you mind taking him to one of the mister stations?"

I nod my head and grab Sebastian's little hand, "Let's go Sabby."

He walks beside me lethargically toward the nearest mister station. When I see him struggling, I pick him up and end up carrying him most of the way. When we get there, I sit him down in the middle of the tent under the cool mist. "Raise your arms Sabby." He complies and I pull his tank top up over his head. His little skin looks red and overheated. He's had to spend almost every hour since we've been here inside our tent with the cooling unit on. My dad says that little kids can overheat much faster than adults. Plus, they don't always know how to communicate when they're showing signs of heat exhaustion. Waiting in this line for the past hour has probably been the longest he's spent outside continuously over this past week. To help cool him down quicker I take his little yellow tank top and hold it up close to one of the sprinkler heads. Once it's nice and wet I put it back on him.

"Tank you Wello." He says sweetly. His hair has accumulated enough moisture that his ringlets fall down in long waves over his forehead. Little beads of mist form on his eyelashes. I can tell by his eyes that he's still not feeling well, so I have him lie down and rest his head in my lap. I brush his hair like my mother does for us when we're feeling under the weather. Sebastian gives a slight smile and closes his eyes to my petting.

"Would you like some water for the boy?" I look up from where I'm sitting to see a tall sturdy young man who looks to be about my age, holding out a cold bottle of water. His hair's shaved so close to his head that I can't tell what color it is. Tiny droplets of water cover his hair making his head look shiny. His skin shows a sun-kissed tan that tells me his parents didn't lather him in the same sunscreen I had to endure. I look down at my white legs and grimace before looking back up at him. He has unusually dark eyes that appear to be black and long thick lashes. I didn't know people could have black eyes, but I guess this boy does. His bushy eyebrows rise in question and I realize that I'm staring. I blush at my apparent lack of social skills.

"Oh, sorry. Yes, thank you." I reach up to grab the bottle. "Hey Sabby," I cringe a bit realizing that my baby name for my little brother probably sounds childish. The boy standing in front of me didn't seem to notice so I continue. "Why don't you drink some water Sebastian?"

I put the bottle to his lips and Sebastian opens his eyes only long enough to take a few small sips then he closes them again.

"Is he okay?" The boy asks me.

I look from Sebastian to the boy. "Yeah, he's just over heated. He should be fine. He's not used to this heat, but we should get to go inside soon."

"Yeah, my little sister Lillie has a hard time with this heat too." He gestures with his head over to a small girl sitting in the corner of the misting area. Her long orangey-red hair is pulled back in a ponytail. She's working on her dolls hair, trying to put it into a similar style. She appears to be around seven or eight years old.

"My name's Connor." He looks at me expectantly.

I just stare at him again. I don't know where my tongue went but I haven't really had a conversation with anyone my age in a long time. I'm a little out of practice. When I finally catch my tongue I say awkwardly, "Oh, sorry, I'm Willow and this is my brother Sebastian."

He stands there above me for a few seconds in silence. I guess he might be out of practice too when it comes to holding a conversation. That or we're both just as lethargic from the heat as our siblings are.

I clear my throat, "So, um, what number are you?"

"One hundred forty-three thousand and sixteen." He says.

"Oh, you're before us then." I reply noting the even number he lucked out with. He nods his head. Still not feeling much in the way of conversation I say, "Thanks for the water."

"Sure, no problem." He smiles a big goofy smile.

"Connor! Lillie!" A robust woman with curly red hair calls them from just outside the misting area. "It's time to go." She states excitedly.

"Okay mom." Connor calls back to her. He turns back to look down at me. "Nice to meet you Willow. Good luck with the tests."

"You too," I reply automatically, not really thinking about it. I smile and wave goodbye to him as he turns on his heel to gather up Lillie. They both run hand in hand out of the mister station to catch up to their mom.

I look down at Sebastian who's sleeping noiselessly on my lap. _Good luck with the tests._ I hadn't even thought much about the tests that are coming up today. Nor have I thought about the fact that we'd need luck since we could potentially be turned away. I guess I just assumed everyone would be granted entrance, but even Mr. Leroy was saying that he's seen a lot of people declined. A sick feeling fills my stomach. I take a few sips of water to help squelch the nausea.

I try to remind myself that what Mr. Leroy mentioned was that a lot of people _his age_ are being declined. Sabby and I are far from the old man's age. My parents are also rather young, since they were both eighteen when I was born, making them both under thirty-five years old now. That should mean something, I hope.

"Hey honey, how's he doing?" My mom asks from outside the station.

"He's good, he crashed out almost immediately. Someone gave me some water so I made him drink it before he went to sleep. I think he's just hot."

She walks inside and bends down to feel Sebastian's head. She lets out a sigh of relief, seeming satisfied with his temperature. "You're the best big sister ever." She whispers to me, with a genuine smile of appreciation showing on her face.

I smile back. "Thanks mom."

"Hey, have I told you today that you're my favorite daughter?" She leans in to give me one of her world-famous—or at least 'family-famous'—mom hugs.

"Yeah mom—I'm your only daughter." My reply comes out automatically. She says the same thing to me nearly every day and I reply each time in the same way. I guess it's 'our thing'. I smile up at her and return her hug. "Have I told you today that you're my favorite mom?"

"Thanks honey." My mom pushes my wet hair back from my forehead. To pass the time, she pulls my tangled hair out of its ponytail and gets to work combing through it with her fingers like she often did when I was a little girl. My eyes nearly roll back in my head at the wonderful feeling of her playing with my hair. It's such a comforting gesture that makes all of my earlier worries about the tests disappear.

We spend the next hour talking and joking around while my mom works all of the knots out of the tangled mess that is my hair. She carefully braids my hair into an intricate French braid. Time passes quickly because the next thing we know; my dad peeks his head into the mister-tent to announce with excitement that our numbers have been called.

"Time to get up Sabby." I gently shake my little brother—who hasn't budged—from my lap. He stirs slowly. My dad comes over and picks him up giving him a zerbert kiss on his cheek. Sebastian squeals with laughter.

My mom helps me stand up because my legs have fallen asleep from sitting in the same position so long. I stomp around trying to get the blood flowing. Once all of us are up, my dad lets out a deep exhale and asks, "Are we ready family?"

We all answer, "yes," simultaneously before heading back out into the heat. We walk silently towards the giant entry gates as a family.

Anxiety causes my stomach to feel as if butterflies are doing somersaults in it. There's a strange sense of finality hanging in the air that seems to increase the closer we get to the entrance. The kind you get when you realize you're only a few pages away from the end of a great book and part of you wonders if you should set the book aside so you can continue to savor it, or binge-read the last pages to find out how it ends.

As we near the fortified steel gates that surround the testing area, my heartbeat intensifies. I have no idea what to expect of our new home for the next three years. After all, F.E.M.A. doesn't offer virtual tours of their bunkers, nor are there any online photographs of them. All I know is that our lives are about to change drastically. Despite the fact that our world is going to be shaken up, our family remains bonded together in strength. We can—and will—make it through this.

This particular shelter is located deep within a mountain. The actual shelter entrance is blocked from view by a long line of white tents. Security is heavy around the grouping of tents, and as we approach the starting point, a masked official in a white biohazard suit stops us to ask for our identification.

My mom's the first to hand her passport to the official, who then scans it with his tablet. I nervously search my shorts pockets, looking for my passport.

"I've got it Willow." My dad says as he pulls out both my brother's and my passport cards. He hands them—along with his own—to the official who in turn inspects them just as carefully as he inspected my mom's.

There's something about the suction of air that emanates from this Official's biohazard suit that puts me on edge. That, coupled with the fact that nearly everyone on the other side of the gate, seems to be wearing biohazard suits—while none have been offered to us—rattles my nerves.

"Mosby family, report to testing station one." The official orders, while pointing a gloved finger in the general direction of the first station. I follow behind my family feeling increasingly nervous with each step. I find myself huddling closer to my dad.

Station one is marked with a giant red label that states, 'first testing station,' in bold block letters. Its entryway is covered with a large white curtain blocking the inside of the tent station from our view.

"Passports," An overweight official who's guarding the entrance requests. We comply by quickly handing him our passports. "The boy first," the man says blandly after skimming over our identification.

Another F.E.M.A. official, a woman whose name badge identifies her as a nurse, comes out to collect Sebastian. The nurse isn't flaunting the biohazard suit thankfully, which makes her look less intimidating. She does have her entire body protected by long sleeve scrubs, rubber gloves and a disposable surgeons mask over her mouth and nose.

"No momma!" Sebastian clings to my mother's leg.

"Can I not go with my son? He's only four." My mom asks the nurse.

"No, I'm sorry but each person must go through the tests alone." Her answer sounds truly apologetic and genuine.

I lean down and whisper in my brother's ear. "Hey Sabby, if you can be a big boy and go with this nice nurse, I'm sure you'll get a lollipop or a sticker after you're done." I don't know if it's true or not, but I figure if they don't offer him a treat I'll find a way to make it up to him later.

He looks up at me with wide hopeful eyes and releases his grip on my mother's leg. "Okay Wello."

"I love you Sebastian. We'll see you in a few minutes." My mom bends down and gives him a big hug. My father and I each take turns giving him reassuring hugs. Then he puts his hand out for the nurse to lead him into the testing station. He looks back and says to us, "I see you soon."

I try to convey a reassuring smile. My nerves are running haywire and the anxiety I've been feeling increases ten-fold while I watch my little brother disappear through the curtain.

The same nurse comes back a few minutes later and asks for me. I tell my parents I love them and with a quick hug, I follow the nurse inside.

The light inside the testing tent is so artificially bright that I have to keep my head down in response. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the brightness but when I do look up, I realize I haven't missed much. The nurse is leading me down a stark corridor made up of white curtains. We walk halfway down the aisle before the nurse stops suddenly and jerks back one of the curtains. Inside the makeshift room is a single exam table and a tray with a few creepy items on it. The nurse hands me a flimsy white hospital gown and tells me to change into it. I expect her to leave the room but instead she merely turns around to give me some semblance of privacy.

"What are all the needles for?" I ask while changing out of my clothes. The sight of all of the needles, some holding several uniquely colored fluids, makes me queasy. I count twelve shots in all. Ten of them are standing up perfectly straight in a container with the needlepoints sticking up. Of the group within the container, the creepiest one is nearly double the size of the others, with a bright red serum inside of it. If it weren't so bright, I'd think it was blood. Two of them are lying side by side next to the container. _Those can't all be for me, right?_

"We have to take blood samples as well as give you an immunization before you may enter the facility. Please make sure you remove all of your undergarments as well." She adds kindly. Unlike the other officials, the nurse doesn't seem annoyed with my question.

"Um, okay. Uh, do I have to get all of those shots?" My voice sounds shaky. The thought of getting injected with these foreign substances has my heart racing and my stomach doing somersaults.

She laughs. "We only give you one depending on your blood test results." Then she adds, "Everyone who wishes to enter must be immunized. We'll be in close quarters inside the facility and we need to make sure everyone is healthy." She answers.

_Phew!_ If we only get one, I wonder why there are so many different ones there. I'm not complaining though, because one sounds much better than twelve. I finish changing in silence and then clear my throat to announce that she can turn around. My legs are feeling shaky so I decide to take a seat on the exam table.

The nurse takes out a plastic bag from underneath the table and puts my clothes, my shoes and even my underwear inside it. "Could I please have your hairband too?" She asks.

I pull the hairband out causing some of my braid to come undone. "Will I get my stuff back?"

She looks at me apologetically, "Not if you're granted entrance to the facility. You will be provided new clothes inside." She closes the bag with a twist tie and sets it on the floor near the curtain.

My breath hitches at her mention of _if_ I'm granted entrance. My heart starts pounding at an unsteady rhythm and my head feels light and dizzy.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. Here put your head between your legs." She says calmly while guiding my head down.

My heart feels like it's going so haywire that it may just beat right out of my chest. Maybe I have the virus, I don't know, but right now I feel like I'm dying.

"Deep breaths honey. Here breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out." She strokes my hair in an oddly maternal gesture.

My heart becomes increasingly steady and I feel my body starting to relax again. "What was that? Am I sick?" I sit up with frightened eyes.

"No honey, you only had a panic attack. You'll be just fine. What's your name?" She asks.

"Willow." My voice seems a little unsteady still so I reiterate, "Willow Mosby."

"Nice to meet you Willow. My name is Nurse Laurie. You need to try not to panic like that again, okay?" She says looking at me with concerned eyes.

I nod my head in compliance.

"You'll be just fine. Don't worry, and if you start feeling a panic attack coming on again, just take deep breaths and focus on calming your body." She says kindly. "They should be in soon. The testing only takes a few minutes."

"Thank you." I say to her genuinely.

"You're welcome." She gives me a kind smile before exiting the room.

I lie down on the exam table and stare at the ceiling while taking deep cleansing breaths. It's hard not to look at the needles and strange contraptions on the table next to me. And it seems nearly impossible to stay calm when I feel like my very world is catapulting out of control. This tent, the needles, the F.E.M.A. facility, the end of the world, it all scares me to death. Last week I was doing homeschool lessons with my mom and this week I'm facing the end of my life as I know it.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl..." I try to tell myself a story to ease my nerves, but I'm interrupted when three F.E.M.A. officials enter my small room. All of them are wearing identifications on their biohazard suits that mark them as doctors. Two of the doctors are male and one is female.

"Willow Mosby?" The woman asks.

I sit up and nod my head. It's very hard not to feel intimidated by these strangers who, because of their suits, take up most of the small room I'm in.

"We're going to run some tests. Is that okay?" She asks.

_No, it's not okay!_ "Yes." I barely choke out.

They go about taking my vitals. One of the male doctors sticks me with a needle none too gently and takes four vials of my blood from me. I wince as he moves the needle around in my vein trying to get the blood to flow faster.

The other male doctor sticks some circular patches just above my heart and on each side of my forehead. A handheld machine relays whatever data he was searching for. They move so quickly that, just as the nurse declared, they were finished within ten minutes. All three of the doctors leave the room without saying anything.

_That was so freaky!_ I look to the exam table and realize they took the container of immunizations with them. Only the two needles that were lying on the table remain. I wonder what that means. _What if I was declined?_ What other reason would they have to not give me all of those immunizations? My heart starts accelerating again and my breath quickens. I throw my head between my legs like Nurse Laurie taught me to do. Taking long deep breaths, I succeed in warding off another panic attack.

As if sensing that she was needed, Nurse Laurie opens the curtain and comes to my side. She places my passport just beneath my eyes to where I can read the bright red stamp that states ACCEPTED in bold print.

I look up at her with grateful eyes.

"See, I told you it will be okay," she smiles.

I nod my head, too relieved to speak.

"Okay, so I have to give you an immunization. Once I give you this you will be promptly taken to the facility. I have to read you a disclaimer first though, alright?" She looks at me waiting for my answer.

"Okay." I say a little unsure.

"You will receive one immunization that has not been thoroughly tested by the FDA. By accepting the immunization, you are hereby-releasing F.E.M.A. and or the FDA from any and all liability if this immunization results in adverse side effects or death. Willow Mosby, would you like to accept this immunization by your own free will?" Nurse Laurie asks.

I stare at her rather incredulously. I know that I'm a teenager, and in my own opinion I'm quite mature, but should I really be left with this decision on my own? "Um, I need to speak to my dad." I say hesitantly.

"Your father has already signed the approval for you to have the immunization. However, we're giving every person over the age of fourteen the opportunity to decline if they so wish." She looks at me sympathetically.

I look at the needles holding the bright foreign liquid and then back up at Nurse Laurie. Clearing my throat, I answer shakily, "Yes, I accept."

She nods, and lifts up a needle with a dark green fluid that I hadn't realized she was carrying. She gently inserts it into my arm. While the mossy serum is pushed into my blood stream I take a closer look at the vial and notice that it's labeled PROJECT ELE, I shiver when she pulls the needle out.

"Do I have to have that one or the others that the doctors took away? Is it just one shot?" I ask, pointing towards the table with the spare immunization.

She looks back at the table and replies sadly, "No, some of those are given as a parting gift to people who are declined."

"A gift?" I ask skeptically.

"Willow, I don't want to scare you." She answers carefully.

"I was just...curious." I ask hoping that she will shed some light on such a strange 'gift.'

"The yellow one here is supposed to help sustain a life for three years. It doesn't protect against the heat but it could possibly allow someone a fighting chance if they found a way to keep their bodies cool and if they found an untainted food-water source. It's completely untested and it's doubtful that it will work, but we felt compelled to do something. Most countries aren't even providing such an immunization, but we fought for it. The thought of turning away so many is unbearable without the slightest sliver of hope." Nurse Laurie looks at me with sad eyes. I can tell that those eyes have seen a few too many people declined.

"What about the large red one that was in the container?" I ask.

She stares at me in silence for a few moments, deciding whether she wants to share the answer to that question with me. As if realizing that she's already past the point of no return, she answers: "The red one brings death. A swift and painless death."

My eyes widen in surprise, catching me completely off guard. When her answer sinks in further, an uncomfortable feeling flutters in my stomach. Why would anyone take the red shot?

Noticing my unease and confusion, she decides to elaborate. "Look Willow, there's only a limited amount of room inside of the shelter and we can't afford to fill those spaces with someone who doesn't have the odds in their favor for survival. Many of the people who are being turned away have some strand, maybe even a latent strand of the virus. Usually those infected go to a hospital where they're provided morphine and other pain relieving drugs to help their exit from this life to be as painless as possible. Dying of the virus is excruciating." Her eyes glaze a bit as if remembering something from her past. She shakes it off and continues. "This shot will bring a quick and painless death to the person if they so wish to take it." She studies me, waiting to see if I'm going to break down or have another panic attack.

My eyes tear up and I work hard to stay in control of my emotions. Nurse Laurie obviously considers me mature enough to handle the truth, so I maintain my composure and assure her that she was right in her assessment. I remind myself that everything's going to be alright. I've been accepted and we're going to go inside.

She gives me a sad, yet proud smile and says, "You're a brave one Willow. I think you will make it through this just fine."

A guttural scream breaks out from somewhere down the hall startling both Nurse Laurie and myself.

"No!" The person cries. Not just any person, my mom! I jump off the exam table and run out of the room before Nurse Laurie can restrain me.

"Mom!" I yell. I can hear her cries coming from a few rooms down. I open curtains trying to find her and succeed in startling patient after patient until I see her. My mom is hunched over Sebastian holding him in a death grip. She's crying so hard that her back is shaking up and down. Tears spring to my eyes as the panic and fear runs cold through my blood.

"Mom, Sabby!" I run and cling to them. "What's wrong?" I look down at my little brother expecting him to be hurt or worse, dead. He's breathing just fine and looking at me with scared, tear filled eyes. He doesn't understand what's going on, how can he?

My mom doesn't answer me so I look around trying to find out what's wrong. My mom's passport is lying open on the ground. I breathe a huge sigh of relief when I see the ACCEPTED stamp that's splayed across it.

"No, no, no." My mom keeps repeating through her tears while stroking Sebastian's curls.

My dad throws open the curtain and runs into the room. "Alice, what's wrong, what happened?" His voice cracks ever so slightly. I can see that his eyes mimic the same fear mine do. My dad rushes to her side and falls to his knees.

"No, no, no." My mom continually whimpers rocking Sebastian back and forth.

My dad shakes her lightly to get her to answer. "Alice, please! Tell me what's wrong."

Her arms are holding Sebastian tightly, refusing to let him go. I follow my dad's gaze down to my mom's hand. She's clutching something and as if answering my dad's question, she lets the object fall to the bed behind Sebastian.

We both look down simultaneously to find Sebastian's cute four-year-old face staring back at us from his passport. Across the bottom of the picture there's a big, ugly, red stamp that states: DECLINED.

"No!" I yell, breaking down in sobs. I clutch the back of Sebastian's gown and throw my arms around him and my mom.

"This can't be right!" My dad's voice cracks.

"I'm sorry sir. Your son has been infected." A doctor who I didn't notice standing there before says apologetically. He stands stoically near the curtain, his expression remaining controlled in a way that only someone who has experience declaring grim fates to families can do.

"No, he's coming with us!" My dad demands.

"I'm sorry sir, he cannot be permitted to enter the facility." The man replies. "I'll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes."

My dad stands up quickly and turns towards the doctor. "Nobody is saying goodbye!" He grabs the front of the doctor's biohazard suit and pulls him so close to his own face that you can see my dad's spit land on the clear face shield. I've never seen my dad get physical before. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him enraged. Alarm courses through my shaky limbs.

"Sir, remove your hands immediately." An official wearing a badge that says SECURITY demands from the entryway while pointing a gun at my dad. My dad slowly holds his hands up and steps away from the doctor.

My eyes widen in shock.

"I'm sorry sir, but you need to say your goodbyes." The security officer puts his gun away and escorts the doctor out of the room, giving our family a moment of privacy.

"They said they could give him a shot that would allow him to go peacefully, the bastards! They want to put my son to sleep like they would an animal!" My mom says looking up at us, but keeping her arms around Sabby. Her face is red and puffy and full of pain and astonishment. Her eyes are wide with terror.

"No, no, no." This time it's my dad's turn to be weak. His legs give out beneath him and he falls to the floor. He's crying so hard that his painful moans break my heart into tiny little pieces. My mom moves Sebastian into my arms and goes to kneel beside her husband.

I grasp onto Sebastian as if my life depends on it. He cries and holds me tightly. "Wello, Wello, I so scared Wello." He cries into my chest.

I brush his hair back from his forehead and kiss him on the cheek. "Look at me Sebastian." His giant blue eyes look into mine. I stifle the sob that threatens to unleash itself and say, "You're going to be okay Sabby. We will all be okay. Nobody's going to leave you alone. If you can't go inside, none of us are going inside." Tears of helplessness fall freely down my face.

"No, Willow. You're going inside." My mom looks up at me but keeps her arms around my dad.

My eyes widen in shock, the emotions coursing through me are nearly impossible to control. "No way!" I scream. "There is no way! I won't leave him!" I yell it so loudly that Sebastian cowers and puts his little hands over his ears.

My dad sits up and wipes his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths, stands up and helps my mom up as well. "Willow, your mom is right."

"No dad!" I cry. "We're a family, remember?"

My dad's eyes are filled with sadness, pain and a hint of understanding. In that moment, I can tell he feels the same way I feel. I can see it there on his face. He comes over and puts his arms around the two of us. Placing gentle kisses on the top of our heads. He takes another deep breath and says, "Willow, you and your mother will go inside. Our family will carry on. I will stay with Sebastian."

"Absolutely not!" My mom declares incredulously. "I'm staying with Sebastian!"

My dad turns to look at my mom. "Alice, I'll stay with our son. I can't just leave him. You go inside with Willow."

"No! I can't Henry. I can't!" She crumbles to the floor, the unrelenting sobs picking up again. My dad sits down next to her and pulls her into his arms. He strokes her hair and kisses her tenderly on her forehead, her cheek and her lips. My mom wipes her hands across her nose. "I can't do it Henry. I can't go inside and pretend that I didn't leave my baby out here." She sobs.

"And you think I can?" There's anger in my dad's voice. But by the way he runs his hands through my mom's hair, it's obvious that the anger is not aimed at her.

My mom looks at him contemplatively and then answers. "No, I know it's just as hard for you as it would be for me. But, my other baby has a chance Henry. Things are only going to get harder and she needs her father. I know that I can't survive this, I just can't. You're strong. You will survive. You'll do it for me and for Sebas..." She chokes up and takes a second to find her voice again. "You'll take care of our girl." My mom looks up at me with tears running down her cheeks.

"No, mom, I need you too. I need all of you." I beg. "We'll all stay. The nurse, she told me about the shots. That they could possibly help us if we don't make it inside."

My mom shakes her head and says compassionately. "It's possible Willow." She points to the bandage on my arm from where I received the shot. "Did she tell you that the other immunizations would negatively react with that shot they already gave you and can cause death? You can't mix the two."

_No, the nurse didn't tell me that!_ She must not have thought I needed that information since I was accepted. My whole body begins to tremble as the reality of the situation hits me.

"I didn't take the immunization Willow. So you're right, we do have a chance." My mom tries to muster up a smile. She looks to my dad whose face is now grief stricken. I look at his arm and see the Band-Aid that covers the spot where he must have just received the shot.

She musters up a loving smile for him, as she wipes his tears away. "It's okay love. We'll be okay. Sebastian and I will take the immunizations and we'll do our best to survive this. You two will go inside and you both will live your lives to the full. You'll do this in honor of us. And when the time comes, and those doors open again..." She has to take a few deep breaths to regain control of her already shaky voice. "If it's meant to be, we'll find you." My mom kisses my dad passionately on the lips before she stands up and pulls Sebastian and me into her arms.

"I can't go mom." I cry into her shoulder. My dad comes up behind me and joins in on the family hug. We cling to each other in a mess of limbs and tears.

"I love you so much." My mom cries.

"I love you," My dad whispers.

"Wuv you." Sebastian whimpers.

I take a deep breath and say a very shaky, "I love you."

This is it, the end of the world for me. I had known the second I entered this tent that my life would never be the same. I wish I had known that my heart would be ripped from my chest and trampled on. I wish I could cease to exist at this very moment, but I know I can't. I have to cling to the hope that my mom and my brother will make it. I have no choice but to keep moving on. I'm broken beyond repair, but when the officials come to take my father and me into the facility I force my feet to move. I take one step and then another. My heart feels as if gravity is pulling it down so hard that eventually it may fall right out of my chest and become one with the earth. I look back down the long white hallway to see my mom and my little brother walking in the opposite direction. That's when I feel it fall, my heart, it's gone. My chest is only a hollow shell and it will never be filled again.

My dad puts his arm around my shoulders and together we walk through the heavily leaded doors into our new home.

# CHAPTER 3

### The first day inside

When they close the door behind us, we both instinctually turn to stare at it for a few minutes. Neither of us speak. We just stare at the door. It's almost as if we're trying to either use our minds to will my mom and brother to appear at the door, or we're deciding if we should find a way to open it so we can run after them. One-hundred-thousand percent of me would stay outside with them if I could. If I never got the shot, if I never passed, if I had just listened to my instincts and asked my parents before I allowed _her_ to let me make my own choice. That's proof enough that I'm not old enough to make my own decisions. My mind starts trying to go into a more negative place by placing blame on Nurse Laurie. It takes a lot of force to stop the cycle of blame shifting and remind myself that she was only trying to help. She didn't know about Sabby, I'm sure of it. I saw the look in her eyes when my dad and I came out of the room. There were tears in hers, she had no idea. It's my fault. I tried to make an adult decision and look where it got me— torn away from my family. When I feel my dad's arm reach around my shoulder to pull me abnormally tight against him, I'm reminded that part of my family is still with me.

"Keep moving." A man's voice calls out from a speaker just above the door. I look up to see the speaker and the camera to the right of it staring directly in our direction. It's not hard to miss the two of us, as we take up most of the small hallway.

We both slowly turn to stare at the long tunnel carved out of the mountain. As if my senses remember to work again, the musty smell of rock and earth fill the air. Small strands of single light bulbs line the main hallway illuminating the six-foot high tunnel that's bound to make any claustrophobic person struggle. The cold mountain rock makes up the walls of the tunnel.

My dad keeps his head ducked down partially because of his height, but my guess is that it's more due to him hiding his tears. I can't imagine how he must feel right now.

The tunnels are only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. I grab ahold of my dad's hand and he squeezes mine comforting me. I hold back the sob that wants to let loose. We follow the string of bulbs slowly and cautiously taking turns, I reach out to feel the cold rock wall every once in a while. It's amazing that we are walking inside an actual mountain. A damp and cool draft begins hitting our faces the further we get inside the tunnel. I wonder if it's from air conditioning or if it's naturally cool like it is inside caverns. A few feet later I begin hearing noises: people talking, water dripping, paper crumbling. Up ahead the lights get brighter and we're able to make out a few shadowed figures in the distance.

As we near closer to the figures, their faces become more visible. I'm not sure if it's because we're the thousandth group they've seen, or if they're just tired, but most of them seem to have the same basic emotionless expression that says they've seen a ridiculous number of people today and they'd give anything not to be here. All of them are dressed in brown scrubs, except for a plump woman with unusually frizzy blonde hair and an out of place wide smile, who's dressed in pale green scrubs. While the scrubs look horrendous, it's a huge step up from those creepy biohazard suits. I guess since we've all passed the test, they no longer need to worry about contagions.

The woman in green scrubs reaches behind her to grab something off a stand as we approach. She's the first and actually the only one of them to speak to us. She's overly cheerful, in a 'who put a happy pill in your lemonade' sort of way.

"Hi, my name's Susan!" She declares as we both approach. Her hands dart out in our direction so quickly that I nearly take a step back before realizing that she's handing us a handful of pamphlets. We both take a grouping of papers.

"Well, on behalf of F.E.M.A. we all would like to welcome you to your new home." She gestures to the people beside her, but their expressions don't change in the slightest. They don't even try to smile or look at us for that matter. They almost seem to be looking through us, like they're either robots, hypnotized, or extremely bored.

Susan doesn't seem to notice at all, because she continues her presentation by pointing towards our pamphlets and continues, "Inside you'll find instructions and information about life in the shelter. On page two there's a map. Please note which direction you're facing now—East. Room assignments are selected on a first come first serve basis. May I please see your passports?"

My dad hands her our stamped passports. I hadn't even realized that someone must have handed him mine on our way to the entrance. I would have forgot it in the room I tore out of when my mom screamed. The memory comes flooding back, but gets interrupted by Susan.

"Okay, let's see here," she says while scanning the documents with her eyes. "Looks like you'll be in the Blue wing; that's numbers 400 through 499." She continues by giving my dad directions to where the Blue wing is. "We ask that once you find your living quarters you write your names on the nameplate outside of the door and report to headquarters to log it into the system. Once you log it in at headquarters you'll be given your clothing allotment for your stay here. Any questions so far?"

My dad and I look at each other and shake our heads.

"Good," she continues. "Well, if you need anything, and I mean anything at all, just look for the hospitality officials dressed in green. Feel free to ask for me personally as I'm always here to help." She gives us a huge smile as my dad and I struggle to return it.

It's strange how the world keeps going even when your life is crumbling down around you. Susan's smile seems so out of place in my world. Doesn't she realize that we're still mourning what just happened moments before? Lord only knows how long it will take us to come to terms with everything, if we even can. My dad puts his hand lightly on my back and ushers me away from Susan-smiles-a-lot.

When we reach the end of the tunnel, I notice the two-feet thick metal doors that are open to each side of it. I wonder if they plan on locking us in here once the final entrants are accepted. A shiver runs up my spine at the thought of being locked inside a mountain.

We step out of the tunnel and into a cavernous room filled with tables and chairs that appears to be the eating quarters. Condiments and salt and pepper shakers are scattered about each table. By how empty it appears to be, I assume it's not close to any mealtime.

My dad and I sit at one of the empty tables to examine the pamphlets. I quickly scan through the first one, but find the boring legalities of what's written in it far too complicated for me to deal with right now. I'll ask dad for the cliff notes version later. Instead I find the map and begin scanning all of the different amenities. I have a photographic memory, which allows me to memorize the layout quickly. Most of the amenities seem to be in the same vicinity. I note areas that interest me most such as the library, cinema room, multiple cafeterias and eating establishments, an indoor pool, and the bowling alley. I find where they placed the living quarters and it seems they're relatively scattered amongst the entire mountain. Our blue wing seems to be on the far end of this level, close to the library.

Based on this map, we're currently on the third floor. The first floor is labeled storage and is only half the size of the other floors above it. The second floor is quite interesting, it seems that more than half of the level is taken up by an indoor vegetable garden and barns for livestock and other animals. I make a mental note to visit this area as I love animals and plants. On the same level there also appears to be a hospital wing, chemistry lab, multiple doctor's offices, and a section about one-fourth the size of the entire floor that's labeled Secured Area.

"We should probably find our room." My dad says a few minutes later. He points at the blue wing on the map I'm scanning, and continues. "I believe if we follow this hallway we should run right into it." He attempts to give me a small smile but it falls just as quickly as it started.

"I'll let you lead the way," I answer, not mentioning that I already spotted and memorized where our wing is. We quietly gather our pamphlets and leave the table in search of our new temporary home.

When we step off the main elevator, we see the Blue wing right away. Most of the rooms nearest to the elevator have names on them already. We peek our head inside the first vacant one and then the next. Each room appears to be not more than 300 square feet. So far all of the rooms we've looked at have the same furniture layout. Two bunk beds take up most of the living quarters, but whomever designed it still managed to squeeze in a small couch with an end table and a five-drawer dresser. I wonder how many roommates are going to be flipping a coin over that extra drawer.

The thought of roommates causes me to think about my mom and Sabby. It takes everything in me to not go in that direction. _Hold it together Willow, just make it through to tonight and then you can break down._ I tell myself.

My dad pulls out his map and points to another set of elevators on the opposite end of the Blue Wing. "We should check to see if these rooms got filled up already. It's near an elevator and a set of stairs labeled as an emergency exit. That sounds like a good place to land."

Happy to have my thoughts redirected, I answer. "That's a good idea dad. Maybe that side will be more quiet as well." I figure the main bank that leads to the dining hall will get the most action. I can only imagine the lines it will have of people waiting to ride it during meal times.

We head in the direction my dad suggested. He points out that there are no names on doorplates along the way, which is a good sign for us.

When we come upon a room nearest to the elevator, I spot an additional door in it. "That's strange." I say more to myself than to anyone. This is the only room that we've seen so far with an extra door.

Intrigued, I enter the room and pull the door open to see a tiny private bathroom. It reminds me of the kind you would see on an airplane. There's no more than a few inches of space between the sink and the toilet. A curtain runs along a track in the ceiling, and when I pull it back I see that it's a shower. There's barely enough room to move about in here without banging up your elbows, but it's perfect!

"Dad! Put our names on the door. Hurry!" I call back to him in excitement. It's like finding a parking space in an overcrowded lot, this is the only living quarters that we've seen so far that has its own private bathroom. I had seen the communal bathrooms on the map earlier and when I saw the shower icon along with it, I assumed none of us would be getting a private bathroom.

My dad grabs a pen off of the end table and quickly scribbles our name on the door plate. "Lucky find!" He says as he turns to give me a high five.

"Heck yeah!" I say, slapping his hand hard. When our eyes meet, both of our faces fall. All excitement over our perceived win is gone.

We both stand in the middle of the room for several seconds, not saying a word. It's no surprise that we both found the wrongness of this feeling, this situation, this room, at the same exact time. As if in unison, we both look at the two single person sized beds. My dad's shoulders shake but no sound comes out of his mouth, and no tears fall from his eyes.

I understand it, the silent sob that forces its way out even though you're holding it in the best you can. Knowing the battle he's fighting to keep it together, I try to lighten the mood.

"I call top bunk!" I say in a lighter tone and then start climbing the ladder. I sit up on the top bunk and hang my bare legs over the side and kick them back and forth like a kid would do.

"It's yours!" My dad says, and gives me an almost half smile.

I take that answer as a successful diversion. I pull my legs up onto the mattress and lay back staring at the ceiling. Oh how I wish I had some glow in the dark star stickers to affix to it like I used to have in my room. I close my eyes and pretend that I'm lying in my bed back at home. If I try hard enough I can even hear my mom playing the piano softly in the study. The imaginary sound fades away and I open my eyes a few moments later to find the stark white ceiling staring back at me. I take a deep breath and my chest hurts. _This is my home now, remember?_ I remind myself.

"Well," my dad begins rubbing his hands together. "It's fifteen till six and dinner is at seven, so we should head over to register our room and get our clothes before dinner."

I look down at my hideous hospital gown. Ever since leaving my mom and Sebastian back at the testing station, I've felt dazed, like this whole thing isn't reality. Everything feels so ethereal and like as if at some moment I'll just float up out of my body and realize that this has all been one horrific nightmare.

My dad looks at me with concerned eyes and when I study how ridiculous he looks in his hospital gown; I understand that there is no way this could be a dream. No pinch will pull me out of this reality. "Yeah, well let's just hope that we don't have to wear puke green scrubs." I say to my dad as I hop down off the bunkbed. I see just the slightest twitch in his expression that on another day, with different circumstances would have turned into a bright smile.

He pulls out his gown and does a slightly lethargic curtsy then says, "After you my dear."

My dad's such an amazing father, and he has always been the rock of our family. I know that he's putting on a brave face completely for my benefit right now, but, I can only imagine how crushed he's feeling behind his facade.

I follow him out of our room. We take the elevator to the first floor and then walk down the long corridor, following signs directing us towards headquarters. I take ahold of my dad's hand and he squeezes it tightly, as if to affirm to both of us that we _will_ survive this. In here, we're all we've got for now. I decide in this moment, that if my dad is determined to be the rock for me, then I sure as heck will be one for him too.

When we reach Headquarters, I find myself quite surprised at how it looks. It's set up a lot like a mall. Several different shops, or stations are lined up like how stores in a mall would be. There's even an escalator in the middle that leads to the second story where I spy at least ten shops advertising different types of services. From my viewpoint I can see an administrative office that takes up three shop spaces, a pharmacy, a counselor office, a physical therapist office, a small convenience store, and three different clothing stores. What I can see from the storefront windows is that the clothing stores all carry scrubs like the pale green ones, but in several different sizes and colors. I don't spot a single pair of jeans in there.

I sigh and my dad squeezes my hand teasingly. We walk to the administrative offices and get in line behind the counter, which holds a large sign stating: Last Names M-O. In front of us in line there are three other families dressed in similar hospital gowns. I can't help but notice that the family directly in front of us seems happy and complete. And when I say complete, I mean there are four of them...in the same family. A small spark of jealousy mixed with quite a bit of envy fills my heart. I watch as a small toddler hugs tightly to her mom's leg.

A tear escapes my eye and my dad lets go of my hand for a second to wipe it away and then silently takes my hand and squeezes it even tighter than before. He feels it too.

I take a few deep breaths and turn my attention on reading the different tip signs located behind the counter. I focus on one that's about how to prevent illness in close quarters. The sign has warnings to wash your hands before every meal, and to visit the doctor immediately if you have any symptoms of illness.

I finish reading all of the signs before it's our turn. A short red haired man waves us to the counter. "Last name?" he asks.

"Mosby," my dad answers, then hands him both of our passports.

"Have you picked a room?"

"Yes, room 442." My dad says.

The man goes about typing at the speed of light onto his computer. A short minute passes then he says. "You'll receive your schedules and work assignments tomorrow." He bends down and grabs something from beneath the counter. He pulls out two tablets and places them in front of us. "Please keep these tablets with you at all times. There's an orientation app on the front screen that will give you all of the information you need to know about your new life here." He presses the app on the screen of my tablet demonstrating how the touch screen works and then closes the app before the video loads. "If for any reason your tablet malfunctions, please bring it back here and we'll assist in fixing it or we'll provide you a new one. Do you have any questions?"

Both my father and I shake our heads.

The man seems satisfied with our answer and hands the tablets to us. "You may now proceed to Clothing Room A to collect your new wardrobe."

"Thank you." My dad says and then together, with our new tablets in hand, we head towards the row of clothing stores.

The temperature in the common area is a little too cold for my flimsy hospital gown so I am anxious to get something on with a little more coverage. I will say one thing. I am thankful that they aren't the gowns with the opening in the back!

We come upon the nearest shop and enter in the front door, which has been propped up with a shoe for a doorstop. I immediately notice the lack in variation from one outfit to the next. It is as I feared. The only thing available is scrubs, they simply vary in color. A small beep sounds when we enter, triggering a chain reaction. Walking towards us, in the lead, is a tall, lanky, flamboyant man followed by two women succeeding closely on his heels.

He stops a few feet from us and begins to take us in. He looks us over like he would when making a selection for prime meat. He circles us muttering "mm-hum," as he goes. He returns to his original position and snaps both his fingers twice. The women must understand what this means because the one on the left immediately hands him a tape measure while the one on the right wipes his brow.

_Oh brother_ , I think to myself. _You've got to be kidding me._ This is so 'extra' that I keep thinking he's going to bust out laughing any minute now and say he's just kidding, and that this is some sort of comedy routine he does to loosen us up. But I only see fierce seriousness in his expression.

"You," he points at me. "Come with me." Snapping his finger, he turns on his heel and walks off with a purpose. I sneak a glance in the direction of my father but he just shakes his head, mouth still propped open in a shocked expression. I turn my attention back to the disaster at hand and follow quickly behind the man that's about to disappear around a corner.

He stands me on a small stool and has me hold out my arms. The woman, whom I'm guessing is his assistant, comes in the room with a clipboard and pen. She nods her head and he begins taking measurements. He barks out the measurements as she writes them down. They go on like that for ten minutes or so.

My arms are on fire by the time he tells me he's finished and they both leave the room. I rub my arms, trying to get the blood circulating again. _What in the world did he need measurements for?_ I wonder, still half expecting him to pop out and tell me that I'm on a hidden camera show or something.

The woman returns a couple of minutes later with an armful of different colored scrubs. "Which color you want?" She asks.

I'm taken aback by her accent, which is obviously foreign. Our borders closed nearly forty years ago when our government passed the 28th amendment stopping all export and import shipping, and ending all flights overseas. It was put in place to 'protect' us since foreigners held too much of a threat to our society after numerous illnesses wreaked havoc on our nation. Most foreigners left the country prior to the bill passing that would keep them from being able to return home to visit their families. This woman seems to be no more than thirty-years-old, so her accent is definitely out of place.

"Hmmm," I respond. "I think I'll take the periwinkle, the chartreuse and the indigo." I use the more descriptive colors to see if she understands them or if they're completely foreign to her. Chances are, if she's been here a while, and if she's in anything to do with clothing or fashion, she'd have to know at least one, maybe two of these colors.

She gives me a blank stare and then sets the clothes in the chair. "You pick five and take to front." She turns on her heel and leaves the room.

_Smart lady._

The first thing I do is look at the label inside the tops. They all say Ladies Medium, just like I figured they would. If those measurements have nothing to do with scrubs, I wonder what they're for. Shaking the thoughts off, I pick through the scrubs. There's actually quite a few colors to choose from, so I grab five different colors ranging from pink to turquoise blue. The woman returns and without saying anything, she places a reusable tote bag on the floor next to me, and without another word, she turns and leaves the room. I look down and see that it's full of under garments and what I think is a bathing suit. At the very bottom is a pair of shoes and several pairs of socks. Now the measurements make a little more sense.

I pull on the pair of dark pink scrubs and look at myself in the mirror. It's odd because I haven't looked into a mirror in over a week. My face is more tanned from the sun than I've ever seen it. I look different, older, and sadder.

I force myself to turn away. I pick up my hospital gown and when I toss it into the metal disposal bin I hear a clinking sound. _I nearly forgot!_ I hastily grab the gown and with a shaking hand I work on retrieving the item that I stowed away in its hem. I don't know how I worked it in there so well because it doesn't come out as easily as it went in. I work the fabric on the hem back and forth exposing it a little more each time.

A knock on the door startles me. The other lady comes in without waiting for me to answer and I have to shove the gown behind my back. "Ouch." I cry out as something pricks my hand.

"You okay?" She asks.

I nod quickly and with wide frightened eyes I say, "Can I help you?" My heart is accelerating and I feel nauseous.

"I was just checking on you since it was taking you a while to change." She studies me like I'm crazy.

"I'm fine, I need another minute." I say and tears start springing to my eyes as a dizzying sensation washes over me.

She hesitates and I can tell she's contemplating asking me more questions. Thankfully she doesn't. She just says, "Please try to hurry. There are more people waiting on the dressing rooms." Then she leaves, shutting the door behind her.

"Crap, no, no, no!" I cry to myself as soon as she's gone. Tears are flowing out of my eyes as I pull my hands and the gown back in front of me. I look down at my left wrist and see the faintest sign of a puncture mark. "No." I whisper as my heart pounds like drums in my chest. I'm not ready to die! I pull the gown back up in front of me and work the item out of the hem quickly now. The needle had poked through and now has my blood on it. I work it the rest of the way out of the gown and I notice that most of the red serum is still inside it. Maybe none of it went into me, I tell myself trying to calm my thoughts down.

I don't know why I took it from Sebastian's room, but I did. I guess I did it because I didn't want him to have it. I recall the explanation of what it's for from the nurse. It might seem selfish that I took it but I felt like I had to protect him. I know the nurse said how painful the virus could be but I can't imagine Sebastian's life ending with a single shot. What if he's strong enough to survive it? A small percentage do survive.

I look at where the needle entered my arm and see a dot of blood that's welling up. It's nearly the same color as the serum and the thought of it makes me feel faint. I sit down and put my head between my knees while taking deep breaths. I tell myself over and over again that none of it was injected into me. And even if a little got inside me, that doesn't mean I'm going to die.

"Please hurry." The lady calls from outside the door.

"Just one more minute." I say out of breath as I sit back up. Standing, I have to steady myself against the wall for a moment to allow the dizzy spell to settle. When the world stops swaying, I move into action. I take the needle to the metal disposal bin and empty the remaining serum into the bin. Red liquid stains the trashed hospital gowns that were already in the bin, making it look like they were used to clean up a crime scene. When the needle is empty, I carefully wrap it up with my old gown and shove it down on top of the red stained ones.

I throw on my new pair of bright white tennis shoes that came with the scrubs, and look at myself in the floor length mirror. My hair looks wild and crazy and my eyes are filled with worry. I keep telling myself that I'll be fine. I grimace and then leave the dressing area with my new wardrobe in hand.

I meet my dad at the counter and see him clutching his clothes for dear life. His face is crimson red, which just happens to match one of his new sets of scrubs. He mutters something under his breath about being violated. A laugh escapes my throat.

"Tablets please," a man comes up to us and asks while simultaneously ripping them from our hands. Why he even bothered to ask in the first place is beyond me. He takes them both behind the counter and plugs them into a USB port that's connected to a laptop and begins punching away at something. Within a few minutes he disconnects them. "You will each get five pairs of scrubs per season, two sets of pajamas and five sets of undergarments. Obviously there are four seasons per year. We advise you to take care of your clothing; wash on a delicate cycle in cold water, dry on low. If for any reason you're unable to care for them properly and they are damaged, there are sewing kits available for purchase here and in the general store. But I advise you, they are very pricey. In addition to your regular clothing, you will receive one bathing suit per year and one pair of shoes per year. Additional footwear will be allotted for growing children if their sizes should change." He hands us back our tablets. We grab our new clothes and make our way to the dining hall.

Inside the large cafeteria, or dining hall as it's labeled, we find an empty table close to the exit and place our new things in chairs at the far end of the table. My dad's eyes roam over to a line near the entrance of the meal serving area that currently looks to be closed. "Well, Willow, looks like we should probably get in line. They must be opening for dinner soon."

I give him a half smile and grab my tablet. I'm not sure if we'll need it, but if they said to bring it everywhere, then by golly, I'm going to bring it everywhere.

We wind up in line behind a lady who looks to be by herself. She picks at her nails and shifts her weight back and forth from the heels to the balls of her feet. She looks exceedingly nervous and her actions are causing me even more unease than I already am. Suddenly she turns and stares at me. I'm a bit too shocked to turn away.

"We should go. We really should go." She says in a hoarse whisper. My eyes widen a bit in surprise because in all actuality, there is nowhere to go. "Bad things are going to happen--really bad things. We should get out while we still can!" Her breathing becomes more labored as her eyes dart about looking for God only knows what.

I feel my dad's arm wrap around me and give me a slight squeeze. The woman turns back around and begins talking with intensity to a woman in front of her.

That was just bizarre, I think to myself. Her warning did conjure up the accident I just had with the needle. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that most likely nothing entered my system. The nurse had said the serum would bring immediate death. I think I'm in the clear now that we've past the 'immediate' time frame. I hope that no other 'bad things' will happen though.

A grinding sound has us all turning to stare at the meal serving area. A large metal gate begins to wind itself up revealing a cafeteria like setup. There are serving people behind the counter in hairnets holding giant serving spoons and ladles. Trays are stacked to the right of them along with multi-portion style plates. The line begins to move as we all inch forward. I'm not too hungry myself, but I vow to at least attempt to eat what they serve.

Within a few minutes we finally make it to the front of the line. My dad and I each grab a tray and a plate and set them on the three metal bars that make up the tray counter as we move down the line. We're served several things I don't quite recognize. At the end of the line we're handed a glass of water before we reach checkout. "Tablets," a woman says in a raspy voice, ready to check us out. I hand her my tablet and she opens an app on it which displays a barcode. She scans it. "Next." She says before handing me back my tablet. I struggle to carry it with one hand and my tray in the other. Surprisingly, I make it back to our table without breaking or dumping anything. My dad joins me a moment later.

We eat in silence--well, my dad eats and I move things around on my plate, hoping maybe he won't notice. The colorful mush looks worse than the food they served outside of the shelter. My stomach rolls with nausea and any thoughts of eating quickly fly out the window.

To pass the time, I take out my tablet and find the calendar on the home-screen. I tap it once and scan down to our current time. It's only seven in the evening although it feels much later. The lack of sun in here makes it impossible to tell time without consulting a clock.

My dad finishes his meal, and then we both carry our trays to the dish wash station to place them in the bins. "Why don't we go back to the room?" My dad suggests. "Unless you want to check out the amenities?"

I look at his tired eyes and say, "Nah, we can check them out tomorrow." I feel relieved that the accident earlier today didn't have any effect on me and that there _will_ _be_ a tomorrow.

Back in our room, we silently prep for bed. When I lay my head on my pillow a little while later, I take a few cleansing breaths. Feeling exhausted physically and mentally, I push away the thoughts and feelings that are trying to rise up. Instead of allowing myself to process today's events, I close my eyes and fall asleep surprisingly fast.

* * *

"NO!" I try to grab for my little brother's hand and it slips through my fingers. "Sabby!" I cry out to him as he starts sliding across the floor further and further away from me. Or is he being dragged?

"Wello!" He cries while reaching his little hands towards me, begging me to help him. His blue eyes are wild and filled with tears.

I try to stand up and run to him but a man in a biohazard suit is holding me down. I struggle with all my might to free myself but it's useless. My limbs feel weighed down and when I try to stand it feels like I'm fighting against gravity itself.

"Willow, it's okay." I turn to look at the man in the biohazard suit but he's gone, my dad is standing there reaching out to me. I try to reach out to him but the edges of my vision become blurred and I feel as though I'm on the verge of blacking out.

"Willow, wake up honey."

I hear my dad calling to me but I can't see him anymore, everything went black. An earthquake erupts and the world starts shaking. I'm too tired to open my eyes and take cover under my bed.

"Willow!" My dad calls again, his voice rises with concern.

I finally come to and pry my eyes open to find my dad shaking me. I look around dazed trying to decipher reality from dream.

"It's okay honey, it was just a dream." My dad says soothingly, pulling me into his arms. He's sitting on the edge of the top bunk with me. I take a few deep breaths and when the reminder of Sebastian being torn from my hands floods back into my brain, I break down. I sob into my dad's chest and cling to him as if he's my life force, the only thing keeping me attached to this world.

"Why dad?" I cry and bang my fist against his chest. "Why are we here?" I pull away from him and curl into a ball on my bed, crying with all my might.

My dad doesn't answer me right away. He picks me up and cradles me in his arms like he used to do when I was a small child. I feel teardrops fall on my arms and when I look up at my dad I see that they're from him.

He wipes them away and looks at me with all of the love in the world. "Because we are meant to be here honey. That's why we're here."

"But we left them dad." I say barely above a whisper. The guilt of the situation is weighing heavily on my shoulders.

I feel my dad's body shake ever so slightly and he does everything he can to not break down in this moment. "I know." He whispers and looks away. He takes several deep, shaky breaths. "We'll pray that they make it. That's all that we can do now is hope and pray, and hold onto our faith."

"If they don't...make it?" I find myself choking on my last two words.

"If they don't then maybe they're being spared from a worse fate. We don't know why things happen in this life but everything is for a purpose. If they...don't make it, then..." My dad's voice chokes up. "Then they will be in a much better place than here."

I stare into my dad's eyes. "Do you really believe that?" I ask.

He nods his head and says, "With all my heart."

With that, I wipe away my tears and move back into a sitting position next to my dad on the bed. _Hope_ , I repeat over and over again in my head.

"Willow, I'm here for you. I will not leave you. I promise." My dad hugs me and I hug him back as hard as I can.

"I'm here for you too dad."

"I know." He pats me on the back and then hops down off the top bunk.

"You need to try and get some sleep now. I love you."

"Love you too." I lay back down and fall into a dreamless sleep.

# CHAPTER 4

### Two days inside

I wake up to alarms going off in the hallway. I open my eyes and see a sensor of some sort on the ceiling flashing a bright white light over and over again.

"We need to go Willow. Get up and change quickly please." My dad says calmly.

"All persons report to headquarters." A woman's voice calls out calmly.

I look up at the speaker system in the corner of our room. I look back at my dad confused. "What time is it dad?"

"It's around 5:00 am. It's okay Willow, you need to get dressed though. They said in the orientation video that we would have routine drills and assemblies. That's probably what this is."

I nod my head and quickly hop down from my bed. I grab an ugly pair of blue scrubs from my drawer and head into the bathroom to change. I cringe at the sight of my unruly curls and decide to throw them into a quick ponytail. Even when it's wrapped in a band, curls still manage to pop out on their own as if they have a mind of their own.

A few minutes later we both leave our room, tablets in hand and join the masses of people flooding in the same direction, down the stairwells and into the hallways. I look around and everyone looks just as dazed and confused as I do. This must be the first drill or assembly they've done here.

I hold onto my dad's hand as we're herded into the headquarters area. We pass by the administration offices and clothing stores until we reach an area that I could have sworn used to be just a wall. Now it's completely open and beyond it is a gigantic assembly hall that has thousands of stadium style seats surrounding an elevated stage. It reminds me of a football stadium and it even comes equipped with a jumbo-tron above the stage so people can still see all the way up in the nosebleed seats. F.E.M.A security guards in blue uniforms direct us towards seats, which are at a first come, first serve basis. We follow the crowd up several flights of stairs until my dad finds us two aisle seats near the middle of the stadium.

It feels like hours pass before the entire stadium is fully seated. I fill the time messing with my tablet. I watch several short tour videos that familiarize us with the amenities and different aspects of shelter life. When the lights start to dim, I look up and find myself amazed by the sheer magnitude of people that are being housed in this shelter. All of the tablet screens around the stadium glow like large blue fireflies in this gigantic cavern. A hushed silence overcomes the crowd when the jumbo-tron flickers on and a man's face appears on the screen. Not just any man though, the President of the United States.

"My fellow Americans, by now you may know that we're facing a global shift in our way of life. We must consider that we are a country who has sacrificed in the past, not only for our way of life but to help those around the world who in dire circumstances needed us by their side. Today I'm asking you to find your greatest resolve and sacrifice once more for the greater good of all. As a country, as a planet, we must do what is required of us to support the preservation of our species: the human race. Those of you currently isolated in shelters—know that you are not alone. In these uncertain times the greatest comfort we can have is hope. Hope in the future we are all helping to save, hope for the future generations, hope for our children and our children's children. Thank you for your dedication to our future as a nation, and as a World. May God help us all."

The speech ends and the screen turns blue. We all patiently wait in silence. A few seconds pass and a new face appears on the screen. This one I don't recognize.

A middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and sporting a greying goatee speaks up. "Good morning citizens of F.E.M.A. shelter three. My name is Dr. Jim Hastings. I'm in charge of this facility and I'm on the board for Project ELE. By now you all should have received your tablets, rooms, and clothing allotments. As we all get situated and schedules get made, please remain patient as wait times will be longer than usual. As you have probably noticed already, we are a city encased within a mountain. As with any city there are rules that govern and keep us safe. If you would all flip your tablet to the blinking icon on the bottom of your screen and follow along. We're going to be going over some different rules and expectations for the next hour or so. If you have any questions, please type it in the space below and one of our government officials will respond as quickly as possible."

I watch as a blinking icon appears in the corner of my tablet. I press it and a slide show presentation appears with highlighted bullet points. Dr. Hastings goes over a lot of rules, using a lot of legal terminology that I don't quite understand. I find myself fighting hard to keep from nodding off. When, a topic appears on my screen titled, "Work Assignments," my attention is piqued.

"As with any city," Dr. Hastings drones on, "each of us needs to pitch in for the city to properly function. Upon entry we took your measurements and weight to be able to assign a proper job to each of you. Age and ability have also been taken into consideration." A new icon pops up onto my screen. "In a few moments a new icon will become available on each of your screens. These are your temporary job placements. I say temporary because some may need adjusting as time may dictate. In addition, your tablets will hold your daily schedule. Please make sure you are timely to all appointments. With that said, you are all dismissed."

In anxiousness, I press the small blinking icon and am taken to a new screen. In large block letters at the top it reads, RUNNER. _Runner?_ I look over at my dad's screen and his says SANITATION DEPARTMENT. _Yuck_ , I think to myself.

My dad must agree because he groans. He looks over at my screen. "Runner? They're making children work? What's a Runner anyway?" He looks up at me confused. I just shrug my shoulders.

"It's okay dad, I don't mind." I really don't. I've never worked before, this may be cool, especially if there's money involved.

"You should be in school." He starts ferociously typing into the question box on the tablet. He hits send and we both sit there waiting for a response. People slowly file by us to exit the auditorium, but we remain seated. There's really no use in joining the masses to wait in yet another line to exit the place.

An answer pops up on the screen. "You will find an app labeled EDUCATION on your tablet screen. This will go over our shelter's educational programs. Do you require any additional services at the moment?"

My dad types in "no." He looks at his tablet and doesn't see an education app on it. We look at mine and find the app in the lower left hand corner. I press on the icon that looks like an apple. We watch the presentation on F.E.M.A.'s education opportunities. They call the program, "Learning for a Brighter Future." I'm not sure how bright it will be with only four hours of class per day. Only children under the age of fifteen are eligible for full day classes. At the end of the presentation an online application pulls up. It's there for me to apply for Select classes, which are more intensive educations, kind of like honors programs. This program would grant me a full eight hours of classes in substitute of working.

I look to my dad hoping that he'll allow me to just close the box. "No honey, you're applying." My dad says.

I let out an exaggerated breath. I don't mind working. Of course I've never had to work before so I don't know what to expect, but I do know that I wouldn't mind _not_ having to go to school for eight hours a day. It's not that I don't like school, I just often find myself bored. With a photographic memory, I learn quickly and find the repetitive assignments and lectures annoying.

Going to work would be a new adventure. Plus, it would keep me busy. If I'm busy then I won't have time to think of my mom or my brother. I push back the tears and begin filling in the applicable fields. After I press send, we both stand up and head out of the auditorium.

The line to exit is much shorter now and we find ourselves in the hallway a few minutes later. Outside we locate several tables set up with cereal bars and cups of water. We each grab a cereal bar and a cup of water, then head back in the direction of our rooms.

I nearly drop my cup when my tablet vibrates in my hand, startling me. I look at it and see a schedule reminder flash across the screen. Report to room 231 for class. Great, an odd number. The time on my tablet says 8:00 am. I look over at my dad who's looking at his tablet as well.

He looks over at mine. "Okay honey, I guess this is where we part ways. Will you be okay finding your room without me?" We both learned during the orientation that we're only allowed three tardies per month. He shakes his head and says, "Never mind, I'm walking you there."

"No dad. I can find it, don't worry. See, this GPS map will lead me there, no problem." I show him the flashing map on my screen. The green dot shows us where we are and the red dot shows the room that I'm supposed to report to. It's on a level above us. I don't really need the map since I've already memorized most of the layout, but it's nice to have.

"I don't like this at all. I shouldn't be leaving you alone. Are you going to be okay?" His eyebrows furrow in worry.

"I'll be fine dad. I've got this. I'm fifteen, nearly sixteen, remember? I can certainly find a room on my own." I smile even though I feel the anxiety building within me at being separated from my dad so soon.

He looks at me and smiles. "Yeah, fifteen going on thirty! I have to remember how mature and smart you are honey. I know you can get there. Just stay safe. Find a friend in your class and try to stick together. I'd say don't talk to strangers but most everyone here is a stranger. So I'm going to say to go with your gut. You'll know who you can trust and who you can't. If you get any type of uncomfortable vibe from anyone just get as far away from them as you can. Okay?"

"Okay dad. I love you, but we both have to go." I give him a hug and then we both take off in opposite directions. I look around and see other kids my age walking alone, but the smaller ones are escorted by their guardians.

My stomach twists in knots as I walk along. I feel engulfed by the crowd and I have to work to control my breathing in order to avoid another panic attack. I take the stairs to my right and at the top I'm herded into a hallway filled with mostly children and teens. I look down at the timer on my tablet that says I have only a minute left to get to the room, so I pick up my pace. I reach room 231 with only seconds to spare. Inside, I find that it looks like any typical school classroom except it's about three times as big. I slide into a seat in the back, next to a girl with hair so blonde that it looks white. She looks really uncomfortable and avoids eye contact by pretending to be absorbed in whatever is playing on the screen of her tablet.

The bell rings and I gaze around the room to see that there are more than a hundred students. Even still, the desks are crammed so tightly together that we have very little personal space.

I set my tablet and my cup of water on the desk, then open up my cereal bar. I stuff it down as quickly as possible not knowing the rules for eating in the classroom. I have to follow it up with water since the cereal bar was dry like cardboard. _Yuck._ On the flip side, at least my stomach won't be growling in the middle of class.

"Good morning class." A woman calls out from the front of the room. "My name is Ms. Thomas and I will be your teacher for the semester. We have only a short period of time together, so we'll be working hard and fast during our allotted time. This class seems packed to the rim, but many of you will be transferred out tomorrow when the Select class assignments are handed out."

A boy runs into the room out of breath. I don't get a good look at him as his back's facing us.

"Tablet please." Ms. Thomas holds her hand out stiffly. He hands it to her. "Reason for tardy?"

"I'm sorry ma'am. I had to take my sister to class and it was on the other end of the hall." He says apologetically but his posture remains stiff and straight.

"Your guardian should take her next time." The teacher says sternly to him.

"Yes, ma'am. She only met her guardian yesterday. Our parents aren't with us. I promised her that I would take her to her first class. I won't be late again." He answers.

Ms. Thomas's facial expression softens. She presses a few things on the screen then hands his tablet back to him. "I understand. Today's tardy will be excused. Please be timely going forward. You may take a seat now."

The boy turns around and starts heading towards the back of the room. I suddenly realize that it's Connor; the boy I met in the cooling tent outside. My heart hurts for his loss. Both of his parents are gone. I think about his little sister with the orangey red hair. That makes me think of Sebastian and I'm barely able to contain the tears that threaten to flood my eyes. I can't imagine what Connor must be going through. He doesn't have his mom or dad anymore. And now he carries the responsibility of his little sister with him as well. The thought pains me.

Connor takes the desk next to mine. He seems surprised at first to see me, then his face softens and he gives me a half smile. I return it and then we both turn to listen to Ms. Thomas's lecture.

The lecture drones on for an hour and a half. Most of the kids around me begin to get fidgety after thirty minutes or so. I watch as Connor draws furiously in a notebook completely ignoring Ms. Thomas. His legs shake violently up and down; you can tell he's trying to fight the urge to get out of his chair and run. I simply take my time observing others. The girl with the 'almost white hair' seems lost. Her hair covers her face and whatever it is she's doing with her tablet.

I pick up my tablet, which we're supposed to be taking notes on and turn it up so Ms. Thomas can't see it. _Let's see if this sucker has any games_ , I think to myself. But, the screen is completely locked due to the presentation that's displaying on it. Note to self, bring an alternate activity next time.

"So as you can see class, some of these problems are national and some global. However, they can all be tied together through arithmetic and simple science." My eyes fight to stay open while Ms. Thomas drones on. She's starting to sound like the teacher in those ancient Charlie Brown cartoons at this point.

Suddenly my tablet goes blank and so does everyone else's. "So for tomorrow's class, you will meet here first thing after breakfast. I will be sending you our syllabus later on this afternoon."

A small bell rings in the classroom signaling our release. Everyone pops out of their seat and begins stretching their arms and legs. I look at a clock on the wall and note that it's lunchtime. Although I really don't need a clock to tell me this...my stomach is protesting already.

My tablet vibrates and a new schedule reminder pops up on the screen. REPORT FOR WORK ASSIGNMENT: HEADQUARTERS ADMIN OFFICE 213. I groan inwardly, _what's with all of the odd numbers? Also, where's lunch?_

I remember my dad's advice about making a friend and sticking together. I catch Connor staring down at the map on his tablet. "So where are you headed?" I ask.

He looks up and his dark eyes lock onto me. I catch myself staring at them like I did the first time we met. I really haven't seen eyes that dark before. They're interesting and a little bit eerie.

"Um, I guess Headquarters." He looks back at his tablet to study the map. His finger taps the side of the tablet over again. Man, this guy's quite fidgety.

"Oh. I'm headed there too. I can show you where to go." I say.

He looks back at me and tries to offer up a smile but it falls short. "Thanks. I'm a bit directionally challenged."

"No problem, I'm a human compass. Let's go." I say gesturing for him to follow me. Connor stops cold when we step out of class. He stares down the hall in the opposite direction and shuffles from foot to foot. He looks like he wants to bolt. It takes me a minute to realize what's going on and when I do, I place my hand supportively on his shoulder. "Hey, she's going to be okay Connor. Is that where Lillie's class is?" I nod my head in the direction of his stare.

He looks back at me surprised that I knew his sisters name. It takes a second for him to register that he introduced her to me once before. He clears his throat. "Yeah. I just...I don't know. I don't like leaving her there. She's scared." His eyebrows furrow together like he's contemplating what to do.

_Aren't we all?_ I think to myself. "I'm sure she'll be fine." I say trying to reassure him. "She's young and has probably made several friends already. You know how easy it is to make friends when you're little. She's safe in there." All kids deserve to feel safe. I push down the pain that strikes my chest at the thought of Sebastian out there somewhere.

Connor nods his head and then suddenly he notices my hand on his shoulder.

I feel the heat flood into my cheeks and I awkwardly remove my hand. "Well, we should get going." I start walking towards Headquarters. Without looking at my tablet he follows me as we twist and turn down some hallways, a flight of stairs and finally end up in the middle of Headquarters with a few minutes to spare. I look around at the sea of colors that surround me. People are bustling about, walking fast in their colorful scrubs to wherever their assignments are. I don't see any children like the first time we came here. I guess most of them are still in classes.

We walk towards the escalator and get off on the second floor. I start heading towards my assignment before it hits me. "Oh, I should have asked. Which office do you have to report to?"

"Two-thirteen." He says looking at the address numbers on the outside of the administrative offices as we pass.

"That's where I'm going! Are you a runner too?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He looks around, once more seeming uncomfortable, then walks ahead of me towards the office.

So much for small talk. I guess I can't really blame him. This whole place, this new life, it's overwhelming. I've not been separated from my parents in a long time and my guess is Connor hasn't either. Most children have been home schooled like myself, and have rarely left the house. Our social lives consist of only what we've managed to maintain online through our computers and phones. I think about how I put my hand on his shoulder and inwardly kick myself. That was probably really awkward for him. My parents were very hands on, total huggers who have no problem invading your personal space. With the virus spreading the way it did, physical contact is very few and far between, especially between strangers. I make a mental note to keep my hands to myself.

Connor pauses at the administrative office labeled: 213. He holds the door open for me and I pick up my pace as to not make him wait much longer.

"Thanks." I say with a half-smile. I look around at the room that isn't much bigger than the classroom we were just in. The walls are stark white and there are ten office desks that line the exterior walls. Adults sit behind the desks typing at the speed of light. They seem either oblivious to us or like they just don't care. My guess is the former since looming stacks of files sit piled high on each desk. Several metal filing cabinets, a copier machine and a small break area make up the rest of the office.

Connor and I join the group of about fifteen others who are huddled in the middle of the office. They all surround a table with several sack lunches. We both grab one and start munching down on the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and veggie sticks. It may seem like a basic meal, but to me, it's better than the weird dinner we were provided last night. That dinner makes this lunch seem like it's a gourmet specialty in my book. I pull out a small juice box and down it really quick, enjoying the sugary taste. This lunch setup reminds me of elementary school, except we're all standing and trying to devour our nourishment before our work assignments start.

After I finish my meal I gaze around at the other people in the room. Nearly all of the people in the group appear to be around our age. I notice the girl from my class, the one with the pale blonde hair, standing apart from the crowd. She keeps her head down, looking at her tablet. Her nearly white hair once again covers her face. One of the teens in the group tells a joke and several others nearby laugh loudly. She doesn't flinch or look up from her screen.

I break the silence to tell Connor, "let's go over there," I point to the other side of the room where the loner girl is.

Curiosity won me over. I have to know what's so special on this girl's tablet that seems to be taking all of her attention. I couldn't find any fun games or anything fun on mine. I make my way over to the white haired girl. "Hey," I say as I approach.

As if I yelled it out at the top of my lungs, she nearly jumps out of her socks.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to startle you." I instinctively hold my hands out in a gesture you typically would use with a scared animal.

She looks at me with wide doe like eyes. Her eyes are an icy pale blue color that make her look even more fragile than her small size. With her petite frame and porcelain skin color, she looks like a doll. Her mouth hangs open a bit awkwardly as if she doesn't know what to say.

"I'm Willow." I offer, all the while forcing my hand to stay at my side. I had been taught to shake hands when I introduced myself but I don't want to break this poor girl. She already seems shocked enough that I'm even talking to her.

I stand there for a few seconds and then raise one of my eyebrows in question when she doesn't say anything.

She takes a few more seconds and then offers quietly, while pushing her hair behind her ears, "Claire."

"Nice to meet you Claire." I say carefully. "This is Connor." I point out Connor who's behind me. He offers a silent wave. She looks at him, then quickly darts her eyes away. I barely catch the pink rise up in her cheeks before she lets her hair fall in her face once more.

I look over at Connor as if he could help, but he just shrugs. This girl is probably the most skittish creature I've ever seen.

A man clears his throat and announces, "May I have your attention please." I look up to see a pudgy middle-aged man with balding black hair standing near the entrance of the office. His black scrubs make him look drab and his voice comes off as overly bored. "Thank you for coming. My name is Mr. Blake. I am the head of the administrative department for this shelter. You've been selected as runners based on your age and estimated energy level. Runners are required to move at a fast pace throughout the entire shift, as you will be given multiple assignments to complete each day. Most assignments will be in the form of deliveries; however you may be utilized in other forms of work. This may include filing, cleaning, supply retrieval, and so on. Basically, you will do whatever you're assigned to do. Since this is a fast paced, on your feet type of job, you will receive an extra allotment of shoes, which you can switch out as needed. Does anyone have any questions at this time?" The look on his face shows that he's not really interested in answering questions.

A tall lanky boy with red hair and a face peppered in freckles raises his hand.

"Yes." Mr. Blake looks annoyed that a question is actually being asked.

"Um, sir, since this is my first job and all...um, does this mean we all get paid, like real money?" The boy asks.

I perk up wondering the answer to that question myself; not that I would even know where to spend the money in a place like this.

Mr. Blake looks at the boy as if he were a filthy, putrid smelling rag. "What? Are you saying that you don't want to serve your country, to pitch in for your community?" His voice starts to escalate. "Is it not good enough for you that you have been provided shelter, safety, food and clothes on your back?" He counts the blessings on his fingers as if he bestowed them upon us himself. "You could be on the outside! Do you really think that you deserve money for your services in here?" His harsh tone makes me jump.

The boy's shoulders slump and he looks like a scalded toddler. "No, sir. I'm sorry sir."

The boy cowers beneath his stare as Mr. Blake gives him the stink eye for a few more moments.

Mr. Blake asks again, "Any more questions?" He stares us all down one by one, sizing us up in the process. We all shake our heads profusely. "Good. Now, I don't have the time to sit here and hold each of your hands, so I've assigned Alec as a leader for this shift." A young man steps forward. I hadn't noticed him before. He's tall and muscular with caramel skin. His hair is the same color as Mr. Blake's, but that's where the resemblance stops. He has intense emerald green eyes that stand out in comparison to his dark features. He looks to be around seventeen years old.

Mr. Blake gestures to Alec and then continues. "You will each receive your assignments via your tablet at the start of your shift. Alec is here if you should have a question or if you require assistance at any time. You may see him shadow you on occasion. In order to run a smooth operation, we require dedicated, hard workers. He is here to ensure that you are performing efficiently. Under performance can result in negative repercussions on your work history and could also result in other corrective measures being taken. Please remember that in three years, when we are released, most of you will be of age to work full time. Your performance inside this facility could dictate your job assignments out in the real world. In addition, you will receive a small allowance for your services at the end of each week so I suggest you use it wisely." He glares at the boy who asked the original question. "With that said, I will leave Alec to finish with your orientation. If you need my assistance in the future, you can find my contact information on your tablet. You should however, refer to Alec for your day to day operational questions." Without another word he turns and walks out of the office.

Alec stands there a bit uncomfortable at first. After a second a light bulb must have gone off in his head because he stands up straight and puts on his most adult-like tone to address us. "My name is Alec Blake and I will be leading your shift." Someone in the crowd groans. Instead of ignoring it, as I would have done, Alec cuts the person off at the pass. "Who has a problem?"

The perpetrator is singled out when several people turn to look at the same lanky boy who had asked Mr. Blake about pay. This boy must have a death wish or something. "What's your name boy." It should sound funny having someone Alec's age call another kid 'boy', but he says it with such authority that it doesn't. He stares the boy down and rightfully displays his authority.

The boy shuffles from foot to foot and then answers, "Josh."

Alec stands up even taller than before and says, "Josh, I'm guessing that you have an issue with my obvious relation to the Head Administrator. I know what you're thinking—that I'm just in this position because of my father. You're probably also thinking that with your extensive experience and work history that you should be the one leading this team. Well then, since you're so ready to run things boy, why don't you finish leading this orientation?" He taps his foot and waits for Josh to step up.

Realizing that he wasn't asking a rhetorical question, Josh answers, "Um, I don't know how to do that."

"You don't know how?" Alec raises his brows in question. "I thought that you knew everything? Way more than me at least." He points to his own chest jokingly.

Josh's eyes open wide and I nearly feel bad for him, but the boy's got to learn respect somehow. "No, sir. I'm sorry, sir." He stutters and his face reddens as he's put in his place for the second time in less than five minutes.

I find myself surprised to see Alec nod his head and move on. I kind of took him for a tough guy who will continue to drill the point home, but he just earned a few respect points in my book for letting it go. "You may all address me as Alec. I figure that most of us are near the same age so there is no point in calling me Mr. Blake. With that said, I do still expect for each of you to respect my authority and to follow my directions. I've run small shifts before at my father's factory and you will find that while I may hold high expectations for each of my team members, I'm also fair. Our motto as runners is 'Get it Done.' I expect for each of you to live up to our motto and to get the job done to the best of your abilities."

For a young person, Alec does surprisingly well with public speaking. He makes eye contact with each of us as he's talking and remains in control. "If you will all look at your tablets at this time you will see that your assignments have been uploaded. Your assignments are pretty cut and dry so you should not need much direction to complete them. If you do need direction or if for some reason you are unable to complete your assignments in the allotted time, then you will need to contact me. You can page me by typing into the IM box at the bottom right hand side of your screen. This will activate your locator and I will come to assist you as quickly as possible. Your assignments will be linked to your GPS so you will receive directions on how to get to your destination. I hope that within a few weeks you will commit our shelter's map to your memory as this will help you complete your assignments much faster." Alec turns around and grabs something from a table behind him. He holds it up. "Each of you will receive one of these. This is a holder for your tablet which can be worn on your hip like this." He straps the black holder around his waist and then sets his tablet face out, into it. I try and stifle a laugh; it looks like a fanny-pack. "Since you will often be carrying items, this will allow you to have your hands free to complete your task. You will also receive a pair of earphones so you can get audio directions to your destinations. You will not have time, or free hands, to continually look down at your tablet map." Alec hands us each a holder and a set of white earphones. I don't know if I imagined it or not, but he gives me a short smile when he hands me mine. "Alright. Unless you have any questions, you may disperse and begin your assignments."

Nobody asks any questions. I strap the holder around my waist, taking notice of my awesome sense of style lately and then look at my tablet to find my first assignment.

There's a note on the top of the list to pick up supplies in Mr. Volmer's office to take to the library. I find a map posted on the wall showing office locations. I pin it to my memory where his office is along with the names correlating with the other offices in this space. Mr. Volmer is located at the far end of the Administration 'building.' I put the tablet in my 'fanny-pack' and kick it into high gear. There's no telling how long this day will be or how many errands I'll be running.

After an exhausting amount of twists and turns I finally end up at the corner office. There's a nameplate on the door with Mr. Volmer's name on it and underneath it says, "Historian." Hmm, I think to myself. I wonder why this facility needs a historian. I knock softly on the door and wait until I hear a deep voice telling me to come in. I try and open the door but it stops after only a few feet. I attempt pulling back and opening it again only to be stopped short. "Umm, Mr. Volmer?" I ask.

"Yes, yes, come in," he says.

"Well, that's the problem sir. I can't seem to get the door open." I hear some shuffling behind the door and what sounds to be crates of boxes being moved. The door opens a few inches more and a frazzled head sticks out. I'm assuming this is Mr. Volmer. He has white frizzy hair that sticks up in the places he isn't bald at. His bottle cap glasses that cover most of his face magnify his eyes in a creepy mad professor sort of way.

"Yes, yes what can I do for you, young lady," he asks while sizing me up.

"Uh, yeah, my name is Willow and it says here that you have something that needs to be delivered to the library?"

"Ah, yes! Hold on just a minute." He disappears behind the door and I hear more shuffling followed by sounds of several different book avalanches. Seconds later the door opens a little bit more and he gives me a large stack of books that are so heavy I'm pushed back a step as they adjust in my arms. "There you go," he says as he slams the door in my face.

"Um, thanks," I say to the door.

There are about ten books or so in the stack and they all have heavy brown leather covers. I shift their weight in my arms so they're more easily carried and then I set off through the labyrinth of offices.

It seems like forever since I've been to a real library. Obviously being holed up in the house for a few years made it hard for me to go to my favorite place. There's something about the smell of books that speaks to me. I still read a lot on my e-reader back at home but there's something about holding the paper in your hands. I take a second to enjoy the sight, then I drop off the books to a librarian who barely glances up at me from her book to acknowledge the delivery. She signs off on my tablet and then sticks her nose back in her book. I can't say I blame her. I make a mental note to find my way back here when I have free time.

My next assignment blinks on the screen almost immediately after I step out of the library. Another delivery. I begin making my way to the pick-up location. I haven't thought much about my mom or my brother today. While I don't want to forget them, I'm grateful to have this busy work. It takes the edge off.

Two and a half hours later, I've completed my tenth delivery. A message pops up on my tablet stating that my daily assignments are complete and that I may return to the Administrative Office. I walk in and find Alec sitting behind a desk, typing something into a computer.

He turns and looks at me with eyebrows raised. "Don't tell me, your tablet GPS malfunctioned. That's been happening all day. Give it here." He rubs his temple with his index finger and holds his other hand out for me to pass him my tablet. His face looks slightly annoyed at first, but then his expression changes to wonderment when I hand him my tablet. "You're done?"

I look from side to side wondering if I did something wrong then say, "Um, yeah. I mean, yes sir." My dad always taught me to respect elders but it still seems odd calling a boy only a few years older than me at the most, sir.

"No, don't call me sir. You can call me by my first name."

"Oh, okay Alec." It's strange calling a supervisor by their first name, but I guess I'll have to get used to it. He looks up at me and gives me a funny look that he holds for a few seconds. It confuses me at first and then I realize he might not remember my name. "My name is Willow."

"I know." He clears his throat then looks down at my tablet. I'm instantly grateful for the lessening of eye contact because it was strangely intense there for a moment. He looks back up a second later. "Well, Willow, I think there might be an issue with your tablet."

I look at him questioningly. "I haven't noticed any issues. "

He takes my tablet and connects it by a USB cord to his computer. "Well, most of the other runners are still only half way through their assignments."

"Do we all have the same number of assignments?" I ask curious.

"Yes you all received ten assignments." He checks the screen, which hasn't loaded yet and then looks back at me. "Look, you couldn't have finished all of your assignments yet."

I don't know why, but something about how he said that last part sets me off; especially since I know that I completed all ten assignments. "Well I did! It's not my fault the others are slow. I got the message stating that I've finished and that's why I'm here." I throw my hand up on my hip to add that extra emphasis.

He studies me for a second with a look that I can't quite place, then he checks his screen again. He turns back to me a few seconds later with his mouth gaping open. He mouth's the word how.

I shrug my shoulders and add with a little attitude, "Am I dismissed then?"

He just looks at me with wide emerald eyes and says, "Um, I guess." He sounds uncertain but I don't sit around to wait for him to think on it further. I've got a library to check out. I turn on my heel and leave the office and Alec behind.

I don't have to look at my tablet to find the library again. I've already committed its location to memory. I round the corner and end up accidentally running into someone. I look up to find Connor standing there stunned. He dropped his tablet during my accidental attack so I bend down to help him grab it but end up bumping heads with him when he makes the same move. "Ouch." We both say in unison while rubbing our heads. I let Connor grab his own tablet this time as to avoid crushing our skulls again.

"Sorry." I say apologetically.

Connor looks frustrated and overwhelmed. At first I'm worried that it's aimed at my clumsiness but then he sets it straight. "It's okay. So what assignment are you on?"

"Oh, I'm done." I say but instead of feeling proud that my first day went so well, I actually feel kind of down. Now I have time to think and I don't feel like thinking.

"What? I'm only on number four. This is taking forever! As if I don't have enough issues with directions, my GPS keeps acting up. I swear that I've passed this same hall four times now trying to find the medical station. I think it's broken again."

I feel bad now that I had just told him I was done. I definitely don't want him to feel like he's inferior because of how long it's taking him. "Hey, I can help you if you want. I know where the medical station is."

His dark eyes brighten just a bit. "Really? That would be great Willow. Thanks."

"No problem at all. I've got nothing to do." I say. After all, the library can wait.

I lead Connor to the medic station and then help him on several more assignments. We don't really talk much along the way but it's not awkward or anything. It would probably be with anyone else, but there's a type of comfort level between Connor and I. It's one that comes with having something in common—loss.

"We were only messing around; you don't have to get your panties in a bunch!" A high pitch girl voice calls out from a room down the hall. Her giggling sounds like a Hyena.

"Yeah sorry, we were just having a little fun with you, runner girl! What? You didn't think it was funny sugar?" A guy adds, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Hyena girl giggles annoyingly again. I hear a sniffle sound coming from the room.

I look to Connor and he nods back to me. I don't even have to say it out loud. We both start towards the room where the harassment is coming from. We don't make it far before Claire, the white haired girl, comes barreling out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Her hair is still in front of her face and it must have obstructed her vision because she plows right into Connor. The force of their collision pushes him back half of a step.

"Sorry." Claire sniffs. She tries to move to work her way around us but Connor grabs her gently by the arms.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did those people hurt you?" Connor asks seriously. His face is a mask of concern.

She looks up at him and behind all of that white blonde hair covering her face you can see her tear filled frosty blue eyes. Something in my chest pangs knowing that someone who looks so fragile and innocent is hurting.

"Did they hurt you?" Connor asks again a little stronger this time.

"No." She whispers, then turns her head and starts wiping at her eyes.

"What happened?" I ask in a soothing voice. Maybe staying calm will help her open up.

She looks at me with a look of surprise. It's that look again that asks, are you really talking to me? I wonder what would make this beautiful, yet really strange, girl so skittish and self-conscious.

"It's okay, you can tell us." I say again gently.

Connor is still holding onto her arms so he takes this second to carefully let her go. He seems ready to catch her if she tries to dart though.

"They were playing a trick on me." She said.

"A trick?" Connor asks, his eyebrows rose in question.

She looks to him and then back at me. "Yes, they were messing with my GPS. They kept re-routing me here."

"How did they mess with your GPS?" I ask.

"Anything can be hacked." She says while wiping her eyes one last time. This time she looks at me with a bold certainty I wouldn't have thought she'd have. "They think I'm stupid; that I wouldn't know what they were doing. I am not stupid!"

I don't know Claire that well, but I like this side of her. She should show it more often instead of hiding behind all of that pretty hair. "Of course you're not stupid." I say matter of factly.

"How did you know that they were messing with you?" Connor asks pleasantly surprised by her short show of confidence too.

Claire looks at him and blushes again, looking down at her shoes. "I know a lot about computers and stuff. When I circled this block for the third time, I heard them laughing in the computer lab. I put two and two together and knew that they were messing with my map."

"So you went in there?" I ask, surprised that she would confront them.

She looks thoughtful for a second before answering. "Yes. It wasn't the brightest move. I was just so angry. My feet were aching from running circles and they were just sitting in there having a blast at my expense!"

Connor's eyebrows furrow and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's about to do. He side-steps around Claire and stomps off down the hall.

I decide that I probably should follow him in there. "Stay here," I say to Claire and hurry to catch up to Connor.

Connor reaches the room and turns the door handle. It's unlocked and he marches right in; I follow behind him.

The teens inside the room turn to look at us in bewilderment. I count six of them, all guys, hanging around. In a normal room that many people would result in overcrowding but this isn't a normal room. I take in the layout of it with my mouth hanging open in awe. This isn't a simple bunk bed set up like my dad and I have. No, this is a deluxe layout that has to be at least seven-hundred square feet of semi-luxurious furnishings. Two queen-sized beds are set up on opposite sides of the room. They have decorated blankets and throw pillows, which are starkly different than our grey and white linens. In the middle of the room is a mock living area setup with a couch and a chaise lounge. There's even an intricately designed ornate rug on the floor. A large desk with a full sized computer is set up against the wall. Instead of plain white walls these walls are painted in soothing earth tones. A few framed oil paintings of natural landscapes are set up around the room in such a way that they look like windows to the outside. It's quite beautiful and much more fancy than my room or even my old house. _How in the world does a person get a room like this?_ In comparison, this room makes my room look like a prison cell.

One of the boys steps towards us with his hands raised. He looks like a Ken doll with bleached blonde hair and big hazel eyes. His muscles look too proportionate to have come from true hard labor. Instead they probably are the result of months spent with an expensive personal trainer. "Hey man, we were just having a little fun," he says. I can tell from the sound of his voice that he was one of the guys talking to Claire earlier.

I look to Connor to try and gauge his reaction. His eyebrows furrow and his eyes look like black coals about ready to ignite. He's kind of scary looking.

Connor takes a step forward, but the guy doesn't flinch or budge. "Look pal, don't you have anything better to be doing than to be messing with this poor girl? Some of us have to work around here." He says nearly spitting in his face.

The guy responds. "I'm not your _pal_ , the name's Zack." He says pal with a disgusted look, like he wouldn't touch Connor with a ten-foot pole. Then with a mischievous grin on his face he turns to the others. "Hey fellas, this guy here wants to know if we have anything better to do." He hikes his thumb back behind him pointing at Connor. They all laugh in unison like it's the funniest joke in the world.

I hear that hyena laugh and see a tall blonde who looks like a life sized Barbie doll, come out from the bathroom. I catch a glimpse of the bathroom before the door closes behind her. I have a hard time not feeling envious right now. From what I can see, there's a claw foot tub in there! Plus, there's a standup shower and what appears to be an oversized vanity. The girl must have seen the envy that passed over my expression because she speaks up in a haughty tone, "What? See something you like?"

My cheeks burn with embarrassment at her calling me out. "No." I say and give her my best rolling of the eyes.

She sticks her hands on her hips before looking me up and down with her big baby blue eyes. "I saw you eyeing our place, you must be one of the less fortunate ones." Her voice drips with a false sense of pity.

Her response turns my embarrassment into fury. "First, I'm not less fortunate, my name is Willow. Second, green's not really my color so no, I wasn't ogling your place." My chest aches when I remember how often my mom used to tell us that green doesn't look good on us when we were kids and saw others getting more than we had.

She doesn't respond, instead she lets out another hyena laugh. Wow, how can someone who tries to look so perfect on the outside have such an atrocious laugh? I let out a small giggle at that and she gives me the nastiest look that only makes me giggle more.

Zack smirks at me and I get the impression that he liked the fact that I didn't cower to the blondie, who my guess may be his girlfriend. He looks me up and down before turning back around to Connor. "In answer to your question, no, we don't have anything better to do. Well, unless you count twiddling our thumbs or taking a nap. But hey, now that you mention it, maybe twiddling our thumbs does seem more fun about now. What do you think fellas?"

They laugh at his banter again and my frown deepens.

Rage is bubbling up deep inside of me at this guy's blasé attitude. "Seriously," I pipe up. "You have nothing else to do? No job? No school? There has to be something you guys are good at other than messing up someone's day here!" I know, it doesn't deserve an Oscar, but that's all I've got. I keep my eyes focused on him, holding his gaze. I notice that he has the same hair color and the same shaped eyes as the Barbie hyena girl. Maybe she isn't his girlfriend; perhaps they're related.

Zack sizes me up before answering. "Yeah, we go to school, but only in the morning today. Tomorrow we start our _Select_ classes. Now as to jobs, _no_ , of course not! Well, now that you mention it, you may be able to count what we're doing now as a job. Teaching you both the art of technological hacking. May do you some good someday." He looks back and forth from Connor to me, before settling his eyes on me in a manner that makes me feel uncomfortable inside. He continues. "And as for you, I can give you some private lessons if you ask really nicely sugar." He reaches his hand out as if he was going to grab one of my curls and I swat it back down with a smack. He laughs.

I don't have a mirror, but I can bet that my face is the color of cherry pie right about now. I'm fuming!

"Now, if you'll be on your way, we're late for our appointment." He says the last part with a note of sarcasm.

As he starts to shoo us out I catch a glimpse of a photo above the girl's bed. The girl and Zack are in it. They're a bit younger and standing next to a woman who I'm assuming is their mom. I try to look a little closer because something's caught my attention. It's strange, in the photo both children seem to have the same golden brown eyes as their mother. Maybe it's just the lighting or shadows, but they definitely look different than they do now.

Before I can get a better look, Zack blocks my view. Then, in the blink an eye, he's ushered us out the door before slamming it in our faces. I blink a few times trying to clear the cobwebs out of my head. "Come on, let's get out of here," Connor says.

Claire is still standing in the hall where we last left her. She looks like she's trying to figure us out. "Did you both just defend my honor in there?" Her eyebrows are furrowed in thought.

"Well, we didn't do that great of a job, but I think they got the point. Not that they took it to heart or anything." Connor replies.

"They're just a bunch of jerks." I say.

Claire studies us with her icy blue eyes, then gives a small smile. "Thanks guys. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before. Usually people just act like I don't exist. Sometimes I think I must have a secret layer of camouflage because people often look right past me. But I still have feelings even if I'm not that noticeable. " Her smile drops.

Connor surprises me by saying under his breath, "I doubt that."

Claire must not have heard him since she didn't blush at his compliment. I add, "Well that's what friends should do for each other."

"We're friends?" She says the word like it's foreign and I instantly feel horrible that this poor girl has had to feel this alone in the world.

"If you want to be. I think we can use a support group in here. Especially if we have to deal with people like that." I point back with my thumb towards Zack's room.

She cocks her head at me and studies me for a second then says, "Yeah, I think I'd like that." She smiles which lights her face up in a new, beautiful way. Connor and I catch it like it's contagious and find ourselves grinning too.

* * *

I spend the rest of the afternoon helping Connor, and mainly Claire, finish up their assignments. It doesn't take too long because conveniently, Connor and Claire's routes correlate with each other. Surprisingly, they don't ask me how I can get from point A to point B without looking at the map.

When we finish the final assignment, I check the clock on my tablet to see that it's already 5:30. We have only thirty minutes before meal time, per my agenda. I ask Connor and Claire what time their dinner slots are and find out they both have dinner at six as well. Lucky coincidence? It _is_ an even number after all.

The three of us head back to clock out for the day. When we arrive at the office, an older woman is sitting where Alec was earlier today. She checks us out and says, "We'll see you tomorrow."

We go together to pick up Connor's little sister Lillie from class. She's just as cute as I remember her being. Her red hair is pulled into two pigtails today. They aren't very even pigtails, making me wonder if Connor did her hair this morning for her. She gives Connor a huge hug and introduces him to a few new friends she's made. Connor introduces her to us and she smiles, seeming happy that he's made friends as well. I don't think she fully grasps the fact that her parents won't be joining her in the shelter. I sort of hope that she's young enough that she won't fully understand the loss just yet. She deserves to have fun and be happy, even if it's in blissful unawareness.

She takes Connors hand, and we all head to the cafeteria to secure our places in line.

We sit together at dinner eating our mush. I look around for my dad but don't see him, so I assume he got a different dinner shift tonight. I do get to meet Connor's guardian, Sarah, whom I soon realize is only responsible for Lillie. Apparently Connor was allowed to sleep on a cot in their room last night however, effective tonight he will be moved to his permanent room. Apparently teens who don't have parents bunk up together in a mass occupant dorm style room. Connor's body language tells me that he's less than happy about this arrangement. I don't blame him because with his new schedule and separate rooms, he'll rarely see his little sister. Sarah assures him though that Lillie is in good hands.

I also find out during dinner that Claire stays in one of those dorm rooms for female teens. Each dorm holds up to ten same-sex teens. Claire has seven roommates in hers. Most of them are from the orphanage she grew up in. None of them really talk to her though. They all think she's strange. She doesn't mention how she ended up in an orphanage, but we can pretty much assume that she lost her parents to the virus.

After dinner we part ways for the night. I head back to my room to wait for my dad. I pass the time by taking a nice hot shower, which apparently I can only do three times a week per water and energy conservation restrictions. It feels good though to get clean, after a long day of work. I hop into bed afterwards. I hadn't realized just how tiring today was and I find myself falling asleep soon enough.

***

"Hey honey." My dad kisses me on the forehead.

I awake from a dreamless sleep and look at my tablet to see that it's only 10:00 pm. I haven't been asleep for very long. "Hey dad. Are you just now getting home?" I ask, stretching my arms above my head.

My dad looks exhausted and really, really filthy. I don't even want to ponder the dirt he's covered in. "Yeah. I didn't get to eat until nine. It's been a long day." He runs his hand through his greying hair. "How was your day?"

"It was good. Why are they making you work such long shifts?" I ask. We had started at nine this morning. That means he worked for at least twelve hours today. That seems rather long to me.

"The work has to get done." He studies me as if trying to figure out if he should tell me something. Instead of telling me what's on his mind, he says, "Try to get some sleep honey."

I don't let him get away that easily. "Dad, what's up?" I rub the small amount of sleep out of my eyes that had formed during my nap.

He brushes back the hair from my forehead and steps back off of his bunk and back onto the floor. I have to sit up to see him better since the safety railing is now partially blocking my view. He paces the room for a second as if he's trying to decide if he wants to say this or not. He finally turns to me. "You know honey that your mother and I tried to keep you kids sheltered from the mess that's been going on in our country over the past few years."

I nod.

"I figure that you are old enough and mature enough now to know what's going on." He smiles at me and has a proud look in his eye. "You know that we've never had that much money."

I know that much. We learned in school about economics. There used to be a middle class in our country but for the past decade, or longer even, there has only been two classes—the rich and the poor.

He takes a deep breath and then begins. "The government knew that this virus was getting out of hand a few years ago. At that time the plans for a way to stop it began. We were warned that we would eventually have to go into these shelters. Everyone was allowed the opportunity to pay for their space in advance. The prices were outrageous and completely unattainable for anyone other than the wealthiest families." A pent up look of frustrated anger shows on his face. "They told us that those who could not afford to pay for their spaces would still be admitted in, however, they would have to earn their keep. Most of us have no problem with that. We've been working hard just to stay afloat all of our lives, but Willow, I didn't know that they were going to make the children work for their spaces too!" His face turns red with his frustration. "They didn't tell us that! Did they treat you poorly?" He comes up closer to the bed again and studies me to make sure he can't see any physical sign of damage.

I shake my head confused, "No Dad, they didn't. It was fine."

He looks at me intensely, "You can tell me the truth honey. Were they mean? How long did you have to work today?"

"I only worked five hours and it was easy work doing deliveries. Nobody was mean...Well, that's not exactly true." My dad's eyes start to show the beginning signs of rage, so I quickly continue in order to settle his fears. "The people at work are nice. We just ran into some spoiled brats who were trying to cause trouble." He calms down at the mention that it wasn't related to our employer. He still seems interested though, so I continue. "You know it makes sense though now. They have a much nicer place than ours. They're the same age as me or maybe a year older, but they apparently don't have to work."

"Yes, their parents probably paid for their spot. I heard rumors that the paid rooms were very nice. Just because they don't work doesn't mean they have any right to treat you badly. Do I need to go talk to them?" He's very serious in his question, I can see that he'd quickly stand up for me, regardless of how old or how rich they are.

I give my dad a sincere smile, feeling loved by his offer to stick up for me. "No, I already spoke to them. They weren't really being mean to me but they were picking on another girl. I went in there and confronted them. I don't think it did much good, but they had no right to bully someone just because they were bored."

A look of pride flashes across my dad's face. "You did the right thing honey. I'm proud of you for standing up to those bullies. Most people wouldn't, especially when it's not their fight."

"Well you didn't teach me to be 'most' people." I sit up taller and grin.

"No I didn't. I love you honey. You let me know if you ever need me to go beat down any snobs for you. Not that I don't think you can't handle your own, but it's sometimes good to have reinforcements."

"Yeah, I've got those. I made two friends today." I hold up my two fingers and my dad nods his head urging me to continue. "Connor and Claire. They're both in my class and they're runners too."

"That's awesome. You stick close to each other. It's important for you to have someone that has your back in here. I've heard some uproar from some of the other adult workers. They aren't too happy at the way they're being treated, especially with some of their children being forced to work. Also, I think a lot of it has to do with many lower class families getting declined entry. The wounds are wide open right now, so it might come to nothing after some time passes. I just want you to know ahead of time how some people are feeling so that you don't get surprised by any disgruntled behavior around here. Continue to stay close to your friends and make sure to report to me if anything odd comes up or if you feel mistreated in any way. Will you do that for me honey?"

"Of course." I wonder to myself what he means by disgruntled behavior but I don't continue to ponder it too much because I can tell that the day is catching up to my dad. His eyes look tired and his posture is a bit hunched over. "Hey dad, why don't you go take a shower and get some rest."

He nods his head. "What? I stink that bad?"

"Yep!" I say pinching my nose with my fingers and waving the 'odor' away with my other hand.

My dad steps up on his bed and gets me in that one tickle spot right under my arm, my Achilles heel. I break out in giggles. He leans in like he wants to give me a hug but then remembers he's filthy and pats my head instead. "I love you. Get some sleep."

"You too dad." I reply and lie back down on my bed.

"Night." My dad turns and starts to head to step down but I grab his arm before he leaves my bedside.

"Wait...dad?" I ask nervously.

He turns back, "Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?" I chew on my nail waiting for his response.

"Shoot." He says while making a fake gun sign with his thumb and index finger. My dad can be a big dork when he wants to.

"Who is ELE?" I don't know why it's been on my brain tonight but I feel like I need to know more about what's going on out there in the world.

He studies me for a long second then says, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before. I wanted to protect you but I can see now how you're growing into a mature and strong woman, just like your mother." His voice catches, but he carries on. "You can handle the truth. ELE stands for Extinction Level Event."

I let out a loud breath. I really don't like the sound of that.

He continues, "An Extinction Level Event is exactly what it sounds like. This is where our planet was headed with the rapid speed that the virus was killing off the human race at." He stares at me as if trying to gauge my reaction.

I nod and say, "I understand."

He gives me a slight smile and then says, "I've known about Project ELE for a few months now and although I hate that it tore our family in half, I do understand why the actual Project is necessary." His face turns grim.

I blink away the tears that start forming in my eyes as I think of all of the people that have died and all of the people outside the safety of our shelter. "Thank you for being honest with me." I say sincerely. He looks at me with loving eyes, and I continue. "Thank you for protecting me for as long as you could. I mean for trying to preserve my innocence."

With unshed tears in his eyes, he says, "I love you so much."

"I love you too dad." I sit up and give him a hug despite his concern about dirty clothes. "Night."

"Good night." He says as he steps down to head once again to the bathroom. This time I don't stop him.

A minute later I hear the shower running. I think to myself about how much my life has changed in such a short period of time. It has only been eight days since my family left our house and headed towards the shelter lines; and it has been nearly two full days since my family was torn apart. So much happened so fast that I can't help but wonder what changes life will bring me next. I don't get a chance to think about it for too long because the sound of running water lulls me into a dreamless sleep.

# CHAPTER 5

### Thirty-one days inside

Boring routine, that's what the next month is like. School, work, dinner and bed. We barely have any free time, except for the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays when we don't have school in the morning.

It didn't come as a surprise that neither Connor, Claire nor I got accepted into the Select classes. I don't mind that much because I actually enjoy the mindless activity of running errands in the afternoon. Connor sometimes complains about it though, and by sometimes I mean all the time!

"Look, the pool. Yet another amenity we haven't gotten to use." Connor slouches as we walk by the heavily chlorinated corridor. His grumbling voice expresses his frustration.

"I wonder why they even built these places if we never get to use them." Claire interjects. She usually doesn't complain but sometimes Connor's moods can be contagious. We can't really blame him. My guess is that he's ADHD or something similar by his consistent nervous fidgeting and inability to remain still for longer than twenty seconds.

I look down at my tablet to check the time and someone slams into my shoulder, knocking me back a step. "Ugh!" I let out and turn around quickly to confront the hit and run offender. "Excuse you!"

Standing there in a red bikini with a towel hanging over her shoulder is Hyena girl. She gets a pinched up expression on her face like she smelled something foul and says, "You need to watch where you're going!"

I look at her incredulously, " _Me?_ I don't think so! _You_ rammed into _me_ with your bony shoulder." I don't know where that type of attitude came from but there's something about this girl that brings out the worst in me. Claire and Connor turn to stand at my side as my backup, since she's surrounded by hers.

"My shoulders are not bony!" She whines and then looks behind her to her swim trunk clad, bare chested 'crew' members for reassurance. To my greatest pleasure nobody acknowledges her petty need to deflect the fact that she most likely was purposeful in her action.

"Candy, you did run into her." Zack calls out from just outside the pool door. He wraps his towel around his waist and walks up to join the group.

My attention goes to him as I wonder where he came from and how he could have witnessed this event. I either didn't notice him before or he's just now joining his posse. His hair and his muscular bare chest is still dripping wet.

He must take my questioning stare as an invitation because he walks up to me and has the audacity to cross into my personal zone and then some. Much to my frustration, my cheeks heat and I automatically take a step back without thinking. I have to hold my arm out as I do so to keep Connor from moving forward to defend me. He seems to take pride in the fact that he's made me feel uncomfortable.

I huff, in frustration and look away. I'm frustrated by the fact that I even feel awkward, but I can't name the last time I saw a man with his shirt off. Not that I think Zack is much of a man, but it's still weird to have a guy, especially one that's so purposefully toned with muscle and dripping wet for that matter, step into my space.

I force myself to look back up at him. We're only a foot apart, if that, and he's much taller than me, so he has to look down at me. When his eyes lock with mine, a strange look fills them. His eyes appear to soften around the edges and if I didn't know better I'd think...And just like that he shakes his head as if to clear whatever it was he was thinking, and his original cockiness reappears. "Like what you see?" He asks, giving me a confident smirk.

"Hmm..." I say as I take the opportunity to take another step back, putting more distance between us. Instead of looking shy or embarrassed this time, I purposefully look him up and down as if trying to appraise him. He gets a few whoops when he lets his towel drop, showing off his red swim trunks that sit loosely on his hips. Upon closer inspection, his muscles almost look painted on and I wonder if he adds makeup to his abs to make them stand out more. I look back at his face and I almost think I see a slight blush rising up. I give him a smirk that matches his earlier one and shrug my shoulders while I say, "Not really."

A livid look passes across his face and for a second I get an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach, like I've crossed a certain boundary with him. Just like that it vanishes and an amused look takes its place. "Well, I'm sure people of your...social status, don't have many interactions with those of the opposite sex. It's okay to feel nervous around me. If you need a little more experience, you know where to find us. I might have some friends who wouldn't mind slumming it."

I can't hide my look of utter disgust at how rude he is. This time anger heats my cheeks. I can hear the intake of both Connor and Claire's breaths, readying to defend me, so I hold up both of my hands as a stop sign and shake my head to keep them from speaking up for me. When Connor steps forward anyway, I have to press my hand against his chest to keep him from moving towards Zack. I look up at him and mouth the word no.

When I look back at Zack, I see a strange hint of something on his face. Is it jealousy? Just like that, it's gone. He opens his mouth and laughs.

The Hyena girl, who I now know as Candy, joins in on the hackling. "Yeah, you should join us." Candy says. "Oh wait, you can't! You have to work!" She cracks herself up so much that she snorts like a pig. I can't help the giggle that releases after that. She stops and glares at me with her hands on her bony hips.

"Well, if you do ever get a day off, you should come over." Zack stares down at my nametag, which is located on my chest; quite convenient for him. He looks back at me with a smile that tells me he enjoys making me feel uncomfortable. "You can bring your blonde friend too, _Willow_." I cringe at the way my name sounds on his lips.

"Thanks, but no thanks." I say as I turn and begin walking in the opposite direction. Claire and Connor both turn and mutter inappropriate words used to describe a jerk, under their breaths as they walk away. I feel better after I put some distance between Zack and me, and I shake off the slime that he lathered on.

"Eww! He was totally undressing you with his eyes." Claire says with an appropriate amount of distaste as we round the corner.

"Yeah, I feel totally slimed." I say while wiping my sweaty palms on my scrubs. Intense conversations like that make me nervous, but I feel good that I held my own for the most part.

"I should go and pulverize that rich boy's face!" Connor looks like he might just do that so I wave him off.

"Nah, they aren't worth it." I smile at him and pat his back reassuringly. I watch as his face calms down. Over the past month Connor has taken on the protective big brother role over Claire and me with zeal. Well sometimes I wonder if it's more than a big brother role with Claire, but I won't mention that. The last thing I want though is for Connor to get outnumbered by Zack's posse.

I look down at the timer on my tablet. "Crap! We're going to have to run. One minute and thirty seconds!" We all take off running down the winding hallways towards Headquarters. We barrel through the Admin office doors a minute late. Everyone turns and looks at us. Well, everyone except Alec. He appears to be intensely focused on his computer and he doesn't acknowledge that we came in late. _Phew!_ I already got a tardy last week when I was late for class; I don't need a second one.

Alec looks up a moment later and his emerald eyes seem to settle on me. I shift side to side nervously while chanting in my head: _You didn't notice. A tardy you do not want to give me._ I guess my Jedi mind tricks work because he stands up and addresses us as a group. "Good afternoon everyone. We'll only be having a short meeting today as I have a lot to do. I have some good news though. We've finally gotten approval to allow you a free day once a week. These days will be staggered throughout the team and should be handed out next week. Now it's important that you know that you can lose your free day if there are any performance issues, reprimands or excessive tardies." I swear his eyes settle on me again for just a second and I hold my breath until he moves on. "With that said, get to work." We all turn to leave and he moves back to his desk.

I pull up my assignment list for today. Looking at the screen, I do a double take. When I realize that what I'm seeing is accurate, I stomp over to Alec's desk. Waving my tablet in my hand, I state, "there must be some mistake."

Alec looks up at me and continues typing as he talks, which sort of impresses me but mostly annoys me. "I'm sorry, what exactly are you referring to?"

"I'm referring to the twenty-five assignments that you've given me." I huff out but add a "sir," at the end for extra measure.

He cringes at the 'sir' part but then replies, "There was no mistake." He looks back at his computer and continues typing rapidly.

I've noticed an unexplained edge between Alec and I over the past month so I usually try to steer clear of him when I can. Not today though, I won't be dismissed that easily. "No!" It slips out before I can think better of it.

He stops mid type and stands up from his chair facing me. "Excuse me?" He places both of his hands on his desk and leans forward so that his green eyes are within inches of my face.

I stand my ground. I'm not going to back down. "This is more than double my usual assignment count and double the workload of any other runner. That isn't fair."

He raises his eyebrow and with a gleam in his eye he says, "Life isn't fair, Willow."

I always figured that Alec wouldn't remember my name since I've never heard him speak it out loud. I don't let my astonishment or the interesting tingle I felt when he said my name deter me. "So you _are_ punishing me for working fast?" I ask fuming.

"This is not a punishment. You have a time frame that you're scheduled to work and we're simply filling that time frame."

"Well then, I will just slow down and work at the same speed as everyone else." I throw my hands up in the air to further show my dissatisfaction.

He cocks his head sideways. "Look, I know that you finish your work early and then help your friends. You don't think that things like that go unnoticed do you? Like I said, this is an hourly job not an assignments based job. You will do what is asked of you."

I roll my eyes and huff out a disgruntled "Whatever!" Then I take my tablet and my first delivery parcel and head out the door. I swear I heard him yell out something about insubordination but I didn't stick around to listen. What's he going to do, fire me?

Just to spite him I work faster than I ever have and still finish thirty minutes ahead of everyone else. I walk in through the door and hand him my tablet so he can upload the signatures for the deliveries I made. I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror to the right of his desk. Some curls have fallen loose from my ponytail and my cheeks look pink from exertion.

Alec looks at me appraisingly and if I didn't know better I would think that look showed a hint of admiration and perhaps something else. He plugs my tablet in, types some stuff on his keyboard then unplugs the tablet and hands it back to me. "You can go ahead and leave now that you're done."

I've never been allowed to leave earlier than the end of my shift so I look at him for an explanation. When one doesn't come I turn and walk out.

That night I have a hard time falling asleep. I replay the conversation Alec and I had and worry that perhaps I'll have a reprimand tomorrow. I was honestly surprised that he didn't give me one today when I returned, nor did he even mention anything. Instead he let me go home early. I continue playing this confusing encounter over in my mind until I eventually fall asleep.

* * *

The following morning, I find myself nervously pulling at the lose curls that frame my face as Connor, Clair, and I walk to work. My stomach feels like it's a cage with a thousand butterflies inside, and my mind keeps replaying my dream from last night.

In my dream, Alec and I were fighting over my assignments, when all of a sudden he stands up and pulls me into a kiss. I woke up a second after he pulled me into the kiss to see that it was only one in the morning. My heart was pounding and my mind was going over the dream again and again. It's the first dream I've had where I've been kissed. Being homeschooled doesn't set one up to have any romantic encounters. I guess since my mind was consumed with other things like spending time with my family, school, and reading, I didn't really think much about relationships. They just weren't on my radar. I probably spent at least half an hour pondering over the dream until the light sounds of my dad's snoring lulled me back to sleep.

_Let it go Willow._ I tell myself as I notice we've already reached headquarters and I've spent this whole walk thinking of Alec and that dream. When we step into the office, I stay at the back of the group and find myself tugging harder on my curls and biting my lip now, trying to force my mind to focus with a little bit of self-inflicted pain.

I try not to blush as I hear Alec start his morning meeting. Doing my best to not make eye contact with him, I stare down at my tablet. I don't get to keep my head down, because after a minute, he directs everyone to look up at a large monitor behind him.

Still tugging on my hair and biting my lip, I look up and before my gaze finds the screen, they find his eyes. His green eyes seem to be almost on fire, as he stares back at me, both of us locked onto each other for a few seconds until the video starts and a female voice pipes up.

With my entire face feeling hot, and the butterflies in an uproar inside me, I look away first, grateful for the distraction. I have a hard time focusing on what the woman on the screen is saying because I'm wondering if I'm making more out of that extremely hot staring contest than I should. I'm probably overplaying a normal boss to employee exchange of eye contact and making more of it because of my dream. The woman on the screen says thank you for your hard work, and the screen goes black. _Yep, I didn't hear any of that._ I sure hope there's no quiz on the video later or any important updates that I should be aware of. _Goodness, I'm a mess._

I don't look up as Alec closes the meeting out. My assignments pop up on my tablet screen for the day. Today I only have fifteen assignments. I find myself smiling as I wonder if he gave me less because of our exchange yesterday. I tell myself that I will not think of that, I won't think of the dream, or anything concerning Alec. I'm being one of those hormonal teenage girls right now, and I need to quit it. With that, I stop biting my lip and pulling my hair, and instead I push my hand against my stomach, as if I can force the strange butterfly feeling to stop. I step out of the office and get to work.

I finish my assignments in my usual speedy time frame and revert to helping Connor and Claire with theirs. Having gone back to a normal routine, the workday goes by fast, as does the remainder of the week.

Each morning we check our tablets in restless anticipation of our first free day. We've been crossing our fingers that we will get the same day off. The odds look to be in our favor since everyone has received their free day this week except for us. Hopefully with tomorrow being Sunday, which is also a no-school day, we'll finally get our day of rest!

# CHAPTER 6

### Thirty-eight days inside

Excitement fills me this morning when I wake up to a message on my tablet that says today is a free day. A smile spreads across my face as I hop out of bed, excited to actually get to go to the amenities. My dad is already gone for the day, meaning he wasn't so lucky as to get a much needed day off. I wonder if he'll get one tomorrow. I get dressed rather quickly and head to the dining area before my usual breakfast time, hoping to be able to see my dad before his shift.

I catch him just as he's leaving. We both hug and say our "I love you's," with little time to talk because he has just enough time left to clock in for his shift. My dad and I have had very little time together over the past month. It's as if we're ships passing in the night, especially since he often comes home after I go to bed and leaves before I wake up. It's unfair that he has to work this hard. I can already see how it's aging him.

Feeling a tug of sadness, I take a seat at an empty table just as my tablet buzzes with a text message. It's from my dad and it says, "Don't you dare fret about me today. You go out and enjoy yourself. Have fun and enjoy your day off; you deserve it! I love you so much Willow. Love Dad."

I have to blink back tears. My dad knows me all too well, and he's right. I should have fun today. I text both Connor and Claire, telling them to wake up, let's get on with the day. I'm hopeful that they're off with me as well, seeing as how everyone else has seemed to have had their days off already. I decide to grab my breakfast early while I wait and return a few minutes later to my empty table with my cold oatmeal and cup of water in hand. While I eat, I browse the amenities app on my tablet trying to get an idea of what we should do.

Someone clears their throat next to the table and I look up to find Alec standing across from me. "Oh, um, hey." I stutter. I haven't figured out how best to address Alec. I still have trouble not blushing around him because of that dream, so all of our short encounters are super awkward.

"You mind if I sit?" Alec asks.

I shake my head no, even though I do kind of mind. My cheeks heat even more as he takes his seat and I try to tell myself to get it together.

He sits across from me and seems to take a few moments to figure out what to say. Alec finally tipis his fingers and leans forward. "Look, I know it's kind of awkward and all, what, with me being your boss, but I was hoping maybe we could hang out sometime?" His question catches me totally off guard and my jaw drops open. I watch as he grimaces and shifts in his seat, looking exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Yeah," I squeak a little uncomfortably. What should I say? No? I clear my voice. "I mean sure, that would be cool." His green eyes light up just a little. _What the heck_ , I think to myself. "Um, I've got some friends meeting me here soon. Well, you know Claire and Connor. We were planning on doing something today, not sure what, but you're welcome to tag along if you'd like." _Tag along?_ Does your boss 'tag along?' I mentally kick myself and look to the floor.

Shockingly he agrees, "Yeah, hey that sounds great. You know, I have to be quite honest with you. This sucks."

"Excuse me?" I ask confused by his words. Like as in us hanging out sucks?

"No, wait, that's not what I meant. What I meant to say is my job sucks." He says awkwardkly. "I mean, some people might think being in charge is cool, especially at my age, but in all honesty, it's just flat out lonely. People respect you and all, but they don't want to necessarily hang out and be friends. It makes me feel old even though we're all in the same age group."

Connor and Claire walk up behind Alec and stop mid-step. Alec continues to talk about loneliness and pours his heart out while they approach the table cautiously. Claire jabs Connor lightly in the ribs and gestures her head towards Alec. They both squelch a laugh and I try widening my eyes at them letting them know to chill out.

Connor gets a huge grin on his face and begins doing a silent version of the running man behind Alec's back. I look to Alec who seems to be oblivious of their presence behind him. Claire puts her hand over her mouth squelching her laughter.

She waves her hands at Connor to get him to stop and looks back over at me. She then proceeds to act like she's taking a seat and tipis her hands in front of her mimicking Alec. Connor nearly loses it and steps back away from us, hand over his mouth.

"It's just with my dad being who he is and all, it can be tough, you know?" My attention focuses back on Alec and I nod my head in understanding trying very hard to keep a straight face, but not really succeeding. I honestly didn't hear half of what he just said because Connor started dancing in place again. "You know what's really interesting Willow?" Alec asks with a raised eyebrow.

I try harder to concentrate on him and not on what my friends are doing. "No, what?" I ask.

Alec lets a small grin appear on his face. His voice raises a few decibels, "It's interesting that Connor and Claire don't realize that I can see their reflections in the window behind you."

Connor stops mid running man and Claire closes her mocking mouth immediately.

"Oh hey guys! I didn't know you were standing there." Alec says in mock surprise placing his hand over his heart.

I bury my head in my hands. Oh my gosh, can it get any more awkward?

A crimson color spreads across their faces as the realization dawns on them. Alec shakes his head, "It's cool. I would have done the same thing." He gives a small chuckle as Connor and Claire try and pull their heads out of their butts. "Really, it's all good." Alec says trying to reassure them again.

I bust up laughing at the calamity displayed before me. All heads turn to me, but I can't help it. It doesn't take but a moment before everyone is laughing with me. Connor and Alec exchange some kind of macho male handshake. Then both of my friends join us at the table.

"So what are we going to do today?" Claire asks.

"I vote to go swimming." Connor chimes in.

"No." Claire and I both say simultaneously. This is our first time to hang out with our boss. I'm thinking that bikini's and swim trunks aren't really appropriate in this situation. Plus, I didn't get to shave my legs this morning so that idea is definitely vetoed.

Connor looks mildly disappointed. He suggests a second option, "We could see a movie at the theater."

Everyone looks at each other and we shrug at the so-so idea.

Alec checks something on his tablet then says. "Well, if you're into Historical films we can go check it out. Today they're playing back to back documentaries of World War I, World War II and World War III."

"Oh that sounds like a blast." I say sarcastically.

"I don't hear any genius suggestions from either of you." Connor says a little sourly.

"I guess that leaves shopping or bowling. Since we get paid crap money we might as well check out the bowling alley." I open my eyes wide and hold my breath when I remember who's sitting at our table.

Connor and Claire give me that look that says, 'dude, pull your foot out of your mouth.'

"I mean, um..." I start to say but Alec waves me off.

"Look, I know you all don't get paid squat. I make only a little more than you do. I understand." He looks around at all of us who still look semi uncomfortable. "Let's pretend for today that I'm not your boss. That I'm just another kid like you trying to have fun."

"Kid." Connor harrumphs.

Alec turns to where he's facing Connor better and asks, "Just how old do you think I am?"

Claire says under her breath, "Old."

Alec raises his eyebrows to Connor.

Connor finally responds. "I guess like twenty or so." He cringes a little worried that he may be treading on the wrong turf with his boss.

"Ha! I'm only seventeen." Alec says.

"You're not even a legal adult?" Claire asks then adds curiously, "How did you get this job then?"

"Like I said in our first meeting. I've been helping out at my dad's business since I was fourteen. I pick up fast and I was managing shifts by the age of sixteen. It was only natural that my dad gave me a shift when he was assigned his position as lead administrator." Alec says. "Anyhow, I may be mature when it comes to work, but I still know how to have fun."

I blush when his green eyes settle on me.

"Sounds good. Let's go check out the bowling alley then." I say and stand up. Anything to keep my mind off Alec's eyes and that dream.

Everyone follows suit and we take the elevator to the fourth floor to check it out. "I've never been bowling before but I've seen it done on television and in movies. It looks like fun!" Claire says excitedly as she pushes her white hair behind her ears. I've noticed more and more how she's not hiding behind her hair as much as she used to. That makes me smile.

The elevator lets us out in front of the pool area and my nose fills with that strong smell of chlorine. I look in the windows and notice it's extremely crowded today. I guess a lot of people are off this Sunday.

We follow the hallway down until we hear the sounds of balls hitting pins and crowds cheering. Twenty lanes are lit up in neon colors. We go to check in at the registration booth where a skinny teenager with a liberal peppering of freckles on his face tells us that all of the lanes are full. He adds us to the waiting list without asking, which is running about an hour long. I look around to the others for suggestions.

"We can wait," Alec says. "I don't mind."

Everyone else shrugs so I take that as a sign to go and find a table. I find one near the back and take a seat. Everyone else follows except Alec, who has been intercepted by someone playing the Guess Who game. Newly manicured French tip nails are attached to the long skinny fingers covering his eyes.

"Guess who?" A girl calls out from behind him. I can't see her but when she lets out a hideous giggle I 'guess who' immediately.

"Ugh! It's Candy." I sigh, but remain in my seat.

"Perhaps if we stay completely still and don't move an inch she won't see us." Claire says jokingly.

"I don't think she's worried about us seeing her. She seems to have her paws all over Alec." Connor laughs and watches the scene with pure amusement.

Alec doesn't seem too happy to be temporarily blinded so he just removes the hands and turns around. "Oh, hey Candy." He says blandly.

"Hi ya Alec! What are you doing on this fine Sunday?" She says in a sort of southern drawl that sounds completely fake.

"I'm hanging out with some friends." He looks back and gestures at us.

Crap, we've been spotted. I think to myself.

"Those are _your_ friends?" She asks with repulsion.

Alec surprises me when he says, "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

I hate to admit it but I love the shocked look Candy gets on her face.

"Well, I was just thinking that since you finally had a day off you would want to hang out with me or the guys." She rubs her index finger down his chest in a gesture that makes me want to puke.

To my delight, Alec removes her finger from his chest. "We don't really hang out anymore, so I figured it was time to make some new friends."

Her mouth drops open for the slightest second then she closes it abruptly. She makes an annoyingly high-pitched shrieking sound and turns on her heel to stomp off.

Alec comes over to the table and looks at me curiously. "Wow, I haven't seen you smile like that, ever."

I quickly wipe the expression off my face, not realizing what I was doing.

"It looks good on you." He says and I look away shyly.

"So what was up with you and Barbie?" Connor asks.

"We went to school together. Her brother and I were on the same football team. That was back before we started predominantly doing our home schooling." Alec answers.

"Well it looked like she has the hots for you man." Connor playfully punches Alec on the shoulder.

"I guess so. We hung out a few times, but she's not really my type." Alec looks over at me ever so briefly and I feel that strange fluttering sensation in the pit of my stomach start up.

Claire looks over her shoulder and says, "Great, here comes her whole posse. Maybe we should just head out."

"Good idea." I would like nothing better than to keep my distance from Candy and especially from her brother Zack. There's something more to that guy that I can't pinpoint. But I have the distinct feeling I should keep my distance.

We get up to leave, and pass by them without saying anything. I feel Zack's stare as if it's burning my flesh but I look directly ahead and pretend that I don't see him. I feel Alec stiffen ever so slightly next to me. I hadn't realized he was walking so close until now but I can tell that something has put him on guard.

The tension in our group doesn't relax until we're safely out of the bowling alley.

"So that idea seems to be botched. What's our next course of action?" Connor asks.

"We could go to the library." I offer.

Connor and Claire look at me like I'm nuts, but Alec says, "That sounds great. I've been wanting to check to see if there are any good books in there."

I look up at him with a surprised smile on my face. Alec continues to pleasantly surprise me. He's not the guy I thought he was.

We head down a flight of stairs to the Library. When we walk through the double doors my eyes are immediately focused on the countless books lining the walls. All four of us waste no time diving into the shelves. Thankfully they're categorized by subject area.

"Hey guys," I say. "Come check this out. There's a whole section related to this mountain." The bookcase is labeled with a sign stating: Local Selections. I pick a random book from the shelves and flip through it. _Boring!_ All it has in it are blueprints to the sewage systems and a bunch of information that I couldn't care less about. Before I reshelf it, I look at the sewage map again. Something about it strikes a chord in my brain but I can't put my finger on it. I close it a moment later and move on to the other books. To my disappointment, I continually come across one boring instructional manual after another. Where's the murder mysteries or the science fiction? I look around at the other sections in the small library but don't see anything of interest. They range from indoor farming to, world history and the history of F.E.M.A. Not one single non-fiction book to be had in here.

I huff my breath sending my hair billowing from my face. With my back against the wall, I slide to the floor in an act of defeat. In less than an hour we have ran through the only activities that this shelter has to offer. There's got to be something else to do in this place. Connor, Claire, and Alec all shelve the books they were looking at and come sit at my side.

"I don't know guys," I start. "I'm not sure what I expected to find, but this stinks. There isn't any fiction and the one non-fiction section that could be interesting doesn't really contain anything about this mountain that's useful. I guess we'll have to find some other place to pass the time. Something to keep our mind off...things."

Connor and Claire nod their heads in unison.

Alec on the other hand seems lost in thought.

"I mean, there's got to be something fun to do here besides wallowing in self-pity or twiddling our thumbs. This place is huge. There must be some trouble to be had." I furrow my brow in frustration. It's really not like me to be looking for something that will get me in trouble, but hey, give me a little credit. I need something to help me unwind. These last few weeks have been completely crazy. I sort through the visual of the map in my head looking for another activity to enjoy in the shelter. Then it hits me. "Guys, I think I've got it!"

Both Claire and Connor turn and look at me expectantly. Alec finally returns from 'lala' land and gives me his full attention.

I get up quickly and find the book I had recently re-shelved. "Here, look at this." I open the manual on Sewage Systems and find the map. I lay it across the floor so we can all see. Taking my tablet out, I pull the general map up and set it next to the map. I point my finger at the Sewage map. "You see here?" I ask excited that I've now figured out what struck that chord when I was staring at the map. "This is the map of the Sewage System. But there's a whole other trail just above it that's unlabeled. These tunnels run parallel to the halls, which I guess makes sense. If you look at the map of the facility that we use to make runs for work, and this map simultaneously, you can see that these passageways not only connect to everything on the original map, but there are also some passageways leading to places that aren't named or mentioned. If you look really closely it looks like there's a whole other floor beneath the storage area." I look up from the map to see my friends staring at me like I'm nuts.

"You totally lost me." Connor says.

"Yep, me too. What exactly are you getting at?" Alec asks.

I laugh. It's hard sometimes for me to verbalize what my brain is processing so instead I put it in laymen's terms. "Guys," I pause for dramatic effect. "I think these are hidden passageways." I look up to gauge their expressions.

Claire has a curious gleam in her eye but Connor busts out laughing hysterically. "Secret passage ways!"

I stare at him straight faced until he calms down.

"Hey it could be true. I heard a rumor about a spring somewhere down there that feeds into the mountain. It was one of the water source considerations when they set up the shelter. There must be some way down to it. What Willow says doesn't sound too far-fetched." Alec looks to me and I show him a grateful smile, surprised that he of all my friends would be supporting this crazy adventure.

Connor's face turns a little red at having been shut down, but he quickly gets over it. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out."

"Let's go check it out," Claire squeals. She gets up super-fast and reaches her hand out to me. I take it and she pulls me to my feet. She's got some good strength for a girl so small.

Alec and Connor meet us on the upright and I re-shelve the book. "Wait," says Connor. "We'll need that to know where we're going." He reaches for the book I'm shelving.

I gently stop his hand. "Remember Connor? Photographic memory." I point to my head for emphasis.

A look of realization dawns on Alec's face. "So that's how you do it."

We all break out in a laugh at Alec being clued in to how I manage to get my work done so quickly. The librarian turns around and yells at us to be quiet. I put my fingers over my lips and we slip out the door but not before the librarian gives us a dirty look.

When we get into the hall Alec is the first to break the silence. "Guys, I'm not sure if our plan will work, that extra tunnel could really just be an extended part of the sewage system and that's the last thing we want to climb around in." My eyes drop as I realize what he's saying. "But," Alec begins again giving me newfound hope. "I think I may know how we can still do this." All of us turn to Alec and give him our full attention. Alec pulls out his tablet and opens a map I hadn't seen before. "Perks of the job," he says answering my unasked question.

Connor and Claire inch closer to Alec and me as he punches in different options on his tablet. He pulls up a map of the lower level and it expands into a more detailed translation; one I hadn't seen before, it's the storage area. I take a mental picture of the gigantic space that takes up an entire level as Alec begins explaining. "This is where all of the supplies are kept for the different jobs in the facility. The sanitation department has rubber boots and other gear that would allow us to go into these tunnels. I'm not sure what's down there but we should be ready for the unexpected if you ask me."

We all nod our head in unison.

"So," I pause trying to gather my thoughts. "Once we get down there, how will we know where the stuff is that we would need? I mean, it's got to be a pretty big area to take up an entire floor. And, what if we get caught? "

A small smile escapes Alec's lips. "In answer to your questions Willow: a) I don't know how we'll know what stuff is where; and b) we won't get caught if no one sees us." A small gleam catches his eye as a mischievous grin escapes me. I guess that was confirmation enough for Alec that I'm game. He turns to Connor and Claire, "You guys in?" He asks simply.

They look at each other and then nod their heads. We look like a bunch of Cheshire cats grinning the way we are. We've been working our butts off; now it's time to play.

"Wait," Alec says. "Before we go, we've got to figure out what to do with the tablets."

I furrow my brow. "What do you mean 'do with our tablets?' We take them with us of course." I say like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

He lets out a small sigh. "Seriously, you haven't figured it out yet?"

"Figured out what," Claire interjects.

"Figured out that the tablets track your every move." Alec says. He continues, "Willow, how on earth did you think I would know that you help Claire and Connor when you run? Hmm?" He asks me. He doesn't wait for my response before he starts tapping into his tablet. A map pulls up of the facility with a bunch of red dots that are moving slowly across the screen. "Now, I only have access to the runners under my direction, but there's a large map in headquarters that has all of the residents of the entire facility being monitored simultaneously. Yeah, kind of creepy, I know." He puts his tablet back in his satchel that he carries and waits while we all brainstorm.

Claire raises her hand and we all laugh. Alec nods for her to share. "Okay, I think I have an idea." She looks around her to make sure the coast is clear then huddles closer. "So, Alec, you say that they track us by our tablets so we can't really leave them anywhere right? I mean, that would look pretty obvious if we sit in the same spot for several hours." Alec nods his head and she continues, "So what if I could guarantee that we'd leave them somewhere and they would move around throughout the day?"

Alec furrows his brows, "I'm listening."

"Okay," says Claire. "What if we found a way to tape them to the bottom of something that gets moved around all day." We all nod our heads waiting for the punch line. "So, I say we put them on the bottom of say, a maid cart, or the cafeteria carts?"

Connor begins jumping, "Claire, that rocks!" He pulls her into an excited hug and keeps jumping. Claire's body stiffens and her hands remain at her sides. Connor must sense this because he stops mid bounce. He clears his throat. "Sorry 'bout that. Just got excited." He looks down at his foot and I try and stifle a small laugh. It's super obvious that our group has cabin fever and needs this adventure really bad.

"So anyway," I say trying to change the subject. "Claire, I think you're onto something. Alec what do you think?" We all look to Alec for final approval.

"I think it's go time." He says with a smile on his face. "Okay, so here's the plan. I'm going to go into the office and grab a roll of heavy-duty tape and meet you all back here. Then we'll each go our separate ways, tape up our tablets and then meet by the elevators in the commons area. Sound like a plan?" We all nod our heads in agreement.

"Wait," I interject. "I mean, it sounds like a fail-safe plan, but how are we going to find our tablets when it's all said and done?" I hate to sound like a killjoy but it's a valid question.

"Good question, Willow." Alec responds. "All I have to do is retrieve mine first and then I can pull up each of your tablets locations. Maid carts and tray carts don't move that fast; I'm pretty sure we can manage to track them down. We all good with that?" Alec asks everyone.

"How are you going to find yours?" I ask.

He smiles at me. I feel a flutter in my stomach. "I'm going to be earning extra credit by working on my only day off. I'll just tape it to the underside of my desk."

"Clever." Connor says.

We all nod our heads in unison. "Okay, hands in." Alec puts his hand out in the middle of the circle. We each stick our hands out and put them on top of the other. "Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three..."

I'm not sure what we're supposed to do so I just stand there. We look at Alec a bit awkwardly, "Were we supposed to say something?" I ask Alec.

He just rolls his eyes and removes his hand. "Oh, never mind. Let's meet back up in half an hour." We all agree and disperse to find our secret hiding spots.

* * *

Thirty minutes later we've stashed our tablets and are waiting by the elevator in the commons area; all of us except Claire that is. "I wonder what's taking her so long," I say tapping my foot.

A few moments later Claire rounds the corner out of breath. "Sorry guys, the maid was trying to chase me down. She thought I was trying to steal her small shampoo bottles."

I let out a short laugh and push the down button on the elevator.

"Here goes nothing." I say to no one in particular.

We all pile in and Alec pushes the button at the bottom labeled 'S'. The elevator doors close and we jerk at the motion. The ride down seems to take forever. I'm not sure if it's just a long way down or if the elevator is just slow. My ears begin to pop at our descent so I'm guessing it's the former. After a good minute the elevator settles and the door opens. We shuffle off and the doors close.

Before us is a vast room at least ten stories high illuminated by dim track lighting. There are humongous wooden crates lined up for as far as the eye can see. Each crate is large enough to hold our entire group inside and then some. I count four different rows in the warehouse and immediately feel our plan fizzle. How are we going to be able to find what we need? "There has to be over one hundred crates in here. There's just no way--" I begin.

Claire cuts me off. "Well, there must be some organizational method or a map. They wouldn't just store crates like this where the contents are impossible to locate." Without another word Claire begins searching the area near the elevator doors. "Ah-ha," I hear her say from around the corner. "Found it!"

We all shuffle around the corner to find a piece of paper haphazardly taped to the right of the elevator. There is a label for each crate briefly telling of the department for which they belong. Claire takes her finger and begins searching for Sanitation. Her finger stops on one of the sections at the far end of the warehouse. "Here," she says. "I wish we could take this map with us. It's going to be hard to find."

"That would be my job," I say, taking in a mental snapshot of the map. "Follow me." My friends pause and look at me questionably, but once again I point to my head and without saying anything else they nod their heads.

It takes us a good five minutes to find the correct boxes. Not because they're hard for me to locate, but because of this area being so big. "If I'm right, they should be right...up...here." We stop in front of a stack of boxes.

Alec finds a latch on the side of the box and pulls the boarded door down. It lands with a loud thump as he lets it drop the last few feet to the ground. We all freeze at the sound. It doesn't look like anyone's in here, but with as vast as this place is we can never be sure. A few moments pass as we listen for any footsteps or voices. I breathe a small sigh of relief and watch as small bits of wood dust settle on the floor. Alec is the first to step into the crate. He finds a string and pulls on it. A light clicks on the ceiling of the crate and illuminates its contents. Shelves have been built on either side of the crate holding different sized cardboard boxes. Thankfully, these boxes are labeled. We all pile into it and begin searching for things we may need.

"I've got gloves," I hear Claire say.

"Here's some boots," Alec says as he wrestles a box to the floor.

"And here's some goggles?" Connor says like it's a question. "Not sure we'll need them but here they are," he says justifying his comment.

"Oh, here's some waders." I read the label on the box out loud.

We each drag our boxes out of the crate and open them together. I pull out several pairs of waders from mine and find they are a 'one size fits all,' which basically means I'll look like I'm drowning in them. Oh well, I think to myself. It's not like I'm going for fashionista of the month or anything. We pull out four of everything and then put away the boxes.

I look through the items and find the boots. Those are also a 'one size fits all.' They look like clown shoes if you ask me. They are so big that they can fit over my tennis shoes.

"Sweet! Look what I found," Connor exclaims from inside the crate. He brings out a small box placing it at my feet.

"What is it?" I ask.

He pries it open and pulls out a-- clothespin?

"Connor, why would we need clothespins? We have laundry facilities upstairs."

Connor gives a small laugh and jumps up. He opens the clothespin and says, "So we don't have to smell the poo!" He opens the wooden pin and holds it over the bridge of his nose. "See," He says in a nasal voice before he lets go of the clothespin all together. "Ta-ahhh! Owww!" His eyes are watering as he quickly pulls it off his nose.

We break out in hysterical laughter as he rubs the bridge of his now-red schnozzle. He glares at us and says, "That freaking hurt!" He crosses his arms over his chest to show us his displeasure with our laughter.

"I say bring those pins along Connor. We can always use them as a weapon against the sewer rats!" Claire jokes and puts her arm around Connor in a playful, conciliatory gesture. He blushes. All of the frustration is gone from his expression and he just looks at Claire with big dopey, infatuated eyes.

"Or the alligators. We can pin their mouths shut!" Alec jests.

The sweet look on Connor's face gives way to an annoyed grimace. "Very funny guys."

Claire's laugh diffuses the tension and Connor eventually joins in with the rest of us.

"Oh! There's still one more thing we need," says Claire. "Flashlights." We all give her a mm-hum and begin searching the contents. Thankfully, stuffed in the corner, there is a small box labeled flashlights.

"Let's just hope they have batteries," I mumble to myself.

We each grab a pair of gloves, waders, boots, goggles and a flashlight and start changing. Once I get mine on I turn to the others. I almost pee myself at the sight of them. I immediately begin laughing hysterically unable to control myself.

We look absolutely ridiculous. Our goggles are way too big for our face, and the waders in and of themselves are a sight to be seen with the way they hike up to our armpits and hang from suspenders.

We gain control over ourselves and start closing things up, boots squeaking as we waddle about.

I feel like a penguin hobbling around with these clown shoes on. I stop mid stride, "Wait. Why exactly are we wearing all this gear now? Can't we take it off? At least the boots, until we get there?" I reach down and take off the boots leaving my shoes on underneath and the others follow suit.

"Okay," Alec begins. "I guess we need to figure out how to get downstairs, or at least where we can gain access to those tunnels."

All three of them turn to look at me. "What?" I say. "Oh, yeah, photographic memory." As if I need to remind myself.

I look around at where we are. "Well, if memory serves me right, and it usually does, there's some sort of entrance a few feet to the left of the rear elevator. I'm not sure what kind of entrance it is, but it had the lines on the blueprint like it was a door of some sort."

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road," Connor says with a little too much enthusiasm.

It doesn't take us long before we can see the elevator shaft about twenty feet ahead of us. Claire stops suddenly and holds out her hand to quiet us, not that we were making much noise in the first place. "Do you hear that?" Claire whispers.

We all stop and look around listening to the silence. Then I hear it, a small clanking sound coming from the direction of the elevators.

"We need to hide, and fast," Alec whispers in a panic. He ushers us all in behind a large grouping of boxes near the rear wall. We get as far back as we can and kneel on the ground. We are all huddled close together.

I'm leaning against Alec and my nose is so close to his neck that I can smell his aftershave. It smells like mint and spices. Alec holds his finger up to his lips to quiet us.

I notice that the boxes are all labeled with the number three. I cringe, hoping that the odd number isn't some sort of omen. My heart starts pounding and I pray that I don't have another one of those panic attacks.

We hear the sound of the elevator coming to a stop and the doors open. Instantly I hear Candy's trademark laugh as her and her minions step off the elevator. I squeeze back further into our corner trying to become one with the box behind us.

Alec must sense my anxiousness because I feel his hand enclose mine. I freeze not knowing what to do. Heat rushes to my cheeks. I've never really held a boy's hand before, at least not a boy that I'm not related to. It feels comfortable and safe. It also feels—I don't know, different. Good different.

I'm pulled back to the situation at hand when I hear several pairs of footsteps staggering around on the hard cement floor. "Dude, she's totally wasted," a male voice says.

"I ammm not," I hear Candy say accenting the 't'. She sounds completely out of it, or drunk. I hear a heavy thud on the floor and one of the guys mutters a slew of cuss words.

"Help her up man, she keeps falling." This guy doesn't sound that sober either. Their steps move closer to where we are and I try and scoot back more in hopes of becoming invisible. I feel Alec's arms wrap around me. My heart flutters but for a different reason this time. He's the only thing keeping me grounded right now. With the way things are sounding out there, God only knows what would happen if they found us. They seem pretty wasted, but I have no doubt that Candy will tattle on us in an instant. Not that they should be down here in the first place, but who would get in trouble in that situation, the rich kids or us?

"Did you find the—stuff?" Candy asks slurring the words together. She lets out a loud laugh and I cringe.

"Oh man, she is so out of it," one of the guys says. "Here, you take her so I can try and find the box." The footsteps stop only a few feet from us. I can see them clearly now and hold my breath. If they were to turn around, we would be spotted for sure. There are three of them: Candy, Zack, and some other guy who's holding Candy up. I don't know his name, but I remember seeing him before in Zack's room.

The guy hands Candy over to Zack who has to stagger back a few steps as he adjusts to the added weight of his sister. "Hurry up man; she's getting heavy."

The guy holds his tablet and presses a few buttons. "K, it says medical supplies should be on the next row, about four boxes down. It'll have a red cross label on the side." Zack repositions Candy and they begin walking away.

I listen to their heavy footsteps as they move further and further away. I suddenly feel light headed and realize I hadn't breathed. I let out a swoosh of breath, feeling remarkably safer now that they aren't so close.

"I'm going to see if the coast is clear," Alec whispers a minute later. "Just stay here." Alec squeezes my shoulders and gets up from behind me. The sudden loss of his touch makes me feel cold. He was the only thing keeping me from going into panic mode.

I watch as Alec peeks around the corner. He stays there for a moment then comes back towards us. "Okay, they're far enough away now that they won't be able to see us if we're quiet. Let's just go quickly so they don't find out we're here." Alec tells us in a hushed whisper. We all nod our heads and slowly get up. Alec goes to the corner again and makes sure the coast is still clear.

He ushers us forward with his hand and leads us out into the open. I walk quickly and quietly feeling utterly exposed. I really don't want to find out what would happen if they saw us or what type of reprimand we would receive if we get caught down here.

We manage to get past the elevators and to the area where the blueprints said a door should be. I don't find a door, but I do find a large metal grate located on the back wall just feet from where I'm standing. I quietly walk towards it pointing to it so the others will see. This has to be it! It's about four feet in diameter so it's definitely large enough for the normal human to move through it. I run my fingers along the edges of the grate trying to find a way to open it. Disappointment elopes me as I figure out you'd need a screwdriver to get it open. I put my head in my hand frustrated with the situation. We got this far only to be stopped by a few simple screws.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and look back to find Connor standing there holding out a Swiss-army-knife. He whispers, "May I?"

I look up at him surprised and wondering how he managed to sneak that into the facility. Maybe like how I snuck that shot out of Cabby's room. A spear hits my heart as I'm reminded of my little brother and my mom. I haven't thought about them in a week. This is not the time to lose my self, so I nod my head at Connor as he goes to work.

He works quickly and quietly handing me each screw as he takes them out. Two minutes and eight screws later, Connor starts to remove the grate. It makes a small scraping sound. He immediately stops and we listen to see if they heard us. We breathe a sigh of relief when we hear no sign of Candy nor her minions.

With the exception of a few more squeaks, Connor manages to shimmy the grate off fairly quietly. The crawl space is large enough to crawl through comfortably so I silently volunteer to go first. I put on my boots and get on my hands and knees. I crawl in awkwardly and the others follow behind.

The concrete tubes are cold and hard against my knees. I move forward far enough to allow everyone room to get inside and then I wait. Connor is the last to crawl in. After he's inside he grabs the grate off the floor and sets it up against the wall. It makes a small thud and I inwardly cringe. Connor snaps around and waves his hand for me to hurry up and go. I crawl through the shaft as quickly as I can. The further we move away from the opening the darker the tunnels get. We don't want to chance turning on the flashlights just yet so I move along through the dark, using nothing but my memory as a guide. Soon I come up on a turn and am grateful, as I know it will give us the cover we so desperately need.

Once we're all huddled together around the corner I call them in together for a quick meeting. Connor turns on a flashlight from the back and illuminates our group. My eyes feel a bit blinded by the white light but it's nice not to be wrapped in absolute darkness. "Okay, so right now we're in a shaft that leads to the sewers below. There's going to be a lot of twists and turns and uphill/downhill climbs before we're going to get there. Just stay with me okay? I know exactly where I'm going." I nod my head and turn back around not waiting for confirmation from my friends. The last thing I need is someone to doubt me, which could make me doubt myself. Lord only knows where we'd end up then.

Crawling around in the tunnels makes for an interesting challenge. The light from the flashlight bounces up and down against the concrete walls with Connor's movements. I don't know how he's holding it while crawling, but I'm grateful for the light even though it's bouncing all over the place. With all the gear on we end up squeaking and making all kinds of racket. My knees and hands are sore from bearing the weight of my body. Thankfully we don't have much further to go. We round the last uphill turn and almost run smack dab into a large metal plate. "Well, I guess this is it," I say. We are finally in a spot that gives us all standing room so we slowly get up. If I didn't know better, I'd say you could hear the creaking of our knees as we stood.

Alec looks at me bewildered. "I still can't believe you just did that from memory. I wouldn't have been able to do that in a thousand years!" I give him a small nervous laugh.

"Seriously, Willow. You really do rock," Connor says. Claire gives an agreeing smile and inwardly, I feel like a million bucks.

"Okay, so I guess we'd better get ready. This is probably going to be pretty nasty." We all pull our goggles on and Connor moves up to the front to help get the metal plate off. Alec moves past me to help Connor who hands Claire the flashlight. She points it at them. Connor's knife comes in handy again as he pulls out more screws. He sets them on the ground and he and Alec start moving the plate away.

My eyes transfix on Alec's arms as the strain of the heavy plate becomes apparent. His muscles tense as they work to lower it to the ground. I didn't realize how muscular and strong Alec was.

"Willow." Alec calls my name.

I immediately snap out of my trance and feel embarrassed. They've set the plate on the floor and he's motioning for me to lead us again. I wonder if he noticed me staring. I clear my throat. "Okay, let's move." I inwardly cringe as my voice sounds flustered.

We have to crouch to walk through the opening but we get to stand back up on the other side. I look around and notice that we're standing on a large platform.

Claire moves to the ledge and illuminates the nine-foot drop down to the sewer tunnel with her flashlight.

Without hesitation, Alec hangs off the edge and jumps down gracefully, followed by Connor.

Claire and I inch up towards the edge. Both of us take our goggles off to get a better view. "Isn't there a ladder or something," I say to no one in particular. Alec comes towards me and reaches out his hands. "Here, I'll catch you. Just jump."

I stare at him blankly. "Just jump?" Ha, it's that easy.

He pulls his goggles off and nods his head.

I can't believe I'm going to do this. I squeeze my eyes shut and shimmy off the edge of the landing, I hang there for a few seconds before I take the plunge. I feel a slight free-fall feeling in my stomach before a pair of hands wrap around my waist. My fall is broken and I'm lowered slowly to the ground. I open my eyes to find Alec's hands still around my waist. "You okay?" he turns me around to ask, but keeps both hands on my waist as if he's worried I might lose my balance or something.

I nod my head, afraid to talk for fear my voice might break. Butterflies are dancing in my stomach and my pulse is speeding up. I imagine that I can feel the warmth of his hands around my waist, but logically I know that it's impossible for his body heat to transfer through the thick rubber lining of my waders.

We stare at each other for a second, both of our eyes seeming heavy with some sort of feeling, until Alec wakes up from whatever trance this was. He removes his hands from my waist.

I clear my throat and turn away from Alec so he doesn't see the red flushing my face. I watch as Connor helps Claire down in the same way. I can see the baby pink blush fill her cheeks from having physical contact with Connor. The tunnel is fixated with a slight awkwardness that runs thick in the air.

I grab my flashlight out and turn it on. Connor picks his up from the ground too. We look around at the 'sewage tunnel' in front of us and stare at it for a few seconds realizing that this tunnel is missing one thing: sewage. Back home when I was younger, I would go to the sewage tunnels near the creek by our house. They were about the size of the ones we're in right now, but that's where the similarities stop. The ones by my house always had dirty water running out from somewhere. They also had this distinct smell that would intensify the further in you went. This tunnel just smells slightly musty, like nothing really.

I look to the others who seem just as confused as I am. "This isn't like any sewer I've ever seen," I say aloud. The others furrow their brows and nod in agreement.

"Maybe if we walk further in, things will start to change," says Alec. Leave it to Alec to make sense of a confusing situation.

"Well, Willow, lead the way," Claire says ushering me forward.

Girls in the front and guys in the back; that's how we walk down the long, never-ending tunnel. Strangely, the scenery never changes, it's just cement tunnels, clean as a whistle. I keep listening for dripping water, or some sounds that a typical sewer would make, but come up short. No rats, no sewage, nothing.

As we walk, Claire leans in and whispers to me, "I think he likes you."

I nervously peak behind me to make sure the guys didn't hear. "Who?" I ask her.

She gets a mischievous grin on her face. "Alec, that's who. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

I gawk at her. "Uh, no he doesn't. Besides, I see how Connor looks at you. Now, he's the one that's got it bad!" She smacks me on the shoulder playfully and we giggle.

I turn back to look at the guys and find that we have definitely sparked their attention.

"Something funny ladies?" Alec calls from behind us.

We try and stifle our laughs. "Nope, we're good." I call back to him. Claire elbows me in the arm and I return the favor.

We walk for another ten minutes or so. Claire and I tease each other back and forth, "Does too." "Does not." The guys just roll their eyes at us.

Claire stops suddenly, staring ahead like a deer caught in headlights, not moving. "Do you hear that?"

We all look around exchanging glances of confusion. "Are you hearing things again Claire?" I jab at her.

She doesn't blink an eye. "No, listen. It's like water rippling or dripping; I'm not sure which. Don't you hear it?"

I look to the guys. We shake our heads in unison. "Uh, no Claire, we don't hear anything."

We walk a few yards forward and then the faint sound of something ahead penetrates my ears. Like Claire said, it sounds like water dripping.

"I hear it now," I say. We make our steps lighter as we edge closer to the source of the noise.

It seems dimmer all of a sudden and I look up to see that Connor's flashlight went out. "Good thing we brought extra batteries," He says.

I shine my light on Connor as he digs through his bag to get more batteries. I stifle a chuckle at Connor's appearance. He looks goofy since he's the only one still wearing the goggles.

Alec moves to pull out his flashlight but I say, "No, lets save the other two flashlights for later. Obviously they kill batteries quickly so we should have backups."

Alec nods.

Connor's light flickers back on as he snaps the battery cover back in place. We start moving again. This time Alec is by my side as we walk. The further we go the louder the dripping sound becomes. In fact, it doesn't sound like just one drip but several drips of water hitting different surfaces. If you listen just right and open your imagination you can nearly hear a melody playing out by the inconsistent drips.

We keep walking and I realize that I'm no longer leading us by my memory because the recorded map of the tunnels has already ended. I wonder why the map stopped if the tunnels keep going. I can tell we're moving uphill by the burn and strain my calves are feeling. The dripping sound starts to get muffled as we move upwards. We walk higher up for a few more minutes until our flashlights hit a brick wall up ahead.

"Ah, lame!" Connor calls back from behind us. He rips off his goggles and throws them on the ground.

Disappointment washes over me as I stare at the brick and mortar that blocks our path signaling the end of our journey.

"Hey, it's okay. This was still fun." Alec rubs his hand on my back in a comforting gesture.

I look up at him and realize that we're standing only a breath apart. Alec looks radiant in the dim light and I can see that he really means what he said. He did have fun. I still feel let down that we didn't find something amazing in here but I have to admit that the sense of adventure was still worth it. It was something to do and I got to do it with Alec; a guy I probably never would have hung out with in another life.

"Yeah, it was fun." I say in a whisper as I stare up at his glowing green eyes that seem to be pulling me hypnotically towards him.

"Ah-hum!" Connor clears his throat loud enough to break my daze. We turn in his direction to see him standing over Claire who has her ear pressed to the ground.

When we walk back over to them, she sits up and says, "It's down there. Listen." She puts her ear back to the ground and we all get down following suit.

I groan when I move to my knees. It feels like they're covered in a thousand bruises.

"Shh!" Claire says.

I put my hands up and whisper, "sorry."

"Listen." She gestures for me to put my ear to the ground. I comply this time and I hear the dripping sound. We're right above it! I look up at her with wide eyes.

"How can we get down there?" Alec sits up and asks.

"I don't know but there has to be a way. Let's retrace our steps." We all get up. This time we pull out all four flashlights and bounce them all around the tunnel walls as we walk slowly.

"Got it!" Alec calls out a minute later. I run a few feet ahead to where he is. His flashlight is illuminating a circular metal grate on the floor. It's less than three feet in diameter. We must have walked right past it earlier. We can hear the dripping much clearer from the holes in it.

"Hey Connor, want to give me a hand with this?" Alec asks.

Connor runs up and sees what we're looking at. "Score!" He says with excitement. He pulls out his knife yet again and starts working on the screws. This grate takes a while longer to pry loose. He has to pull out over twenty screws. Once they're all out both he and Alec work to remove the cover.

We all stand shoulder to shoulder around the now open hole in the ground. We shine our flashlights down into the pit and find another drop, this one closer to ten-feet, which drops down to a new tunnel. We look back up at each other and silently ask the question of who should go first. Connor volunteers by raising his hand and waiving it around excitedly.

"Wait, if we drop down there, how are we going to get back up?" I ask.

"Good question," Alec answers. "I think we need to plan this through a bit better. Plus, I think it has to be getting close to dinner time."

My stomach growls loudly in response at the thought of dinner. We got so caught up in what we were doing that we didn't even stop to eat our granola bars.

Claire nods her head in agreement. "I think that's wise. We should head back and perhaps try again next Sunday..." She looks up at Alec and asks, "Wait, do you think we will get another day off together next Sunday?"

Alec smiles and says, "I schedule the time off so I don't see why not." We all smile at his answer.

"We could probably find some sort of make shift ladder to bring with us next time." I add.

Connor looks really disappointed but then says, "I guess if we're all going to be sensible then we ought to head back." He places the metal grate over the hole but leaves the screws off. Hopefully nobody will come down here and find it tampered with. For good measure he puts the screws in his pockets so they aren't as noticeable.

We turn and start heading back the way we came. Claire calls out, "Wait!" We all turn back to her. She's still standing by the grate and I'm wondering if she changed her mind about taking on this adventure later. She grins really big and pulls at her giant rubber waders. "I say we leave these here. Just in case we need them next time."

We all start laughing as if we all just remembered how ridiculous we look. "Good idea Claire-bear." Connor says. We all stop laughing just long enough to give him a strange look over his new found nick name for Claire. I look over to see her icy blue eyes smiling up at him. I guess she likes it.

I'm the first to start stripping off all the unnecessary gear. "Yep, no use in bringing all this back with us." Alec stares at me and I suddenly feel self-conscious taking off the rubber wader pants. I have my scrubs on below it but it still seems a little weird. He recognizes that I must feel awkward because he averts his eyes and then starts taking off his gear.

A few minutes later we have a giant pile of gear, minus the flashlights, stacked in a neat pile. "We should probably hide this stuff. I mean, I'm not sure how often people come down here but there's no reason to raise a red flag."

"Yeah that sounds good." Alec says. He and Connor pull the grate off again. We shove our stuff clumsily down the hole then re-cover it again.

"Let's go." I lead them out of the tunnels. We get stuck at the platform where we jumped from earlier. I guess we should have thought of the same, how are we going to get back up plan before we made this jump.

We shine our lights around looking for something to aid us in climbing up. I know the guys can lift us up but how are they going to get up there.

After finding nada, we decide that Connor will give Alec a boost up and then he will go in search of a rope. Connor gets down on all fours and Alec steps onto his back like he's a human step stool. Connor lets out a grunt as Alec's weight hits him. Alec still has to jump even with the boost Connor gave him. He jumps, then quickly grabs a hold of the ledge and slowly starts pulling himself up. For a second he struggles and I wonder if he's going to fall, but eventually he makes his way up.

"I'll be right back." He says mostly to me once he's safely on the platform. He leaves and we wait.

Thirty minutes passes by as we twiddle our thumbs at the bottom of the platform. "I should have gone with him." I say. "I don't know if he'll remember his way back or not."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Connor says. He pulls out one of the granola bars we packed and opens it up. We all take a small piece of it and chow down gratefully. My stomach still feels hungry.

Two more granola bars and another thirty minutes later Alec still hasn't returned. Both Claire and Connor are sitting on the floor leaning against the platform wall. They look on the verge of falling asleep. I pace back and forth as a worrisome nausea grows in my stomach. I think of the possibilities of Alec being lost out there. Or worse, maybe he got caught.

"I need to go." I look at Connor who is nodding off. "Help me up." I shake his arm to wake him.

"Huh?" He says before clearing his vision.

"Help me up." I say pointing to the top of the platform. "I'm going to go find him."

"Um, okay." He stands up slowly. I guess today's adventure took a lot of energy out of him. Or it could be the lack of protein. "How do you want to do this? Do you want to stand on my back like Alec did or do you want to get on my shoulders?"

I gauge the nine-foot distance and try to remember my tree climbing skills from way back in the day. I'm not sure if I have enough upper body strength so I opt for the shoulders.

"Okay then." He leans down really low to the ground. "You stand on my shoulders and then slowly I will raise you up. Just stay close to the wall and use it to balance yourself."

"Okay." I say nervously as I stand on his shoulders. I'm a little more than a foot off the ground and he hasn't even started to stand yet. I'm already feeling wobbly. "Just go slowly please."

He complies and moves slowly off his knees. He inches up to where he's halfway standing. "Can you grab the ledge?" He asks through grunted teeth as my hand gets closer to the top.

"Almost there." Claire calls in support from behind me.

The ledge is just above me so I inch up on my tippy toes and grab ahold of it. Connor stumbles in that second and I start to wobble. "Crap!" I feel like I'm about to fall so I make a last ditch effort to grab at the ledge that is now just above me. I miss and start falling sideways slightly. Connor's hands grip onto my feet and it slows my fall for a second but then gravity takes its ultimate toll and pulls me down to the cold hard concrete with Connor on my tail. It feels like slow motion as I reach my left arm out in front of me to break my fall. No use, it snaps under the weight of my body. I feel my ankle twisting as Connor falls awkwardly on top of me and it all ends with a teeth chattering slam of my head into the concrete. Stars burst in my eyes and the air is knocked out of me as the world goes black.

"Willow!" I hear my name being called over and over again through the thick fog. I ignore it because this darkness is a comforting bliss. "Willow!" They call again. With each call of my name I feel more and more pain. It starts with a light prickle in my ankle, then moves to a radiating pain in my skull. When the fire comes and washes over my arm, it comes with a high pitch wailing sound. The cry calls out to me over and over until I open my eyes to find Connor and Claire leaning over me.

"Oh my gosh, Willow, are you okay? Speak to me!" Claire runs to my side.

I try to answer her over the loud moans in the background and it's not until I reach for my voice that I realize the cries are coming from inside me. My arm is still twisted in the wrong angle and I can see from the horror in her eyes that it must look as bad as it feels.

Tears are flowing freely down my face and I feel the sweat breaking out on my forehead as I become more and more conscious of my injuries. "It hurts." I cry. A thousand shooting stars fly across my vision as I try to move my arm to my side. I wail again in pain.

"We have to help her." Claire calls to Connor who looks like he's frozen in place. Not knowing what to do.

I writhe around on the ground crying out. My head feels like it's going to explode with every movement I make. An intense nausea makes my stomach roll.

"What the?!" I hear someone land on the ground next to me and then those green eyes are staring at me full of concern. He pushes the sweat-drenched hair from my face. "What happened?" He calls back to the others but doesn't move his eyes from mine.

I lock onto those eyes and imagine that somehow they can heal me, take the pain away from me.

"She fell." Claire cries hysterically.

He looks down at me, worry and fear display on his expression as he reads the pain in my eyes, the pain in my cries. "I'm going to get you help, Willow." He turns to look at Connor who's still frozen. In the absence of those green eyes I feel the pain again. I cry out and he flinches.

"Look Connor, you need to help Claire up first." He addresses Claire. "Claire, you let down the ladder I brought and Connor and I will hoist Willow up."

"Okay." She says panicked. They move away from us to start going to work. A few minutes later her flashlight is beaming down at us from above.

Alec's eyes return to me and I feel that peace again, that reprieve from pain. Even though it's probably psychological I hold onto it. He strokes my hair back comfortingly. "I'm going to have to move you now. It's going to hurt, but I have to get you out of here." He says.

I nod and continue to stare at him through my blurred eyes. His emerald eyes look kind of like a water painting to me through all of the tears.

"Okay Connor, come help me." He calls out.

A second later Connor's at my side. "I'm so sorry Willow, I'm so sorry." He sounds so sad and pitiful but I don't look at him. I just focus on Alec's eyes to get me through. "Is o-ka-y." I grunt out.

"We need to move now Connor. She needs to get to the clinic quickly. You climb up. I'm going to hand her off to you at the top." Alec says.

"Yes." Connor hastily leaves my side and climbs the ladder. Alec looks back into my eyes and says, "Do you think you can hold onto me with your right arm?"

I think about it for a second which makes my head hurt. It feels like I'm swimming through fog but eventually I agree. He nods then hoists me up into his arms. I cry out in pain and he flinches. "I'm sorry, you're going to be okay babe."

I don't think anything of the intimate reference, my brain isn't working right anyhow. It's turning to mush as the shooting stars play across my vision.

Alec stands up holding me cradled to his chest. I put my right arm around him. "I know it hurts but you need to hang on okay? Don't close your eyes."

My eyelids flutter and I feel like closing them.

He jostles me a little which sends the pain shooting back up my left arm and down in my leg. "Can you do that for me?" He asks intently.

"Yes." I say in a throaty voice that doesn't sound like mine. He starts to climb. He uses only one arm to climb and in the other he carries me. It takes him a while to move up a few rungs in the ladder. In fact due to the pain I'm writhing in, those few moments seem like an eternity. My right arm starts losing its grip as my body starts to shut down, blacking out from the pain again.

"No, you need to stay awake. I need your help Willow!" He calls loudly into my ear. It startles me and I work to pull myself away from the blackness. I tighten my one armed grip on him again. He moves up a few more rungs and then I feel myself being hoisted up onto the platform by Connor. Alec pulls himself up a minute later and then takes me in his arms once again. This time he doesn't ask me to hold on. I sink my head into his chest and I let the blackness take me off to a land that has no pain.

# CHAPTER 7

### Forty-two days inside

The steady rhythm of beeps pulls me out of a drug-induced sleep. I see the light behind my eyelids before I open them. My eyes cringe as I slowly squint more and more. The stark white walls make me feel cold and I shiver. My head feels thick and heavy.

"Honey." My dad is at my side in an instant pushing my unruly curls out of my face.

I try to process everything through my brain as I notice the sterile medical equipment and the monitors. I look down at my right arm where there's an IV sticking out my hand. I try to move but it hurts.

"Don't push it. Just rest honey, you're safe." My dad says. I turn towards his voice and find him in a yellow hospital outfit complete with a clear face mask. I try blinking my eyes a few times to clear the cobwebs.

My left arm is throbbing and I look down to find a bright white cast covering the lower half of it. It's held up in a navy blue sling. My left leg is elevated in another sling above the bed. It looks like half my body is broken. Everything starts flooding back.

"Where am I?" I say in a dry throaty voice that cracks half way through. My dad grabs a cup with a straw from a metal tray table next to me. He puts it up to my lips and I greedily take in the thirst quenching water. It feels luxurious as it slides down my sandpaper dry throat. I look up at my dad waiting for an explanation.

"You're in the hospital honey. Don't you remember what happened?" He asks me worriedly.

I do and my heart starts to beat as I wonder what kind of trouble we're in. Did they find out where we were? I opt to play dumb so I shake my head.

"Your friends said that you were trying to climb some cement steps behind the pool area and slipped. Had a pretty nasty fall. It's a wonder you didn't break more bones."

Yes, lucky indeed, I think to myself. It's not like I like the fact that my friends told my dad a bold face lie but what other choice did they have? It still doesn't explain why my dad is dressed the way he is. How would I be contagious if I just broke some bones?

"What time is it?" I ask, my head pounds with each word I spit out.

My dad furrows his brow then a look of understanding passes over him. "Time, you ask?"

I nod my head.

"Well..." He glances at his watch. "It's five till six."

"In the morning?" I ask.

My dad nods his head in confirmation. In that moment I begin to notice, behind his mask, the purple bags that have formed under his eyes, as well as his 'way beyond five o'clock shadow' growing on his face.

"Wow, I didn't realize I'd been out for that many hours." I say. It doesn't seem like any time has passed really.

"Hours?" my dad questions. "Honey, you've been out for days...four to be exact."

"Four days!" My voice cracks at the attempt of yelling. My dad simply nods his head. I lay my head back on the pillow trying to let this sink in and groan from the pain that radiates through my skull. I reach my hand back to rub the spot that hurts the worse and feel a goose egg sized knot there. Yikes, I really must have slammed it into the ground. It's a wonder I don't have amnesia or something worse.

"Do you feel okay? Would you like me to get the nurse?" He hovers over me for a second until I wave him off.

"Well I feel like I got hit by a semi-truck, but I don't need the nurse. I was just surprised that four days went by without my knowing it."

"Yes, I was so scared Willow. The doctors assured me that you would be okay, but still." His face grows serious. "You have to be more careful. I couldn't handle it if I lost you too." His eyes start to tear up and mine begin mimicking his.

"So dad, why are you wearing all that getup? It's not like breaking bones is contagious or anything." My dad lets out a small laugh, apparently relieved that I changed the subject.

"Well, with all the scrapes you got when you fell, you contracted something called MRSA."

I give him a confused look. "What's MRSA?"

"MRSA is a type of staph infection you can get from having multiple abrasions." He doesn't wait for me to respond before he goes on. "They did a routine test when you went in for surgery for your arm. You broke it in two places. The test came back positive for MRSA, that's why you're hooked up to an IV right now. For the antibiotics, and also the pain medicine. Because they caught it early, they're hoping they can kill the MRSA in a few weeks or so. Now your bones are going to take a bit longer to heal."

I just stare at my dad trying to let it all sink in, multiple broken bones and MRSA. He must realize how I'm feeling because his face lightens up and he changes the subject. "So, now that you're up, there's been something I've wanted to ask you."

I wipe at my eyes with my one good hand and look at him.

"Who's Alec?"

The mention of his name makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "Alec?" I question, my voice cracking, even though I know darn well who he's talking about.

"Mm-hmm," my dad says. I look at him with a semi-confused expression so he continues. "The reason I ask is that he seems to be mighty concerned about your wellbeing. And when I say mighty concerned, I mean almost territorial. He's been up here visiting during _all_ his free time."

I know I'm blushing; I can feel it. "Alec's just a friend dad. A friend from work," I stutter. Woot, ten points to Willow for a quick comeback answer! I don't know why, but it feels weird talking to my dad about Alec. Even more bizarre to hear his name come from my dad's lips. We've never really had 'the talk' or any conversation related to boys. I mean when you're holed up inside a house with your family for the first part of your high school career, there really isn't a need.

"So, he's just a friend...from work?" My dad questions again.

"Dad," I say trying to feign annoyance.

He raises his hands in an act of innocence and sits back down.

As if on cue someone raps softly against the door. I half expect to find the nurse coming in to give me meds or something but my mouth drops open at the sight of Alec, at six in the morning. Now I see what my dad is talking about when he said the word _all_ before, as in _all_ his free time.

My heart starts fluttering when he looks in my direction. _Swoon!_ Is it just my imagination, but does Alec look exceptionally hot this morning, even through the ridiculous mask? He has some stubble growing on his chin, which makes him look a little older than seventeen. He looks happy to see me but worried at the same time.

"Alec," I begin, not sure what to say.

Instead of saying anything to me he acknowledges my father first. "Hello Mr. Mosby. It's good to see you again."

My dad cracks a smile, "Indeed." An awkward pause follows as my dad looks to Alec, back to me and back at Alec again. "Oh, right. I'm going to get a cup of coffee. Can I get either of you anything?" My dad asks rubbing his hands on his pants.

Alec and I shake our heads.

"Okay then," my dad says getting up from his chair. He steps into the hallway and turns back towards me. "I'll be out here if you need anything," he says leaving the door slightly ajar. He peeks his head back in a second later, "Anything at all."

"Thanks dad," I say waving goodbye to him. The door never meets the hinge; I'm guessing my dad meant for it not to. _Awkward._

Alec crosses the room towards me and puts his hands in his pockets. "So," he says while balancing back on his heels. "I'm glad to see you up, I mean not up, awake is what I meant," he stammers.

His response cracks me up. I've never seen him so flustered, it's kind of endearing. "Hey," I say reaching for his arm. "It's all good. Look, I'm fine. Just a little banged up is all. And, I have you to thank." I drop my eyes, and my hand realizing how intimate my voice just sounded. My cheeks turn an unnatural shade of red. I'm not sure at what point things got awkward between us, but the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"I would say you're a lot more than a little banged up." He scans my many casts and slings then adds, "I was really freaked out!" His eyes show more worry, then they lighten up and he stares down at my lips. "I'm just glad you're okay, that's all."

We stare at each other for several seconds somehow speaking unnecessary words with our eyes. My heart begins fluttering as Alec leans in like he wants to kiss my cheek. Could he be aiming at my lips? I've never kissed a boy and my heart goes wild with the thought. The only thing separating us is a foot of air and that stupid mask.

My dad peaks his head in the door at the same instant and Alec launches himself away from the bed.

"Oh, hey dad," I say with an unnaturally high pitched voice. I don't even have time to process what just happened.

"Alec, Willow," my dad says curtly before sitting back down in his appointed seat with his newly filled cup of coffee. "Oh, don't mind me you two, just pretend I'm not here."

_Oh. My. Gosh_. If I could crawl in a hole right now I so would. My cheeks are filled with an intense heat.

"So," Alec interjects looking all too calm. "Don't worry about work; looks like you'll be needing to take it easy for a while. But hey, if you feel like you're up for doing something but can't be a runner yet, I could really use some help in the office. You know, filing papers and that sort of thing." Alec swallows hard and I can tell he's trying to keep his cool.

My dad takes a loud slurp of his coffee and turns the page of a magazine. "Oh wow, look at that. There's a quiz here on how to keep a boyfriend. Yep, I'm gonna have to take that one."

I try and stifle a laugh. I think this is my dad's way of saying visiting hours are over.

As if on cue, Alec looks at his wrist, where a watch would go if he had one. "Would you look at that, I've got to get to work," he says. "I guess I'll be seeing you around Willow." He asks it in a more question type of statement.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks for stopping by; it means a lot. Tell Connor and Claire I'm doing fine, okay?"

"Will do," he says.

"Have a good day Mr. Mosby." Alec turns on his heel and walks out the door.

# CHAPTER 8

### Sixty-three days inside

Alec, Connor and Claire visit me often over the next three weeks. The doctors said I have to stay in the hospital until the last of my surgeries are completed. The MRSA was gone by the two-week mark. They've already done two minor surgeries on my arm since I broke it in several different places. They have a final surgery scheduled later this week to finish their repair work.

My leg is healing up. It turns out it was just a major sprain, no broken bones. They've done a few CT scans of my head and said that there's no damage there. The doctor made a joke about me having a very nice brain and I laughed accordingly even though it kind of creeped me out. I really don't like hospitals nor all of these scans, tests and surgeries. They make me feel too vulnerable and weak.

The plus side of my stay is that every day before work and after work Alec comes to see me. It drives my dad insane but makes me smile. Connor and Claire come several times a week too, always together. Connor always brings a deck of cards to entertain. One time, when I had all three of them here, we had a ridiculous competition to see who could eat the most pudding cups in under a minute. Connor won by two. The nurse came in a few seconds later and got to see the aftermath. Needless to say I am now limited to two visitors at a time and my pudding privileges have been revoked.

My dad was given a small reprieve from work when I first injured myself, but he had to go back after the first week. So most days it's just me, the television which only plays old re-runs, the remote control, and a nice stack of schoolwork. I am so sick of soap opera reruns that I could scream.

When the day finally comes for my release I nearly hop out of bed.

"Now, don't you be jostling your arm around like that, you hear? Or you'll be back here faster than a drunken girl in stilettoes." I let out a nasally laugh. My nurse has got to be one of the funniest ladies I've ever met. She gives me bottle of pain pills and my discharge orders. The orders state that I need to stay off my leg as much as possible and that I can't return to normal work duties for another three weeks.

I get home about ten minutes later after hobbling most of the way. It only takes twenty more minutes for me to realize that I can't stay in here for another three weeks. I'll go insane.

Alec made sure to remind me on every visit that his offer still stood to help him in the office when I got out. I pull out my tablet and do a quick one finger text to my dad telling him that I'm going in to work. He doesn't like the idea and makes sure to voice his opinion in all caps.

I send him a return message stating that I love him then throw my tablet back into my satchel bag and strap it around my waist. I'm so grateful that Claire brought my tablet to me the following day after I broke my arm. That was one less thing I had to explain to my dad, or worse to the authorities...why my tablet would have been found on the underside of a maid cart.

It takes me fifteen minutes to make the trip to headquarters. Usually I can make it in less than five, but I have to stop several times to rest and catch my breath. Since when did I turn into such an old lady? Alec jumps up from his desk and runs over to me to hold the door open so I can limp through it.

"Hey there super trooper!" Alec grins and his green eyes light up.

"Hey." I say a bit out of breath. I try to blow the hair out from my eyes and catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection of a picture frame. I look like a hot mess! The hair in front of my face is slightly drenched in sweat and my curls are sticking out this way and that. Alec reaches his hand up to push my hair out of my face but he drops it quickly when he looks around the office. Some people have glanced up to stare at us from their desks.

Alec clears his throat, "Okay, you can help me in the back with some filing." He points to a door across the room. I gage the distance and while it's only a few yards away it might as well be miles. I can't believe how low my energy level is.

Alec walks ahead, punches a code into the door lock and opens it. I move slowly and painfully. When I push past him into the room-which holds a small desk, two chairs and seven metal filing cabinets- I plop down into the first chair I see. I lean back trying to catch my breath like I just ran a marathon.

Alec chuckles as he steps inside and lets the door shut behind him. "Maybe we should get you a wheelchair."

I give him a don't test me look which just makes his grin grow larger. I roll my eyes and scratch at my left arm. "This cast is so itchy; I can't wait to get it off next week!" I whine.

"I know, they're horrible. I've broken many bones before." His grin turns into a sweeter smile. He walks over to the desk and grabs a black permanent marker from the drawer. He sits next to me. "May I?"

I look at him confused and nod slightly. My breath catches again, not because of exertion but because Alec is touching me. He gently pulls the sling strap over my head and slides it off my arm. He places it on the floor and then moves my arm to rest it across his legs. I raise my eyebrow when he uncaps the marker and smiles up at me. Good cow, it feels like he's undressing me!

"This plain white cast is too plain. It doesn't fit you at all." He starts drawing something on it then adds, "Hey, no peaking."

I turn and look straight ahead at nothing. I wonder if he can hear my heart beating fast. I use my right hand to try and straighten out some of my unruly curls. Alec stops drawing for a minute and pushes some of my hair behind my ear for me. I look at him and realize just how close we are. My breath hitches and my eyes wander down towards his lips. I've never kissed anyone before and I wonder in that instant what it would be like. He traces my lips too with his eyes but then looks away just as quickly. My cheeks heat up and I turn back to stare at the blank wall while he continues doodling on my cast.

My stomach does its fluttering thing and I try to will the butterflies to stop flapping their wings while I contemplate how things got so awkward between Alec and me. We've always had a bit of tension between us; but lately, every time we see each other, the air is charged with electricity. I find myself torn between wanting to go back to the way things were when we could joke around as friends, and wanting desperately to explore that electricity even if there's a risk of shock involved.

"Done!" Alec breaks the silence. He puts his hand in mine and lifts my arm up so I can see the cast.

I look first at the way our fingers are intertwined perfectly together and then force myself to break my gaze away to look at his artwork. "Wow!" I say as I stare at my newly transformed cast. "I didn't know you could draw like this!" I look up at his eyes and he looks pleased that I like it so much. I look back down to study the details of his drawing. He's sketched an entire mountain scape onto my cast with a Sharpie. It's complete with a setting sun, small pine trees and a glistening lake. "Wow." I say again. The details are so clear and vivid even though it's all in black and white.

He blushes this time and says, "I'm glad you like it." He looks down at our hands but doesn't pull his away yet. "Are you still in pain?"

I look up into his eyes, which have grown serious. I shrug. "Nah, they got me on the feel good medicine so I barely feel the pain."

"Why did you try to climb that? Why didn't you just wait for me?"

I can tell by the way he looks that he's been contemplating this question for a while. I've questioned myself as well. "I thought you might have gotten lost or worse. I thought something might have happened to you."

"I was fine, it just took me a while to find a ladder, that was all." He looks away for a moment. "I have never been more scared in my life than I was when I saw you lying there like that. Like a broken doll. So perfect, yet so broken." He takes a deep breath as if conjuring the scene up in his memory.

I pull his chin back up to see my eyes. "Look, I'm fine now."

His green eyes harden slightly. "If I'd have just been there."

"Hey it's not your fault!" I demand. "I made the choice and nobody could have foreseen that accident." I continue to stare at him for a few more seconds until his eyes soften up a bit. "And see, I'm almost as good as new." I flash him my pearly whites. "Maybe better, even."

His eyes pause and linger on my lips. The awkwardness is starting again. My hand feels feverish in his. My blood is coursing through my veins and I swear I can hear my heartbeat as I gage the ever so slight distance between our lips.

The electricity is so thick in the air that my nerves tingle and goose bumps rise on my arms. I look into his eyes and see that they have a bit of a dazed look. He starts leaning closer to me and I stay perfectly still, not sure what to do. A second later his lips touch mine ever so gently.

I gasp a slight breath in surprise. I've never been kissed before! I don't know what to do. He takes my intake of air as an unwelcoming sign and pulls away quickly.

He pulls his hand from mine and says, "I'm sorry Willow." He shoots up from his chair and paces the room. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He pushes his hand through his dark hair making it look all messy and incredibly hot.

I stare at him with wide doe eyes. My mouth is gaping open as I try to find words to say. What do I say? Sorry, I got nervous? Let's try that again? Can I get a do-over? Instead I close my mouth and stare down at my hands for a moment. I look at the drawing on my cast and that's when I decide to muster the energy and the courage to stand up and go to him. I don't know what I'm doing and I probably look ridiculous limping towards Alec, but I'm determined.

He looks up at me surprised and a little embarrassed. When I speak now my voice comes out in a throaty whisper. "Please, try it again."

He stares at me long and hard as if trying to decipher a difficult puzzle. I inch my lips closer to him and that's all it takes for him to close the gap. His lips are on mine and the kiss starts out sweet, but it's me who lifts my good hand up to run my fingers through his hair. It feels just as good as I imagined in my dream. The heat rises between us and my knees begin to go weak. He braces one hand on my lower back, pulling my whole body against his, and that is all it takes to unravel me. In that instant my air becomes his, as his becomes mine, and the butterflies are waltzing inside my belly, goosebumps are rising all over my skin, everything is heightened, my whole body feels warm and amazing, no pain, no sadness, and all my thoughts are gone, except for one, that I don't ever want this kiss to end.

We almost don't register the sound of someone pressing the code into the door in time. With less than a second to spare, Alec lets me go and I have to grab onto a filing cabinet to keep from sinking to my knees. It's strange how intense the feeling of separation is; it nearly hurts to have had that moment pulled from my grasp so quickly. I can still feel his lips on mine when the door opens.

"So this is where you will file the papers." Alec opens a filing cabinet a few feet from me. I nod clumsily and avoid turning to look at the door.

"Hello father." Alec says to someone behind me. I don't dare turn around to meet Mr. Blake's gaze for fear that he will be able to see a giant glowing sign across my forehead that reads: I'VE BEEN MAKING OUT WITH YOUR SON.

My cheeks are still flush, my lips swollen and my blood is still pumping warm and hot in my veins when I hear his dad behind me.

"Hello Alec. What's going on in here?" There is a stone like hardness in his voice with no tenderness that you would typically hear in a father-son exchange.

Alec looks at me and then to his dad behind me. He clears his throat before saying, "Since this young lady is injured and has a doctor's note for light duty, I figured that I'd put her to work taking care of some of these files, instead of having her simply not return to work."

An uncomfortable silence passes and I wonder what type of stare down Mr. Blake is giving Alec. "That's fine, but I need you both to vacate this room for a few minutes."

"No problem." Alec says. He pulls his tablet from his pouch then punches in some numbers. "Willow you may take your fifteen-minute break at this time." For good measure he adds, "Don't be late."

My eyes widen in surprise and I give Alec a funny smile, then say, "Yes _sir_." I wipe all expressions from my face as I turn around and see Mr. Blake standing there inspecting me like I'm some type of lab rat. He looks thinner than he did on the first day I met him, but he still has that air of superiority and intimidation about him. "Good to see you again Mr. Blake." I say nodding my head before I limp out of the room. He doesn't verbally acknowledge me at all.

I nearly run into someone when I exit the room. I look up to see a man in a white lab coat who looks mildly annoyed as I step aside so he can walk past me. He looks strangely familiar. He's at least a full foot taller than me with greying hair and a goatee. I place him a few seconds later as Dr. Hastings, the man from the assembly announcement; the one who's in charge of this whole facility. I look up towards the door to the office itself and see three bulky men in black suits, with earpieces on, standing guard. His protection I assume. I wonder what he's doing here. Much like Mr. Blake, he doesn't acknowledge my presence at all.

I walk out into the hall and take a drink from the water fountain. I bend down and splash some of the cool water on my face to clear the fuzziness that's still present from my earlier make out session. I touch my lips when I stand back up. My first kiss and _wow_ was it a kiss! I wonder if all kisses are always that intense?

When I turn around I see Alec in the empty hall behind me. He gives me a sheepish smile as he puts his hands in his pockets. "Hey." He says.

I wouldn't have thought Alec would be as nervous as I am, but he's standing there waiting for some sort of affirmation from me. The blush makes its way to my cheeks again when I meet his green eyes. "Hey." I say back while trying to wipe all of the spare water off my face. I place my good hand over my stomach and try to push away the nervous butterflies that are trying to keep me too pre-occupied to form a full sentence. I'm not sure what protocol is after a kiss. Do I acknowledge it, tell him what I thought of it, initiate another one? I decide my best move is to change the subject. "By the way, you didn't tell me you had acting skills."

His smile grows wider as he takes a fake bow and says, "Yep, I've gotten used to putting on a performance for the old man." Although his lips are still smiling, something in his emerald eyes makes him look a little sad at that comment.

I can only imagine what it would be like to grow up in the shadow of a man like Mr. Blake. I move away from the water fountain to stand closer to Alec again. I have to keep myself from reaching out to him. "So, what do you think Dr. Hastings was doing with your dad?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Hmm, I don't know. I mean I know that my father is on the F.E.M.A. board. I figure they're grabbing a file or something. There are a few cabinets with some heavy-duty locks on them. There must be some top-secret stuff in those."

"Hmmm." I bite my lower lip while contemplating what might be in those cabinets. I look up to see Alec staring at me, or more so my lip that caught his attention. His eyes have that same glossy look that they had right before he kissed me. My stomach flutters and against all sane reasoning, I secretly hope he will do it again, even if his dad's in the next room. I see the desire pass through in his expression but he shakes it off. Why must Alec be so sensible? Surely he could lose his job or get in trouble for making out with one of his employees, but my hormones tell me that we should just throw caution to the wind!

I guess my disappointment must show because Alec chuckles. "You're really beautiful Willow." He says sincerely.

"Yes she is!" Claire says in a chirpy voice and comes up from behind Alec. "I'm so glad you're feeling better Willow!" She seems mighty bubbly today.

Honestly I'm amazed at how different this Claire is to the timid fragile girl that used to hide behind her hair. Connor comes up behind her and pokes her in the ribs; she giggles. I wonder if Connor might have a lot to do with that fact.

Connor smiles at me. He has a few packages in his left hand so I'm guessing he's in the middle of his shift. "Yep, it's good to see you up and moving around. Is the boss making you work on the same day you got out of the hospital?" He shares some type of weird handshake high five, combo thing with Alec.

"Nope, I stared at the white walls of my room for all of ten minutes before I decided I had to evacuate. I've felt like a caged animal over the past several weeks being stuck in a tiny room day in and day out. A girl has to have some fun you know." I blush when I think about how much fun I just had kissing Alec, blushing even more when I realize how badly I want to do it again.

"Speaking of caged animals, when are we gonna go on another adventure?" Connor asks.

"I don't think that's a good idea, especially after the debacle that happened last time." Alec lifts my left arm up gently as if the cast doesn't stick out like a sore thumb already.

"Hey, a few broken bones isn't going to stop this girl!" I say yanking my arm back. "Ouch!" My pain meds must be wearing off because my arm is killing me.

"You okay?" Alec asks worried.

I nod my head and cradle my arm to my body. "Yeah, I think I need to take my medicine. Anyhow, what I was trying to say is that as soon as this cast is off I'm ready! We have got to go back and check out what's down there."

"Yay!" Claire says excitedly. "Wow, that drawing on your cast looks pretty rockin'!" She moves closer to examine it.

"Alec drew it." I say proudly, looking up at Alec who seems like he may need more convincing about our side adventures. I figure he won't be so worried when I'm all healed and back to normal.

"Dude, that's cool!" Connor looks at it. "You should keep that after they cut it off you."

"Yeah, maybe I'll frame it and put it above my bed." I say jokingly and everyone laughs, including Alec. I'm grateful that he's lightening up a bit in regards to my injuries.

The door to the office opens and Mr. Blake and Dr. Hastings step out.

"So, after you're done with that run, you'll need to stop back by the office. I have a few extra assignments for the two of you." Alec addresses Connor and Claire who both take the hint, nod their heads and walk away quickly.

"I'm checking back in from my break sir." I say to Alec. He gives me a look that says he didn't know I could act as well.

"Are you done in the filing room sir?" Alec asks his dad.

"Yes. Get back to work." That's all Mr. Blake says before walking away along with Dr. Hastings who is holding a file in his hand. I stare at it for a few seconds curiously. My eye catches the word immunization, but that's all.

When they're out of hearing range Alec says, "Mr. Blake can be a bit of a jerk wad sometimes."

I smile up at him sympathetically trying to make him feel a little less let down by the non-existent father/son emotions. "Yep."

He grins in return and we both head back inside to work.

# CHAPTER 9

### Eighty-two days inside

The next several weeks consist of the same thing, day in and day out; with the exception of all the stolen kisses Alec and I sneak. I go to school with Connor and Claire, and then I go to "work." It can't really be called work though. Alec has me filing but he makes sure I don't get much done.

Today I get my cast off. I'm not too excited about that, because it means I'll need to go back to running soon. On the upside, it also means on our next day off we'll be able to explore the "sewer system" further. Alec's been trying to talk me out of it every time I bring it up, but I give him 'the look' and he quickly changes the subject.

"Alec, you really don't have to take off work. I can get there on my own you know." I tell him since he's insisting that he should accompany me to get my cast off. Deep down I really do want him to go, I just don't want to come across as needy.

He playfully tugs at my hair, inching closer. He closes the door to the office with his foot and a lump forms in my throat. He takes hold of my cheek in his hand and puts his lips to my ear. His breathing on my neck sends shivers down to my toes. "I'm sure you can get there on your own. It's just that..." He nibbles at my ear and I nearly lose it. He continues, "It's just that, I'll pretty much make any excuse to spend more time with you." The huskiness of his voice makes me melt as he stands back up. He takes a step back furthering his distance and speaks as if what just happened didn't. "So, are you ready to go?" He smiles at me mischievously.

I take a deep breath and push some of my hair behind my ear. I tell myself not to speak for fear of sounding like a mouse, so I just nod my head. It's been a couple of weeks but our relationship, at least that's what I'm calling it, still seems brand new.

He opens the door and we make the short journey to the doctor's office. In the elevator his lips find mine again in a greedy manner, and when it dings, he composes himself like nothing happened, leaving me speechless and breathless. I don't know how he does it.

I sign in on the clipboard at the front desk of the doctor's office and we sit down to wait. After a couple of minutes, I pick up a magazine and flip through it. I find a crossword puzzle and fold back the page. "Okay, smarty-pants. Let's see how you are at crosswords!" I say a little too smug. "Alright, it's eight letters— To go astray or diverge." I tap the pen I got from the sign in sheet on my chin. I look over to Alec who has a funny expression on his face. "What," I challenge, letting a small laugh come through.

"Oh, nothing. I just like watching you while you're thinking. You get these cute little lines between your eyes."

I roll my eyes, "Oh really, do I? Okay, smarty-pants what's the answer," I ask, knowing full well he won't know it.

"Aberrant," he says simply.

I raise my eyebrows at him in response. "Lucky guess," I say as I write it in. "Okay, next one, and this one is going to be really hard." I scan the side column looking for one no one would ever get. "Ah, here we go. You ready?" I don't wait for him to respond before starting. "A morbid fear of sounds or the fear of your own voice. Fifteen letters, starts with an 'A'." There, I think, that should keep him busy.

"Acousticophobia." He says cockily.

"What!" I yell a little too loudly. I soften my tone when other people start looking at me. "How on earth did you know that?"

Alec just shrugs his shoulders.

I scribble in the answer. "Either you're the smartest person I've ever met, or you're pulling my leg. Which is it? And I expect an honest answer!"

Alec tries to keep from laughing but he's not doing a good job.

"What?" I say as his laughter becomes contagious. I playfully slap him on the arm. "Tell me!" I say.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to get all violent on me!" Alec tells me playfully. "I spent a lot of time in the waiting room the first several days you were in the hospital. Got tired of watching reruns of boring old soap operas so I did all the crosswords."

"Willow Mosby," a voice from the other side of the room calls. I glance up to see a plump nurse looking around the room.

"Here," I say holding up my hand.

Before I can stand up, Alec puts his hand on mine. "You want me to go with you? You know, to hold your hand and stuff?"

I don't really need to give it much thought. "Yeah, sure, if you want to." I catch a gleam in his eye. Of course he wants to.

I lead the way over to the nurse and she puts us in a small room off to the right. She lays my chart down on the table and turns to leave. "The doctor will be with you in a minute," she says as she turns and walks out, shutting the door behind her.

I take a quick glance around the room and get really nervous when I see this mean saw looking thing hanging on the wall. "You don't think that's for me, do you Alec?" I turn to him as my anxiety increases ten-fold.

Alec sees this as a sign to comfort me. He takes my hand gently from my lap and wraps it in his. I slump into him finding immediate comfort.

It doesn't take long before the doctor comes in. He's wearing the typical white lab coat. He has white hair that's sticking up all over the place and bottle-cap glasses. He looks at me over the rim, "And you must be Willow. I'm Dr. Pain. Please, don't think I'm being funny, that's my real name. Got the birth certificate to prove it."

I try to let out a small laugh, but my mouth won't let me. I squeeze Alec's hand a bit harder and he rubs the side with his thumb in a comforting gesture.

The doctor begins shuffling around the room, gathering tools and cloth and that dreaded saw readied to be used. I can't seem to take my eyes off the blade. The doctor wheels the tray over to where I'm sitting and pulls the rolling chair over as well.

"Now, just trust me, this won't hurt a bit," the doctor tells me.

Yeah, trust a doctor named Dr. Pain. Not going to happen. Can he even see well with how thick those glasses are?

He reaches for my arm and I reluctantly give it to him. "Oh," he exclaims when he sees the small mural painted on my cast. "You want me to cut around this for you? It would be such a waste of good art."

I nod my head and try to smile. "Yes, it's very special to me," I reply. My heart's picking up speed and I work to keep from going into a panic attack.

The second I hear the saw blade turn on I close my eyes and put my head in Alec's chest.

"Now don't move, okay?" The doctor asks me, shouting above the noise. A sound of cutting plaster penetrates my ears and my brain is screaming, danger, step back! I try not to flinch as I hear the plaster cracking on my arm. It doesn't take more than ten seconds before I feel the cool air hit my arm for the first time in what seems like months. I look down at my pale weak arm that hasn't made an appearance in a while. It's really skinny compared to my other arm and looks kind of funny.

The doctor turns off the saw and hangs it back up out of the way. I bend my wrist cautiously, thankful there's no pain. It just feels weird. I turn my arm slightly and see a small bruise that has almost dissipated as well as a three-inch-long scar. That must have been from the surgery.

"Just make sure you take it easy for the next few days. I'm going to give you a sling to wear while you adjust to not having the cast on. I'll send a message to your tablet containing a few gentle exercises you can do to start gaining your strength back in your arm. After that, you'll be good to go." The doctor hands me my empty cast and leaves the room with the door still propped open. He returns a second later with another navy sling. He helps me put it on, then leaves.

"Well, I guess we can go," Alec says while helping me up. I clutch the cast as we leave. He puts his arm around my waist. As we walk away I wonder about us. Are we in a relationship? I don't ask though, there's no need to define it yet. For right now, I feel good with how things are. I don't need a label to tell me how I'm starting to feel about him.

# CHAPTER 10

### Eighty-six days inside

As usual school's a bore. For the next few days all I can think about is finding where that storm drain thing leads. We've been talking about it every chance we get. Alec has set our next day off together on Saturday, which is tomorrow. I know I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight!

I lie in my bed going over the maps in my head. It's hard to think about the maps when Alec's perfect face keeps flooding my thoughts. I keep trying to figure out what we are. Are we together? Boyfriend, girlfriend? I'm too afraid to ask such a silly question so I figure I'll just let it ride, hoping he brings it up in conversation.

I eventually fall asleep sometime after two a.m. I hear my dad come in an hour later, but I'm too tired to wake up and greet him. I feel so awful for how much they're working him.

My tablet wakes me up at six a.m. the following morning. There's a new group message to us from Alec. Meet me by the lower elevators in twenty minutes, is all it says.

I wipe the sleep from my eyes and drag myself into the bathroom. I brush my teeth, put on my blue scrubs and pull my hair back in a ponytail. I grab my tablet and slip out of the door. No need to wake my dad who will have to get up in a half hour anyway.

The hall lights are still dimmed; apparently they conserve electricity in the night hours this way. They'll come on full force at seven.

I run into Claire on the elevator going down. "So, you and Connor, huh?" I ask jabbing her lightly in the ribs. I've noticed their looks during class and even caught them holding hands one time. They don't say anything about it so I figure, now is as good a time as any to ask her.

A blush spreads over her pale face as she looks down at her shoes.

"Hey, it's all good," I say trying to reassure her. "Connor's a really nice guy."

She finally smiles and looks up at me. "Yeah, he really is. I think I might be falling for him, but it scares me. Everyone I've ever loved in this world has either left me or died. I feel like my heart is too far out there right now...like maybe I should pull back." She takes a second. "Oh, Willow, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so depressing this morning!" She has a pleading look on her face.

I place my hand gently on her shoulder. Sometimes I forget how alone Claire is. She finally told me a little more about her parents when I was in the hospital. Her mom had died from the virus and her dad went into a heavy state of depression. He had to give her up because he couldn't properly care for her. She often thought that a part of his depression had to do with how much Claire had resembled her mother.

"Claire, look at me." She does. "Connor's not that type of guy, okay. He's not going to leave. And you can be assured that I'm not going to leave you either! You're my best friend." I have never said that to Claire before, but it's true.

A sparkle gleams in her eyes. "You mean I have a bestie now? I've never been able to use that word and 'I have' in the same sentence before."

I laugh at her use of the word bestie. The elevator dings and Claire pulls me into a crushing hug. I hug her back as the elevator doors open.

Connor and Alec stare with mouths dropped open. "That's hot," says Connor and apparently Alec agrees, nodding his head.

"Oh, shut up!" I say playfully. Claire and I get out of the elevator.

"So," Connor says while rubbing his hands. "What's the plan?"

Alec grabs his satchel and opens it up. We all peer inside and see flashlights, power bars, and an assortment of other things we might find useful, plus a random pack of gum. Way to plan ahead Alec, I think blushing.

"I have the supplies we'll need for the day. Now, we just need to take care of our tablets." Alec hands us each a small roll of duct tape. "Okay, let's get rid of these and meet back here in ten."

I take my duct tape and set off to find a maid cart.

* * *

Alec and I meet up on our way back from hiding our tablets. He gives me a small wink and that's all it takes to get the butterflies in my stomach moving. Just the proximity of being so close to him makes my heart soar.

We round the corner back towards the elevators and find Connor and Claire in a rather passionate embrace. I stop abruptly and turn my head. Alec does a little coughing thing and they both jump so high their feet leave the ground.

Claire puts her hand on her heart. "Oh my gosh, you guys scared me!"

"Sorry about that," I mutter.

"Well," says Alec breaking the awkward silence. "I think it's about time to go, yes?" We all hop in the elevator and Connor pushes the 'S' button for Storage. The door opens and we all hobble out taking a moment to make sure nobody is around.

When we feel the coast is clear we slink over to the grate. Connor goes to work, like before, taking out the individual screws and handing them to me. I take it I'm the official screw holder-er, if that's even a word. Connor slides the grate off a little bit at a time making some slight squeaking noises as he goes.

We take turns crawling in as before with me being the point man, or woman, I guess. Connor slides the grate back on and we begin our journey to the 'sewer systems'. You would think with all the twists, turns, and pathway changes, one would get lost, but that's so not the case with me. It feels like second nature already.

It takes us a while but we eventually make the last turn and stop next to the final grate.

Connor removes it and Alec puts his hand on mine. "Let Connor and me go first. Then we'll help you ladies down." The guys have a rope ladder in their bag but they're trying to avoid having to take it out until we're on our return trip.

I hate being seen as a weak link, but I'm not about to break another limb. Alec already helped me successfully down the first jump from the platform, the one where all heck broke loose before. Claire and I both nod our heads at the boys and they begin to jump down. Next up is Claire. Connor helps her down without an issue. I'm next. I jimmy my way as close to the edge as humanly possible and stop. Alec has his hands lifted up towards me putting my anxieties at rest. I scoot down backwards like a small child and take the leap of faith. Alec catches me immediately and slowly lowers me down to the floor. He leans in to my ear and whispers, "I don't ever want to let you go, Willow."

Goose bumps run up and down my arms like freight trains. "Thanks." I manage to say without swooning.

"Dude, it's another freaking tunnel." Connor complains. "This one better lead somewhere."

We shine our flashlights around the tunnel trying to see ahead of us. I catch sight of all of our gear from the last trip in the corner and chuckle. It was pretty useless.

"I'll take the lead on this one." Alec says and heads to the front. Since there's no recorded map of these tunnels, my memory isn't useful for navigation. I fall in place behind Alec and the others follow single file as the tunnel becomes increasingly narrow.

"There it is again." Claire says.

I stop and try to listen to what she hears and when I focus really hard I manage to hear the steady dripping sound. "It must be coming from up ahead." I say.

We start walking forward and I can nearly feel the moisture in the air the further we go into the cold, dark tunnels. The tunnel takes a turn and we end up in an even narrower one that gets increasingly shorter in height as we walk. We go from standing full up, to crouching down and eventually we have to get on all fours to crawl. All of us put our flashlights away to better crawl except for Connor who is in the back as usual. He's holding onto the flashlight in his mouth. It casts eerie shadows that bounce off the tunnel walls.

"I guess your big mouth finally came in handy." Alec jokes as we crawl. Connor can't answer which makes Alec's anecdote that much funnier.

I'm grateful for the lightening of the mood because this tiny tunnel is making my insides go crazy. My stomach starts to clench and my heart races. I've never been claustrophobic but something about the way the flashlight bobs up and down against the tunnel walls and the cool damp air makes me feel nervous. The further we crawl the louder the dripping sounds become and the smaller the tunnel seems to get.

"Ah crap." Alec calls from ahead of me.

I realize what he's complaining about when my hand lands in shallow water and the first knee of my scrubs gets soaked. "Well, no turning back." I say.

Alec stops and grabs his flashlight to get a better look. The ceiling of the tunnel is wet in some places and dripping water. Up ahead there's another turn. "Interesting. I wonder where all of this water is coming from." He says.

None of us answer because we don't know. In my head I just pray this water is clean water and not sewage. It doesn't stink so I think we're good.

He starts crawling again and when we make it to the turn we enter a new tunnel that's getting increasingly taller as we crawl. Eventually we're able to stand up again and I breathe a sigh of relief. The nervous feeling starts relenting as I stretch my aching, soaked knees.

We all are able to turn our flashlights on again which makes the tunnels look a lot less eerie. We walk forward and take one last turn. "Oh my gosh!" The air whooshes out of me and I stop dead causing Claire to run into my back.

"Hey don't just stop...Whoa!" Claire says upon looking around the cavern.

Connor makes a whistle sound showing his amazement. We all stand quietly for a few moments just illuminating the area in front of us with our four flashlights.

It's unbelievable. I have never seen a place like this in real life before. We're standing at the entrance of a gigantic cavern the size of two football fields. Stalactites drop down from the ceiling in thousands of inconsistent sizes and lengths. Five or six of them are so long that they reach all the way down to the ground. The most amazing thing about the cavern is that it's filled with a lake or spring or whatever you would call this body of majestic looking sea-blue water. The dry or actually semi damp ground only extends twenty feet into the cavern before the water starts. We walk further in towards the water's edge and shine our lights against its surface. The water is clear and seems to get deeper the further out it goes.

"Cool." Connor whispers.

"I know." Claire whispers too.

"Why is everyone whispering?" I ask quietly.

"Perhaps subconsciously we're trying to keep from scaring the bats awake." Alec says in his full voice.

Everyone giggles but I shiver. I never liked the idea of bats or anything with fanged teeth. _Creepy!_

"I wish we brought our swim suits." Connor says. I turn around to look at him. He's sitting on the ground taking off his shoes.

"Wait, you aren't gonna go swimming in your underoos are you?" I ask nervously. I'm not prudish about seeing a guy in his boxers but I certainly don't want to dress down to my white underwear and bra in front of Alec.

"Only if you want me to." Connor jokes sarcastically and Claire slaps him on the back of the head. I stifle a giggle while Connor rubs his wound. "Ow!" He says in a whiney voice.

Claire laughs and says, "Man-up Connor. I didn't hit you that hard."

That sets Alec into a laugh and Connor gives him the 'don't knock me when I'm down' stare. Alec stops laughing.

Connor rolls his pants legs up and touches his toe to the water. "It's freezing!" He says, then tests it a little further. I see him visibly shiver as his whole foot steps into the water.

I lean over and touch it with my hand. It isn't necessarily freezing but it's mighty cold. I would say it's either in the high sixties or low seventies in temperature.

Claire trots over barefoot and walks into the water close to Connor. "Oh my." She says. Connor puts his hand around her as she shivers.

I look to Alec and shrug. We both start taking off our shoes and socks. I roll up my scrubs to mid-thigh and step in. It feels even colder on my feet than it did on my hands. I stand there for a moment allowing my body to adjust to the temperature.

Alec comes to my side. We stand there for a few more minutes and then I start inching forward.

"Be careful babe." Alec says.

The term of endearment warms my heart and I feel more courageous to move forward. I grab ahold of his hand and he matches my step. We walk forward slowly. We keep our flashlights shining on the water in front of us. For the most part, the water seems clear all the way down to the bottom. We're able to walk twenty feet into the water before it reaches knee level. When we get to a stopping point we all just stand there in silence shining our flashlights around the cavern and enjoying the beauty of this secret place.

"I wonder how many people know this place is down here." I say.

"Most likely only a chosen few since it's not marked on any of the maps." Alec answers.

"Yeah, but somebody must know. After all there is a manmade tunnel leading to it." Claire offers.

"Well it's our place now." Connor says and mimes the action of sticking a flag into the ground like the astronauts did when they made it to Mars so many years ago.

"Yep! This can be our secret hangout." Claire says sounding youthful like a kid.

Connor gives her a loving look and it makes me smile. I like to see people who've been through a lot find happiness. Alec must like it too because he squeezes my hand just so.

My stomach growls loudly and I blush.

"Guess that's the alarm for lunchtime." Alec says playfully. He pokes me in the ribs, which tickles. I giggle and splash him a bit with my foot. "Watch it!" He says and then makes a move to splash me with his hand but I run from him back to dry ground.

He chases me, both of us sloshing through knee-deep water laughing like kids. A second later my feet are up out of the water and he's got me in his arms. He swings me around like I'm lighter than a feather and I laugh as my world spins. A moment later he sets me down on dry ground and I wait for my brain to catch up with the rest of my body. When the dizziness settles I lean into him.

Connor and Claire are talking and have already made their way to dry ground and are rummaging through our supplies in search of the PowerBars. I look up at Alec and my heart is like butter, melting in the gaze of his emerald green eyes. He leans in kissing me gently on the lips and I melt.

Then he whispers in my ear, "Lunchtime." He turns me around and we start walking to where Connor and Claire have set up a mock picnic.

"This isn't much of spread is it?" I ask Claire who's looking up at me with appraising eyes. I guess they saw the kiss too.

"Well there are honey flavored PowerBars and cinnamon raisin. So at least you have a little bit of variety." She replies with a silly grin. I imagine she's singing that 'kissing in a tree' song in her head.

"We need to bring our swimsuits next time." Connor says between bites of his PowerBar.

"So I guess we've found us a new hang out spot." Alec says.

"Yep and it's only for us!" Claire says.

"Yep, this is our place!" I say in confirmation.

We finish off our meal bars and spend another hour exploring the shallow waters and talking about a whole bunch of nothing before we head back for the afternoon. This has been one of the best days I've had in a long time.

# CHAPTER 11

### Eighty-eight days inside

After finding the cave and spending time with Alec, going back to school this morning has been super sucky. Not to mention it's Monday. The only thing I can think about is getting back in that cave and exploring...that and Alec. The teacher just drones on and on about who knows what. This week we have full day classes since there's standardized testing on Friday and Saturday. This full schedule is a killer. In an attempt to get us to study for the tests they've excused us all from work until Friday afternoon, which means I don't get to see much of Alec.

Thankfully, with Connor and Claire in my class, it's bearable. Our teacher must be blind or deaf to not hear us texting each other back and forth. She left our tablets unlocked so we can take notes but of course we're using our freedom for something much more worthy. We get to our fourth round of twenty questions when it's time to break for lunch.

We all hustle down to the cafeteria for our lunch. Connor, Claire and I take a seat at our usual table. After a few months of being here, clicks and bonds have formed and everyone pretty much knows who their circle of friends are. There are a few loners, but most everyone has at least one ally.

"Yum, more mush," I say dropping the mush back on my tray from my spoon.

"Tastes good to me," Connor says with a mouthful.

I inwardly laugh at Connor. You could probably feed the guy kitchen scraps and he wouldn't care. There's a tap on my shoulder and I turn around to find one of the older, day runners standing behind me.

"Are you Willow Mosby?" She asks all official-like.

I nod my head. "Yeah, that's me."

"This is for you," she says while handing me a small envelope. Then she's off to her next assignment. I take the envelope and turn back to the table. Connor and Claire are staring at me.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Claire asks a little too excitedly.

I'm curious too, so I begin to break the seal on the envelope. Inside is a small index-type card. Scrawled in black pen it says:

Willow, will you be my girlfriend? Check one:

⧠yes

⧠no

⧠maybe

Love, Alec

My cheeks blush a dark shade of crimson while my heart leaps out of my chest.

"So, what does it say?" Claire asks, feigning to hide the excitement in her voice. She pushes her hair out of her face to get a better look.

Do I tell her? Um, yes. "It's from Alec," I say. "He wants to know if I'll be his girlfriend." I cringe wondering if that sounds corny.

I look up to find Claire beaming. "Willow! That's so sweet! What are you going to tell him?"

I don't have to think very hard about this one. I get a pen out of my bag and check yes. "Well, of course I'm going to say yes!" Claire and I squeal like a bunch of schoolgirls, which technically we are.

Connor makes a joking squeal of a sound to join in and flaps his hands up and down hysterically. We just roll our eyes and playfully push him at the same time.

When I look up, a pair of hazel eyes catch my attention a few tables down. Zack is sitting with his usual suspects, but his eyes are me and his expression makes me feel cold. His eyes go down to the paper in my hand and back up at me as if he knows what it says and isn't too happy about it.

_That's impossible though._ I tell myself. He could easily have just seen the commotion we were making and perhaps wonders what's in my hand. That's natural, right? I can't shake the feeling that he's angry though. I decide for the time being I'll just keep my distance.

I turn away from him and spot the runner that delivered me the envelope. I wave my hand to flag her down. I give the now-sealed envelope to her and ask her to take it back to Alec. She looks a bit confused about it at first but nods her head and leaves, taking the envelope with her.

The afternoon drones on in class and all I do is daydream about Alec. My tablet vibrates alerting me to a message. I put it on my lap figuring it's probably Claire or Connor.

To my excitement it's Alec!

Alec: I got your note.

I smile really big.

Me: I got yours first

I check back up to find the teacher still talking about Lord knows what.

My tablet vibrates again.

Alec: I miss you.

My heart soars.

Me: Miss you too.

I text back thinking how absolutely corny we sound. I don't care though. This is my first boyfriend and I'm allowed to be a little cheesy.

Alec: Are you doing anything this Friday after school? I'd like to take you on a date.

I stifle a ginormous grin that's threatening to surface. Friday is my birthday, but I haven't told anyone yet. That's right, my sweet sixteen. A bit of sadness hits me when I think about my last birthday. My mom had told me that we could start planning my sweet sixteen party. She would tell me stories about hers as we had clipping parties. We clipped pictures of dresses from magazines, pictures of food, cakes and more. We were making a collage before everything in my world seemed to fall apart.

Alec: If you're busy...

Alec's text pulls me from my thoughts.

Me: Well, Mr. Blake, I think I have to work.

A few seconds go by and he replies.

Alec: Hmmm, looks like Ms. Mosby isn't on the schedule anymore and neither am I. Strange coincidence, I know.

I giggle and hit reply.

Me: Well then, Alec. I guess I'm free then. Where are we going?

My tablet vibrates.

Alec: I'm not telling; it's a surprise.

Eek, I love surprises!

I'm brought back to the present when Ms. Thomas barks my name. "Willow, what's the answer?"

I look like a deer caught in headlights. "Ummm, can you please repeat the question?"

Ms. Thomas cocks her head. "I asked, what is the twenty-eighth amendment of the constitution about?"

Phew, I know this one...thankfully. I straighten up in my seat. "The twenty-eighth amendment is the amendment that closed our borders off, sealing us off from the rest of the world."

The teacher cocks her eyebrow at me. "Very good Willow, I'm so glad you were paying attention," she says sardonically.

I quickly type in "G2G," and send it back to Alec.

The rest of the week drags on slowly. The highlights of my days are seeing Alec for a few minutes at dinner. The intermittent moments between our stolen kisses are what I live and breathe for. His sweet text messages sent to me at school make the anticipation of Friday bearable.

Apparently, Alec took _all_ of us off the schedule. Luckily Connor was given the opportunity to spend a rare afternoon with his little sister Lillie. He invited Claire to join him, which means I get Alec all to myself. Not that I don't want them joining us, but being alone means... _Happy Birthday to me!_

# CHAPTER 12

### Ninety-two days inside

By the time Friday rolls around, I can barely sit still long enough to focus on my test. I tap my fingers against the desk and check my tablet for the umpteenth time only to realize a few measly minutes have passed. Ms. Thomas gives me the evil eye. I wonder if she thinks my fidgeting is a case of testing jitters or if she thinks I'm trying to cheat. At least my restlessness takes the attention off Connor for once; I'm sure he's grateful for the break. Even with my lack of concentration I still think I do well on the test. It's kind of hard for me to fail a test with my photographic memory. I wonder if that would be considered a form of cheating. Not that it matters anyway, I learned all of this stuff last year when my mother was homeschooling me. I should have tried to finish my schooling to graduate early like Alec did.

I over emphasize the final tap on my tablet screen, sending my completed test to Ms. Thomas. I look around the room and see that I'm the first person done.

Ms. Thomas looks up at me like I'm crazy. "Are you sure you don't want to go back and review your answers Ms. Mosby?"

"No, I'm good." I say and then look back down at my tablet.

She makes an annoyed grunting sound which I simply ignore.

They have a video for us to watch after the test and mine starts up. I throw on my earphones to listen. It's an old video that I've seen a thousand times about the importance of education and college. It tours several of the country's finest institutions. I wonder if they will still be around after all of this is over. I can't even fathom the normalcy of going to an actual college or even a real live school. I wonder if anyone can after most of us have been holed up for a good part of our academic careers.

Right before school lets out Alec sends me a text.

Alec: Bring your swimsuit, no questions. Meet me by the first floor elevators at 3:30. Miss u!

I smile at his message. The first half is so boss-like, while the second is the Alec I've come to know personally. When he mixes the two it cracks me up.

Me: See u soon!

School is dismissed promptly at 2:15 and I'm the first one out the door. I give a small wave to Connor and Claire and I am on my way. I head to one of the small stores in the commons area and purchase a piece of purple ribbon and some lip-gloss. It costs most of my money, but I don't care. The lady at the checkout smacks her gum as she scans my tablet. I watch my paycheck diminish to almost nothing and I'm out the door in less than a minute.

I rush back to our little apartment and hurriedly scramble into the bathroom. I pull my hair up into a ponytail and tie the ribbon around it. I find my bathing suit and put it on then squirm into my pink scrubs careful not to mess up my hair. I wash my face and pinch my cheeks a few times to develop some resemblance to blush. I apply the lip-gloss and run my lips together. Yep, they look kissable to me! I look down at my drab scrubs and sincerely wish I could change styles or something. As soon as I can afford a sewing kit I'm going to alter these bad boys. I've already seen Candy and her posse around in alternate versions of the scrubs. She even turned one version into shorts and a cute tank top. I figure if she doesn't get in trouble then it must be okay. I just want to take the sides in a bit, maybe alter the neckline. My mother taught me how to sew when I was younger. It would make her proud. I smile at my mother's memory which quickly turns into a frown as I wonder if she's even still alive. I shake it off as best I can, and take a deep breath while looking into the mirror. Not on your birthday, Willow I repeat to myself.

I take a quick peek at the clock and realize I have five minutes to spare. I sigh at my reflection. This isn't necessarily the sweet sixteen dress that I had imagined but it will have to do. I apply one more layer of lip gloss for safe measure, check my ribbon and I'm out the door.

I bump into my dad on the way out. "Oh, hey dad!"

"Hey Willow." He takes one look at my face and hair ribbon. "Where are you off to?"

Without skipping a beat, I answer him. "Off to go hang with some friends." I cringe...I said friends, as in plural.

"Friends or friend?" My dad asks.

I knew I wouldn't get away with being vague. "I'm going to hang out with Alec." I give him the honesty he was looking for and it makes me feel good.

"Alec, hmm." He runs his hands through his greying hair. "He seems like a pretty decent guy."

I nod my head eagerly and say, "He is dad."

He studies me for a bit longer making me slightly uncomfortable. "Okay, well you have fun. You deserve as much on your birthday." He pulls me in for a hug and whispers, "Happy Birthday to me."

"Thanks dad." I say lovingly. "I love you."

"I love you so very much. Now you have fun. I'm going to head in to get a bit of shut eye. I've got to work the night shift." His tired eyes show how much this work is taking a toll on him.

I pull him into a brief hug then leave for the elevator.

"Be safe," he calls as I walk away. "And don't do anything you wouldn't do if I was present."

I laugh and turn around. "I hear you dad. I love you." I breathe a sigh of relief and hope that my vague response won't be considered a promise. I promised my dad I would never lie to him. Vague responses and omission isn't lying, is it? Then I remember the accident and the giant lie my friends and I are already keeping up. Guilt starts to overwhelm me as I hit the down button for the elevator. When the doors open, I decide that I'll start fresh and do my best to not keep stuff from him that happens going forward. There's no reason to be feeling so self-accused on my birthday. Plus, I'm going on my first real date today...With my boyfriend. And well, it's my birthday.

I hop on the elevator feeling giddy from head to toe. The ride down seems like it takes forever. The elevator dings on the first floor opening up to Alec, standing there with a large and very full backpack. As soon as he sees it's me he rushes into the elevator and clicks the door close button.

My heart skips a beat as the doors close.

Alec pulls me into an embrace and kisses me passionately on the lips. I return the favor letting my whole body get absorbed in his kiss. He pulls back far too soon with a wicked smile splaying across his features. "Strawberry," he says as he licks his lips. "I like it."

I blush bright red. The elevator dings on the Storage floor and the doors open up into the vast room. Alec takes my tablet from me. "Hold the door, will you Willow?"

I nod my head, "Sure."

Alec climbs onto the side rails of the elevator and pushes up one of the cork ceiling tiles. He puts the tablets in them and closes it back off. I give him a smile of satisfaction, genius! "So, what's the plan?" I ask Alec a little breathlessly.

"You'll see," is all he says.

I kind of figured where we're going, what with the swimsuit and being here on the level marked for storage.

Alec takes my hand and squeezes it softly. "Ready?" I nod my head as we clamor off the elevator.

It takes us about twenty minutes or so of climbing through the different tunnels and grates until I find myself with wet knees crawling through the last round of tunnels. This time we set rope ladders up at each drop before we jump down, since there won't be anyone to help give Alec a boost back up. My arm's certainly not strong enough for that just yet.

We're starting to get much more efficient at making this journey. Alec even found a way to fasten the flashlight to the shoulder strap of his backpack so we can see better.

Excitement courses through me when we reach our cave. The light hits the stalagmites. They're so beautiful. Alec climbs out of the tunnel and helps me down. Just his touch makes my heart dance with joy.

Alec and I walk over to the water's edge and he places the backpack down. Shining the light inside, he pulls out a lantern looking thing and goes to work setting it up. Within a few minutes a bright glow begins to illuminate most of the cavern. I turn off my flashlight thrilled I can now see panoramically. The area is simply breathtaking.

I feel Alec's arms wrap around me from behind, drawing me softly to him. "Happy Birthday," he says whispering in my ear as we both stare at the cavern in wonder.

A small smile escapes my lips and I turn to him. "How _did_ you know it was my birthday?" I playfully ask. I definitely didn't advertise it.

Alec jokingly laughs, "A man has his secrets."

I hit him lightly on the arm. "Secrets, schmecrits," I say taunting him, knowing full well he looked at my employee file.

He laughs and says, "Hold your hand out."

I obey, even though I'm confused by his request."

He drops something cool and metallic in my hand. "For you," he says.

I open up my hand to see what he gave me. "A paper clip necklace!" I exclaim.

Even in the dim light I see him blush. "I know it's not much, but you know there isn't a lot here that I can give you."

"No need to apologize," I tell him. "I think it's sweet and thoughtful. Homemade gifts are the absolute bestest. I'm going to keep it forever."

He gestures for me to turn around. He gently moves my hair to the side like guys do in the movies. He unclips the necklace in the middle and reaches over me to carefully slide it on. It takes him only a couple of seconds to get it re-clipped again. Afterwards, he gives me a gentle kiss on the very center of the back of my neck, and it sends goose bumps across my entire body.

He steps around me to start unpacking his bag. "Hey, it's one step up from a pasta necklace," he jokes.

I laugh. "Yes, you're right about that! But this way, I don't feel the need to cook it."

He laughs and finishes pulling out the rest of his picnic supplies. He lays out a white towel that he must have grabbed from the pool area, and then he goes about setting out various cans of stuff across the middle of it. "Are you hungry?" He asks while placing some silverware on the blanket.

"Honestly? Not yet. But if you are..." I don't want to mess up his thoughtful plans but I'm a little too excited about this place to eat now. Plus, dinner's not officially supposed to be for another few hours.

"Perfect," Alec says. "Neither am I. So, what do you say we go do a little exploring, then go for a swim? That will give us time to dry off as we enjoy our special 'lantern-lit' dinner." He flashes a big smile at me and I know I'm a goner. I'm falling hard and I don't think anyone can catch me fast enough.

I nod my head, matching his smile. "Sure, that sounds fun!"

He finishes unloading a few more things, before he grabs his flashlight and stands up. He holds his hand out for me and I allow him to help me up off the ground. I scoop up my flashlight and click it on, illuminating the space before me in a bright white glow. Alec takes my hand and we're off.

We walk along the edge of the water and find all kinds of things. There are strange white bugs I've never seen before, as well as little white tadpoles. I haven't looked up to see if there are any bats because, truth be told, I'd rather not know if there are.

I reach my hand out to touch one of the stalagmites that have grown up from the floor and Alec stops me. "You're not supposed to touch them; just look at them. The oils on your fingers could alter their growth." I pull my hand back. "And we don't want that," he finishes.

It's hard for me not to touch them though because I'm such a tactile person. The texture looks so cool and inviting.

"Willow, shut your flashlight off for a sec," Alec says. I give him a questioning look but turn my flashlight off, squeezing his hand a bit tighter. "Look! Do you see over there, in the corner?"

I look to the corner and see a very subtle beam of light. So subtle, that you would have to know what you're looking for to be able to see it.

Alec turns his light back on and I follow suit. "Let's go check it out." He took the words right out of my mouth. We inch along—careful not to step on any geologic marvels—and make our way to the far corner. Although, when we get there, it isn't really a corner at all. It's a hidden pathway leading further into the cavern.

"Should we go in?" I ask Mr. Geology to make sure it's safe.

"Willow, is that really a question?" He smirks at me.

I return the smile with one of my own. This is so exciting! We inch into the narrow space between the cave walls gripping each other's hands a bit tighter as we make our way through. At one point the walls almost touch each other at the top so we have to get down and waddle like a duck to get by. The light begins to grow and grow until we don't have to really use our flashlights.

We round the final turn and come to a cavern that looks very similar to the one we were just in. Similar, except for the small hole in the ceiling that's funneling in a small beam of light. The room is markedly warmer than the other room; my guess is because it has the heat from the outside seeping in. There's another large pool of water in this room; it looks a lot more inviting though. My guess is the temperature of the water in here is significantly warmer.

As if reading my mind Alec says, "Looks like a good place for a swim. You game?"

I smile and follow him to the edge of the large pool of water. "Sure." We kick off our shoes and take off our socks. After that though I begin to feel self-conscious.

Alec must see the worry on my face, "I'll turn around while you get undressed." Without waiting for a response he turns around.

I wonder if I should turn around too. I decide not to turn around, because well, it's my birthday. While I wrestle with the drawstring that's tied around my waist, I watch as Alec takes off his shirt. The muscles in his back flex and soften as he brings his arms back down. Heat courses through my entire body and I find myself stumbling to finish getting undressed. I finally manage to get my pants undone and take off my shirt. I make sure my swimsuit is on right and tell Alec, "Okay, you can turn around now."

He smiles at me and I blush. He's never seen me with so little on but his eyes don't rake over my body like I would have expected. Instead, he maintains eye contact, and steps forward to take my hand. He leads me to the water. I put my foot in and feel the warmth pour through my body. It's not as warm as a shower or bath, but it's soothing nonetheless.

Alec doesn't waste any time diving into the water. His head pops up just under the light a few seconds later. He shakes his head as he comes up sending water spraying around him. The outside light hits it just right and his hair looks like it's glistening. "Man this feels good!" He exclaims.

I can tell he's a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of guy as I tiptoe out towards him in the middle. Oh, enough with the pleasantries, I dive in right after him. The water is so clear under here that I can see his feet treading water up ahead. I pop up right next to him feeling the warm light bathe my skin. "It does feel good," I say as I push my wet hair out of my face. I look up through the natural skylight in the cavern. "Wow." We both seem to say in unison as we float on our backs, staring up at the sun and the blue sky that's so far above us.

I forgot how much I missed the open sky, missed the warm sun. It's been a long time, ninety-two days to be exact. I allow the sun to warm my heart and I feel suddenly like everything might turn out right in the end. An inkling of hope hits me and I think of my mom and my little brother. My heart tugs slightly, but deep down I have the thought that they may make it after all. I mean, here I am in a cavern staring up at the sun. Perhaps they're both staring up at the same sun right now. That is, if my brother is still well and has not been overcome by the virus or the heat. But, perhaps they found a place like this. A cavern or a similar shelter. The water down here isn't boiling, the temperature's just right both in the air and in the water. That must mean that there are some places that can provide shelter out there for my family.

"A penny for your thoughts." Alec says quietly into my ear beside me.

I consider not answering but I say after a few seconds, "I was just thinking of my family."

He pulls me into his arms knowingly. He's been there to console me during a few of my breakdowns. I rest my head on his shoulder and he treads water carrying both of our weight. "I bet they're out there Willow. They can't all just be gone like that."

"I was just thinking that same thing." I say quietly, still feeling a little sad. "You know; I think they both would like you." We both move into a position where we can tread water and see each other. Looking up, I gaze into his eyes as I kick my feet to stay afloat.

His eyes gleam with emotion, causing them to become even brighter. "Wow, I've never noticed how beautiful your eyes are. They're the most unique shade of blue-green I've ever seen." I reach up briefly to stroke his cheek, then I wrap my arms around his neck and make him do more of the work to keep us afloat.

"Blue?" Alec asks. "That's strange; I don't remember having any blue in my eyes."

I inch closer. "Hmm," I say looking into his eyes. "They look blue to me, maybe it's just the way the water and the light is hitting them."

"Yeah, it has to be the light because your left eye kind of looks a little green too. It's pretty cool looking though." Alec plants a light feathery kiss on my lips. "Happy Birthday Willow. I know this isn't much, but I hope it's enough."

I smile sincerely. "Alec, this is more than enough. This has to be the best birthday I've ever had. Honestly." I want him to see how grateful I am to be spending my day with him, but I don't want him to see the hint of sadness that the void in my family has left me with. In order to not ruin the moment, I slip through his arms and duck down into the water. Swimming further out, enjoying the sting of my muscles as I push them to their limits. I pretend that the warm water is melting away all my sadness and my worries. I bob back up a moment later taking in a gulp of air. I turn around to see Alec's head duck below the surface. I tread water waiting for him to come back up.

Something tickles my feet. I scramble away thinking that maybe it's a fish until Alec's head pops up. "Gotcha!" He says, voice full of playfulness.

I splash water at him and he feigns like he's hurt. I see a twinkle in his eye indicating 'game on' and away I go, Alec chasing me from behind.

We play for what seems like hours in the water. Playing games like we did when we were children including, Fish Out of Water and Marco Polo. He even gives in when I ask him to have an underwater tea party. We race each other using different strokes we know, even the butterfly, which I suck profusely at because I look like a dying fish trying to perform it.

By the time we're exhausted and can't swim any longer, I'm officially starving and can't wait to see what's for dinner.

Alec and I hike back around to the blanket with all the goodies on it and dive in. "Where'd you get all of this food?" I ask Alec in between mouthfuls of canned chicken salad. The buttery crackers melt in my mouth. _Yum!_

"I've got connections." He jokes.

"I bet! A perk of being a part of the upper class. The rich can get anything." I look up at him when he doesn't laugh and the grin on my face falters when I see Alec's expression. _Oh crap._

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alec asks looking not so happy.

"Um." I stutter.

"Do you classify me as part of the same group as Zack and Candy?" He spits their names out like they taste bad.

"I don't Alec. I was just trying to make a joke." I say sincerely. "I know you're nothing like them."

He stares at me for a few seconds and then his face softens. "Okay. I'm sorry I got a little triggered. It's just that I've worried that you might think of me like how you think of them. I may come from money but I work hard, I don't just sit around making other people's lives miserable like they do."

"I know. I'm sorry." I say biting my lip. I look down feeling miserable. I never meant to hurt his feelings.

He scoots closer to me and raises my chin with his hand until my eyes are level with his. "You know it's a good thing you're cute." He says with a boyish grin that changes into a questioning look. "Hey, did you poke your eye?"

I look at him confused. "I don't think so." I say.

"Hmm, your left eye has a red spot in it. Kind of like what happens when someone pops a blood vessel but instead it's on the brown part of your iris." His closer inspection of my eye, starts making me feel a little self-conscious.

"Does it look bad?" I move back away from him and reach my hand up to my eye worried.

"Hey, it doesn't look bad Willow. You have to be looking very closely to notice it." He pulls me back towards him and the look in his gaze makes my stomach do somersaults. "And nobody should be able to get as close to you as I do to even see it." He brushes a wet strand of hair from my face. "You're really beautiful Willow."

Aww! My self-consciousness melts with his words. He leans in and kisses me gently. My heart races and takes a few moments to calm down even after he's pulled away.

"Thank you Alec for this amazing day." I say as we go back to eating our food.

"Anything for you." He says as he pulls something wrapped out of his bag. "I wish I could have found some cake, but this cookie will have to do." He unwraps a chocolate chip cookie and presents it to me. "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Willow, happy birthday to you." He sings dramatically.

I'm smiling so big that my face hurts. I accept the cookie from him and take a bite. It's stale like those pre-packaged cookies that sit on the shelf for months, but it satisfies my sweet tooth. I break off half and hand it to him. "For you."

"Why thank you." Alec says smiling. He takes a bite and a smudge of chocolate stains his lips. I wipe it away playfully and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"So, today was a day of firsts. It was my first time to celebrate my birthday with my first boyfriend. It was the first time that we found the other cave, the first time we saw the sun in a while, the first time we swum together, and it was our first fight!" I grin spiritedly at him.

"Wow, a lot of firsts." He says. "And I'm glad I was with you for them, well except for the fight."

I laugh, and we talk some more while we finish our food and clean up. Alec tells me about some of his birthday memories. I feel bad when I find out that his mom died a few years ago. I had assumed she passed away at some point, but I didn't realize it was only a few years back. He moves on from the subject quickly though, not wanting to spoil the mood.

"We better head out." Alec says regretfully after a little while.

"Yeah, I guess we should. Maybe we can come back on our next day off. We could show this place to Connor and Claire." I say a little torn. I want to share this amazing place with our friends but I also want to keep it as Alec and my secret place.

"It's a date." Alec says.

"A double date." I say with a sly grin. We both laugh at that, then we head out.

The trip back seems to go by a lot faster than the trip in. Normally that's a good thing but in this case it just means I get that much less time with Alec.

We make it out and onto the elevator without any issue, Alec retrieves our tablets and we press the button for the main floor. The elevator lifts us at its usual quick speed and when it opens up into the common area we step out into a silent hallway.

"That's strange." I say.

"It must be late." Alec says looking around. There isn't a single person anywhere in sight.

I hand him his tablet that I'm still holding and then slide the lock screen off mine. My stomach drops when I see twenty missed messages, and the time. It's nine p.m.! I pull up my list of messages and my eyes halt when I see the three red bolded message lines from the shelter officials. The first notifies us of a mandatory assembly that began at seven-thirty p.m. The second one state's that I failed to check in and that I should bring my tablet to an official immediately. The third is written in all caps and it says that I have twenty minutes to notify an official of my presence at the assembly or I will receive a permanent reprimand on my record. In smaller font it states that additional consequences can be assessed depending on the nature of the situation. I look at the time on the third message and see that I have exactly two minutes to bring my tablet to an official. My heart leaps into my throat and I look at Alec.

He must have identical messages because he grabs my hand and pulls me into the elevator immediately. He presses floor one and the elevator begins moving. "Look, when this opens you separate from me and go in through another entrance to the assembly. I don't care what you say, but lie. Tell them you didn't see the messages, your tablet was off, whatever you have to tell them. Just don't tell them where we were, okay?

I nod and my palms starts sweating as the doors ding open. We run into the empty foyer and make our way towards headquarters. Alec runs past me to go in through an entrance further down and I take the first set of doors into the auditorium. My heart is leaping as I walk into the dim, gigantic assembly hall. A video is playing and I have no idea what's going on. Thankfully the video seems to be so enthralling that nobody notices me.

I make my way towards a female official who's standing a few rows in front of me. I speed walk and tap her on the shoulder. She turns around and doesn't seem too pleased to see me, especially since I'm interrupting the video presentation. I hand her my tablet and whisper a bit shakily. "I um, my tablet was off and I just turned it on and it had all of these messages and the last one said that I had to bring this to you."

The female official is a few inches taller than me and has a more masculine build to her. I feel extremely intimidated as she stares me down with beady hazel eyes. She looks down at my tablet and my heart races as she presses a few things on the screen. She starts to hand it back to me but then asks, "Why did you not hand this to the official upon entering?"

My mind tries to come up with an excuse and I know that the pause in answering her is going to make me look guilty. I finally think of something. "I came in with my dad and we were with a really big group. Nobody asked me for it and I just figured that when they checked my dad's tablet that I would be counted present since we're together."

She studies me for a second and looks around me as if trying to find my dad. "I've been covering this entrance and I know I wouldn't have let you go by without seeing your tablet."

Crap! "Um, I didn't come in through this entrance. I came in further down there." I point to my left. There are at least fifteen rows with different officials to my left so I figure it's the best option. She looks at me and I just know that she's going to see right through me and know that I haven't been here. She's going to ask me why I would come all the way to her to check in. She looks in that direction and I see her looking in the direction of a tall lanky male official. She rolls her eyes and a slight ping of hope hits me. Maybe she doesn't like that official.

She returns her attention to me, her eyes squinting as if she's trying to figure me out. The crowd around us breaks out in a loud round of applause. She looks back at the screen and a look of pure disappointment covers her face. She looks back at me annoyed, pulls the screen up on my tablet, types a few things that I can't see onto the touch screen and then hands it to me. I grab it from her and she immediately walks away in search of another official. My guess is she's wanting to find out what just happened on the video.

My heart starts slowing down, the further away she gets from me. If she was still suspicious she certainly wouldn't have handed the tablet back to me. I slide into a seat on the end of a row in the back and avoid making any eye contact with those in the neighboring seats. I don't pay attention to the video that's apparently talking about the heating process. Instead, I look down at my tablet. A green warning message is displayed across it stating: Class Three Reprimand. In smaller print I read the notification that as a consequence for a Class Three Reprimand, I will be assigned community service for the next month, to commence on any free day I'm given. Aww Man! There go all of my hopes of further exploring our caves for a while.

I read the general message under the reprimand, which states the different classes. Apparently a class three is the lowest level and is considered a sort of deferred adjudication where it can be removed from my permanent record upon the completion of all community service. I read the other classes of reprimands and find that class two is a serious level of discipline which requires paying restitution, completing abundant community service and it will go on the permanent record which could affect a person's employment opportunities. A class one reprimand can result in actual prison time and in some cases could result in a person being exiled from the shelter. A shiver passes down my spine. I never knew that there was a prison in this shelter, it's not labeled anywhere on the maps. I also never knew that they would actually kick someone out of here. I mean, that could be a death sentence!

To get my mind off my impending punishment, I start looking through the other seventeen messages on my tablet. There are seven messages from my dad asking where I am. They get more and more worried as they go on. I feel horrible that I put him through this. I had no idea that this assembly would be called but one of the number one rules in the shelter is to always carry your tablet. Obviously that rule is for this very purpose.

The other messages are from Connor and Claire just asking where I'm at and commenting on the video. It turns out the whole thing is about how the removal of the patches is working. The earth is heating up nicely, yada, yada, yada. They still estimate that we will need to remain in the shelter for another two years. Connor complains about that part the most. Especially since his parents are out there. I concur with that, I don't want to wait another two years to find out if my mom and little brother survived, but I obviously don't have much choice.

My tablet vibrates and a new message from Alec comes on the screen. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I got a reprimand though." I type back.

"What?!" He texts which tells me that he must have gotten through the situation a lot better than I did.

"Yes, it's only a class three though." I say.

A few minutes pass and then he sends, "Okay, that doesn't look like it will be too bad. How many days did you get of community service?" He must have just searched through the shelter facts to find out what the different classes mean.

"I have to go on every free day for a month." I type.

"I'm so sorry babe. This is my fault." He sends.

My stomach flutters in a good way at his use of the word babe. I can't help smiling as I type. "Not your fault. This still was the best b-day ever."

"I still feel horrible but I will find a way to make it up to you." He types.

"You don't have to make up anything. I'll be fine. Looks like they're about to let out." I type as the lights come on in the auditorium. Everyone around me starts getting up and I follow suit.

I head back to my room immediately. When I get in I answer my dad's texts and let him know that I'm fine. I was just sitting with my friends. He seems relieved to hear back from me. He tells me that he has to go back into work but that he loves me. He sends another text with a picture of a birthday cake.

Dad: Happy Birthday Honey!

Me: Thanks!

I need to find time to talk to my dad about what's been going on in my life. We used to be close and not telling him about everything seems unnatural. My dad has always been there to support me but lately we've had zero time together. I make a promise to myself that the next time we have alone time I will tell him about Alec and even about our cave.

I take a shower and change into my pajamas. It feels good when I lay down in my bed. I didn't realize how tired I was from our exploring and then the emotional stress of finding out we nearly missed the assembly. I was going to text Claire to see how her time with Connor and Lillie was but I find it hard to keep my eyes open. I decide it can wait till tomorrow and I succumb to the sleep that is calling my name so sweetly.

# CHAPTER 13

### Ninety-three days inside

Seven a.m. comes far too soon as my tablet vibrates me awake. I yawn and stretch my arms over my head and practically crawl into the bathroom while mumbling about how I hate mornings along the way. I try to keep my complaining quiet since my dad's still asleep. He didn't make it home until around four a.m., and that was after a twelve-hour long shift.

I turn on the sink and splash my face with cool water. As I towel dry it off I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes widen in horror as I take in that eye Alec was talking about. It is not just a small dot of red, it's like a quarter of my eye is red. What's even freakier is the dark green ring that circles my iris. I know that's never been there before!

I lean in closer to the mirror and open my eyes wider to examine it. It's extremely unsettling to be staring at the same face I've always known, but to have my eye color look so different. The only time I've ever seen red irises are in those badly depicted vampire movies. I move my face around allowing the light to shine all around my eye. _What the heck is wrong with me?_ With the green and red, my eye looks like Christmas time gone wrong. Part of me wants to go to the clinic to make sure nothing's wrong with me. Perhaps I got some type of infection from ingesting that water down in the cavern, but I don't feel sick at all. In fact, I feel pretty healthy.

Call it intuition or a gut feeling, but something is telling me that I shouldn't broadcast this odd change, and that I definitely shouldn't bring it up at the clinic. After all, what am I going to tell them? That we broke all of the rules and trespassed in not only the storage area, but we went so far as to explore some of the lower tunnels. That's sure to get me a level one reprimand, and possibly implicate my friends too. _Just wait it out Willow_ , I tell myself.

I sneak back into the other room where my tablet is and bring it into the bathroom with me. I remembered seeing a small, funny looking dot on the top of the tablet. My guess is that it's a camera. I search the icons for a camera app and find one. Ah, ha! I say to myself. I position the camera up to the mirror and get a close-up shot of my eye. I send it to Alec and ask him in the message.

Me: Is this how it looked yesterday?

I hit send and wait. With nothing else to do I braid my hair. As I am clasping the bottom with a rubber band, my tablet vibrates.

Alec: I don't think so, but maybe it's the light. You might want to get that looked at.

Then a second later another message pops up.

Alec: Ah crap, I just cut myself. Got 2 run!

Me: K

I push the tablet aside. I'm trying to put two and two together and it doesn't make sense. I've seen what it looks like when you poke your eye and it bleeds. Sabby did it once—when he was about three—with one of my pencils and it didn't look like this. It looked like it was bleeding, not perfect and symmetrical like this. It just doesn't add up.

Suddenly I'm overly self-conscious about it. I pull my hair back down out of the braid and arrange it in front of my face. In a fleeting moment, which I most definitely don't think through, I grab some scissors and cut some long bangs around my face. I cringe upon seeing long strands of my hair fall to the floor. No going back now. I guess my vanity is getting the best of me today. I work to try to even them out. In the end, my bangs end up long enough to where if I wanted, they would nearly cover my eyes. I cut them in an angle though so they can swoop over my left eye. I figure there's no use in walking around fully blind when my right eye seems normal...for now.

I look in the mirror to examine the finished product. A long exasperated sigh escapes me. I tell myself that it's a new look and that I'll get used to it. Perhaps it will even be a fashion statement and maybe tomorrow everyone will do the same and cut their bangs like mine. _Yeah righ_ t! My annoying realistic side says that's highly improbable.

I glance down at the clock and realize I only have a few minutes before I have to be at breakfast. I scoop up the hair as best as I can, dispose of it in the trash and put the scissors back. I hurriedly get dressed, grab my tablet, and b-line for the cafeteria, all the while careful not to wake my dad.

Self-consciously I drag my newly cut bangs in front of my eyes thinking man, if I only had my sunglasses this would be ten times easier. I could just feign a headache and be done with it.

I drag my tray over to where Connor and Claire are already eating. I let my tray slam onto the table with a thump, which results in bits of oatmeal splattering all over my tray.

"Wow," proclaims Connor. "Did someone wake up Emo this morning?"

Claire slaps Connor on the shoulder. "Hey, I like the bangs, they're totally cool!" She exclaims in what sounds like mock enthusiasm.

"Thanks," I mutter while keeping my head down.

The rest of breakfast is strangely quiet with Connor and Claire saying something every now and then to break up the awkward silence. I don't know if it's because I'm tired, or just super frustrated about this whole situation, but the things the two of them are saying don't make a lot of sense.

At one point Connor blurts out, "I WONDER WHY CLAIRE DOESN'T LIKE SHOW TUNES." His voice sounds different, like it's muffled and far away. When I look up, he's engrossed in his tablet, and Claire doesn't seem to have noticed his comment.

"MAN, A NAIL SALON WOULD BE NICE." I look up to see Claire looking down at her nails.

"Yeah that would be nice." I reply, while trying to press on my ears to see if perhaps they're clogged or something. Her voice also sounded muffled like Connor's.

"What?" Claire looks up at me.

"What would be nice?" Connor asks, furrowing his brow.

"Um, didn't you say something?" I ask Clair. When they both look at me like I'm losing it, I say, "never mind," and go back to eating my bland oatmeal. _Maybe I really am getting sick._ I think to myself.

After breakfast we trek up to our classroom and take our seats. Everyone in the class is talking so loud, I put my hands over my ears to muffle it.

"What are you doing?" Claire whispers while pulling one of my hands off of my ear. She looks at me like I've done lost my marbles.

Confused yet again, I look around and notice that I can hear nearly everyone speaking at once, but no one is moving their lips.

I try to act normal as I sit at my desk, because honestly, nothing about _this_ is normal. Connor nor Claire seem to notice this freak situation. I look up at the screen in the front of the classroom, wondering if maybe all of this chatter is coming from it, but it's not. So many people are talking now and I feel like it's all I can hear. My head starts pounding with the intensity of it all so I put my head in my hands and try to cover my ears again. It does little to muffle the sounds.

"Quiet!" I don't even realize the order has left my mouth until most of the heads in the classroom, including Ms. Thomas', turn in my direction. Not knowing what to say, I mutter, "sorry. I have a horrible migraine." _Yes, Willow. That'll explain your attitude and your new hairstyle._

Heads begin to turn away from me but I hear comments like: "FREAK, LONER," "WEIRDO," and "LOSER," drifting from different people in the room. I can't understand why Ms. Thomas is letting them say these things.

I look to Ms. Thomas for help and hear her say in a muffled voice, "TEENAGERS! THIS JOB MAKES ME SICK. I DON'T EVEN GET MY SATURDAYS OFF ANYMORE. THIS IS SO NOT WORTH IT!" She continues, a little clearer this time. "Today we'll be going over pre-calculus and how to write a research paper."

My eyes widen in surprise at her initial complaint and then her quick switch over to normal teacher mode. _What the..._ Nobody seems to look surprised by her rude initial comment. They're all looking in her direction, paying attention to her lesson. I furrow my brow in frustration and look over to Connor and Claire. To my surprise they're facing forward, acting like nothing happened as well.

I pull up the text app on my tablet and type in a hurried group message to them.

Me: Did you just hear what Ms. Thomas said???

I hit send and watch as Connor and Claire get the messages.

They both look confused. I hear them say, "NO," but again in those bizarre muffled voices. My tablet vibrates softly in my palms and they both respond with No.

I'm beginning to get freaked out. I look over to Claire who looks like she's doodling on her tablet now. Suddenly, in the middle of class I hear her say, "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. THIS TEACHER CAN RAMBLE! SERIOUSLY, WHY WOULD SHE THINK WE'RE LISTENING? THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST BORING CLASS IN ALL OF EXISTANCE!"

At this point my mouth drops to the floor. I look up at Ms. Thomas and she just continues on with the lesson! _Is she suddenly deaf?_ I shrug my shoulders and decide to try it out, "Boring," I say loud enough for everyone to hear.

My face pales as Ms. Thomas stops mid-sentence and turns to face me, complete with beady eyes and a red face. I sink low into my seat. "What did you just say, Willow?" She says as she spits my name. Then I hear her say in a muffled voice, "YOU LITTLE TWERP, YOU THINK I LIKE DOING THIS?"

My eyes go wide at this. I'm staring at her in horror, so I know for sure this time that her mouth definitely didn't move. I think it's at this moment that I finally accept that I'm actually going crazy. "Nothing," is all I can think to mutter in response.

"That's what I thought," Ms. Thomas says angrily, while turning around to continue the lesson.

I look over to Claire whose face is burning red. She gives me a look like, _what gives_ , and I just shrug my shoulders.

I keep my head down, staring at my tablet while I try my best to block out everyone's commentary until the end of the class.

When the bell rings, I don't wait for my friends. I grab my tablet and hurry out the door, eager to get away from the bizarre and personal comments no one should dare say aloud. As I walk towards the cafeteria I put my headphones in and blare my music at top volume. This helps to dramatically decrease the chatter around me. I breathe a sigh of relief. I grab my food and sit at a table at the far end of the dining hall, nearest to the exit doors.

A few minutes later, Claire and Connor each slam their trays down next to me to get my attention. Both of their faces display looks of annoyance. I cringe as I pull one of my headphones out.

Claire begins, "Willow, what the hell is wrong with you?" Leave it to the normally calm natured girl to speak up first. She stares me down. Then in her muffled voice I hear her say, "SHE'S ACTING SO BIZARRE, MAYBE SHE'S ON DRUGS."

"I'm not on drugs!" I respond loudly, defending myself.

Claire's mouth falls open, "What did you just say?"

"I said I'm not on drugs," I repeat, confused by why she's asking me to repeat it.

"Willow, how did you..." Her eyes are wide with shock. "I didn't say that." She starts shaking her head, eyes still wide.

I give her a disgruntled look. "I just heard you say that!"

She turns to Connor. "Did I just say that out loud?" Her face turns red and she cringes at her admission even though Connor shakes his head no.

"I didn't hear anything." He says looking super confused by the whole conversation.

Then it dawns on me, and my eyes widen as my whole body tenses. I consider the impossible. _There's no way,_ I think to myself. But Claire's reaction makes my epiphany even more frighteningly possible.

"Wait, Claire, think of a number between one and ten million. And Connor, think of a color, not a primary color, but one that's bizarre."

"Why?" Claire asks. Connor just looks excited to play a game.

"Please just do it." I ask her.

They look at each other and shrug their shoulders. "ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND," I hear Claire mutter softly.

"MACARONI AND CHEESE YELLOW," I hear Connor say almost in unison with Claire's response.

"One-hundred-thousand and macaroni and cheese yellow." I say, waiting for their reaction.

Connor and Claire grip the sides of their chairs and look at me completely bewildered. They both look like they're on the verge of passing out.

"Calm down, just breathe." I say hoping they won't panic. The last thing I want to do is invite more unwanted attention to myself. My mind goes to the worst possible scenario as I wonder what ramifications this new found trick may cause. The Salem witch trials comes to mind and I shiver as I push the thought away. _This isn't the seventeenth century Willow._ _Nobody's going to burn you at the stake._ This is just a bizarre occurrence; you're not becoming a witch. It can go away any time now. _Please go away._ I plead.

"What the heck was that Willow?" Claire asks first.

Connor just continues staring at me with a blank expression, not breathing. Claire elbows him in the stomach and he finally breathes.

"I don't know. It's like I woke up and now I can hear _everything_!" I exclaim.

"Everything, Everything?" Connor asks. The dumbfounded expression is still on his face. "CLAIRE'S HOT." I hear Connor's muffled voice say.

"Yeah, I think she doesn't know just how beautiful she really is." I say looking at Claire.

Connor's mouth drops open again and Claire's cheeks redden as she realizes what I must have heard in his mind.

"How do you turn it off?" Claire asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "I have no idea. I mean I can muffle it somewhat if I put my music on full blast and don't look at anyone."

"I think the better question is how did you turn it _on_?" Connor asks.

"I'm not sure how I turned it _on_." I'm starting to feel a little frustrated about my lack of knowledge when it comes to these new freak worthy skills.

"Why do you think this is happening now?" Claire's expression is thoughtful and curious.

"I. Don't. Know." I enunciate each word with frustration. I feel like an instant jerk when Claire's face falls. "I'm sorry, I just don't know any more than you do. I really need to see Alec." My head's starting to pound again so I rub my temples with my index fingers. I look up at Claire with watering eyes.

She looks at me and immediately gets up from the table and comes around to sit by my side. She rubs my back soothingly and says, "It's okay sweetie we'll figure this out." She pushes the hair from out of my face and I look up to hear her say to Connor, "She looks sick." The second she registers my eyes she gasps. "What in the world?" A whole series of other questions that I can't quite make out are running through her head.

I quickly look down and hold my hands to my ears. My head's pounding so hard now that I feel as if it's going to explode.

"Should we take her to the doctor?" Connor asks worried.

"No! Alec." I say through clenched teeth. My head's hurting and each word feels like a hammer hitting my temple. I keep my head down as Claire stands and helps me up from the table. I consider putting my headphones on, but my headache vetoes that idea.

I do find though that keeping my head down somehow mutes the voices in the cafeteria. To test the theory, I make the mistake of looking up and making eye contact with a group of kids, and their jumbled thoughts come out in full volume. My hands go to my ears as I quickly drop my head again and stare at Claire's white tennis shoes as we walk out of the dining hall.

It's like my head is the volume control and I can turn the volume down when I don't make eye contact and keep my head down, or I can put it on full blast by looking directly at a person.

Unfortunately, my head continues to pound ferociously even after we make it further down the hall. I was hoping it would lessen when we got away from everyone. I massage my temples and keep following Connor and Claire's shoes as I trust them to guide me to Alec. I don't know why, but I feel like Alec can help. I'm not sure how he can help, but I just try to focus on getting to him and not focus on the feeling of an ice pick being hammered into my scull over and over again.

A pair of bare feet walk towards us. They're perfectly pedicured with hot pink nail polish that can only belong to one girl that I know. When I hear the hyena laugh I know that my guess was right on the money.

I look up to see Candy, Zack and their posse walking in our direction. I look away quickly but the voices have already started to flutter into my brain. Candy's muffled inner voice is just as annoying as her real one. "PATHETIC. WHAT DOES HE SEE IN HER? AND THOSE BANGS? ICK!"

I hear one of the other guys say something about Candy's rear end, but surprisingly I can't hear a thing that Zack's thinking. Despite my pounding headache, I find myself searching the group's thoughts for his cocky voice, but it doesn't come. I don't know why I do it, but when I can't seem to hear him in the crowd that's approaching, I look up to check if he left the group.

_Bad move Willow._ Zack's still there and the look he gives me is so eerie that it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. _Could he know?_ I look down quickly. _Keep walking, please keep walking. Nothing to see here._ I say to myself over and over again, still holding my hands against my head.

I'm out of luck, because a minute later his tennis shoes stop directly in front of me. "So where do you think you're going?" Zack asks.

I keep my head down and Connor speaks up for me. "She's not feeling well. I'm taking her to the nurse."

"Hmm, looks like someone had a little too much fun last night. So was it pain pills? Alcohol? What did you get into darling? Cause rumor has it you were late to the assembly." Zack says a little too coy-like.

That makes me look up at him with surprised eyes. _How in the freak did he know that?_ I strain my mind to hear what he's thinking but it's like I'm hitting a brick wall. In fact, the strain seems to make my headache intensify and I nearly curl in on myself from the pain.

Claire yanks me to the side, out of Zack's path and then pulls me forward more quickly down the hall and away from them. "Jerks!" She yells when we put some distance between our groups.

Candy laughs and so do some of the other guys.

Connor's at my other side and they both usher me into a nearby elevator. I look up before the doors close and see Zack still staring at me intensely. He doesn't look away. The elevator doors close, and a chill runs down my spine as I get the feeling again that somehow he knows what's wrong with me.

The elevator slides open and we all hear the commotion.

"Crap." Connor says as he guides me by holding my elbow. Both of my hands are still massaging my temples.

"What is that?" Claire asks.

So it's not just me hearing it this time. We follow the hallway and the volume of voices increases as we near the second floor entrance. I look up and can only see a portion of the lower level from this upper balcony landing, but it's enough to clue me in on what the commotion is. The whole level from what I can see is filled with men in dirty scrubs, yelling in angry protest. I don't have time to take it all in because the closer we get the worse I feel. Claire and Connor both put their arms around me, trying to carry me forward towards the admin office, but I can't take it. I slump down to the ground and curl in on myself, assuming the fetal position. Every voice is like a nail piercing my scull. Between what's audible and what's inaudible, I can't even make out a single full sentence. It's as if I can hear millions of angry men yelling in a different language. It's jumbled and garbled and so loud.

"Ow!" I cry out as I grasp at my head and try to push my hands over my ears harder. My cry makes Connor move into action. He sweeps me up into his arms and runs in the opposite direction down the corridor. Tears are falling down my cheeks and every muscle in my body is coiled with tension. My head hurts so bad and even though the voices are further away, I can't get the piercing pain to cease.

"Go get Alec." Connor instructs Claire and I hear her running back towards Headquarters. Connor has to try to balance my weight enough to open a door handle. He lays me on a floor against a wall.

"I think this office is empty. Are you sure I shouldn't get the nurse?" Connor asks. I squint my eyes open, and see through tear blurred eyes that he's scared. I can hear his thoughts and he doesn't know what to do.

I shake my head and it makes the pain radiate. "Ow," the tears are pouring down my cheeks. The after effects of the protest at headquarters makes me curl in on myself again.

"What happened?" Alec demands as he runs to my side and drops to the floor.

I keep my eyes squeezed shut and all I can manage to verbalize is, "it hurts."

"We're going to the doctor." He says while starting to pull me into his arms.

I shake my head and more tears of frustration start to push past my closed lids.

"Look at me Willow." He pushes the hair back from my face and I start to open my eyes to look up at him. I blink away the tears and stare into his eyes. I can't help noticing the thick dark blue ring that's now outlining his once solid green eyes. As if hypnotized, I keep my gaze locked on his as I feel the headache retreat. My muscles begin to uncoil, and after a few more seconds, the pain disappears entirely. The tears are still streaming down my face when my hands come away from my ears and I hear his inner voice crystal clear. It's possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

"I CAN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU! I LOVE YOU."

My heart flutters and my breath catches. I can hear his relieved thoughts about how my coloring is coming back and he starts to feel hopeful that the pain may have receded. I blink away the tears and that give his thoughts further confirmation. He moves his eyes away from mine to examine me for any other injuries. When he looks back, his hand gently brushes my bangs out of my eyes. I can hear him when he notices my change in hairstyles and he thinks it looks beautiful on me. He looks closer at my eyes again, intrigued by the new colors in my irises, and his mind goes to the change he's noticed in his.

"Are you okay babe?" He asks.

I nod my head. "Yes, I-I think so." I stutter.

"What happened?" He asks while stroking my hair back soothingly in a manner that nearly makes me want to purr.

"I don't know." I answer.

"She doesn't know what's going on with her but some freaky stuff is happening here." Connor says. Claire nods in agreement.

"Like what?" Alec directs his question towards me.

I cringe, worried that I'm going to sound like a nut job. But my instincts told me that Alec can help, so I tell him. "I really don't know but it's like I woke up and my eyes looked all crazy and I've been getting these headaches and, and well, um, I can hear what people think." I say it all in one quick breath, cringing slightly at the last part. It's so strange to hear myself say it out loud.

"What people think?" Alec looks at me as if I made a joke that he didn't quite get.

"She's not messing around man; she really can hear thoughts. I'm telling you, freaky stuff here!" Connor interrupts, looking completely frazzled.

I sit up more, allowing Alec to still cradle me somewhat in his arms. I need him to believe me, so I lean in and whisper ever so softly in his ear, "I love you too." I lean my forehead against his for a second as if my brain can transmit to his brain what I'm feeling and what I'm going through. I pull back and look into his eyes and can see instantly that he believes everything, that he believes me.

"Wow." Is all he says out loud, but inside he says, "I LOVE YOU," again and again. He studies my eyes as I listen to his inner voice, and smile. He studies the new color pattern in my eye, and he thinks it's interesting and still beautiful. He leans forward and kisses me on the lips.

Connor breaks up our intimate moment with a loud clearing of his throat. "GROSS, THAT'S LIKE MY SISTER." I hear him think.

"SO SWEET!" Claire thinks.

She playfully shoves Connor for interrupting our moment, then she gets right to business. "Is your head feeling better?"

I nod my head while I move off of Alec's lap to sit cross-legged on the ground. We're now all sitting in a small circle.

"That's interesting. I guess you have the magic touch Alec." She jokes.

I look at Alec as something clicks. "Yeah, it was like the instant I looked into your eyes my headache went away." I search face, trying to understand his demeanor change.

I hear him think, "NO IT'S NOT POSSIBLE."

"What's not possible?" I ask.

He looks at me wide eyed and then inside his head I hear him say, "I DON'T KNOW HOW KEEN I AM THAT YOU CAN READ MY MIND."

I smile up at him. "I don't know how to turn it off yet."

"Okay, well, we'll have to figure that out." He runs his hand through his hair and lets out a heavy breath. "A few strange things have been happening to me today. I cut myself shaving this morning. I saw myself bleeding and everything, but when I washed my face off with water and dried it, the cut was gone. Like it just vanished." He says.

"Hmm, maybe it wasn't as bad as you thought it was man." Connor says attempting to make sense of all of this.

"I said that to myself this morning too. However, a few hours later I got a nasty paper cut while filing some paperwork. I ran to the restroom and cleaned off all of the blood only to find that there was no cut nor any type of laceration on my hand anywhere." Alec looks at me and pulls some of the hair back from his forehead. He points to a spot at the top right corner near his hairline. "The freakiest thing of all is this!"

I look at him confused. "There's nothing there."

"Exactly! I've had a scar there since I was five years old. I fell out of a tree, or actually I was pushed out of a tree when my friend got mad that I beat him to the top. I banged my head against one of the branches on the way down and had to get ten stitches to close it up. I've always had that scar...until today." He pushes the pant leg up on his left leg. "And right here, there was a large burn from where I stupidly wore shorts while riding a dirt bike when I was thirteen. My leg had rubbed up against the exhaust pipe and it singed the skin right off." He points to his inner calf. "I have no scars anywhere. They're all gone!"

He rakes his hand through his hair. "I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. IT'S SCARING THE CRAP OUT OF ME." I hear his inner voice mutter.

I reach over and take his hand in mine rubbing my thumb across his in a comforting gesture. I bite my bottom lip trying to sift through all of this newly discovered information.

Claire's been sitting pretty quietly, but finally she speaks up. "I don't know what's going on but whatever it is, it has to be connected to something you," she says while pointing to me, "and Alec have done that Connor and I haven't."

I nod my head in agreement, she has a point. I furrow my brow trying to take it all in. Hesitantly, I notice I'm not hearing anyone's thoughts. That's odd. "Claire," I begin. "Think of something, like your favorite flavor of ice cream."

"Um, okay," she says aloud.

I listen, expecting to hear something but come up blank.

"So...?" she asks.

I shrug my shoulders, "I didn't hear anything." I'm not sure if I feel relief at that fact or not. My tablet goes off and I let go of Alec's hand so I can check it.

" OH, I PROBABLY OUGHT TO CHECK INTO WORK." I hear Claire say in her head.

"I'M STILL HUNGRY." Connor says inside his. He rubs his belly and I barely contain my laugh.

"That's so weird. I can hear you all again." I say looking at each of them.

I look to Alec and he says inside, "THIS IS PURE CRAZI... " I grab his hand and his thoughts are instantly cut off. I let go of his hand again. "WHAT IS SHE DO... " I grab his hand again.

"Um, are you feeling okay Willow?" Alec raises one of his eyebrows in serious question.

"Yeah, it's just that for some reason, when I hold your hand I can't hear anyone's thoughts but when I let go, I can hear them again. It's like you are buffering them when we make physical contact." However, it must only work if I initiate the contact since he was holding me earlier and I could still hear his thoughts.

I move closer to Claire and grab a hold of her hand. "UM, AWKWARD..." She says in her head, while Connor mutters, "THAT'S HOT, " in his.

"So it only works when I'm holding your hand." I'm staring at Alec now and he looks just as intrigued as me.

"That's really interesting." He says rubbing his temples as if that could somehow give him all of the answers to what's going on right now.

I look down at my tablet and the calendar reminder is on the screen stating that I have to report to the assembly hall for community service immediately. "I wonder why I don't have work today." I look to Alec.

"As a gift for having such high test scores in our shelter they've given all of the students a second free day. I couldn't find a way to schedule you all to have the same two free days this time." Alec says looking apologetic.

"Not that it would matter anyhow since I have to do community service for the next month." I sigh heavily.

Claire and Connor look excited. "How long will we be getting two free days?"

"It's indefinite as of right now so don't worry, you'll get to enjoy it with me too." He gives me a sexy smile.

"Good. Well I have to go, I only have three minutes left, but we'll talk more later." I can hear mutters of them feeling bad that I have to do community service.

Alec's is the worst because in his head he wishes he had the community service. He blames himself that I'm stuck with it. I grab his hand and lean in to kiss him goodbye as the entire world goes quiet. It's just Alec and me sharing a goose bump, tummy fluttering, swoon worthy kiss.

I pull back, letting go of his hand, and the world goes haywire again inside my head but this time I feel energized and healthy. I no longer feel a pounding headache or the overwhelming exhaustion. I tell everyone goodbye and head out of the room with a spring in my step. I walk, or more so run through the halls towards the assembly room. When I reach the main outer area where the assembly hall is located I try to open the main doors but find them locked. I walk along the hall that surrounds the exterior of the enormous circular assembly room, trying to find a door that's unlocked. I try several but have no luck. I keep walking the perimeter until I find myself nearing the end of a large, empty hallway where there's a final set of metal double doors. I presume this is the entrance for the assembly speakers and staff.

A chill runs up my spine when I hear footsteps behind me. I open my mind to try to hear the thoughts of whomever is approaching but all I hear is dead silence. My heart starts racing as I realize just how deserted this area of the hall is. I turn around slowly to find Zack a few feet behind me.

"Hey sugar." He calls to me.

Nausea rolls in my stomach and something about this situation tells me I should get out of it fast. I remain facing him but start backing away. He chuckles and moves towards me.

"Um, hey Zack." I say trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. I stare at him long and hard, trying to find a way to read his mind. I need to know what his intentions are and I'm frustrated to find myself hitting a brick wall when it comes to reading him.

"So, I'm thinking you and I need to talk." He says in a sly voice.

He's bridged the gap between us. I step backwards quickly and feel the cool hard surface of the wall hit my spine. I look to the side and realize that I just backed myself into a corner a few feet away from the door. "Maybe later, I'm late." I say. This time I can't hide the quiver in my voice.

Zack steps even closer to me now, invading my personal space. He places both of his arms on the wall on either side of my head caging me in. My heart starts beating at rapid speeds and my brain is telling me to run. He leans ever so close, to where his eyes are now only inches from mine.

He stares at me with this strange intensity that I've never seen before. I don't know if it's the lighting or if it's just me, but it almost appears that the alternating colors of green, brown and yellow that make up his hazel eyes are swirling. "Kiss me." He says in a quietly demanding voice.

My mind goes a little hazy and my eyelids droop. Something in me makes me move ever so closer to him. I look down at his lips and start closing my eyes. I don't feel the same butterflies in my stomach that I get when I'm anticipating kissing Alec. _Alec!_

I shut my eyes tight and shake my head. _What was I thinking?_ My muscles tense up as I recoil from him. I move my head back even further against the wall as if trying to make myself one with it. "What the freak? Hell no!" I answer loudly.

He looks shocked and I take that instant to push him away and speed towards the door. He catches my arm and pulls me back.

"What did you just say?" He asks in complete shock.

"I said hell no! What are you thinking Zack? Let me go!" I yell at him while struggling to pull my arm free from his hold. He only grips my arm tighter and I cringe in pain. Realizing that he's hurting me, he releases his grip. _Well maybe he's not a total psycho if he's not trying to hurt me._ I think to myself, but something is seriously wrong with him.

He pulls me closer to him again. He's got a hold of both of my arms now but he's not squeezing them tight enough to make it hurt. He puts his eyes even closer to mine and tries again. "I said KISS me!" He says each word with such a force that I feel compelled to listen to him. That same sensation goes through me and I start leaning in towards him, my eyes start to close and then bam, I snap out of it again! I turn my head from him.

He squeezes my arms tightly and then backs away from me laughing strangely. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_? What is wrong with _you_? Do girls actually kiss you when you do that? I mean, you can't just go up to someone that you've been a punk to and expect them to promptly obey you when you tell them to kiss you." I look at him incredulously. My cheeks heat and my brain reels over the possible reasons as to why I nearly obeyed him. I love Alec. Why in the world would I actually have contemplated kissing Zack, even for a second? I take a few deep cleansing breaths. I don't want to show Zack just how much he ruffled my feathers.

He moves closer to me and studies me again. I try to back up and find myself up against the same wall. _Stupid wall!_

He pushes my bangs out of my eyes and stares at them with a strange intensity. I find myself somehow frozen for a second but I come to my senses and slap his hand away allowing my bangs to fall back in front of my eyes again.

"Something's going on with you." He says accusingly. There's no hint that he's guessing; he _knows_ something is up.

"What do you mean?" I ask trying to play dumb but my heartbeat has sped up again and I can hear it in my ears. I would pay a million pennies for this guy's thoughts. Why can't I hear him?

"I mean, your eyes are different and something's going on with you. You didn't listen to me. How did you do that?" Zack asks.

"I don't get it Zack; what are you trying to ask? Not everyone has to listen to you." I'm now thoroughly annoyed and a little freaked out.

"Excuse me." A man clears his throat behind me. "Is there a problem here?" He asks.

I turn around to see an older gentleman in his late forties with greying hair and pale green scrubs standing at the now open doorway to the assembly room.

I take the opportunity to say, "Yes, I'm Willow Mosby. I'm reporting to community service and this man is bothering me." I point to Zack who gives me a smug look. I wouldn't be so smug if I just got caught harassing someone.

The old man comes up to where we're standing and gives Zack a stern look. "Are you bothering this young lady?"

Zack looks into the man's eyes, which instantly glaze over. "No I'm not bothering her. We were just talking." Zack looks at me with a slick smile.

The man turns towards me and shakes his head just a bit. "It sounds like you two were just having a nice chat. Now you need to come inside. You're late for our service rotation. We'll have to add an additional week due to this, which will make it five weeks total of community service for you young lady."

Zack puts his hand on the guy's shoulder and the man turns towards him again. His eyes glaze over as Zack talks to him. "No, she's not late. Also, today is the last day of her community service. She'll have satisfied all terms of it after today. Do you understand?"

The man nods his head. Zack lets go of him and the man turns back to me. "I bet you are glad to be finished with your community service today. It's time to go in. You of course don't want to be late."

"Yes sir." I say incredulously to him. I look back at Zack with wide eyes.

He turns to walk in the opposite direction down the hall. "We'll talk later sugar." He waves his hand at me and continues walking away.

I shiver, as if my body is automatically trying to shake loose whatever that was that just happened. I don't know what's going on with Zack, or how he performed that little trick. My mind can't make sense of why he'd help me at all. All I know is that I don't like any of it, and the last thing I want is to owe Zack any favors. I turn and follow the old man into the auditorium to complete my first _and_ last day of community service.

***

To my complete surprise, Alec is leaning against the banister that lines the exit stairs when my community service shift comes to an end. My head's pounding after having to listen to people's thoughts and complaints about performing community service for the past four hours.

After the old man signs off on my tablet screen, I turn and run, jumping into Alec's arms. He wraps them around me in a comforting hug and plants a soft kiss on my lips. I let out a quiet moan as all my aches and pains slip quickly away. My body feels refreshed. It feels like I've had a day at the spa. Not a day hunched over, picking up trash, while being peppered by everyone's negative thoughts. Alec kisses me softly on the nape of my neck, before placing me gently back down on my feet.

"You're my saving grace, you know that?" I ask Alec.

A smile fills his face as he stares at me. "Glad to be of service ma'am." He acts like he's tipping his hat to me and I laugh. "I figured you'd need me after an afternoon like this," he says as he sweeps his arm, gesturing to the others that are leaving.

"You have no idea." I reply as we start walking back towards the commons area. I gratefully hold Alec's hand as we walk, relishing in the much needed silence. "So, what did you do today?" I ask him.

"Just work, and a whole lot of thinking of you." He turns his head and gives me a quick kiss.

That night, Alec and I enjoy dinner together. He walks me back to my room afterwards. I consider inviting him inside after we exchange an earth-shatteringly-long kiss. But not knowing what my dad's schedule is, I decide against that.

Once inside our room, I head to the bathroom to check the mirror. I've been wanting to do it all day to see if the red spot on my eye has gotten any better. I lean in close to the mirror and brush my bangs out of my left eye.

Geeze! It's not getting better at all, its only getting worse! The green ring still circles my iris but it looks more pronounced. The red spot's still there and now there's a little bit of dark blue to the right of my pupil.

_Ugh!_ What in the world is going on with me?

# CHAPTER 14

### Ninety-four days inside

The next day is different. I find myself able to turn off and on my ability to hear thoughts at my own will. I'm not sure how I suddenly have this newfound gift, but I'm extremely grateful for it since my work schedule on Sunday is so busy that I barely get to see Alec at all. He had to give me a heavy workload today because most everyone is off except me and three other runners.

When five o'clock rolls around I gladly hand my tablet over to Alec to download my delivery signatures. We're the last two in the office, so I sit on top of his desk next to him as he finishes the last of his work. I watch him typing furiously on the keyboard. I don't pay attention to the words being entered on the screen, instead I take the time to study him in a way that you can't do when someone's looking at you. Well, at least not without totally creeping him out.

His hair's so dark that it nearly looks black on most days. Today, when I look at it just the right way I can see the deep espresso and chestnut colors that stand out underneath the light. I also notice that his eyebrows furrow in and his eyes squint ever so slightly when he's concentrating. It's quite endearing.

I inch myself closer so I can see more of his eyes. The deep emerald green that he once had is now completely replaced with the most unique shade of navy blue that I've ever seen. It starts out dark, almost black around the outer part of his eye and then fades into a lighter, yet still navy shade of blue as it leads into his pupils. Both of his eyes are completely changed and I wonder if whatever's going on is happening to both of us, then why has only one of my eyes changed colors? I would much rather have that, than have this freakish rainbow eye.

Alec turns and catches me staring. He doesn't say anything though. He shuts the computer off and stands up from his chair. He leans in to where I'm sitting on his desk and studies me back.

"What are you doing?" I know I'm blushing and it's possible that I should feel self-conscious but nothing about Alec's stare makes me feel unsure of myself. If anything the look that he's giving me makes me feel boldly beautiful and more confident.

"I figured if you get to study me for an uninterrupted five minutes then I should get to do the same to you." He smiles.

"Oh, you saw that?" I push some of my hair behind my ear.

He nods his head but continues to appraise me.

My body feels warm and flush and the butterflies are dancing around again in my stomach. The silence is killing me so I decide to break it. "So, what exactly are you studying?"

"Hmm, an exquisite specimen really." He says in his best official scientific voice.

I crack a smile at his corniness.

"Yes, her teeth are perfectly white. Her unruly waves have a color that's quite unique; it reminds me of a mix between caramel and toasted coconut."

I giggle. "I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as either of those."

He pushes his hand through my hair and continues. "Her eyes are almond shaped and one is the most beautiful brown I've ever seen."

I put my hand up to my left eye knowing that it must look horrible and freakish.

He pulls my hand away and sets it gently on my lap. He pushes my bangs aside and says, "And the other one is the most amazing mixture of colors that she seems to think is odd but I think it's stunning." He kisses me on my cheek before finishing. "I will conclude my findings with one final appraising statement. Willow Mosby, you _are_ the most breathtakingly beautiful creature that I've ever set eyes on."

I forget to breathe, instead I stare at him stunned yet feeling so loved and more beautiful than I've ever felt before. He pulls me into his arms and into a passionate kiss. I lean into him, pressing my entire body against his. Even still, I feel as if we aren't close enough. A lightheaded dizziness washes over me he pulls his lips away. Heavy breaths in the silence is left. I look from his lips to his eyes, wanting to get lost with him again.

He chuckles softly and kisses me on the bridge of my nose. "We better get you something to eat. You've been working your tail off."

"Sounds good to me." My voice sounds huskier than normal. I look into his navy eyes one more time before giving him a peck on the cheek as we head out of the office.

Alec puts his arm around me and pulls me closer to him as we walk.

"Have you seen Connor or Claire today?" I ask.

He nods his head. "Yeah, I saw them earlier. They were on their way to you-know-where," he says in a hushed voice since there are a lot of people moving about in the hallway.

"Ah, I wonder if they found the other part of the cave." I say in a hushed whisper.

"I don't know how I feel about that." Alec says in thought.

I have the same mixed feelings. That place was so special and I selfishly wanted to keep it as just Alec and my place. I push that feeling aside, knowing that my friends deserve to know about the cave too. "I hear you but if they haven't found it, we should definitely show them next time we're there."

"You're right babe. They would totally love it." Alec says as we enter the cafeteria and jump in line.

After we get our food we end up finding Connor and Claire sitting at our usual spot. They aren't even touching their food but are talking in hushed whispers. Claire spots me and practically jumps out of her seat to her feet.

I stop, taken aback by her skittishness. I don't know if I've ever seen her this jumpy...or is it excited? I can't tell. "Hey Claire, what's up?" I barely get the words out of my mouth before I'm dragged by my free hand over to sit next to her.

Claire squeals with delight. "Guess where we went today?" Claire asks trying but feigning to hide her excitement.

I sit quickly, ready for her to dish it out.

"We went back to the cave today and found the most amazing place!"

I share a knowing look with Alec. Not wanting to rain on her parade. I let her continue while acting mildly surprised. "Really? What was it?"

Claire looks so excited that she might explode in a few seconds. "We found another cave, it was _so_ cool! It had a big underground spring, but it was a lot warmer. We could even see the sky!" She looks at me in amazed anticipation then continues. "The sunlight came in from above us through this little hole. It was _so_ amazing! I can't believe we actually saw the real sky! It's seems like forever since we've seen outside! I wish you were there!" She takes a deep breath, winded from talking so fast.

I nod my head in response trying to look interested. I hope she doesn't get mad when I tell her Alec and I have already been there. Claire drones on while I eat. I nod my head every now and then to show her I'm listening. But when I see Candy sitting in a nearby table I can't help but shift my thought focus to Zack.

His actions yesterday were so unsettling that I can't put a finger on the extent of my anxious feelings yet. There are too many unanswered questions with Zack. Does he know about my newfound abilities? How on earth did he make that man change his mind about my community service? I think back to the picture I saw so long ago in his room. His eyes are different now than they were in that picture. Could that be correlated to the changes Alec and I are seeing in our own eyes?

My head starts aching again as Claire continues on about the cave. I rub my temples, then I run my hands up over my head bringing my bangs up with it. I should probably tell her we were at the cave earlier; I think to myself. I look up at Claire who has stopped talking. I soon realize that I must have lifted my mental guard because suddenly I can hear her thoughts. I should stop listening in, but my curiosity wins.

"WOW, HER EYES LOOK CRAZY WEIRD NOW. IS THERE A HAZEL SPOT IN THEM NOW? YES, IT'S RIGHT THERE! I WONDER IF SHE KNOWS...SHOULD I TELL HER?"

"Hazel? What do you mean hazel?" I ask interrupting Claire's inner monologue.

"Oh, man. I totally forgot you can do that!"

I look away in embarrassment. "Sorry Claire. I'm trying to work on that."

She pulls her arm around me. "Willow! I know you can't help it." She puts her face right in front of mine and talks to me like she would a small child. "It must stink having to hear everyone's thoughts, well, it's probably cool sometimes. Well, I don't know... Just know it's okay. You're my best friend, and well, if I had to choose one person that could do that, I'd choose you." The sentiment in her voice is almost tangible. I smile at her.

"Thanks Claire bear." I say back to her. Her face beams. I guess she likes the nickname Connor gave her.

Suddenly, I remember what Claire just said. My eye has hazel in it now? I look around for a mirrored surface and find my spoon. I pick it up and move into the light just enough so I can see a semi-clear reflection. I move my bangs out of the way and gasp at my reflection. There's a definite trace of hazel in my eye now. It lines the outer edge of my left eye just outside of the red portion. I look at my other eye and it still reflects the normal brown it's always been. I compare the two a few more times before looking back at the table.

Everyone stares back at me, expressions all blank. What do you say when freaky things are going on with your friend?

Alec breaks protocol and inches closer to me. He gently pulls my bangs back and tilts my chin up towards the light. "All I see is beautiful."

I half smile but still feel freaked out. I hadn't noticed the hazel earlier this morning when I was getting ready. This means my eye is getting more and more freakier by the second. "What's wrong with me?" I ask him just above a faint whisper.

"I don't know, but I'm sure you're fine. My eyes are changing too, so you aren't alone." He tries to comfort me.

I take a deep breath trying to chill out. I'm scared that tomorrow I'll wake up and have another crazy color in my eye or perhaps it will just turn into a freaking rainbow! I know I'm totally setting myself up for a panic attack so I take several deep cleansing breaths trying to calm myself.

I look out around the cafeteria and my eyes stop cold when I see Zack. He's standing about twenty feet away leaning up against a pillar. He gives me a wicked smile, then turns and walks away. I get goose bumps on my arms and an unsettled feeling as I turn back towards Alec.

"What's wrong?" He asks me, barely above a whisper.

"We need to talk." I reply simply.

"NO." I hear someone yell in my head.

What in the world? That did not sound like Alec. Alec stares at me like I'm crazy. I look around the cafeteria and find Zack standing across the room near the exit of the cafeteria.

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL HIM ABOUT ME." He's staring at me boldly now.

I hear his thoughts loud and clear as if he's talking directly inside my head. How can I hear him? I couldn't hear him before! How did he hear me?

"Are you okay Willow?" Alec asks. He puts his hand on my shoulder as if to steady me. He looks in the direction that I'm staring, but he's too late, Zack has already left.

I open my mouth but can't think of anything to say. "Um, I think I need to go to the restroom." I feel bad for lying but I'm thoroughly freaked out now.

"Need me to go with you?" Claire asks.

"No, I'm fine." I say to her. "I'll be right back." I tell Alec. I give him a quick kiss on the top of his head and head out of the cafeteria.

"So does his dad know about the two of you? I mean, I would think that a little boss on employee action would be frowned upon." I spin around to see Zack leaning coolly against the doorframe of a nearby office. His blonde hair is spiked up with gel and his hazel eyes stare at me appraisingly.

"What does it matter to you?" I ask him snidely. I throw my hand on my hip to further show him my annoyance.

"Nothing, I just find it interesting. I wouldn't have pegged you as a 'go against the grain' type of girl." I don't like the way he stares me up and down as he says this. His voice holds a sly, snake-like quality that puts me on edge.

"Look, cut the small talk crap. What exactly is going on with you?" I try to open my mind up to hear his thoughts but once again they're non-existent.

"What's going on with me? I think a better question would be what's going on with _you_?" He raises his eyebrow and rubs his chin in a questioning gesture.

I don't like how he plays back the same question I asked him yesterday. I'm finding myself not liking a lot of things about Zack. "Nope! I know something's going on here with you. You obviously don't want me to talk to Alec about what happened today. I'm not one for keeping secrets without a good reason. So spill it." I stand taller trying to look intimidating.

He laughs which makes my face flush with an angry heat. "You're kind of cute when you get all worked up, you know that sugar? That's what first caught my attention. You storming into my room with your feathers all ruffled over a girl you didn't even know."

I'm so frustrated that if I were a two-year-old I'd throw myself on the floor in a full-blown tantrum, but I'm not going to do that. Not with Zack especially, because then he wins whatever pissing match this is. I count to ten in my head and then take a deep breath. "Look, I'm not your _sugar_ and if you want me to keep my mouth shut then you'd better tell me exactly why you were able to do whatever you did in the hall yesterday. I've never seen anything like that, it's like you were compelling that man to believe whatever you said. And it worked!"

"Shh!" Zack looks around. Nobody's paying attention but he grabs me by the elbow and pulls me into an empty office. I look around and see menu boards, a desk with a computer, and several stacks of paper. I'm guessing the office belongs to someone who manages the cafeteria. When Zack closes the door, my heart starts racing as I remember the last time we were alone. I don't like whatever it is that he did to me. I feel unsafe around him, almost like I can't control myself.

"So?" I ask him. I put my hands on my hips and tap my foot. We're standing at least ten feet apart but it doesn't seem far enough for me. I step back for extra measure.

"So, what?" He asks.

"Argh!" He's seriously a sicko and is driving me nuts. He's just toying with me and he knows it! He starts moving towards me and I scoot further back until I feel the desk meet up with my lower back. Backed into yet another corner by Zack; he moves to where he's only a foot from me. He stares in my eyes and I move to avert my gaze. I brace my hands back behind me and grip the desk tightly, trying to gain composure.

"Ouch!" I cry out as something sliced my finger under the desk. A shiver runs up me from the spike of pain and I pull my hand up to examine the damage. A half inch long slash runs along the pad of my middle finger.

"Are you okay?" His eyes widen with worry. This man is throwing me for so many loops I might as well be on a roller coaster. He reaches out to carefully grab my hand and I pause for a second not understanding this Zack. _What's up with this guy?_ He acts one minute like he hates me, then he says he wants me to kiss him, then he threatens me, and now he actually seems like he cares about my injured finger?

I pull my hand away and he has the audacity to look wounded. What the actual... I don't finish my statement, instead I try to ease this ridiculously odd situation by blowing it off. "Yeah, something just cut me, it was minor. I'm okay." I grab a tissue from a box on the desk and hold it against the wound.

Zack leans down to check the underside of the desk. "Oh, there's a nail sticking out here."

I lean down to see the sharp pointy nail sticking out. Realizing how close our faces are to each other, I pop my head up and nearly hit his in the process. Not knowing what else to do, I dart a little too fast across the room.

Zack looks at me with an amused expression now. "Hey, we should probably get that cleaned up. I bet there's a first aid kit in the hallway somewhere." He moves towards me and holds out his hand. "Let me see the damage." He says.

I shake my head and he walks swiftly to me and stares intensely into my eyes. I can't help but feel a bit hypnotized by the greens, browns and yellows that make up the hazel color of his eyes. An eerily similar hazel to the one that's now in my eye. I surprise myself when I hold my hand out to him willingly.

He grabs it gently and takes the tissue from me as well. He wipes away at the blood. "What?" He looks back at me incredulously. His hand grips my wrist tighter.

I look down to see that there's no longer a wound on my finger. I yank my hand back immediately and hide it behind my back. My heart starts pounding double time. How did that heal so fast? That's Alec's thing, not mine!

"How is there no cut on your finger?" He asks point blank. He tries to pull my arm from behind my back to examine it and I yank it away from him.

"Hey! Don't touch me." I snarl at him.

"Look, I know something's going on with you. I can help you if you let me." He says in a voice that's way to calm given the circumstances and my miraculous healing.

I look up at him in surprise. "You can help me?" I barely whisper. I doubt that a guy like Zack can really help me but maybe he knows something about what's going on. I mean, obviously he's got some freaky stuff happening with him too.

"Yes, I can." He stares deeply into my eyes. "But, I need to know what's going on with you."

Somehow I feel myself believing that he can help me and I show my cards way quicker than I normally would. "I don't know what's going on with me but things are, they're changing." I say still staring into his eyes.

"Like what things?" He asks calmly.

"Like I can do stuff, like I could hear you earlier when you told me not to talk to Alec. I mean, I guess you already knew that, since that's how you told me to keep my mouth shut. But, I can hear everyone's thoughts." Why did I just tell him that?

"Interesting." He scratches his head as if contemplating the meaning of the universe. "And the healing, you can heal as well?" He asks me.

I look at him and then pull my hand out from behind my back. I examine it and find that the cut is fully healed. "I guess so." I say shrugging my shoulders. Remembering what Alec told me about his gift and how his scars disappeared, I look down at my arm. Sure enough the scar from the surgery on my arm is completely gone.

He uses his finger to lift my chin so my eyes are staring at him again." Your friends, have they been having these weird things happen to them as well?"

I open my mouth and am about to tell him about Alec but something tells me not to. I struggle hard because half of me wants to answer his question so badly and the other half is sounding the alarms, telling me to shut up. I jerk my head out of his hand and look away. I take a few breaths and then say, "No, it's just me."

He looks at me speculatively. "Really?"

I avoid locking eyes with him because something about his eyes hypnotizes me. "Really." I say trying to put on my best poker face. "So, what about you? What's up with you?"

He laughs, "What do you mean?"

"Seriously Zack? Don't be so coy. I know something's up with you. What is it? Can you hypnotize people or play mind games or what?" I look at him but keep darting my eyes away every few seconds.

"Hmm, I'm not really sure what is up with me. I just know that I can be very persuasive and people tend to do what I tell them to do." He smiles all cockily.

I make a fake gagging sound. He looks surprised at my audacity but then laughs.

"Hey, don't hate me because I can make you want me." He jokes around.

"No, whatever it is that you do, it doesn't work on me." I say pointing my finger at him. I keep moving my eyes away from his occasionally because I know that it does in fact work on me, even if just a little.

He calls my bluff, "That's not what it seemed like the other day in the hall. It seemed to me like you really wanted to kiss me."

Ugh, smug jerk. "No, I did not!" I say sounding like a toddler. I clench my hands in fists then say, "Look I need to go. My friends are going to wonder where I am." I turn away from him and head towards the door.

"Fine, but we aren't through yet. I told you that I would help and I _will_ keep my word. That is, if you want to know what's going on with you."

I spin around and study him. I don't know if he has any information but I really would like to know what's happening to Alec and me. "How exactly do you propose you could help me?"

He smiles as if he already knows that he's got me in his trap. "I figure you haven't told Alec yet that your community service is cancelled. Is that correct?"

I honestly forgot to tell Alec, I wasn't trying to keep it from him. Never the less, I nod, not sure where he's going with this.

"Well, I think we need to start our own investigation. There are some things happening in this shelter that worry me and I think that our new found powers are just the tip of the iceberg. Are you game to play a little Nancy Drew with me?" He raises his eyebrow in anticipation of my response.

I remember reading those extremely old Nancy Drew books when I was twelve. I loved the mysteries and found myself reading through the whole series in a year. "I guess." I say trying to be nonchalant. As long as he doesn't expect to play the part of Ned Nickerson.

"Sounds good. When's your next free day?" He asks.

I pull my tablet out of the pouch that I have it in on my hip. I slide the power on and pull up the calendar. "I don't ever know for sure but it should be Friday."

"Friday it is then. Meet me in the hall where you went for community service." He smiles big, showing off his pearly white teeth. "You know, the hall where we almost made out."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever." I say, not giving in to his poke. I turn around to head out.

"Oh and Sugar, don't tell anyone about our little arrangement." Zack calls as I walk out the door.

I don't respond to him. I just head back towards the cafeteria.

"There you are," Alec says when I return to the table. "We were getting worried about you. Everything okay?"

I nod my head embarrassed by my dishonesty.

He wraps his arm around mine holding me close. All I can think about is how my life is seemingly spiraling out of control and how there's nothing I can do to stop it.

# CHAPTER 15

### Ninety-five days inside

The next morning, as I'm getting ready for school, I notice my eye is looking increasingly more bizarre. The one eye is still a solid, plain old brown. The other eye is a kaleidoscope of brown interlaced with red, navy and two different shades of green. One of the shades looks remarkably like Zack's hazel eyes. Looking closer in the mirror there's a new color appearing next to the blue swirls. The color's so unique I can't put a name to it. _What in the world?_ I run my hands over my eyes in frustration. It's becoming painstakingly obvious that my eye is a swirl of colors. I'm going to have to think of some other way of hiding this because my bangs are not covering it well enough. I grab my stuff and head out for the grueling two hours of school that lay ahead.

As I'm walking into the classroom I immediately spot Claire waving her hands at me trying to get my attention. "Willow, over here." She calls out as if she's really that far away.

I walk over to her and squat next to her desk. "Hey Claire, what's up?"

She looks at me and points to her left eye. Oh no, I think to myself. I study her eyes and lo and behold there's a purple swirl lining her icy blue eye. It's not overly obvious...yet. I purse my lips not sure of what to say.

"What does it mean?" She asks me.

I shrug my shoulders having no idea what's going on.

"Places everyone, we need to start on time today. Lots to cover." "OH, HOW MY JOB SUCKS." I smile to myself, glad that Ms. Thomas is just as thrilled as we are to be here.

"We'll talk later," I say to Claire squeezing her shoulder.

I find myself getting so bored that I let my mental guard down hoping for some form of entertainment. I hone into the teacher first and listen. All she's thinking about is pharmaceuticals and how they tie in to today's lesson; and well, how her job sucks. I look around the room at the other nameless faces and peek into their thoughts. I sense love is in the air with a red head girl and a dark haired boy near the front of the class. The dark haired boy really likes the red head girl, but he doesn't know how to tell her. When I hear something way too private, I'm reminded about why this is really wrong, so I quit listening in.

My eyes land back on Claire who's typing furiously quick on her tablet, probably a text to Connor. Then I see it. My heart practically leaps out of my chest. Claire's arms have completely disappeared! I run my hands over my eyes and refocus on her again. No, I'm definitely seeing clearly. She looks like someone cut her arms off! It's like a bad magicians trick or like that game little kids play when they run out of their room with their arms tucked in their shirts trying to scare their friends. Quickly, I grab the sweater I carry with me on a daily basis and throw it at her.

Startled, she turns to me and mouths, "What the hell?" While putting what I'm guessing are her hands up in exasperation. I stare wide eyed at the sweater and her pencil, which seem to be floating in midair. All of the color drains out of her face as she realizes her arms are gone. Well, not really gone since she's still able to hold stuff, they're just invisible!

I motion for her to put the sweater on. She just furrows her brows at me in shock. I keep motioning, hoping she will take the hint.

"Willow!" Ms. Thomas shouts my name. I whip my head around to find her coming towards me. She stares me straight in the eyes.

"Please turn around, please turn around..." I whisper over and over again under my breath so quietly, hoping that nobody notices.

She stops abruptly, looks utterly confused and turns back around. She goes back to the board and begins teaching again, right where she left off.

My mouth drops open in surprise. I snap out of it when I hear Claire. "Psst."

I turn to look at her. Her face has turned an ashen shade of white. She puts my sweater on and since it's longer than usual she's able to wrap the cuff over her 'would be hands'. I stare at her in awe. Her arms are still in fact there but we just can't see them. How is that even possible?

Part way through the class Claire starts twirling her fingers through her hair which I've noticed is her telltale nervous sign. It would be fine but in this instance it looks like her hair is curling around in the air. It's so weird and strange to see her pale blonde locks wrap around what I guess is her invisible finger.

Connor must have noticed as well because he's just staring at her now, his jaw wide open.

She looks up at me and notices that I'm staring at her. Her eyes look wide and frightened.

"Stop twirling your hair." I whisper really low hoping nobody has noticed her yet. I'm not sure if she heard me or could read my lips so I start to send her a text when she abruptly stops.

I let my guard down to hear her thoughts. "I'M GOING TO STOP TWIRLING MY HAIR. I'M GOING TO STOP TWIRLING MY HAIR."

I immediately throw my guard back up. I put my head in my hands feeling an anxiety attack coming on. I haven't had one in such a long time, but I'll never forget the feeling. Taking deep breaths, I try and focus on the here and now. Ignoring what just happened, I focus on breathing in and then out, in and then out.

I avoid looking at Claire's arms for the remainder of the class. It's really tripping me out. I have no idea what in the world is going on with us but I know that I need to find out soon. When the bell rings I hop up out of my seat and run to stand in front of Claire's desk blocking her from other people's view.

I look down at her and am relieved to see her hands once again. "What _was_ that?" I ask her barely above a whisper.

Poor Claire looks even more pale than usual. "I don't know." She says while examining her hands out in front of her. She looks unbelievably relieved to see them again.

"Let's go." Connor says. "We need to find Alec."

I nod my head and we all get up and head out. I text Alec and find out that he's working through his lunch break. We decide to stop in at the cafeteria and pick up some to-go lunches, then head in to work.

Alec meets us in the hall right outside of the office and I hand him a sack lunch.

"Thank you." He says before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. While the kiss is sweet, I can't help but notice that he's looking kind of stressed out.

"Your welcome. Do you have time to talk?" I ask, gesturing back towards Connor and Claire who are standing quietly in the background, lost for words.

Alec gestures for us to go into a nearby empty office. It's the same one that we were in when we first talked about our newfound gifts.

"So what's up?" Alec asks.

We all sit on the floor in a small circle with our lunches laid out before us. I look to Claire to see if she wants to talk but she just stares down at her fingers. Connor looks up at me and I can see the worry masking his expression. I notice something else too. I lean in closer to examine his eyes a little better. His eyes have lightened up quite a bit. They used to be so dark that they looked almost black. Now they're mostly brown. He notices my stare so he darts his head down and starts opening his lunch.

"Um, are you all going to tell me what's going on?" Alec asks.

I allow a few seconds to see if Claire wants to speak up and when she remains quiet I blurt out, "Claire went a little invisible today."

Claire looks up at me, her face flushed.

I lean forward and pat her leg. "Hey, don't be embarrassed, you certainly aren't the only person around here who's been having some freaky stuff happen to them." I pull my bangs away from my left eye and point at it dramatically.

Her lip twitches up just a little but she remains quiet. She's reverting back to the Claire I first met. I wonder if it's one of her defense mechanisms. Almost like she tries to disappear when the focus is on her. How ironic that she could in fact possibly disappear now.

"That's really strange. Is this something you can turn on or off?" Alec asks Claire. I'm in awe at how calm he looks.

Claire looks up at him and finally talks. "I don't know."

"Why don't you try it?" Alec encourages. I nod my head in approval. Connor just looks a little freaked out.

Claire holds her arm out in front of her. She stares at it for a bit, her eyebrows furrow in concentration. Instead of looking at her arm I stare at her eyes. The purple is starting to stand out more boldly. It's a beautiful color, one I've never seen in any eye before.

I hear Alec gasp, so I look back at her arm. It's gone again. I let my guard down to listen in since everyone is scared quiet.

Claire's eyes water and she turns to Connor with a look of fear. "HE'S GOING TO THINK I'M A TOTAL FREAK."

I hear so many other questions going through all of their minds so I close myself off again. It's amazing that I can easily do this now without even needing physical contact with Alec to do so.

Connor leans forward and wipes a tear away from Claire's cheek, then grabs around in the air, until he finds her invisible hand and interlaces his fingers with hers. "It's okay Claire Bear. We'll figure out what's happening to you. To all of you guys." He looks to Alec and I.

It takes a lot for me to not say 'aww' out loud. Claire and Connor's relationship is blossoming a bit slower than Alec's and mine did, but it's at just the right pace for Claire. I love watching the sweet moments of affirmation they have with one another.

I lean forward and ask Claire, "May I?" My curiosity has gotten the best of me. When she nods her head I reach over and touch her imperceptible arm. "It feels just like normal." I say in surprise.

"Well yeah, I mean it's not like it just goes away. It's just you can't see it, that's all." She says really fast. I think that small qualification makes her feel like less of a freak.

"That's really cool. I wonder if you can do that with the rest of your body." Alec adds.

"Well, my arm is enough for now. I don't think I can handle much more for today." She gives her arm a concentrated stare and suddenly her arm slowly becomes visible once again. She sighs with relief.

"That's really cool babe." Connor says looking a little disappointed.

"What's wrong babe?" Claire asks him.

"Nothing." He says as he stuffs a bite of his sandwich in his mouth.

"Come on." Claire urges him, rubbing his upper back in a comforting gesture.

He talks with his mouth half full. "It's just, you can turn invisible..." He finishes chewing, then continues. "Alec can heal really fast and Willow can hear people's thoughts." He frowns. "I can't do anything cool."

I laugh. "Correction, I can hear people's thoughts and heal really fast." Everyone looks at me strangely and I realize I never told them about my ability to heal. "Yeah, I don't know how, but now I can heal myself like Alec does." I hold out my arm for them to see that the scar is completely gone from my surgery. The silent and in awe looks they're all giving me makes me uncomfortable, so I shift back to what Connor was talking about. "So, you want to be a freak like us?"

"Y'all aren't freaks. Y'all are like super heroes or something with newfound abilities." He counters.

"Yeah, maybe we need to find some more of those radioactive spiders that have been biting us and hand them over to you." Alec jokes.

Connor seems a little frustrated that we're joking about this. He stands up, brushes the crumbs off his clothes and walks to the corner of the room. He lets out a huff as he takes a seat on an office chair.

Claire gets up to go try to comfort him but Alec puts his hand on her arm stopping her. "Hey, just let him chill for a second. He's a guy and sometimes when guys feel, well, inadequate they can sulk a bit. He'll get over it in a second."

"Ow!" Connor calls out. We all look over at him at the same time and a simultaneous gasp fills the room. I know my jaw must be on the floor but so is everyone else's. I'm staring at Connor who just happens to have landed on his butt with his legs out in front of him as if the chair was pulled out from beneath him. The key factor that makes this scene so jaw dropping worthy is that part of his body is still in the chair. His butt is on the floor but the upper part of his body from his shoulders up are sticking through the chair!

My brain has no idea how to process this scene that makes no sense at all. It's as if the chair is a hologram and he's sticking through it. If I hadn't seen so many freaky occurrences in the past few days, I probably would have gone into complete shock.

Claire's the first to regain her composure and run to him. "Does it hurt?" I can hear the fear in her voice.

"No, but I need help up." He says a bit dazed.

Alec and I both head over to where he is. Up close it's even freakier because the chair still looks just as solid as before and so does Connor. He doesn't look invisible or anything. It just looks like part of his body passed straight through it. Like he just performed a mind blowing magic trick.

Alec holds his hand out to Connor who's still freaking out too much to notice it right away; but after a couple seconds he slowly lifts his arm up through the chair to accept his hand.

I stand there dumbfounded as I watch Alec help Connor to his feet. Connor's entire body passes through the chair until he's standing right in front of us.

"Oh my gosh Connor! Stop!" Claire cries out and runs to hold onto Connor around the waist. I look down to see that his feet are sinking into the floor.

"What's happening?" Connor yells, his legs sinking further into the floor like it's made of quicksand.

I worry about Connor falling straight through it so I grab his attention and stare straight into his eyes. "You need to stop right now. You need to become solid again or stop doing whatever it is you're doing that's allowing you to pass through stuff. Do you understand?" I ask calmly.

"I understand." Connor says stoically then steps up out of the floor and onto solid ground. Well, the ground has always been solid but I guess Connor made _himself_ solid again...or something along those lines.

I'm surprised he listened to me that easily and so is everyone else because they give me a strange look. I shrug my shoulders to act like I don't know what's going on. Deep down I have an inkling that this new ability has something to do with Zack.

"Well I guess you have some powers too babe." Claire says patting him on the back.

He shakes his head as if coming out of a daze and replies, "Yeah, I guess so." He runs his hands through his hair and then adds, "I don't think I like them very much. Anyone want to switch?"

We all laugh at that, which eases the tension in the room. A thought hits me and I blurt it out. "If Connor was able to pass through stuff, then why didn't your hands pass through him when you helped him up?"

We all contemplate it a little. Connor answers. "I don't know. Maybe I can control it like Claire can control the invisibility thing. I just focused on their touch."

"We should really work on this and try to see what all of it means." Claire says.

"Like practice using our powers?" Connor asks.

We all laugh again at him calling these oddities powers as if we're in a comic book.

"I think that's a good idea." Alec says. "I don't think we should tell anyone about this stuff though. At least not until we figure out what's happening."

Everyone agrees and my cheeks heat. I feel guilty knowing that I've talked to Zack already. I haven't told him about the others though, I tell myself, trying to make myself feel less blameworthy.

"Maybe we can go down to the cave on Friday to practice using our powers in a more private area. We all have the day off right?" Claire asks.

Alec looks at me, "Yeah, but Willow has community service." He looks like he still blames himself for my needing to do service.

Needles of shame prick my heart. "Yeah, but you should all go and try this out. If I can get out early, I'll join you." I lie. My bad conscience justifies it as doing my duty to figure out how all of this is happening.

"Okay, we better get to work." Alec says while typing something into his tablet. He leans in and gives me a kiss before he heads back to the office.

The rest of us follow in his footsteps a few minutes later. We still think it's best that the other workers don't know that Alec is fraternizing with his employees. The last thing we need is more attention shone on us right now.

# CHAPTER 16

### Ninety-nine days inside

I walk out of class on Friday to find Alec waiting for me. He hasn't come to my class before so I'm pleasantly surprised to see him.

"Hey babe." He throws his arm over my shoulder.

"Hey!" I look up into his dark blue eyes.

Alec kisses me on my cheek, then pushes my bangs out of my eye. "Beautiful." He says softly while staring at me intently.

I blush under the scrutiny of his gaze. I've been walking around half blind for the past several days ever since my eye has taken on even more freaky shades, including purple. Unlike the changes I've seen in my friend's eyes, mine is only occurring in that one eye. It looks almost like a marble and the colors have swirled together in a strange intricate design.

It didn't take me long to realize that the colors in my eyes correspond with the new colors of my friend's eyes. What I haven't figured out though is how and why.

"I wish you could come with us." Claire calls from behind Alec. I gaze over at her and see that she's staring at my eye now too. I consider briefly allowing my shield to go down so I can hear what she really thinks about my eye color but I avoid invading her privacy.

"I wish I could too." I reply. My chest is tight with anxiety. I hate lying but I have to get to the bottom of this. My friends seem to only be exhibiting one newfound ability, but I'm somehow exhibiting multiple abilities.

I even realized that I have that gift of persuasion or compulsion or whatever the heck Zack calls it. I had asked the lunch lady for an extra dessert yesterday and she gave it to me for free. I know it sounds small and trite but that lunch lady has never given anyone an extra portion of food without charging for it.

"Do you want me to walk you to community service?" Alec asks.

My heart speeds up and my palms start sweating. That would not be a good idea. Man, I hate lying. "No, I'll be fine."

"Do you at least get to have lunch with us first?" He asks.

I think about it. I would rather get this done with and I honestly don't feel hungry. All of this lying has made me lose my appetite. "No, they'll have sacked lunches there."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight at dinner then?" Alec looks hopeful.

"Yep! I want a play by play run down of all of the amazing comic book worthy stuff you guys do." I smile.

"Deal." Alec leans in and gives me a kiss before we part ways and I head out to find Zack.

Walking down this hallway sends my stomach into somersaults. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm stressed out, or that I'm meeting Zack in a deserted hall once again, but my heart seems to pick up speed with every step I take and the nausea that I'm experiencing makes me super grateful that I skipped lunch. I find Zack leaning against the wall near the end of the isolated hallway that leads to the assembly room. He turns to smile broadly at me when I approach. Zack's way too slick for his own good. His boyish good looks and dentist perfected smile make him seem like a mix between a High School quarterback and a magazine model. I'm not fooled by his appearance though, underneath that facade is a snake who's appraising my every move as if I'm its dinner.

"Hey sugar." He drawls as I near.

"Stop calling me that." I throw my hands on my hips and consider baring my teeth. This guy's truly adept at getting under my skin with very little effort.

"Why? Don't you like terms of endearment?" He raises his eyebrow at me.

"Look Zack. I'm not your 'sugar' so I prefer you don't use that term on me. We're not even friends or anything. This is a business arrangement and we're just working together this once to try and get some questions answered." I hope I've made myself clear and have drawn that line in the sand for him.

"Hmm, okay." He moves closer to me, then stares into my eyes. I swear that the colors, which make up his hazel eyes are moving around like clouds in a churning thunderstorm. He says slowly, "I _can_ call you sugar."

I cock my head at him then say in a monotone robot like voice, "You-can-call-me-sugar."

He gives me a questioning look and I bust out laughing. I know it might seem trite but I get a bit of pleasure when I see his cheeks heat with annoyance.

"Don't try that compulsion crap on me anymore. Are we clear?" I say. "Because it doesn't work and it definitely doesn't build trust." I flash my teeth and give him a prideful smile.

"We'll see." He says, to which I just roll my eyes. No use trying to fight with him. After all, boys like Zack must always think they are right.

"Oh, by the way, I have a present for you sug...Willow." He pulls a small white box out of the front pocket of his scrubs shirt and hands it to me.

I accept it a little nervously looking down at it. "What is it?" I ask. Visions of strange jewelry, inappropriately expensive gifts, and horse heads flood my mind. _Eww!_ The box is way too small for a horse head.

"Open it and find out."

I open the box slowly and see several boxes of contacts. Upon further inspection I find that they're only for my left eye, there's no prescription on them, they're simply brown contact lenses. "Ah! Genius!" I exclaim before questions roll to my mind. "Where did you manage to get these?" I would have assumed that they wouldn't have basic colored contacts at the clinic.

"I have my sources." He answers. He's the son of the man who's running this place after all. Even still it surprises me that he could find something so cosmetic. He doesn't seem to like that my mind is turning and asking questions, so instead he pokes at me. "I figured this would make it to where you could stop wearing your hair in front of your face. You do look a little ridiculous after all."

I look back down at the contacts ignoring his off handed insult. "Um, I'm not sure I know how to use these. No one in my family wears them."

Zack takes the box from my hands. "Here," he says. "I'll show you." He walks over to one of the single person bathrooms along the wall and opens the door. He turns the light on and looks around making sure the coast is clear. He ushers me in, closes and locks the door. "Here, have a seat." He says, gesturing to the toilet.

"Seriously?" I question.

His look gives nothing away. He puts the toilet seat down with his foot and takes ahold of my shoulders to sit me down. I squirm a little under his gaze. He hands me back the box of contacts and proceeds to wash his hands. "These contacts are special. You see, they don't need any contact solution like they used to. And, you can even leave them in for up to thirty days at a time. Then you dispose of them and get a new pair." He dries his hands with paper towels and turns back towards me. He takes the box from me and reaches inside to grab a pair of contacts. He holds them up to the light and looks back at me. "Yep, I picked just the right color."

My cheeks blush. It seems so intimate that he'd know my eye color that well. He notices my blush so I look away.

He returns his attention back to the contacts. He opens the package and balances a contact on the tip of his finger. "Lean your head back and hold still."

I do as I'm told. With one hand he holds my eye open so it's unable to blink; with the other hand he gently places the contact on my eye. The urge to blink is strong and my eyes are watering profusely, but Zack keeps my lids propped open.

"Just give it about five to ten seconds for the glue to dry, then you can blink," he says. He lets go of my eye and my lashes blink rapidly, letting lose the few unshed tears. I furrow my brow. It feels like something is actually in my eye...like an eyelash or something. I go to rub it, but Zack stops my hand. "Whatever you do, don't rub it for at least an hour. You'll get used to it; don't worry."

I nod my head at him and stand up. I go to the mirror by the sink and move my bangs aside. My eye is a little blurry but already I can tell how much better it looks. "Wow, it actually looks normal."

I see Zack's reflection in the mirror and he looks mighty pleased with himself.

Suddenly the handle to the bathroom begins to jiggle followed by a loud banging on the door. I whip around and stare at Zack, wide eyed. He puts his finger to his lips and moves me by my shoulders to the corner that's out of view. He walks back over to the door and opens it, releasing the lock.

"Hey man," some guy says. "I really need to go."

In that eerie voice Zack uses for compulsion he says to the man. "This bathroom's closed. The only one available is the one on the fourth floor, behind the cinema."

I gasp slightly and put my hand over my mouth. It'll take that poor guy at least fifteen minutes to get there. Ten if he runs. Zack slowly pulls the door closed and re-arms the lock. I can't help it, I bust out laughing. Zack's eyes light up and I say, "You know, I shouldn't be laughing." I try to hold the giggles back. "That wasn't very nice." I'm unsuccessful in trying to control myself and the giggle that comes out next is like one loud laughing exhale. I'm not one for playing tricks on people, but I think my giggle fit is more a result of my body needing to release the pent up energy and nerves I was holding inside from the second I left to find Zack.

Zack's eyes light up and he looks surprised to see me laughing and smiling. Those two words wouldn't fit into any of our prior exchanges. His smile actually looks genuine. "It was the first bathroom that came to mind, what can I say?" He winks and that gesture causes me to clear my throat and pull myself together.

He notices my change in demeanor but doesn't acknowledge it. "Is it feeling any better?" He asks me, changing the subject.

I nod my head. "Yeah, it's just going to take some getting used to." I look away nervously and say, "thank you." It's not a phrase I thought I'd say to Zack in a million years. But these contacts truly are going to make my life a lot easier. Plus, I won't have to walk around half blinded.

"Good, and you're welcome," he says. He pauses while waiting for me to face him again. When I do, he says, "I'm going to make sure the coast is clear, then you can follow me out, okay?"

My prior nervous jitters begin making their presence known again, but they're not as bad as before. Feeling like I have no choice but to trust him, I respond, "Okay."

Zack opens the door quietly and peers around it. After a few seconds he motions for me to come along beside him.

He closes the door behind us and looks both ways once we step out into the hall. He turns and walks in the direction where this hallway ends in a dead end. I open my mouth to mention that obvious fact, but he gestures for me to stop with his right hand. I wait beside him as he seems to be looking up at the ceiling and then behind and in front of us. I follow his gaze and see the pivoting camera. I don't get the chance to protest when he grabs my hand and hurries me to the end of the hallway. He quickly grabs his tablet out of his satchel, places it next to the dead end wall and begins punching numbers in. It looks like he's scanning the wall...but why would he do that? I hear a click as something releases and I watch in amazement as the wall opens up revealing a hidden hallway. He grabs my hand and pulls me in with him, before he presses a button that closes the hidden passageway.

"Um, Zack, what the hell was that?" I whisper, feeling a mix between awe and fear over the revelation that there are even more hidden tunnels than what I knew existed.

He gives me a sly smile. "That," he says accenting the word, "was something you," he pokes me lightly with his index finger, "did not see."

I swallow hard and nod my head. I place my fingers up to my lips and pull them across imitating a zipper.

That must satisfy him because he turns and begins walking up the steep hallway. There's dim lighting coming from the ceiling. Some of the lights flicker like they haven't been on in a while. They emit a slight buzzing noise, putting me on edge.

"Hey Zack, would you mind telling me where we're going?" I ask a little out of breath from the climb.

He doesn't answer me.

I don't like not knowing what's going on and I have a sinking feeling inside my stomach, like something is out of place. Is it really safe for me to be in a secret hallway with this guy? I'm extremely vulnerable in here, and basically have a freshly painted 'Easy Target' sign on my back. I don't even have a way to scream, because it would be impossible for anyone to hear me in here. Having no choice but to follow the leader, I stay one step behind him and remain silent. We walk a little further up the twisting pathways until we come to a steel door with a small keypad adjacent to it.

Zack reaches his hand up to press in the code but stops abruptly, turning to me. "Do you mind?" He asks.

"Oh," I say. "Sorry, sure." I turn around and listen to seven numbers being typed in followed by a quiet beep after each. The door releases and I turn around. Zack's already halfway through the doorway so I follow behind him.

Inside is a large lab. It looks like something from a movie with all the twisting tubes and smoke billowing out of glowing beakers. The room's illuminated in a dull blue light. As if on cue, Zack chimes in answering my unasked question. "This is my father's lab. You might know him."

"Oh?" I ask, suddenly curious. That was definitely not the revelation I was expecting to hear. "Who's your father?"

"Dr. Hastings." He says with a smug look across his face.

"Dr. Hastings, as in the leader of this entire facility? He's your father?" My mind starts racing as I go through all of the implications of Zack being related to the leader of this shelter. Zack could easily turn me in and...Well I don't know what exactly would happen to me. Would I get interrogated, or studied, or kicked out? I let out a shaky breath and decide now's not the time to worry about those questions. Right now, we need to figure out what we're going to find in here and then get out before I get a one-on-one meeting with Zack's dad.

Zack gives me an odd look—that seems a bit sinister to me—and turns away. "The very one." He answers as he begins meandering through the lab like he's been here a thousand times before. He starts checking on beakers, swirling different fluids around, and writing things down on notepads placed along the countertop.

Seeing him feel comfortable in here and not seeming worried at all, I begin to relax and look around myself. "So, what does your dad do in here?" I ask rather curiously.

Zack pauses and looks up at me. "You really want to know the answer to that?"

I think for a second. "Yeah, why not?"

Zack lets out a huff of air. He seems more amused than irritated and he actually decides to answer me while he continues checking the different fluids. At first I find myself interested when he tells me that his dad helped create the vaccinations that were given to each of us when we entered. I'm curious if Zack knows more about how they chose each immunization for each person. I let him continue talking, hoping he'll reveal more, but I lose interest when he starts talking about durable immunological responses. I half listen to him while I use his distraction as an opportunity to look around.

I fight to keep from running my hand along the shiny stainless steel countertop; it's a little too spotless. My eyes land on a file near one of the large microscopes. I look down at its label: Immunizations. It's the same file I saw Dr. Hastings leave Alec's office with. I open it and find a large stack of paper, held together with a heavy duty staple. I scan over the papers, which consists of a very long list of names and other scientific mumbo jumbo. I scan it briefly and one name jumps out at me, my fathers! My eyes dart over to Zack who's still lost in his own world. I don't waste a second longer as I slip the stapled list inside my satchel, careful not to let Zack see or hear what I'm doing. I button it back up praying he doesn't notice.

"...So, all in all, my dad and I tested different strands trying to see if we needed a monovalent or a multivalent Vaccine. We settled on a polyvalent hoping it could fight off more than one antigen."

He looks over at me and I nod my head feigning understanding. He lost me at Dr. Hastings. Who would have guessed that Zack was so scientific? "Um, cool." I scratch my head and then add, "So, what does this place have to do with our new abilities?"

He looks thoughtful. "My dad hasn't always been very forthcoming about his studies so I figure it wouldn't hurt to do a little snooping. You never know what we could find."

"He's not forthcoming yet he allows you access to his 'secret' lair?" I ask suspiciously. Something's not adding up. Zack just told me that he helped his dad make the vaccines, but he doesn't know everything about what his dad is doing in here. Something isn't adding up.

"Yes, I help him here on occasion. I've had access to this lab since before this shelter opened its doors."

"But you think he might be hiding something here?" I probe further.

"You never know. We need a place to start." He heads over to one of the lab tables and grabs a needle and a few vials. "Plus, I want to take some blood samples." He brings the needle over to me and grabs my arm.

I yank it back from him. "I don't think so!" I stare back and forth at his eyes and then at the needle.

"What's your problem; scared of a little ol' needle?" He prods.

I roll my eyes. "No but I don't really see the point in you taking my blood. After all, who exactly will be able to process the blood work? Don't tell me you know how to do that too."

"I actually do. I know someone who's better at it than I am though and I was going to ask for their help." He gently grabs my arm again. I look up into his eyes as he adds, "It will be fine. I'll have them look at mine too and I won't tell the person who the samples belong to."

For some strange reason, I don't jerk my arm back this time, so he takes that as a sign of my compliance. He swabs my arm with alcohol and applies a tourniquet to my upper arm. Slowly and accurately, he sticks the needle in and I watch as my blood fills the vial. He takes three different tubes worth of blood, then labels them with a letter A. He grabs a new needle and three new vials, and with a little help from me, he repeats the process on himself. He labels those with the letter B. The whole process takes less than fifteen minutes and I have to say that I'm very surprised by his ability to perform the task on me easily and on himself, which I would assume is probably harder to do.

I wonder at what age was he taught how to draw blood. I think of asking him that, but decide to ask the question that's more important. "So, who are you going to ask to help?"

"I think the less you know about that, the better." Zack disposes of the needles and then carefully drops the vials into his satchel.

I have a strong suspicion that he's keeping something huge from me. I want to probe him further, to find out who will be processing our blood, and what he knows about the immunizations, but I don't want to have my all access backstage pass revoked. I decide the smartest thing to do is to hold my tongue and follow him around the lab as he checks drawers and cabinets. For now, I'm going to let him lead the show since he seems to open up more when he feels like he's in control.

"Can you think of anything at all that could have triggered the beginning of your abilities?" Zack asks.

I know that it all started when we were in the cave. I don't know if it was the water or possibly something in the cave that ignited it. I can't tell Zack about it though because then I'd have to disclose our secret place and tell him who all I was with. "I really can't think of anything out of the ordinary that would have brought it on. How about you? When did you start displaying your symptoms?"

He seems annoyed that I directed the question back at him. "It's been a little while now." He answers vaguely.

Walking a thin line, I ask, " did you do anything unusual that could have sparked the change?" I see that my earlier decision to let him lead was the smartest course. The wall that he throws up is nearly tangible. _Easy now Willow._ I tell myself.

He answers a little too quickly, "No, not that I know of."

We'll both keep our secrets then. This will make it harder to draw a connection to whatever ignites the abilities, but I'm not giving Zack any more information than what he's willing to give me.

We hear a beeping sound on the other side of the keypad as numbers are being typed in.

"Hide!" Zack runs to the door.

I look around frantically trying to find a hiding spot. Zack gets under a desk and looks at me with worried eyes as the door lock clicks open. I'm still standing there out in the open. Zack seems to be looking right through me as the door opens and Dr. Hastings walks in.

I find myself frozen in place, like in one of those horrible dreams where you're paralyzed by fear and can't move. My heart starts pounding so loudly that I'm positive Dr. Hastings will hear it and a second later his eyes lock onto mine.

Dr. Hastings closes the door behind him and stares right through me before heading to his computer.

_What?_ He looked right past me as if I weren't here. I look down at myself and realize that I've gone invisible. I don't know how I did it, but even my clothing all the way down to my shoes has disappeared with me. _This is way too cool!_

I tiptoe over to check on Zack. He's pretty well hidden under the desk and he's running his hand through his blonde hair while looking worried. I head over to check out what Dr. Hastings is up to. I walk by one of the lab tables and accidentally knock over a small test tube. I cringe as it rolls off of the table and crashes onto the floor.

I stand frozen in place as Dr. Hastings turns and looks directly at me. He starts walking towards me and I open my mouth to explain but I close it quickly when he reaches the table, bends down, picks up the test tube and sets it back in its place. He looks around a little before he heads back to his computer.

I follow him, careful this time not to knock anything over. I steal a peek over his shoulder. The screen's full of a whole bunch of nonsense, which looks like a mathematical equation that's a few grades too smart for me. He types in some sort of formula before he logs off. He turns around so suddenly that I have to jump out of the way to keep from having him run smack dab into me. I hold my breath while he slowly makes his way out of the lab. I breathe a sigh of relief once we're in the clear.

Zack calls out in a loud whisper, "Willow?"

There's a decision to be made here. I could show him yet another newfound power of mine or I could hide it. I decide on the latter. I crouch down behind the lab table and focus my mind on making myself visible again. I stare at my arm, which slowly comes into focus. Once I check that all my limbs are present and accounted for, I jump up from behind the lab table. "Wow, that was close!" I say wiping my forehead dramatically.

"Yeah, I think we should leave now." He says. If he suspects something, he gives nothing away.

I nod my head and follow him out of the lab.

"So," I say while leaning back on my heels. "I guess I better take off. My friends are probably wondering where I'm at."

I watch to gage Zack's reaction but he seems calm, a little too calm for my comfort. "Sounds good," he replies. "I guess I'll see you next week...same time, same place?"

I nod my head in response and turn to leave. I pull out my tablet and text Alec to find out where he is. I'm surprised when he immediately texts back and says he's in the library. I didn't expect him to have his tablet on him since he made plans to go to the cave today with Connor and Claire.

I prod him a bit by text as I walk towards the library and find out that he felt too much like a third wheel and begged out on the practice day. Once again I feel that guilt make its way back up into my heart knowing that I very well could have joined them.

A few moments later, I find Alec sitting in the corner of the library on one of the couches reading a book. He has several stacks of reference material surrounding him. Curiosity gets the best of me as I saunter over. He doesn't see me approach so I place my hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" I ask playfully in a voice that's meant to make fun of Candy.

I watch his smile grow and suddenly he grabs my arms and pulls me down into a cradled position in his lap. He envelops me in a way-to-passionate-kiss-for-public, but I don't care. His lips are warm and inviting and I melt into his arms. All too quickly he releases the embrace and sets me in the seat beside him. I blush as I see an audience of people staring at Alec and me. I turn my attention back to Alec and peak at the book he has propped open in his lap.

"Whoa, your eyes are back to normal." Alec stares at me amazed.

I'm startled by his question until I remember the contacts. "Oh, I found some contacts." I say on the fly.

"You _found_ contacts?" He asks.

"Um, well, more so I _stole_ contacts." I hate lying because when you tell one lie you end up having to tell a hundred lies to cover it up. Plus, for each lie I make up, that's one more that I have to keep track of. "I saw them in another girl's satchel. She was at community service. I took them."

"What? Did she notice?" He asks looking worried.

"No, I don't think so." I let my hair fall back in front of my eyes feeling extremely uncomfortable. I switch subjects as fast as possible. "So, today I went invisible."

He gives me a stunned expression. "Like Claire invisible?"

I nod my head. "Yep, it's crazy right?"

"It's cool. I mean, I have absolutely no idea how you're picking up multiple gifts, but I think it's pretty awesome." He says sincerely.

"I'm not sure how awesome it really is. It's going to take a little getting used to. I'm turning into something straight out of those old comic books and I have no idea how or why."

"Those comic book girls _are_ super-hot so you'd fit in quite nicely." He studies me from head to toe and whistles.

I can't help but blush. Diverting his attention, I ask quickly, "Whatcha reading?"

It looks like a bunch of tables and diagrams, definitely not a 'for pleasure' kind of read. He pinches the bridge of his nose. He must have been at this for a while. His eyes show strain with small bags forming beneath them.

I reach over and grab his hand in mine and give it a squeeze. He kisses the top of my head before talking. "I'm just trying to figure out what's causing all of us to exhibit these 'abilities' if that's what you call them. I've been in here most of the morning studying the vaccinations over the past few years. I'm going over the research but it's written so scientifically that I have to use a dictionary to even be able to read the manuscripts. It seems like I've been here forever and I'm getting nowhere, like I'm walking in circles."

I give his hand another squeeze. "I might have something that may help and it may not, I'm not sure. I found this while doing my community service today." I feel so guilty for lying to Alec, but I worry that if I tell him the truth I may endanger him. Lord only knows what Zack's capable of doing. That single thought sets me on edge. I move to my satchel and pull out the stapled papers I swiped back at the lab and hand them to Alec.

Alec takes them from me and studies them closely for what seems like five full minutes. He flips through the pages back and forth until he finally looks up at me to respond. "Do you know what this is?" Alec asks me. His tone is one of wonderment and awe.

I shake my head. "I didn't know what it was, but I picked it up because my dad's name was listed on the front page. I guess my curiosity got the best of me." I shrug my shoulders trying to make it seem like no big deal. Alec continues to flip the pages back and forth.

Finally, after several minutes of reviewing the document, he turns to me. "These are the vaccination records...I think," he whispers. "You found these?" He studies me.

I nod my head and he seems to believe me. What reason does he have to think I'm lying after all? Great, another wound delivered to me by my good old friend—guilt.

I furrow my brow and change the subject. "Okay, so what's the significance?" I haven't been able to connect the pieces yet, but it looks as if Alec has already done just that.

He gives me a polite, excited smile. "If you flip through these pages you can see that not everyone received the same vaccine. Do you have a pen?" He asks flippantly.

I dig into my satchel and find a pen. "Here," I hand him a blue pen.

He removes the staples from the paper and begins scanning the list again. He circles his name, Connor's, Claire's and mine on the list. The numbers next to each of our names apparently indicates the type of vaccination we received upon arrival. We all have different numbers next to our names. He looks up at me. "I'm not sure if that makes sense. If the vaccinations are to blame for our abilities, then why do you have multiple abilities?"

I shrug my shoulders. "It's over my head. I can't seem to connect the dots either."

Alec runs his hands over his face thinking intently. "You only got the one vaccine right?"

I scan my mind looking for the answer. I only remember them giving me the one vaccine...and then my brain makes a connection I hadn't made before. My face goes pale as the blood drains from it. "Oh." Is all I can say at the moment.

Alec gives my shoulder a slight shake. "Willow, what's wrong?"

I take a few deep breaths preparing myself for the explanation to follow. "Do you remember what I told you about how my brother was rejected from the shelter?" I say barely above a whisper, emotion rising up in my throat. Alec pulls me into a hug and urges me to continue. "Well, when we were in my brother's exam room, my mom told me about how the doctor suggested putting my brother down, like an animal would be put down. All in anticipation of a virus that they said showed up in a marker within his blood, that he could or could not get in the future. I couldn't endure the thought of them possibly giving the red shot to my baby brother so I took the red serum filled syringe and hid it in my hospital gown. It was an impulse decision. I didn't think it through, or even rationalize that the doctor could just as easily go and get another one. I was just scared and I wanted to do something, even if it was futile, to protect my little brother." I take a deep, shaky breath before I continue. "Well, with the shock of everything that happened, I actually forgot that I took the shot at all. It wasn't until we were in this shelter and I was changing into my first set of scrubs that I remembered it. I wanted to throw it away but then the thought of it possibly either getting into the wrong set of hands, or accidentally killing someone who might handle the trash, popped into my head. So I decided I'd empty out the solution within the syringe. While I was trying to work the thing out of my hospital gown, the dressing room attendant popped her head into my room and when I hid the gown behind my back quickly, I accidentally poked myself with the needle. I felt a little weird right away, but I couldn't tell if it was due to anxiety or if it was because some of the serum went into my bloodstream. Maybe that's what happened. Perhaps some of it did go into my blood stream, and perhaps just a trace amount was all it took to make my ability work different."

"Wow," is all Alec says at first, still processing the information I gave him.

I swallow the emotion that was building up in my throat and take a deep breath, exhaling it with a sigh of relief. "It feels really good to be able to talk to you about this. The whole incident scared me so much that I didn't want to tell anyone. Plus, the doors weren't fully shut at the time, and I was worried if I confessed to stealing the shot, they might send my dad and me back outside. That would have been a death sentence for the two of us since we couldn't actually take any of the immunizations they recommended for being outside, since we already received our inside ones. Really though, I don't know if this has anything to do with the shot I stole, but that's my best guess."

I watch Alec's face as he contemplates what I just said. His eyes crinkle as he tries to piece the situation together. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad the red serum didn't harm you like they said it would. The thought of not having you in my life is unbearable. You make this..." he looks to the empty space beside him to find the words. "...This shelter that we live in, this situation we've been placed in, much more enjoyable. I find it exceptionally exciting when you're around. It's like you breathe life into me, allowing me to relax and let go. Let go of any worries or anxieties that I have and just...just be."

Having Alec share this with me makes my heart soar. I had no idea the effect I had on him was this strong; but, truth be told, I would have to say I feel the same way. Alec is like my rock in this place. The foundation I need to keep my time here not only bearable, but meaningful and peaceful as well. I give his hand a squeeze. "I could never have summed up my feelings as well as you just did. You're an anchor for me here and I'm so grateful to have you in my life." I say with a shy smile.

Alec's eyes brighten with my sentiment. He kisses me gently on the lips.

"Okay enough of the mushy stuff!" I joke. "Now get back to work."

He goes back to looking at the papers scanning over them again. "I'll have to do a bit more research and see if I can find any other connections."

"Oh." I say when a question springs into my mind. "If everyone had vaccinations then how come we are the only one's showing symptoms?"

"I've been pondering that as well. The only thing I can think of is the cave perhaps. I mean it wasn't until then that we started showing the changes. Maybe it was something in the water." Alec guesses.

I doubt Zack found the cave but I keep that information to myself for now. "Perhaps. By the way, how many different vaccines are on that list?" I ask scanning over the numbers next to the names.

Alec flips through the numerous pages. "I only see ten."

"Wow, I wonder if it really is the vaccines that have caused the powers or if it's something else. I find it hard to believe that everyone in here has a latent power now lurking in their systems waiting to be unleashed. It just doesn't make sense at all." I think out loud.

"I hear you. That would cause total chaos at best. It's very possible that the vaccinations don't have anything to do with these changes, but it's the only semi-logical thing I can come up with. It's an easier pill to swallow than radioactive spiders or magical stones." He massages his temples. "I think my brain is fried."

I move to sit back on his lap. "Aww, poor thing. We'll have to fix that." I say with a big smile before I lean in and kiss his headache away. I follow it up with a light kiss on his forehead. "Better?" I ask.

"It might just need a little more mending." He says with a crooked grin. "What do you say you and I ditch this place and spend the last half of the day together."

"Sounds like a brilliant plan to me." I smile. We put away the books and I tuck the list back into my satchel and head out.

We decide to check out a movie and we end up watching some goofy vampire horror flick that makes us laugh. The special effects and acting were mediocre at best but it provided us with plenty of cheesy lines to make fun of. After the movie we grab a bite to eat for dinner and then Alec walks me back to my room.

"Night." Alec says.

My back is pressed up against the door as he leans in to kiss me goodnight. "Eek." I screech as I fall backwards into my dad's arms. He opened the door so suddenly that neither Alec nor I could keep me from falling backwards. My cheeks heat and I know my face must be hot pink or something close. _Awkward!_

My dad sets me back on my feet. "Hello Alec." He says a little icily. My dad likes Alec but I know that he certainly doesn't want to think of him kissing his little girl.

"Hello Mr. Mosby. Um, I was just escorting Willow home." He stammers.

"Sure you were. How often exactly do you escort my daughter home?" My dad interrogates.

"Dad, be easy on him. He was only doing the honorable thing." I say trying to save Alec.

"Oh, making out with my daughter in the hallway is the honorable thing now?" He eyes the two of us.

"Dad!" My eyes widen in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mosby." Alec looks clueless on how to respond to my dad's prompt.

My dad breathes out a long breath then says, "You're respecting my daughter, right?"

"Yes sir, very much sir. I mean, I respect her very much sir. And you. I respect you too, sir." Alec stutters.

"Good. Then you can be on your way." He shoos Alec away.

Alec looks at me a little torn but I smile and say, "Goodnight." He gives me a sweet smile and then gladly retreats from this intensely awkward situation.

I turn to my dad. Any normal teenager would start a fight with their parent after being embarrassed in such a way. I open my mouth but close it quickly when I notice just how tired he looks. I rarely see him due to his intense schedule and I don't like what I'm seeing. He looks much older than he did when we first entered the shelter. His hair is more than fifty percent grey and his eyes look worn out and exhausted. His shoulders are slumped just enough to melt away all of my teenage angst. "I'm sorry dad." I say.

His features soften and he says, "Lets go inside honey." He looks down. My satchel must have crashed to the floor during my fall. My tablet and the paperwork I stole lies face up. My heart starts accelerating as he leans down and picks up my stuff. I try to take it back from him before he can look at it, but I don't get the chance. He glances over some of the names and then quickly ushers me into the room and shuts the door. "What is this?" He waves the paper in the air and a look of deep concern lines his face. His eyes don't look tired anymore; they look wide and alert.

"Um, I found it?" I end up phrasing it like a question instead of an answer.

"Sit." He points towards a chair. I take a seat feeling like a child about to get in trouble. I watch as he flips through the papers. "Where did you get this?" He asks.

My brain thinks through what to say. Should I lie or tell the truth. Do I involve my dad in this mess or not? I want to protect him because he certainly doesn't need any extra stress. I open my mouth to make up a lie but I'm cut short.

"Truth Willow." He says cutting me off at the pass.

I look from side to side and then mutter, "Dr. Hastings lab."

His eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. "Dr. Hastings lab? As in _The_ Doctor Hastings who runs this shelter? What in the world were you doing there?" He stares me down and adds, "I want the truth young lady and I want it now."

I accidentally let out a laugh. His eyes narrow at my outburst. "Sorry, it's just a long story dad."

"I have all night." He sits down on the edge of his bed to listen.

I sigh and realize that I have to tell my dad what's going on. I owe it to him. He's my family and his name is on that list. Plus, maybe he can help. I run through everything with him from the cave to the powers and then end with my undercover work that I've been doing with Zack. I even tell him about my eyes and the contacts. I wish I could show them to him but I don't know how to take the contact out. When I'm done talking I feel relieved. I look up at my dad who's been silent this whole time. He has a strange look on his face.

"Honey, you know that I always believe you right?" He asks.

"Yes." I say wondering where he's going with this.

"I believe you now but I have to say that I'm struggling a bit with the whole super power thing. It doesn't make sense Willow. Maybe you imagined it?" He says. "I WISH HER MOM WERE HERE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO."

"She's not here dad and I need you to believe me." I say.

He looks at me incredulously. "You heard that?" "NO, I MUST BE GOING CRAZY. THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE."

"It _is_ possible dad and you aren't going crazy." I study him and decide he might need a little more convincing. I haven't tried out Connor's super power yet so I decide now is as good a time as any. If it's anything like the others, it's all about concentration. I take my index finger and place it on the middle of the desk. I concentrate as best I can and slowly I watch my finger sink into the desk. _Weird!_ It doesn't feel like I'm moving through anything. The desk just feels like air, or maybe it's my finger that feels like air. I plunge the rest of my hand through the desk and giggle when I see it sticking out at the bottom. "Freaky." I say aloud.

"Oh my goodness." My dad says. I look up to see him hovering over me. He touches the desk and sees that it's not a magic trick or an illusion. "Okay." My dad says a little shaky. "I believe you. Can you please pull your hand back out? It's freaking me out."

"Oh, sure." I pull my hand out quickly and place both my hands in my lap.

My dad runs his fingers through his hair and pulls a little at it. "This is impossible. I don't know how..." He starts pacing the room. I watch patiently as he makes a few laps. He stops mid stride and turns towards me. "Okay Willow. Tell me what, um...abilities have you been noticing?"

Relieved that he isn't labeling me as a total nut job I answer. "So far I can read minds, heal myself, go invisible, pass through objects and I can convince people."

"Convince people?"

"I'm not sure what to call it. It's like I can tell someone to do something and if I concentrate just right they'll listen. It's like I can hypnotize them or something but I don't use a watch or an object to put them under." I qualify.

"Compulsion. This is truly amazing Willow." A look of question pops on his face. "Wait, you haven't used this on me have you?"

I feel a little hurt but I understand his need to clarify. "No, I wouldn't do that dad. I try not to use any of this stuff. When I got each power it was hard for me to control it but after a day or so I could manage to turn it off and only use it if I have to."

"I'm sorry I asked. I love you and I know you wouldn't do that." He sits back down on the bed. "Why do you have this list?" He holds up the papers.

"I saw our names on it and I just grabbed it. I didn't know if it had anything to do with what's happening to me." I say.

My dad scans through it all. "These are the immunizations?"

"I believe so." I say.

"You think this has to do with your abilities?"

I nod my head.

"Well, I guess it's as good of a guess as any." He takes the list and hides it under his mattress. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

I shake my head. "Alec, Connor, Claire and Zack know." I add, "I'm the only one who knows about Zack though. I haven't told my friends about him and I haven't told Zack about their powers either."

"There are others?" He asks looking at me with a fixated stare. I nod my head. "That's what we were doing tonight...trying to figure out why we're exhibiting these symptoms when others aren't." He rubs the tip of his chin in thought.

"Smart girl. I don't like you working with Zack at all though. I don't trust his dad and I don't think the acorn fell far from the tree in that family." He says. "I'll do some digging of my own for you. In the meantime, try to lay low."

"Okay." My heart feels relieved knowing that he believes me and is going to help. I catch on a moment later to what he just said. "You know who Zack is?"

He nods sadly. "Yes, I know Dr. Hastings son. That family is up to no good. There's a lot of rumors going around about some past trouble they got into. I don't like any of it and I don't want you mixed up with that kind of people."

"I understand." I answer, not confirming or denying that I'll spend any more of my time investigating with Zack. I already knew that Zack and his family appear untrustworthy. Now, with my dad's warning, I'll be even more vigilant.

"I love you." He comes over and places a kiss on the top of my head. "Everything's going to be okay." It still astounds me how easily he's handling this. I would have expected more of a show; perhaps hysterics or fainting...something.

"Thanks dad." I say. I believe him. We _can_ figure this out.

"Try to get some sleep honey." My dad says.

"What about you? Aren't you going to bed?" I ask.

"No, I think I need to look into a few things first." He helps me out of the chair, gives me a hug and then leaves the room.

My mind is so wound up that it takes me what seems like an hour to turn my mind off enough to fall asleep.

# CHAPTER 17

### One-hundred days inside

I get a surprising message on my tablet when I wake up the next morning. I've been given another free day. I rarely ever get two free days in a row. The string of texts that follow that notification let me know that my friends are off as well.

Since I didn't make plans to snoop around with Zack, I tell my friends that I was given a day off from my community service. We text a little more and then agree to meet at breakfast to discuss our plans for the day.

I quickly throw on a pair of purple scrubs and take a look in the mirror. Leaning in closer I check out my eyes. My left eye is slightly darker than my right eye, but from a normal distance, it's nearly impossible to tell. I study my face in the mirror. I look so much different than I used to look. Perhaps it's the stress, or the loss, but I look older and more tired. I sigh and throw my wild curls into a loose bun, grab my satchel and head out.

Surprisingly Claire meets me outside of the cafeteria. She looks nervous and her purple eyes are darting back and forth through the crowd looking for someone. I realize _that_ someone is me when she comes running up.

"Hey!" She looks tense.

"Morning." I say with a half-smile.

Claire's literally radiating anxiety. "Um, what's going on?"

I raise my eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"

"Alec seems a bit agitated this morning. I wasn't sure if you two had a fight or something last night." She looks behind her, checking to make sure nobody's listening.

"What makes you think we got in a fight? Maybe he's just having a rough morning." I'm surprised by her question.

"Yeah, that could be it." She bites on her lower lip. "But, I saw something this morning. I mean, something I probably shouldn't have seen."

I stare at her for a second expecting her to carry on, but I guess she needs a little prodding. "Well, what did you see?"

She looks around to make sure there's nobody within earshot; then she leans in close to whisper. "I was practicing my invisible skills this morning and ran into Alec and Zack in the hall."

I gasp. _Crap!_

Claire looks at me suspiciously before continuing. "They were arguing pretty heatedly. I heard your name brought up. I couldn't hear everything they were saying because I had to turn visible again. I swear I thought that Alec was going to take a swing at Zack and I knew that I had to interrupt them. I ran to the next hall so I didn't just appear out of thin air in front of them and by the time I returned Alec was gone. Zack was standing in the hallway looking all smug with himself. He gave me a horrible stare that made me feel icky all over, so I rushed by him as fast as possible."

She looks at me expecting me to say something. I just stand there staring at her with a blank look. My brain is running through the possible things they may have discussed. Does Zack know about Alec's abilities? Does Alec know about my snooping around with Zack?

"What did Alec say when you found him?" I finally ask.

"Nothing really. He's just been sitting at the table looking all agitated. I asked him what was up but he didn't seem to want to talk. I didn't tell him that I saw him and Zack earlier. I just wanted to find you first." She looks worried.

"Well, I'm sure it's fine. Let's go in and see what's up." I say, although everything inside me doesn't want to go into the possible thunder storm that all of my lying and sneaking around has potentially caused. I walk in behind Claire. Instead of going directly to the table I make my way to the cafeteria line. I grab a bowl of cereal, no milk and a glass of orange juice, then head to the table.

Alec avoids eye contact with me until I sit down. He looks up at me and in that instant I wish he would have continued to dodge my gaze. His blue eyes are as dark as a midnight sky. They still take me back a bit seeing as how they were a bold emerald green when I first met him. I break eye contact first and feign interest in my food. My stomach doesn't feel hungry; in fact, it feels a little sick. Probably sick with worry. I pick at the cereal with my fingers and eat anyhow.

Everyone remains uncomfortably silent while I finish my breakfast. The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I want to say something and start defending myself but I know I should wait for Alec to bring it up first.

"So, are you all ready to go?" Connor asks uncomfortably.

I look to Alec who's still appraising me with an intense, slightly angry stare. I dodge it quickly and say, "Sure." We leave the cafeteria silently. Once we're out in the hall, Connor takes all of our tablets. I assume that means that we're headed to the cave.

The journey to our secret spot is agonizing due to the silence. I twiddle my thumbs and have to consistently try to tell myself to stop fidgeting. It makes me look guilty. Alec glances at me through his peripheral vision every once in a while. I tense up each time wondering when he's going to lay me out.

When we reach the drop off I consider asking Connor to help me down. I can't imagine jumping into Alec's arms. I wonder if he could be mad enough to let me fall on 'accident.' I brush that thought off as absurdly ridiculous. Alec loves me and even if he hated me, he wouldn't be the kind of guy to let someone get hurt. He's not Zack.

Connor and Claire make their way down the drop off first. Connor jumps down, not bothering with the ladder and Claire drops into his arms. He gives her a peck on the lips when he sets her down.

My heart starts racing as Alec jumps down next. Connor and Claire have started heading down the next tunnel leaving Alec and me alone. He turns around and holds his arms up to catch me. I can't see his facial expression because he's set his flashlight on the ground facing up towards me. I take a deep breath and allow myself to drop into his arm. He catches me. He hesitates for a second as he slowly sets me down. His hands remain planted on my hips as my feet touch the concrete. I look into his eyes and see a mix of emotions running wild. My heart's hammering fast and the butterflies that I always get around him are running rampant in my stomach. He leans forward only a fraction of an inch. I imagine he would have kissed me had it been any other circumstance. The fact that he slowly comes to some unknown realization and turns away from me hits my heart hard. It feels like a knife cutting right through it.

He grabs his flashlight and heads down the tunnel behind Connor and Claire.

I follow reluctantly, feeling horrible. Whatever went on between Zack and Alec must have been bad. By the look in Alec's eyes and the silent treatment he's giving me, I assume it was catastrophic.

A thought occurs to me. I work so hard to keep people's thoughts out of my mind that I haven't thought to listen in on what's going on in Alec's head. I feel a little torn about invading his privacy but I figure I can't do much worse than I've already done to him.

"I'M SO MAD AT HER. HOW COULD SHE DO THIS?" Alec's inner voice says in a near holler. I cringe at the sound of it. I didn't know you could yell in your head.

Usually people's inner voices are rather calm but he seems really worked up. I listen hard to find out what he's mad about but he just keeps saying the same thing over and over. Sometimes he rephrases it in a different manner but never does he think about the reasons why he's actually mad.

At the next drop Alec stays behind me so that Connor has to help me down. That really tops the cake; he's mad enough that he doesn't want to touch me. I just wish I knew exactly what he's so mad about. Is it the sneaking around with Zack or lying to him? Or maybe a little of both? I mean either one of those things would be enough to make me mad but would it make me as angry as Alec seems to be? I don't know.

When we get into the cave Connor and Claire head directly to the sunlight cave. Alec moves to follow them but I grab his arm and turn him towards me. He looks surprised at first but then his stare turns into an angry glare.

"What's wrong with you?" I throw my hands on my hips and stomp my foot. I can't believe I just stomped my foot!

Alec seems like he's going to ignore me but then he says, "Actually the question here should be what's up with you?"

I look at him appraisingly. "What do you mean?"

He laughs. "Oh, let me rephrase that for you Willow." I don't like the way he says my name. He continues. "What's up with you and Zack?"

"What do you mean what's up with Zack and me?" I know it's a stupid mechanism to counter his question with another question but I want to know what he's heard. I open my mind but all I hear are the same phrases over and over again. He's mad at me and he can't believe I've done this. Done what?

"Don't play coy with me Willow. You know exactly what I'm referring to!" He puts both of his hands on his hips. I note that his hands are facing outwards. I remember learning in an elective psychology class that hands facing backwards on your hips represent someone taking a normal posture. Hands facing forward show aggression or anger, neither of which are a good thing.

I open my mouth to try and say something witty or to possibly counter with yet another question but I decide against it. I take a deep breath and tell myself that I need to be honest with him. I should have been honest with him from the very beginning. "I'm sorry Alec. He told me not to tell you. I know I shouldn't have listened to him but I thought that perhaps he would be able to help us."

A strange look flashes across Alec's eyes. He says, "What do you mean? How could Zack help us?"

"I don't know how but he knew about me. I didn't tell him about all of you though. He said that he could help me investigate to try and figure out how we got these powers." I say quickly.

His eyebrow shoots up. "How we got these powers? You just said that you didn't tell him about us."

Oh touché! I consider it quickly and then realize that I don't owe anything to Zack by keeping his powers a secret. "Zack has a power too. He can compel people."

Alec seems to be processing the information when he asks, "Like make people do his bidding? Like those old vampire movies?"

I had never really thought about it that way but, "Yeah, I guess like that."

He scratches his head and I notice that his body language doesn't seem as rigid. "So did he help you?"

"Well, he got me these contacts." I point to my eyes and then cringe at Alec's expression. I forgot that I lied to him about that too. I take a long exasperated breath. This is the exact reason why lying is bad!

When Alec doesn't say anything I add, "We also broke into Dr. Hasting's office." Alec seems to look interested in that tad bit of knowledge. "Actually, Dr. Hasting's is Zack's dad." Alec seems surprised by that too. "We nearly got caught but I managed to grab that list before we left."

"Did you guys figure out what the immunizations have to do with all of this?" He asks.

"He doesn't know I took the list so no; we didn't figure out anything. My best guess is that maybe it could have caused our powers."

"Then why hasn't everyone exhibited powers yet?" He ponders.

"I don't know that yet. I mean honestly, they could have squat to do with our powers but I figured it was a start."

"Okay, so I get that you and Zack were trying to do 'research,' but why did you lie to me?" Alec puts his hands back up on his hips.

"I don't know. Zack told me I couldn't tell you and I...." I feel frustrated tears spilling into my eyes as I realize how damaging my lies were to our relationship. I blink them away and look back at Alec. "There's no excuse for my lying to you. I shouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry Alec. If I had the power to go back in time I would tell him No!" I take a shaky breath and add sincerely, "I understand that you're mad, probably even livid at me. I understand as well that I've broken our trust. If you feel like we need to break up I would not hold it against you in any way." This time I can't blink my tears away. They start flowing over.

Alec seems to struggle against some sort of invisible barrier as he takes a single step towards me. He doesn't say anything but looks tortured. I open my mind to hear what he's thinking. "I'M SO MAD...AATT...HHEERR." My eyes open wide at the way his thoughts sound. It's like each syllable is a struggle for him to think, or like he's thinking that thought but is also in a way trying to fight against it.

I blink a few times as I listen to his thoughts repeat the same struggling inner dialogue. Something clicks and I realize instantly what's going on here. "What did Zack tell you?" I ask boldly.

He seems to be surprised by my change in demeanor. "What do you mean?"

"What exactly did he say to you? Claire overheard you both fighting. I want to know what he said." I stand up tall and stare him down.

Alec looks puzzled and then thoughtful. He seems to be trying to answer that question for himself, which is odd. I tune into his thought process. "WHAT DID ZACK SAY? I CAN'T REMEMBER. I KNOW WE TALKED. WHAT WAS IT? I'M SO MAD AT HER, HOW COULD SHE DO THIS? WHAT?" Alec rubs his temples.

I was right in my conclusion. I take a step towards Alec. I put both of my hands on his arms and then look deeply into his eyes. "He compelled you." I say simply.

"What? No." He says with very little conviction.

"Yes, he did. I've been listening to your thoughts and over and over again you've been saying that you are so mad at me and how could I do this? What exactly are you mad about?" I ask. "Did you know I lied to you? Or, were you just mad in general without a real reason why?"

He thinks about it and then takes a step back from me. "No, I don't think I knew. I mean, you just told me but..."

I step back towards him not letting him off the hook. I hold my hands to each side of his face and make him look me in the eyes. "He compelled you Alec. He told you to be mad at me." I say it with force in hopes that he'll listen to me.

"HE HAD TO HAVE! I'M GOING TO GET HIM. I'M...SO...MA...NO!" Alec cuts his own line of thinking off at the pass. He grimaces and jerks away from me again. "That bastard! I'm going to get him!"

"Not if I get to him first! He had absolutely no right!" I say, feeling furious. I don't know Zack's motive but it doesn't matter, I'm pissed!

Alec seems to calm down a bit. He looks remorseful. "I TREATED HER SO HORRIBLY."

"No!" I say. He looks confused at my having heard his thoughts. I continue. "You did not treat me horribly. Sure you were mad at me but Alec, I deserve this! I don't know why Zack compelled you to be mad at me but you really honestly did have the right be mad at me. I lied to you and went behind your back. That is completely unacceptable! I'm so sorry!"

"Willow." He whispers.

A loud clapping erupts behind me followed by a sinister laugh that echoes against the cave walls. I turn to see Zack standing near the entrance to the second cave. He's clapping slow and loud. "Bravo! Bravo!"

Alec takes me by the hips and moves me behind him in a protective gesture. Looking over his shoulder, my eyes meet Zack's and if looks could kill, I'd be a murderer right now. My insides feel like they're on fire and my heart starts hammering in my chest. How did he know we were here? Better yet, how did he find this place?

"That was such an impassioned plea Willow! I nearly yelled out that I forgive you for poor Alec." He sets his gaze on Alec. "She's a firecracker. I would think you might be a little too good for her. That whole gentleman thing you've got going on doesn't seem to mesh with her bad girl persona if you know what I mean buddy. But it's just like a good boy to dabble in something bad every once in a while, especially something as delectable as Willow." He says laughing again.

I watch Alec's fists clench and his muscles on his forearms tense. "I'm not your buddy and don't you dare talk about her that way." Alec starts walking forward but I pull his arm back.

"No Alec, leave him alone. He's dangerous." I whisper the last part hoping Zack doesn't hear. While I'd love to see Zack's face pummeled in, something tells me there's a more sinister reason why he's here, in _our_ cave. "What are you doing here anyhow Zack? Did you follow me?" I ask vehemently.

"I'm no stalker Willow, so don't flatter yourself. Word made its way to me that this is where all the cool kids hang. I figured I'd check it out for myself. I can see why the two of you like it. It's the perfect place to go skinny dipping." Even though he's across the room I can still see that trademark slick smile of his. I want to slap it off his lips.

I start stomping his way but Alec keeps his arms taut, not allowing me through. "Willow, why don't you get out of here? I can deal with Zack."

"No way!" I say.

Alec spins around and tries to convince me with his eyes to leave, but I don't listen. Knowing that I'm not going anywhere, he turns back and yells, "What do you want Zack?"

Zack holds his hands out, "Well I wanted to invite you to the party. Come on in." He gestures for us to join him. Neither of us moves so Zack adds more sinisterly, "Hurry up now, your friends are waiting."

_Connor and Claire!_ I forgot they were in there. A sick feeling knots in my stomach. Alec must have the same feeling because he turns and whispers in my ear, "Run Willow. Go get help." I look back up at him and slightly shake my head. I can't leave! Not now.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Zack yells catching on to what Alec is trying to get me to do. We turn to see him shaking his finger at us. "You're both invited to this party. He looks behind me and I turn to see a large, bouncer worthy man blocking the tunnel that leads to our freedom. "Let's go!" Zack yells more impatiently this time.

Alec grabs my hand and we slowly make our way towards Zack.

"Ah, lovebirds. It's sickening, really." He gestures to Alec and me, "after you."

Alec takes the lead and I follow, having to crawl through most of the tunnel entrance. I try to focus on my breathing as my chest starts constricting. The walls seem to be closing in on me and my heart skips a beat. I feel the dizziness wash over me as the panic attack begins. When we reach a spot where we can stand again, Alec takes one of my hands in his and squeezes it gently, subduing much of my panic attack.

We step out into the cave and it takes a few seconds for my eyesight to adjust to the natural light. The sun seems to be almost exactly above the water making the water shimmer and sparkle.

"Ah, our guests have arrived." I look over to see Dr. Hastings staring at us. Next to him on the ground are Connor and Claire, kneeling with their hands behind their heads. A man I don't recognize stands on the other side of them holding a gun to Claire's head. The sight is foreign to me and it takes a few seconds for my brain to connect that this is real. Scary real.

"What's going on?" My voice comes out higher than normal as I direct my question to Zack who's come to stand beside me now.

He looks at me with an amused expression. "We're just cleaning up some loose ends here."

"Over here." The man with the gun waives at Alec. "You sit."

I look to Alec. We silently agree that now is not the time to fight.

We start moving forward but Zack puts his hand on my shoulder stopping me. "Not you sugar."

My blood boils! It must anger Alec as well because he lunges at Zack. I get knocked over by the two of them and I watch the fight from my place on the ground.

Alec pulls his hand back and takes a swing at Zack's face. I inwardly cheer as it makes contact with his jaw. Zack recovers quickly and punches Alec in the eye. Alec tackles Zack and they both go plummeting into the water. I hadn't realized how close they were to the edge. I stand up to get a better look.

Dr. Hastings walks over to the man with the gun and takes it from him so that the man can go and retrieve his son. Or Alec, whichever one came first. The man splashes into the water and pulls Alec out by the back of his shirt. Alec's still swinging but the man outweighs him by nearly double. He pulls him out of the water with minimal struggle and pushes Alec to the ground next to Connor.

Zack rubs his jaw as he climbs out of the water. He's soaking wet and his shoes make a squeaking sound as he walks. I expect him to go after Alec again but he does something even more dangerous. He walks to my side and throws his arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him. The cold water dripping off of him seeps into my clothes and I shiver. Alec tries to jump up, but the sound of a bullet being chambered in the gun makes him rethink his next move. The man must have grabbed it back from Dr. Hastings because he now points it directly at Alec's temple.

I stand frozen underneath Zack's arm. Worry for Alec and my friends paralyzes me. I must look scared because Alec ignores the gun pointing at him and tries to stand up again. A gunshot rings out. It echoes dangerously through the cave as Alec falls to the ground.

"No!" I yell out. I unfreeze in that second and stomp with all my might onto Zack's left foot and elbow him as hard as I can in his stomach. I don't have time to take any satisfaction in Zack's pain. I take my chances against the gun to run to Alec and slide down in front of him. His head's slumped forward and I worry at first that he may be unconscious or worse yet, dead. I look around trying to find where he was hit. The blood is seeping out of his right shoulder. His eyes look glassy and disoriented. My heart's beating so frantically that I can feel it in my throat. I have to blink away the tears that are blurring my vision. He can't die!

The man aims his gun towards Connor and Claire when they try to come help me. "Move away." The man orders to me.

I ignore him and start ripping at Alec's shirt. The bleeding has soaked through.

"Let her be." Dr. Hastings chimes.

I find the bullet hole. I'm guessing the bullet exited his body by the size of the wound. In movies and on television that always seems to be a good sign. Alec grunts in pain so I try to lay him down on the ground. I imagine that Alec's healing abilities would probably heal this size of a wound in a few minutes. I can't stand the pained expression on his face though so I decide not to wait on his inner healing abilities.

I've never tried to heal anyone before so I don't know if I can, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to try. I pull him up into my arms and then I press both of my hands on each side of his shoulder over the entry and exit wounds. I focus with all that I can on healing him until I feel the energy leaving my hands. A slight tingling sensation reaches all the way up my arm as I focus harder on mending the hole in his shoulder. I don't know if what I'm doing is helping but I keep trying to channel my ability to help Alec because he has to be okay. A few seconds later, Alec takes a deep inhale and opens his eyes to look at me. I pull my hands back and examine the wound. It's closed up completely. A sob leaves my throat as the overwhelming relief washes over me.

Alec moves slowly into a sitting position next to me and leans his forehead against mine before saying, "Thank you," in a breathy whisper.

A few tears escape my eyes as I realize he's going to be okay.

"Remarkable." Dr. Hastings breaks the silence. "Is there anything you can't do Willow?"

I glare up at Dr. Hastings who seems to be eyeing me like he would a multi-million-dollar experiment. "Apparently not. You should let us go now before I bring down the wrath of my powers on you." I stand up and try to look menacing hoping that my cheesy fake out line will work.

He eyes me appraisingly and then smiles. "I don't believe you have that type of power _yet_ my dear."

Ugh! What is it with these Hastings men and their use of not-so-endearing terms?

"Anyhow. I'm not done with you yet." He looks down at his tablet. "Oh, we better get going. We have a lot to do."

"Yep, time to go sugar." Zack says with venom in his voice. I don't move and a second later he grabs a handful of my curly hair and yanks me up. I yelp as I feel my hair pulling at my scalp.

Alec tries to help me but the man puts the gun against his temple. He says in a low terrifying voice, "This time I'm going in for the kill. I recommend you don't move."

Alec looks so torn so I say, "I'm okay."

Zack throws his arm around my shoulder again but squeezes me uncomfortably tight against him. He's making sure there's no room for elbowing any of his body parts. I wouldn't have done it anyway. I don't want to do anything that will make Alec tempt the man with the gun again.

"Let's get on with it." Dr. Hastings says rather bored. He waves his hand over his shoulder as if shooing us off and then exits the cave.

"Yep, I've grown bored with this party. I recommend you stay as far from the exit as you can." He says to my friends. He turns and looks at me, "Shall we?" He doesn't wait for a response. He grabs my arm tightly and starts pulling me towards the exit.

I plant my feet into the ground and try to hold my place, but he just drags me along. "Let me go!" I scream looking back at my friends.

The man with the gun is backing up but continues to have his gun trained on them. When he reaches us he turns it on me. "Move and she's dead." The man calls to Alec who has already gotten to his feet. "Sit!" The man demands pressing the gun against my temple. I can feel the cold steel as it sends prickling goose bumps cascading down my arms.

"Willow." Alec calls.

"Alec!" I yell as Zack pulls me into the tunnel. I fight him but it's no use. I hadn't realized how strong Zack was. He drags me through the tunnel. I feel the cold earth slicing at my body but I refuse to make this easy on him. I kick and scream. The man with the gun crawls through the tunnel backwards, ready to shoot anyone who tries to follow.

When we're all out on the other side, Zack calls into the tunnel again. "I really recommend that if you're near this tunnel that you get as far away from it as possible!"

The bouncer looking guy who blocked our exit to the first cave is standing near us now. In his hand is a stick of dynamite. He lights the long cord and realization strikes me cold. They're going to trap my friends inside the cave!

"Get back!" I yell into the tunnel. "They have explosives!"

Zack pulls me away from the tunnel towards the main cave's exit. The man throws the dynamite into the tunnel and we all hastily retreat. A minute passes before a deafening explosion rings out and the ground shakes. I nearly lose my balance but Zack rights me back up and continues dragging me out of the cave. My ears are ringing so loud that I can't hear the words Zack seems to be yelling at me. My body goes limp and I fall to my knees staring at the tunnel that's now covered with large rocks and dust floating in the air. A few stalactites have fallen around the area. My heart drops, thinking about my friends on the other side of the debris. I have no way of knowing if they're dead or alive. Best case scenario, they're trapped.

Zack pulls my hair again, forcing me back up to my feet. _Think, think, think!_ I have to make my brain work if I have any hope of surviving this. As of now it's three against one and those odds are surely not in my favor. I think about all the abilities I've exhibited over the past few weeks. My only guess is I must have all the powers of my friends combined. I try and make a list in my head.

* * *

Hearing inner thoughts (my original power)

Healing (Alec)

Compulsion (Zack...shiver)

Invisibility (Claire)

Changing molecular structure...if that's what you call it (Connor)

* * *

If my theory is correct and I do in fact have all these powers, I may just make it out unscathed. As to my friends...I can only pray they do too. One thought that crosses my mind is about Connor. If he's able to change his molecular structure maybe he'll be able to walk through the wreckage caused by the explosion and get help. A spark of hope ignites within me...a very tiny spark, but nonetheless a spark.

I'm brought back to the present as Zack pulls my arm again jerking me around yet another corner. I should have been paying attention to where we were going because now I have no idea how we got where we are. The tunnel has grown smaller and Dr. Hastings and the other man have turned into a narrow walkway that's offset to the side. It's so small one might not see it if they didn't know what they were looking for.

Zack shoves me in first and follows right behind me, never letting go of my arm. I'm sure that I could try and use Connor's ability right now to move straight through Zack's grip but I should probably save it for a time when I won't get immediately caught. Plus, the only advantage I possibly have at this time is the fact that Zack doesn't know about my powers that I've gotten from Connor and Claire.

We round a few small turns and come to a door. There's a single lightbulb flickering haphazardly above us. Dr. Hastings walks up to the door and punches in a code. It's nine digits in length—too long for most to memorize—and it's an odd number. My photographic memory steps in as the numbers become ingrained in my brain: 4-2-6-8-4-9-0-1-3. Who knows, that may come in handy later.

A small beep sounds and the door releases. Zack pushes me into the room after his father enters. Their goon doesn't follow us in, instead he closes the door behind us, remaining in the corridor outside of the room. A light turns on, illuminating Dr. Hasting's lab. It's the same one I was in the day before, but now there's a hospital bed that's positioned in one of the corners. A panicked sound escapes my lips as I see the restraints on the bed that are most likely meant for me. Large leather belts with multiple belt holes reinforced by large silver rings lay about on the bed, just waiting for their prisoner—me. An IV pole stands to the side of the bed with a clear solution hanging from a bag. On the other side is a heart monitor and some other machine I have yet to identify. Coming to a full realization that I'm basically about to become a science experiment, I begin shaking and my knees begin buckeling. I feel myself slowly falling to the ground, shaking and sweating.

"Oh no you don't," Zack says while forcefully pulling me back up. "You can do that over there if you want."

I shake my head and feel a scream of panic rising from my lungs. I dig my heels into the ground realizing that if they get me where they want me, I might never leave here alive. Zack picks me up and throws me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. I scream and flail my arms, punching at his back and trying desperately to get Zack to let me go.

"Stop Willow!" Zack yells at me.

"You need to relax doll face." Dr. Hastings says while walking towards me fast. He has something in his hand, but I can't see it since I'm so disoriented from the blood that's rushing to my head. When I feel a sting in my neck, my eyes open wide in surprise. Then the world around me grows dim as I slip slowly away into nothingness.

# CHAPTER 18

### One-hundred and one days inside, I think

I wake to the sound of beeping machines. It takes me a second to remember where I am before everything comes flooding back. Keeping my eyes shut, I try and assess the situation. I hear at least two people in the room. One is scribbling on a pad of paper in the corner while the other is typing on a keyboard on the opposite side of the room. I listen for a few more minutes, concentrating on keeping my heartrate down. I know that if I panic, my heartrate will go up, and one of these beeping monitors will sound.

Someone taps a pencil against a piece of paper. "When is she going to wake up? She's been out for over three hours." I can tell that the voice belongs to Zack.

"The serum is different and is contingent upon the person. It could take another hour or so, or it could take a few more minutes only. Try and exhibit some patience, would you?" I recognize Dr. Hastings annoyed voice.

A chair scrapes against the floor and I listen as feet begin pacing the room. "I'm going to try the smelling salts again." Zack's voice reverberates off the walls of the room.

"You must get your impatience from your mother's side." Dr. Hastings remarks.

Zack's footsteps stop suddenly. I wonder to myself if that's a sore subject...Zack's mother. He only lets it faze him for a few seconds and then I hear him coming around to the side of my bed. I try not to breathe or move. I know what smelling salts can do, and I know for a fact it will prove that I'm awake.

I can feel Zack's presence next to me. He brushes back my hair from in front of my face in an oddly intimate gesture. I'm so taken aback by the gentleness, that I don't register something tickle under my nose. I try and hold my breath, but one of the machines starts beeping. My oxygen levels must be dropping. When I can hold my breath no longer I breathe in the smelling salts and immediately cough and sneeze at the same time. Realizing it's over, I open my eyes.

"Well, well, well, look who's up," Zack says with that sinister tone in his voice. Any sign of his gentleness a few seconds prior is gone. The hairs on my arms stand on end as he leans over the bed assessing me. I open my mouth and he cuts me off. "If you scream, I'll gag you," Zack says simply.

I hear Dr. Hastings' chair scoot back from the other side of the room before he comes into my peripheral vision a few seconds later. I try and move my body but I'm held down by the straps. I even have one around my head and my middle making it impossible to move even an inch. A single tear slips down my face. "What do you want with me?"

"We want to know how you're possessing more than one power." Dr. Hastings says getting right to business. "Your blood work was inconclusive." I'm not sure which one of the Hastings men scare me the most. I'm leaning towards Dr. Hastings. He views me like I'm a specimen and nothing more. He doesn't seem to notice my humanity at all, and I have no doubts that this man would kill me in the name of Science without a single afterthought.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask Zack, imploring him with my eyes. I'm mentally begging him to see me, to see that I'm a living, breathing, person—not a lab rat.

An emotion passes across his face, and a splinter of hope rises up. But it passes by just as fast as it came.

Dr. Hastings holds his hand up to signal for Zack to not speak. He instead answers my question. "One of the most annoying things about testing on humans is their desire for answers. It's always the same questions—Why are you doing this to me? What are you going to do? Please don't, I don't want to die. Well that's more of statement than an answer." He lets out a single "ha."

This man's beyond sick! He's lost all of his humanity in the name of Science. My heart races and I hear the monitor tattle tell on me by beeping ferociously.

Dr. Hastings reaches over to turn the heart monitor on silent. "I suppose I'll give you an answer since the boy likes you."

Zack turns and glares at his dad; his cheek's red.

"What? She can read minds son, don't be such an imbecile." Dr. Hastings laughs at his son while looking at him like he's pathetic. He must not know that Zack can prevent me from reading his mind. Zack breaks eye contact first and turns his attention on me. His glare proves that crap really does roll downhill; and I'm at the very bottom of 'said hill.' Everything about their silent exchange tells me that there's no father-son relationship here. My guess is that Zack has been treated like an inconvenience for most of his life. Perhaps that changed only slightly when Zack started helping in his father's lab, making him somewhat useful.

Dr. Hastings turns his attention back on me and with an emotionless expression he finishes answering my question. "You ask why are we doing this? That answer's easy. To find a way to duplicate the reaction you had to an immunization that's been used for several years, but never has had this particular effect. Oh, we've tried many times to create a double mutation in humans, but it almost always ends with termination of life. I'm very curious to find out how exactly you survived after receiving more than one shot during your entry. I'd also like to know how you obtained or stole the other immunizations. The nurses were under strict orders to never allow them out of the staff's sight. Whomever is responsible for this negligence will be terminated and exiled from the shelter.

My eyes widen in surprise as I think of Nurse Laurie being exiled. She was kind to me. "I didn't steal anything. I don't know how or why this is happening to me." I dart my eyes towards Zack. "You know that I have no idea how this is happening to me. If I really knew, I wouldn't have searched for answers with you. Please, tell him that I don't know how this happened."

Zack opens his mouth but Dr. Hastings once again cuts him off from answering me. "Now that you've made me aware that you have no idea how this happened to you, we can start the process of finding out how it occurred and hopefully find a way to duplicate the reaction in other test subjects."

"You can run tests on me; I'll cooperate, you don't need to lock me down to a bed like this. Please." I beg both of them.

"I truly wish it were that simple, but some of these tests are quite painful. I know you're saying you'd cooperate now, but you'll change your mind once the pain hits. I might have been able to sedate you for the testing so we don't have to hear your screams, but since you don't even have a clue of where we can start, we'll have to use some alternative testing methods that you need to be awake for. Don't worry, they won't last too long. Maybe we'll get lucky and finish in 48 hours. I'll even show you some compassion in the end. I'll put you down quickly and without any additional pain."

My mouth opens in shock as I try to process his last sentence. I vaguely notice Zack turning his intense laser beam stare on his father. I don't have the mental capacity at this moment to translate what his look means.

Most teens my age have never considered how they would die. I've pondered that question many times since my family arrived at this mountain, hoping to gain entrance. I knew there was a strong possibility that I might die by the virus, or die out in the heat like so many others. Never would I have thought that I would die by someone else's hands; deliberately, in the supposed name of Science. My initial shock wears off and the tears begin to spill over. My brain's going a thousand miles a minute, but my thoughts are scrambled and jumbled. I try to think of something to say, but I can't form words. How does someone respond or plea to a man as twisted and evil as Dr. Hastings?

Zack returns his attention to me. The same strange mix of polar opposite emotions splay on his face until he quickly rebuilds his wall. "Well sugar, you could always tell us how you came to possess these additional powers...That is if you know how it happened."

He's looking at me in a manner that I don't understand, so I try using my telepathy. I'm surprised when I actually hear Zack's muffled voice in my head. "JUST TELL US HOW YOU GOT THESE POWERS, AND I MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU." He seems to register the fact that I've received his message, because he quickly throws that wall back in place and complete silence takes over. I consider listening in on Dr. Hastings thoughts too but I'm already completely sickened by what he says out loud. I don't want to hear what he's thinking.

Part of me wants very badly to give in and tell them how I think I got this ability. However, this power could be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong person; and the Hastings men are definitely the wrong people. Plus, I haven't shown all my cards just yet. I try to shake my head to answer Zack, but I can't move. "Again, I don't know." I say aloud, my voice shaky and high-pitched.

With those four words, I visibly see the switch get flipped in Zack's bi-polar state. Anger and possibly hatred takes its place. He glares at me before he heads over to a cabinet several feet away. My attention's pulled elsewhere when I catch Dr. Hastings in my peripheral vision head over to a metal cart at the other end of the room that has several scary instruments on it. He picks up an instrument I don't recognize at all and my breathing goes shallow.

Zack returns at my bedside, blocking my view of his father. "What's the matter sugar? You scared?" He spits out the last question, trying to make a point in telling me I'm a complete idiot for not divulging what little I know. When I don't respond he makes a mock pouty face at me as he raises his arm to show me a small, clear dropper in his hand. "Don't worry doll, this will only hurt a litt—scratch that—a lot."

I close my eyes trying to regain my composure. I can't appear weak in front of Zack. It's like adding fuel to the fire. He likes it, because he's sick and twisted. He makes my stomach recoil in disgust. I force my heart to move into a steady rhythm.

"Open your eyes," Zack demands. "I need to remove your contacts before we run a few tests.".

When I don't comply, Zack pries my eyes open with his fingers and uses the dropper to apply some sort of serum on my eye. I inhale a loud gasp as it begins to burns like crazy for a few seconds, before the sensation subsides. He then removes the contact with the tip of his index finger. When he moves his hand, I blink several times and then watch as the world comes back into focus.

Zack's eyes widen in shock. "Father, you might want to take a look at this."

I listen as Dr. Hastings footsteps approach. He stops abruptly and my eyes meet his. We stare at each other for what seems like forever. I notice most of his attention is focused on my left eye. "Brilliant," Dr. Hastings whispers. "Just...spectacular!" He seems pleased and at a loss for words.

I glance back over at Zack and he has the same look in his eyes. Far too soon the both of them snap out of their appraising trance and look at each other. "You ready to start?" Zack asks his father. He nods and I watch them head over to the other side of the room. They clank metal instruments around on the metal tray and grab additional items from cabinets and drawers.

I clench my fists knowing I'm about to become a lab rat. I'm not going to cry, no matter how bad the torture. I. Will. Not. Cry. If I cry, they get exactly what they want.

Both of their backs are turned away from me. One of them turns on a machine and begins sharpening metal objects that I can't make out from here. I stare straight up at the ceiling, trying to come up with a plan. Even if I was able to get myself out of these straps I wouldn't be able to get out of the room...or would I. A plan begins to form in my brain and before I have a chance to think it through I begin to put it into action. It's now or never in my mind. These two will show me no mercy and I have to act now or I'll surely die. I concentrate hard, opening my mind up to channel Connor's gift. Silently and swiftly I lift my arms up from the straps and set them back down on top of them. I do the same with my feet. I take a deep breath and allow the head restraint to fall below my head and the waist restraint to do the same. I listen intently and hear Dr. Hastings and Zack still perusing through the various drawers and cabinets. I take this time to go completely invisible. I wait a few seconds and then look down at my arm. I lift it but see nothing. I glance over at Zack and Dr. Hastings. I only have seconds before they realize what I've done. I quickly and silently get up from the table. My head's still feeling woozy and I have to balance myself to make sure that I don't fall. I'm not very graceful but I manage to get back on my own two feet. I inch away from the bed when I hear the sound of numerous metal objects clattering to the ground.

"Zack," Dr. Hastings says in a panic.

Zack looks over and seems surprised for a second to find me 'not there.' "Dad, I told you she can turn invisible. She's still there." He goes back to what he's doing, but it doesn't look like Dr. Hastings is buying it. I inch my way quietly through the room getting as far away from the two of them as possible.

"If she's only invisible, then why are the restraints not holding their shape?" Leave it to Dr. Hastings to realize this.

Zack stops what he's doing and lunges for the bed. He grabs for the strap and feels around it. In a fury of anger, he slams the empty strap back down on the bed. His face turns red and he turns, facing right at me. I have to keep whispering in my head that he can't see me. "Where are you," he yells. "I know you're in here. There's no where you can go."

I inch closer to the door as he begins searching the room. He flails his arms out making sure he covers every inch of the room. Dr. Hastings joins him in the search. My heart pounds in my chest as more than one time I catch Zack's eyes with mine. When I find the doorway, Dr. Hastings is only a few feet away. I'm scared to death because if this doesn't work then I know I'm done for.

I take a deep, silent breath and concentrate on becoming nothing. Concentrate on not only being invisible but also channeling my ability to pass through the door. I've never tried to use multiple abilities simultaneously before. It's a feeling like no other when I finally manage to slip my arm through the solid oak door. I watch the wood splintering past my eyes as the rest of my body passes through the door, first one leg, then the other. I've almost made it when Dr. Hasting's hand hits the remainder of my arm. He grabs on and holds it with a death grip. "Got her," he says.

I try my best not to panic since I can't afford to lose my focus right now. I force my body to stay calm and concentrate. I can use Connor's ability to get out of his grip, after all I'm using it to get through the door. I just have to calm my racing heart and focus. Slowly, ever so slowly I inch my arm from his grasp and through the door. "What the..." Is the last thing I hear as I slip into the hallway.

I take off in a sprint and make my way down the long, winding tunnels. I have no idea where I'm headed but I continue to run away from the sound of footsteps and shouting. By the sound of it I can assume that I'm not only being followed by the Hastings men but by at least two other people. I approach a fork in the tunnels and make a gut choice to take the path to my left. I pray that it's the right one as I hurry through it.

My heart starts pounding as I reach a dead end. What the heck? Why would any tunnel have a dead end, I mean why even build that portion of the tunnel?

"Ah, Sugar. I can see you again." Zack says from behind me.

I look down at my body. The panic must have been what made me lose my concentration. I slowly turn around. Zack's standing only a few feet away looking smugger than ever. "Why are you letting him do this to me?" I hate the way I sound, but I can't think of anything better to say. Plus, I need to stall until I can calm myself down enough to possibly move through this tunnel wall. My heart's beating way too fast to control any of my powers.

"I already gave you a chance and you refused to take it Sugar." He looks me up and down. "Plus, it's really not anything personal. You just have what I want."

I do my best not to show any emotion. Instead I just raise my eyebrow and ask, "Like what?" I breathe deeply willing my heart to calm.

"Power. I would have settled for having you by my side since we'd make a powerful duo, especially when we find a way to replicate your powers in me. We'd be able to rule the Country, maybe even the World." His eyes show passion and desire. Not for me, but for the power he covets. "Plus, when I found out about my dad's little experiment, he had to do a lot to keep me quiet. The most important demand I made in order to promise my silence was that he give me the strongest power of them all. He obviously hasn't kept up his end of the bargain."

I try pushing my hand through the wall behind me but it doesn't go through. Crap, I have to keep him talking. "Why would your dad have to bribe you to keep you quiet? You're his son. Are you saying you would have thrown him under the bus?"

His hazel eyes turn dark and I worry that I just made him even angrier. "Let's just say that some of his experiments didn't turn out so well."

"Zack! Did you find anything?" Dr. Hastings voice echoes through the tunnels.

Zack walks a short distance to the mouth of the tunnel and yells, "Yep! I've got her!"

This is my only opportunity. I take a deep breath and focus my mind on being fluid. I push my hand into the tunnel wall and it passes through. Yes! I take a few more deep breaths and push my full arm and leg in.

"No!" Zack yells, running at me. "Stop!"

_Yeah right!_ I think to myself. Instead I focus on pushing the rest of my body into the cold rock. I close my eyes and back step through several layers of cold rock and sediment until I see light behind my eyelids. I open them again and find myself standing in a hallway somewhere in the shelter. Feeling a bit disoriented, I lean up against the wall and take a moment to get my bearings straight. I've never passed through anything that thick and it zapped a lot of my physical and mental energy.

I focus my healing powers internally and soon I feel back to normal. I look around and notice that I'm in the school wing of the shelter. Thankfully nobody's around to see me materialize from the solid wall.

I run past a few empty classrooms and into the stairwell. I reach my room a few minutes later. I know it's not the safest place to be but I don't know where else to go. I shut the door behind me and lock it.

"Warning! We have a high risk red alert. Please proceed to lock down mode. I repeat high risk red alert." A female announces through the intercom system.

A second later a new voice takes over, this one I recognize. "Please proceed to follow lock down instructions. We're currently looking for a suspect, Willow Mosby. She's a five foot seven Caucasian teen with light brown curly hair. She was last seen wearing purple scrubs. This suspect should be considered dangerous. If you believe you have seen Willow Mosby, please report her through the emergency app on your tablet. Please do not approach her as she may be dangerous." Dr. Hastings announces.

_What?_ My heartbeat starts running frantically again. They're going to hunt me down! I feel the panic attack coming on strong, so I sit down and place my head in between my knees while taking deep breaths.

The female voice comes onto the intercom again. "High risk red alert. Please proceed to follow lock down instructions. I repeat, High risk red alert."

What the heck are the lock down instructions? I must have missed that part of orientation!

The lock on the door jiggles. _No!_ I don't have time to react so I throw myself under the bed as if that weren't an obvious place to look. I watch as a single set of shoes enter the room. The door closes behind them and I hear the lock click back into place. I beg my heart to calm down so I can go invisible, but it's beating way too frantically.

"Willow?" My dad whispers.

My breath whooshes out of me in a loud sigh of relief. My dad must have heard it because he kneels down to look under the bed.

"Willow! Are you okay? What are they talking about?" My dad asks as he helps me out from under the bed and to my feet.

"Dad, it's Dr. Hastings and his son! They knocked me out and were trying to do tests on me to find out why I have these powers. They may have already killed my friends, now they're after me!" I mumble so quickly that I don't have time to keep the tears from falling down.

"I knew that he was up to no good!" My dad says. He starts pacing the room. His face is red with anger and he keeps clenching and unclenching his fists. He stops in front of me. "I won't let them hurt you. Do you understand?" My dad says as reassuringly as he can. He stares closely at my eyes and seems awed by them. I forgot he's only seen me with the contacts on.

"Dad, I love you but you're only one man. They have the entire shelter after us. They will hurt you. They threatened my friends with a gun. They shot Alec!" Suddenly worry for my dad consumes me. I can't let him get caught up in this!

"They shot him?" He seems amazed that this was even possible. We rarely hear about shootings now days. Officials still carry weapons but rarely is it ever necessary to use lethal force. It's amazing how little crime happens when everyone in the world is trying to just survive.

"Yes, but I healed him. Well he helped too with his own healing powers." I run my hands through my hair. My body is alert with nervous energy and I'm just rambling now.

My dad looks awed again at my powers. "Honey, you're so strong, you know that right?"

I start to shake my head but my dad's gaze tells me that he believes in me, so I nod.

"This is so hard for me to say, but you need to go. You need to leave this shelter. If anyone can make it out there you can. You can use your powers. I'll try to get out as soon as I can but you need to get out of here now." He looks torn at sending his daughter out into the elements. "You can make it through the walls can't you? Isn't that one of your gifts?"

I stifle a sob and nod. I can't imagine leaving here, leaving my dad. Leaving my friends trapped. Alec.

"Then you need to do it." My dad pulls me into his arms.

A series of thunderous knocks pound against the door.

My dad whispers in my ear, "I love you. Go now."

I look around frantically. I have to calm my heartrate first so I climb under the bed. My dad must realize that I need a moment because he pushes his blanket so it covers the area under the bed where I'm hiding.

The knocking persists. "Mosby family, open this door immediately or we will open it by force.

I hear the toilet flush and then my dad calls out as he opens the door, "Sorry, I was in the restroom."

I hear several footsteps enter the small room. "We're looking for your daughter Mr. Mosby. She's a dangerous suspect and we must see her immediately. If you're harboring her here, you will be implicated as a party in her crimes as well." A man I don't recognize calls out.

"My daughter is not dangerous. What exactly is it that you think she did?" My dad asks.

The man clears his throat. "Murder."

"Murder?!" My dad yells. "Impossible. Who do you think she murdered?"

"Three of her friends."

I nearly gasp out loud but catch myself. They're saying that I murdered my friends? What a convenient way to explain why they're missing! Rage fills me.

"She would never!" My dad demands. I can hear the outrage in his voice.

"I will not discuss any more information with you. Do you wish to give up your daughter willingly or do we have to search the room?" I'm surprised that it's Dr. Hastings speaking now. I would have thought hunting down a fugitive would be below him.

"She's not here." My father says confidently.

I look down at myself. I'm obviously still here. I work hard to focus on melting through the floor. My heart's still beating too fast.

"Well then, you don't mind if we search the room?" Dr. Hastings says.

"Be my guest." My dad answers.

With that I change my tactics and focus on trying to turn invisible. I don't want my dad to suffer for this, so they can't catch me. I look down and feel my heart calming as my arms disappear before me.

"Thank you Mr. Mosby." Another man says.

"Candy, please proceed." Dr. Hastings orders.

Candy? Why is Candy here?

"Why do you need her to do this grunt work, to search for my daughter? This room isn't that big. You can obviously see that she's not here." My dad says.

Dr. Hastings must hesitate a second but then deems it okay to spill the beans. "We know about your daughter's abilities Mr. Mosby." He chuckles and says, "Don't pretend with me and act like you don't know." I guess my dad gives up his facade because Dr. Hastings says. "My daughter has an ability too. She can see through any type of illusion that these powers can create. That means she can see the invisible and a lot more than that."

_Oh no!_ My heart starts racing. Chill out Willow, chill out. I focus everything I have on moving through this floor. I feel myself slowly sinking. That's when the blanket pops up. I look down at my arms and see that I'm invisible. Then I look to the side at Candy's big blue eyes staring at me. My heart races in fear and just like that the floor becomes hard again beneath my body. _No!_ Now not only am I in this mess but now my dad is too!

Candy opens her mouth and I expect her to call out that I'm here, but instead she mouths the word 'Go,' to me.

My mouth opens and my eyes widen in pure shock. She drops the blanket back over the bed and tells her dad. "She's not here father."

"Are you sure?" Dr. Hastings asks.

"Yes father, of course I'm sure. I would have seen her if she were here and she's not." Candy plays the act of annoyed teenager well.

I can't take time to consider exactly why Candy's letting me go. I calm my heart and then find myself melting through the floor again. This time I focus on my feet going first. I can feel my feet dangling from the ceiling in whatever room is below me. I allow myself to slowly drop through. I nearly lose my focus when Dr. Hastings flips back the blanket again and looks right at me! His eyes dart back and forth because, to my relief, I'm still invisible.

"I told you father!" Candy whines.

Dr. Hastings reaches his arm under the bed and swipes it around. I push the rest of myself through to the room below just before his hand can catch me.

I land feet first on a bed before I fall to my knees from the drop. I knock a metal tray off of a table at the same time and cringe as it crashes loudly to the floor. Looking around I realize I'm in one of the patient rooms of the nurse's station.

"What was that?" A nurse runs into the room and looks around. I'm still conveniently invisible.

Another nurse comes in. "Is everything okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, this just fell? That's strange. Do you think someone was in here?"

"No Silvia. Look around, where would they hide. You need to stop being so jumpy." The older nurse chides.

"Sorry, it's scary though. I don't know what that girl did but I don't want to run into her." The nurse leans down and starts picking up the items that fell to the ground.

I take that as my cue to exit. I walk as quietly as I can out of the nurse's station.

The most obvious question I have to ask myself is how the heck do I plan on getting out of here? I can't just step out through the mountain wall in any area. I need to find an area where the ancient rock wall is less thick; and I need to be at the lowest point I can find to give me the best ability of getting down off the mountain. I don't know the answer yet but one thing is for certain. I have to go back to save my friends first.

I stealthily make my way through the halls trying my best to remain undetected. Luckily the halls seem pretty much deserted. The same female voice comes on the loud speaker every five minutes reminding people that there's a high risk red alert. She also continues to remind everyone that I'm a dangerous fugitive. Hearing my name repeated over and over again doesn't help my nerves. Even still, I keep moving. I figure if I can make my way to the area above the cave, I could drop through a couple of floors and be there in no time. I can't chance taking our usual route through the tunnels since they're likely to be heavily guarded. The only problem is that if I'm right, the cave is two floors below the commons area. I just hope that the place that is usually bustling with people is as deserted as these hallways.

I look down and realize my hand is coming back into focus. I stop mid step and regain my composure. My hand becomes invisible again. I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. My body is trembling from using my powers this long. My friends need me and I let that knowledge push me forward.

A moment later I find myself turning the corner of a hallway that spills out into the commons area. I stop suddenly, seeing all the people struggling to make their way into the auditorium. Seas of people take small steps towards the far entrance on the opposite end of the room. People are packed in tighter than a sardine can. Is this the protocol for a high risk, red alert? There's no way I can weave through all these people and still remain undetected.

Think, Willow think... I have to find somewhere to hide before I materialize out of thin air in front of all of these people. I suddenly remember the very first time my father and I made our way into the mountain. There was a hallway that has since been closed off. I move along the wall as stealthily as possible, making sure I don't bump into anyone. My hand accidently hits a lady's bottom. She turns around and slaps the man behind her. I hold my breath as I watch the two of them yell back and forth at each other. A small hole opens up in front of me as people meander over to where the argument is taking place.

Soon I come to a spot in the wall that looks to have been recently sealed. There's a light grey substance, almost like grout, surrounding the outline of a door. I look down making sure I'm still invisible, but my knees are threatening to buckle from the weakness of using my gift of invisibility so long. I place my hand up to the middle of the newly made wall. I slide it through and am pleased to find it is only as thick as the stone itself. I'm only partway through when I feel someone ram into me from behind. With the extra push, I'm thrown to the ground on the other side. The wind is knocked out of me and I lay there for a few moments trying to catch my breath again in the dark corridor. I let my powers fade, allowing myself to get a break from using them.

I hone in on my healing gift for a few moments and feel the shakiness subside. I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea that I can regenerate myself, including recharging my own energy. Soon I feel back to normal. Time to keep moving. I tell myself as I go invisible again. I take a few steps and then start to pass through the floor. I move much faster than usual this time, falling down into a small patch of leafy green stuff. Looking around I realize I landed in a row of spinach in the garden level of the shelter. Usually I hate spinach but I feel a little more affection for it now that it cushioned my landing. The sprinklers come on and they start soaking my scrubs.

I move as fast as I can through the floor and fall no more than two feet before I slam against the top of one of the storage containers. I throw my hands over my mouth worried that someone might have heard the sound.

I wait a few minutes and when nobody comes running my way, I jump down. One more floor to go! I focus again and this time I try to move much slower through the floor. My biggest fear is I'll land in the cave and go falling four stories to the ground.

As I continue to move through the dense mountain matter, I get a panicked feeling inside. I try to focus on staying calm and eventually I feel my feet touch the ground. I have to drop to my knees because when I come out of the ceiling all together I'm in the small tunnel that we had to crawl to in order to get to the main cave.

I can't believe I did it! I crawl in the direction of the outer cave quietly. When I reach the entrance I peer around and find that the cave seems to be empty. It's extremely dark inside so it's hard to tell for sure. I remain invisible just in case, and stealthily move towards the entrance to the second cave.

The rock debris left over from the explosion blocks the mouth of the tunnel. My heartbeat starts picking up as I think of my friends on the other side. I have no idea how damaging the dynamite was. I don't know if they even survived, and that thought sickens me. I clear my head and try not to focus on the worst possible outcome. Instead I imagine the most gorgeous pair of navy blue eyes waiting for me. I push my hand through the rock thinking of Alec the whole time as I move through to the second cave. _Our cave._

I let go of the invisibility and when I step out on the other side, and my heart soars. The cave isn't completely collapsed in. I look back at the tunnel and see that only a few rocks lie there. The explosion must not have gone as deep as they thought it would.

"Alec!" I call out excited to see him. The sun is still shining through the opening in the ceiling. Nobody answers me. I look around for my friends but I don't see them.

"Claire? Connor?" I call out unsure. My brain starts going through all of the possible scenarios. This cave is large, but there's no place to hide. Why aren't they here? I look back at the rubble. There's no way that all three of them were in the tunnel when it exploded. Right?

I walk around looking for any sign of them. I must look around for at least an hour because the sun shifts in the sky. I walk back and forth along the water's edge trying to think of what to do next. Maybe Connor found a way to get them out using his gift. If I could use my gift on Alec what would keep Connor from using his gift on other people.

Something catches my eye. In the corner near the Western cave wall is a grouping of rocks. Why hadn't I noticed it before? I run over to them expecting to see some sort of message written out that tells me what happened to my friends. Instead I find a single arrow made out of small rocks. It points towards the wall. Why would it... _They went outside!_ The epiphany strikes me and my heart soars. They're trying to let me know that they went outside! Excitement overwhelms me as I think of my friends making it out of here alive. I'm going to find them after all!

I have no idea what awaits me on the outside. Fear sends goosebumps across my entire body as the image of hundreds of dead bodies sprawled across the valley comes to mind. _Will I be one of them?_ _Will the heat be my undoing?_ I shake my head trying to convince myself. Now is not the time to lose courage. My friends are out there, half of my family—my heart—is out there, and I don't stand a chance of surviving inside this mountain. I have no idea what to expect as I put my hand up to the cold rock and slowly start moving through it. The energy that it takes to move through this mountain made of earth and rock older than a thousand lifetimes is almost overwhelming. My breath is labored and sweat has accumulated on my brow as my fingers finally touch the warm air. With a stomach filled with a thousand knots and my heart beating hard enough to spill out of my chest, I push myself the rest of the way through the mountain and into the unknown.

# Finding ELE
# CHAPTER 1

### The first day outside

"MOM!" No, this can't be happening! My mom is not bleeding out on this mountainside. Not when I just found her again!

I sit up and examine the damage. Like ink on paper, the crimson red stain slowly grows larger and larger in diameter. I do my best to ignore the chaos of the war that is happening all around me. My mom's breaths become ragged as she gasps greedily for air.

"No Mom, you need to hang on," I whisper. Tears blur my vision as I push her shirt away from the wound on the lower left side of her abdomen. Blood is pouring out of a small hole no larger than a dime.

A gunshot rings out just inches away from my ear. For a second I think I was the intended target but then a new body falls down next to my mom. It lies there, splayed at an unnatural angle. I sit paralyzed for a moment looking into the lifeless red eyes of a woman my mother's age.

The cold metal of a gun barrel presses up against my temple. "Move away from her." A man commands in a gruff voice.

I look up to see a young man, not much older than me, kneeling down next to my mom. His coppery red hair is drenched in sweat and he's covered in the rusty dirt that coats the mountainside. His eyes are the same nuclear yellow hue as my moms were. This thought wakes me up from my stupor. No, not were! Are! She will survive; she has to!

The man kneels down next to my mom to check her pulse with one hand while his other hand keeps the gun trained on my head. His eyes flash with a heavy sadness.

I brush the gun away from my head as if it were a fly and lean back over my mother.

"I said move away from her!" He orders me.

I look up at him with the most lethal stare I can muster and his mouth drops open. "What the...? Your eyes!" He stutters.

The last time I saw my reflection, my eyes had a multitude of colors swirling throughout them like a marble. They look otherworldly. I don't have time to assure him of my good intentions. My mom is dying as we speak!

"Do you mind?" I push his gun out of my face once again. "I can help her but I can't do it when you are pointing that thing at me!" Not waiting for his response, I look back down at my mom. She's stopped breathing. I place both of my hands over the wound in her side, praying it's not too late. I close my eyes to concentrate and feel the silent tears slip past my lashes. I take several deep breaths to force my heart to return to a steady rhythm. I eventually find the ability to tune everything out and that's when I feel the power go out of me.

At first it feels like a slight tingle that moves through my body and out of my fingertips. Then it gradually increases, feeling almost like an electrical current flowing from me and into my mother. I take several deep breaths and focus all of my energy on healing her.

I've done this before, when my boyfriend was shot in the shoulder. It didn't feel like this though. I healed him with very little effort. Then again he had his own healing abilities. He also wasn't standing on death's doorstep like my mother is.

My mom gasps a deep breath of air. It's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. I open my eyes to find her staring at me with eyes the same intense yellow as the man with the gun. Her skin is still a sickly white so I push myself to the limits trying to exert all of my healing powers on her. I watch as life slowly filters more and more into her eyes and her cheeks glow pink with warmth.

"Willow." She says in a dry throaty whisper.

The man next to me is too enthralled to do anything more than watch in utter disbelief. For the last five minutes he was witness to the transformation of my mother coming back to life. She makes a small noise and it's enough for him to be brought back to the present. He reaches into a pack on his side, pulls out a canteen and puts it up to my mother's mouth.

As if someone took the television off mute, the world around me erupts with the overpowering clamor of war. My head begins to spin as a splintering headache overtakes all of my senses. White stars dance in front of my eyes as my mother sits up looking at me with concern.

"We have to go. Now!" An urgent, all too familiar voice calls out behind me. I look back cringing as every inch of movement causes a new piercing pain to echo through my skull.

"Mr. Leroy?" I barely finish saying his name before a powerful pain blinds me. I feel myself crashing to the ground and then my world goes black.

# CHAPTER 2

### Wake up call

"SHE'S ONE OF THEM, ALICE." Mr. Leroy demands quietly.

My brain is foggy and my body feels numb. I want to open my eyes and move but the effort seems overwhelming.

"No Leroy. Have you ever seen one of them show any sign of compassion? She healed me! I don't know how she did it, but she did. She is not one of them!" My mom does her best to try and hush her tone but her passion can't be contained.

"Her eyes did have red in them." Another man's voice chimes in. I vaguely recognize it.

I try to pry my eyelids open but they feel as if they've been glued shut. I still can't move my muscles.

"Yes, but they weren't solid red. There were a myriad of other colors too. None of the others displayed any type of symptom like that." My mom reminds them.

"Look Alice, I know she's your daughter, but that doesn't mean we can trust her. You know yourself just how much damage they can do." Mr. Leroy whispers.

"I know how much damage they can do. I also know that my daughter is not one of them! Yet, here you have her shackled to the bed like a criminal. She saved my life for goodness sake! Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I know she did. Don't worry Alice; as soon as she wakes up we'll be able to further assess the situation." The other man says. I vaguely hear him pat my mother's back.

"She is not a situation! She is my daughter, Anthony."

I worry that my mom is getting too worked up. I don't know if she's completely healed but stress can't be good for her. I try harder to open my eyes. It feels as if I'm swimming through quicksand but eventually I manage to move my hand slightly. I blink my eyes until my eyelashes finally part and I can see the dim light of the room.

"Honey!" My mom calls out.

I watch her run to my side through blurry eyes. "Mo..." My voice cracks and I gasp for air. My throat feels like sandpaper and merely breathing through it hurts.

"Shh. It's okay sweety." My mom lifts a cup of water to my mouth. The soothing water slides down my throat and it feels so good. I drink greedily.

When I try to reach up to grab the cup from her, my hands are stopped. I jerk away quickly and water runs down my chin and cheek. Looking down at my wrists I see the handcuffs holding my arms down next to my sides. I pull at them and hear the metal clink against the bedposts they are attached to. Startled, I give my mom a questioning look.

A look of anger flashes across her face and she looks behind her. "Give me the key Leroy!"

If I were Mr. Leroy, I would have obeyed immediately based on my mom's tone alone.

"Not yet Alice, we need to make sure she's safe." He moves into my line of sight. The stunned look on his face tells me that he's only now noticed my eyes. He runs his hand through his shiny grey hair in confusion.

He looks exactly the same as I remember him, apart from the yellow eyes. I first met Mr. Leroy outside of the shelter when we were waiting in line for permission to enter. He was just as ornery as he seems to be now.

I hear the sound of metal snapping and suddenly my left arm is free. I look over to see my mom moving to the other side of my bed.

"Stop!" Mr. Leroy yells out.

My mom grabs the metal chain between the handcuffs that hold my right arm to the bedpost and she pulls. It didn't seem to take any effort on her part to snap the metal like it was a twig.

I look at her surprised and then lift my hands up to take the cup of water that is sitting on a bedside table. I gulp more water down until I can get my throat comfortable enough to speak. "What's going on mom? Are you okay?" I reach forward to touch her side where the wound was but another hand stops me.

I turn to see the man from the mountain. His hair is still as coppery red as I remembered and his neon yellow eyes assess me. I look down at his hand that is encircling my wrist. I try to yank my arm away but he doesn't budge. Either my pull was the weakest attempt ever or his grip is just that strong.

"It's okay Anthony. She's not going to hurt me." My mom grabs my other hand and holds it up to where her wound was. "You healed me Willow. I don't even have a scar."

The love and appreciation in her eyes opens up the waterworks. Tears run over my eyes and I shake with relief. Anthony lets go of my arm as mom sits on the bed next to me and pulls me into her arms. Dropping my head to her chest all I can do is sob, she is alive!! After all the months I am in her arms again. I still can't believe that she's alive.

She runs her hands over my curls and rocks me back and forth repeating, "It's okay honey. You are safe. You are safe now love."

It has been nearly four months since I lost my mom. She was supposed to go into the shelter with us but my little brother was denied entrance. Sebastian!

I sit back and look into her eyes. "Sabby! Is he okay?" I have no idea if he survived or not. They told us that he had the virus...the same virus that has killed off millions of people and forced our government to implement Project ELE.

She smiles really big and nods. "Yes honey. Sebastian is safe."

"Is he sick?" I never saw anyone who got the virus but I was told that the virus caused the most excruciating pains. That's why they offered everyone a red shot when they were denied entry to the shelter. Knowing how painful the virus is, the government gave them a shot that would end the life of someone who was infected, if they chose that route.

"No, he's as healthy as a horse. We gave him the survival shot and he never displayed any symptoms of the virus."

The survival shot was the second shot that they gave to the people who were denied entry. The bright yellow shot was supposed to help sustain life.

Hearing that both mom and Sabby are safe and alive is the most heart-warming news I've heard in a while. I continue to cry tears of joy.

My mom pulls me into her arms again and comforts me until I am able to compose myself. "I love you Willow."

I wipe away the tears and look up at her. "I love you too mom. I thought you were both gone. I still can't believe it."

"I can't believe you're here." She rests her hands on my cheeks, looking me up and down, taking me in. Finally focusing on my eyes she whispers. "Amazing."

A strange nervous feeling builds up as I wonder what she thinks of the new Willow. "It's kind of creepy, isn't it?"

"If your eyes are creepy then you must think mine are out of this world. They practically glow in the dark." She jokes. "I've seen a healers eyes, but yours are a little different."

"Different is a generous word to use for this psychedelic rainbow eye." I point up at my left eye. "The solid brown of my other eye makes it even creepier. They don't even match."

My mom gives me a strange look. "No, your eyes match." She moves closer to examine them. "I hadn't noticed the rainbow though at first since it's so dark in here. Mostly they are a dark blue with a fleck of red. But, now that you mention it I can see a sort of rainbow prism thing going on. It's barely noticeable, yet it's quite remarkable."

"What do you mean?" My eyes match? The colors are barely noticeable? I make a move to get off the bed but the man from the mountainside blocks me from getting up.

"You can let my daughter up Anthony." My mom says in a scolding tone. "She's not going to hurt anyone."

He gives me an unsure look but finally steps aside.

Mr. Leroy interjects, "Sure, she didn't hurt you, but what will keep her from taking from us or the others? Perhaps she spared you because of your relation."

"Come on! Have you seen any of those monsters show any compassion for a single person, let alone their own family? She is not like them." My mom looks thoroughly annoyed that she's having to go around with them again.

"No, but we certainly can't risk allowing her to roam free." Mr. Leroy replies.

"I was just looking for a mirror. I'm not trying to hurt anyone." I look around the room but I don't see any reflective surfaces readily available.

Tony takes a small step towards the door and something in his expression tells me he believes my mom when she said that I'm harmless. "I'll get you that mirror. Stay there and rest." I'm not sure if he is really having a change of heart when it comes to me or if he just wants an excuse to leave the room. It's an odd feeling having people afraid of me. I know deep down that I couldn't hurt a fly, but obviously Mr. Leroy and Tony both seem pretty creeped out. Well, maybe Tony isn't necessarily as creeped out as he is overly protective of my mom. I can't help wondering why that is.

"Thank you. I just wanted to see my eyes, you know?" I tell Tony. I don't know why it matters to me at all if this guy thinks I'm vain, but I still feel the need to qualify my request.

"No problem." He says and then he does something I would never expect, he smiles. I mean, it's not a huge smile but just a slight lift in his lips. Somehow that little smile comforts me. I can't put a finger on why it comforts me, but it does. I lie back on my bed and watch as he leaves the room.

Mr. Leroy wastes no time once the door is securely closed behind Tony. He grabs a new set of handcuffs from a drawer, which has me wondering just how many sets are in there.

My mom darts up off the bed and moves impossibly fast, landing in front of me a millisecond later. "You are really starting to piss me off old man! I recommend you put those back where you found them and leave this instant." When he doesn't obey, she steps closer to him and whispers in a daunting voice that is completely foreign to me. "I don't think you want to test me. I can find some alternative ways to use those handcuffs on you that will not involve any sort of pleasure." Her hands clench into fists.

I sit there completely awestruck at the situation and at how completely badass my mom has become.

Mr. Leroy backs down and puts the handcuffs back in the drawer. "You better hope she's safe. It's not just your life you are risking here." He huffs out as he exits the room.

My mom slams the door behind him and comes back to my bedside. "I'm sorry honey. I don't want to make an excuse for Mr. Grumps-A-lot," I smile remembering my old nickname for Mr. Leroy. She continues. "But, things are crazy on the outside. Actually crazy is an understatement. There's a war going on outside of the shelters. Those people, no, those monsters with the red eyes, they are deadly. They take and they kill with no feeling. They show no remorse." Her eyes look haunted. "I know you're not like them. He should never have compared you to them. But, he is cautious because you do have that red in your eyes. It has to be something different though. It's obviously not like what they have."

"What do you mean? What do they have?" The image of the red-eyed people I encountered plays across my mind.

"Their ability is to take. They take until there is nothing left." My mom looks almost sick explaining this to me.

A shiver runs up my spine at my mom's statement. "How do they take?"

It's obvious she doesn't like speaking about 'those people', or monsters as she calls them. "I don't know the science of it, but they can touch people and empty them. In the process of doing whatever it is they do, they take peoples gifts, or powers. I've only seen it done once or twice because they don't have much to take from us since they already have our abilities."

At the confusion on my face she clarifies. "The survival shot we took had some strange side effects. Much like whatever shot you took that caused your eyes to turn blue." I want to stop and ask her what she means because my eyes are certainly not just blue but I also want to hear more about these side effects, so I let her continue. "We not only can live off little sustenance, we also have super human strength. In addition we are quite fast. The others were like us at first. They had the survival shot. Things changed though when someone took the red shot subsequently. That shot was meant to kill and in a way it did. It killed their humanity. It also brought on a strange change in those people. We didn't know the extent of this change at first. It seems like forever ago but back then there were people around that had other abilities. Amazing ones, like your healing ability. They were the ones who took the immunization because they were accepted but then refused to enter the shelter because of their loved ones being denied. Some of those people with the different gifts started dying off or having what we thought were strokes that left them brain dead. It wasn't until the red eyed people increased in number that we realized what they were doing. They were collecting their powers! We call them Reapers."

My mom takes a deep breath and looks like she's about to cry, so I lay my hand on top of hers in a comforting gesture. She blinks back the tears and continues. "We tried to kick them out when we figured out what was going on but they went on a massacre. They killed most everyone with unique powers and many of us as well during the fight. A lot of our friends died."

"I'm so sorry mom." I give her a hug to try and offer some semblance of comfort. "How did you all get away? I mean, it sounds like these people are pretty powerful if all they need to do is touch someone to kill them."

"They are powerful, but not invincible. We out number them and that allowed us to fight them off eventually. Plus, they can't simply kill with a brief contact. It takes them a few moments to kill someone with their reaping ability."

"What keeps them from attacking again?" I ask.

"Along with our super strength and speed, we have developed several defensive and offensive strategies to fight back." I notice a sort of proud gleam in her eye. Not pride in herself but pride in her people.

"And we have an amazing leader who will lead us to victory." Anthony chimes in. I turn around to see him close the door. He clutches a small hand held mirror in his hand.

"Oh, who is your leader?" I ask him.

"You're sitting next to her." He smiles big. I realize that look that he has towards my mom now. It's pure unadulterated dedication and respect.

He is her soldier? I turn in surprise to look at my mom. "Really?"

She doesn't look too pleased that Anthony spilled the beans. "Yes. Along with several others, I help direct our people. The Reapers are trying to find a way into the shelter and we have to stop them."

"Why would they want to get into the shelter?" The answer pops into my mind immediately so I answer my own question. "They want more powers."

"Yes, but we won't let them get what they want." Anthony declares in a statement that seems like he's overly confident.

"I wonder if they know that not everyone inside the shelter has a gift. Or a power." I feel a bit goofy describing our new abilities as a power. It makes me think of super heroes and old comic books.

"Not yet honey, but they will." My mom says.

"We don't know how we got these abilities though." I counter.

She walks over to a window at the edge of the room. I hadn't paid much attention to it because of the blackout curtain that's covering it. She pulls back the curtain and sunlight filters into the room. I watch as dust motes dance around in the sunbeams. "We are pretty sure that everyone inside should have some sort of ability. It didn't take us long to realize that the immunizations had to be the reason for the changes. Most of the people inside haven't developed their powers yet because you are all underground. The sun is the only thing that will complete the change."

I had guessed as much. It was the only explanation that made sense. I stand up and walk towards the window. The sun is starting to set in the sky but it's still bright enough out that I can take in the surroundings. Not that there's much of anything out there anyhow. We are at least ten stories up. Down below, a Holiday Inn sign stands tall at the entrance of an overly large parking lot. I look back at the room that is now cast in brightness. The fake abstract prints and floral motif of the bedspread confirm that we are in fact in a hotel. Looking back out the window I see the mountain a few miles off in the distance. A knot in my stomach reminds me that my dad is still inside and my friends are missing.

My heart starts pounding hard at the last thought. "Mom! My friends are out there somewhere. What if..." My sight goes blurry as tears well up in my eyes just thinking about the Reapers out there with them. "What if they got to them?" I whisper.

My mom's expression melts. Coming to my side, she reaches up and wipes away the tear that is running down my cheek. "What do you mean your friends are on the outside?" Her expression turns to worry.

I don't know where to start with the explanation of how Connor, Claire, my boyfriend Alec and I got outside. I decide to give her a rundown of the basic facts and succeed in spilling everything out in one long fast breath. "My friends and I found a cave inside the shelter that had sunlight pouring in. I guess now I know that this is how we started developing our um...abilities. Dr. Hastings, the man who runs the shelter found out about our abilities. Along with his son and his horrible goons, he locked my friends in the cave by blowing up the entrance. They kidnapped me and tried to run tests on me but I got away. When I finally made it back to help my friends I found the cave empty. They left a sign for me that had an arrow pointing to the outside wall to let me know they've escaped."

My mom has a look of confusion from my speedy recap that turns quickly to anger. "I can't believe..." She lets out a deep shaky breath. "I can't believe they would try to hurt innocent kids! We need to find out what's going on in there fast. Wait. How did your friends escape? Was there an exit in the cave?"

"If there is, we need to know about it. The Reapers could try to use it as a way to gain access." Anthony chimes in, understanding my mother's line of thinking.

"No, there isn't a way in and out for a normal person. Connor, one of my friends, is able to pass through objects. He must have found a way to use his gift to get Alec and Claire free too." I say.

"Wait, how did you get out?" My mom asks.

I look down at my hands and then back up at her. "I can kind of do more than just heal. I can pretty much do anything my friends can do, like pass through walls and stuff."

My mom looks at me with wide eyes. "And stuff?"

I nod my head. "I can heal, pass through things, listen to peoples thoughts, go invisible and compel people. That's pretty much it."

My mom still looks a bit shocked. "Wow." Is all she says.

We sit there staring at each other in silence for a moment; then I change the subject. "If those Reapers are as horrible as you say they are, then we need to find my friends fast."

My mom crinkles her eyebrows in worry. "Okay. We'll begin searching for them first thing in the morning." She turns her sights on Anthony. "We will need to assemble some of the fighters for the search."

"Yes ma'am. I will get on that right away." He moves to the far side of the room and begins talking quickly into a handheld radio.

I push my shoulders back and stand up tall as I turn and tell my mother, "I will fight with you."

A proud look flashes in her neon yellow eyes. "You are too young to fight."

A flame of heat hits my cheeks as I respond. "I am not too young! I can learn to fight. I need to fight. My dad is in there and my friends are somewhere on the outside. I have to help them." I point my finger towards the mountain in emphasis.

She gives me an appeasing look and says. "I know you can learn honey. You would be a great fighter but you would be much more useful here. Your healing gifts alone would be instrumental to our cause."

"I need to help with this. I can do a lot more than heal mom." This may seem immature but I feel as if I've been through too much in the past few weeks to just sit on the sidelines now.

"I know you can." She says.

I open my mouth to argue but she holds her hand up between us to stop me. "Look, we can talk more about this tomorrow but right now you need to get some rest. You have been through a lot and you need to allow your body time to recuperate."

I want to stomp my feet and throw some form of teenage fit but I know that it wouldn't help my case. Surprisingly, I do feel a little tired now. "Fine. We will talk about this tomorrow before the search party leaves. But first, can I see Sebastian?"

She smiles. "He's actually already in bed for the night but I will bring him in first thing in the morning. I promise." She pulls me into a hug. "Now get some rest."

The bedside clock tells me that it's only seven p.m. I decide not to argue about the time. "Okay, goodnight. I love you." I give her a hug.

"Goodnight." She says. She pushes the blackout curtain back across the window.

"Goodnight Willow." Anthony calls out.

I had totally forgotten he was in the room. He walks over and hands the mirror to me. "Thank you. Goodnight Anthony."

"You can call me Tony." He smiles but the smile doesn't quite reach his yellow eyes. Anthony, or Tony, is a rather good-looking guy with that copper hair of his that looks almost auburn in this light. I would think he would even be considered handsome. There's something there though, in his eyes and the way he carries himself, that tells me he's been through a lot. He looks almost haunted.

I nod my head in acknowledgement before he turns to leave the room. My mom gives me one last hug and exits a second later.

I take a deep breath and plop down on the bed. This has been a crazy day. At least I hope it's still the same day. I really should have clarified with my mom before she left.

The last time I woke up in a strange room was when I fell and broke my arm in the tunnels that led to our cave. Alec had carried me all the way to the medical station. That time several days had passed. That can't happen now. I need to find my friends and I need to do it soon. I decide that one way or another I will be joining that search party.

I lie back against my pillow and pull the mirror up to examine my eyes. The first thing I notice is how tired I look. I position the mirror closer to look at my eyes. They both match now. The blue is the most predominant color but I can still see all of the other colors swirling together here and there. The red fleck is noticeable and can be seen in both eyes. Weird.

Feeling overwhelmingly exhausted all of a sudden, I place the mirror on the bedside table and close my eyes.

# CHAPTER 3

### The Search

The next morning I'm awoken by the sound of the door handle turning. Still on edge from last night I grab my blankets, hugging them to me tightly. I can see a little bit of light creeping out from under the doorway, followed by shadows of several pairs of feet...one of them smaller than the rest. The door opens letting in light from a lit candle that dimly illuminates the room. I sit up on my elbow out of curiosity hoping my mother is among them. Then I hear sweet whispers from a voice I would never forget.

"Is she here mommy? Is that Wello?" I can't help the smile that is breaking on my face.

"Sabby?" I ask. My eyes adjust to the light allowing me to see those soft brown curls bobbing towards me. I open my arms to welcome my little brother. It all seems so surreal. I thought I had lost this little guy forever.

I hear my mom's voice a second before Sebastian reaches me. "Remember Sebastian, be gentle!"

I feel his pudgy little arms wrap around me and I go to squeeze back but my breath is taken away by a crushing sensation. I gasp for breath. It feels like an elephant has decided to set up camp on my chest. I manage to get a small 'help' out there before someone takes the weight off my chest. I cough and sputter trying to get my breathing to return to normal. What just happened?

"I so sorry Wello," says Sebastian. How on earth did he...? I stop mid thought finally understanding. It must be his power; his ability.

I cough once more. "Sabby, it's okay. I guess you just need to be a little gentler okay?" I see his little head bob up and down beside me. Scooting over on the bed and patting the spot next to me. "Here, come sit by me. I've missed you so much!" His little face lights up with pure delight as he crawls onto the bed. For the first time in a while, everything feels right. It feels like it did before all this craziness happened. Before life in the shelter and the chaos that erupted. I revel in the simplicity and put my arms around my baby brother. He puts his arms around me and I tense up a bit hoping he won't squeeze too hard. I relax when he curls up in my lap and snuggles close...just like he used to.

I kiss the top of his curls and look to the others in the room. My mother stands holding the candle, leaning against the doorframe. Mr. Leroy and Anthony...I mean Tony stand next to her. She smiles at Sabby and me as a tear rolls down her cheek. She wipes it away quickly. I guess now that she's considered a leader she has a certain persona to live up to, which would include no crying.

My mother breaks the silence, "I see you've found your little brother." I smile and nod my head in affirmation.

Sabby lifts his head from my chest. "I've missed you Wello!"

My throat tightens with emotion. "I've missed you too Sabby."

"Alright," my mother interjects. "Time to get up." She checks her watch. "We've got breakfast in ten. Willow, I set some clothes at the end of the bed for you. Hopefully they fit." She comes and picks up Sebastian out of my arms. "Alright you. It's time to get some breakfast, then you're off to Ms. Wallobee's."

She swoops Sebastian up and twirls him in the air. He giggles loudly and a small tear escapes my eye. I can't stop smiling. It feels so good to see him again and to know he's okay. Before they exit the room my mother sets a candle on the small table.

"Wait, mom...who's Ms. Wallobee?"

She clasps the handle of the doorknob. "We'll talk about it at breakfast. Once you get dressed, meet us on the first floor. Just follow the smell, you can't miss the canteen." She smiles at me sweetly and Sebastian gives me a pudgy hand wave before she shuts the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I shimmy into the clothes she left for me, a pair of cutoff jeans and a tank top. It feels bizarre to wear anything but scrubs, but I like it. I feel my age again. I run my fingers through my tangled mane and grab the candle. Sadness runs through my blood momentarily as I think about my friends and my dad. It feels so bizarre now that things have flipped over. I used to worry about my mom and Sebastian. Now I worry about my father, Connor, Claire and Alec.

Alec...A vision of his face flashes before my eyes. A vision so clear I can almost reach out and touch it. The hole in my heart that was once reserved for my mother and Sebastian has been replaced by a new loss. I take a deep breath and right myself. I have to remain strong if I hold any hope of finding my friends. I turn the doorknob the rest of the way and make my way to the first floor.

The smell of cooked grits and eggs fills the entire floor. I hear laughter and conversation at the end of the hall. Rounding the corner, I spot my mother at the head of the table on the far end of the room. Everyone's heads turn as I walk in. 'New meat' they must be thinking. Probably wondering if they can even trust me or not. I give a small smile and hurriedly make my way across the room to where my mother has graciously saved me a seat.

"Hey sweetie, glad you could finally make it." That is her way of saying I'm late.

"Sorry," I whisper under my breath. I sit and she pats my hand. I hadn't realized how famished I was until the smell of grits permeates my nose. I dig in, not really caring about the unseasoned blandness of the meal. All around me table conversation is in session.

"So," I say to my mother. "Who's Ms. Wallobee?"

She takes a bite of eggs, swallows and then answers. "Ms. Wallobee is the head caretaker for the children. There are a few more kids here that need supervision. Along with some other teachers under her, she provides a small bit of education for the children like reading, writing and self-defense."

I nearly choke on my eggs when she says this. "Self-defense?" I question.

My mother's face turns grim. "Yes honey, self-defense. We all felt it was necessary, what, with all that's going on."

I break eye contact. The thought of Sebastian having to defend himself makes my stomach roll. Suddenly I'm not very hungry anymore so I push the rest of my eggs aside.

My mom gives me a look and I quickly pull the plate back to me. She nods her head happy that I understood her nonverbal message. "You're going to need the energy if you want to come with us today."

My eyes open in surprise. "Really?" Last night she didn't seem too excited about my tagging along.

"Yes, but you have to follow directions to the T. If I say jump you jump, etcetera. Do you understand?" I nod so she adds, "It's imperative that you do this. Things can get crazy really fast. I can't let anything happen to you out there."

"I understand. You don't have to worry about me mom." I gladly shovel some more eggs in my mouth.

"Asking a mom not to worry is like asking a polar bear not to eat penguins." She smiles pointing her fork in my direction. "It's impossible."

I give her a strange look. My mom has always been one to come up with the most bizarre analogies ever. I change the subject. "So, when do we leave?"

"We're meeting in one hour in the foyer. We have a group of twenty who are traveling with us. Do you have any idea where they might have headed?" She asks.

I didn't know any of them before the shelter so I don't know if there is a special spot they may choose to hide. "I honestly don't know. I would think they would stick close to the mountain. However, Connor could be looking for his parents too. They didn't go into the shelter." I hadn't thought of that last part till just now. It would seem natural that he would search for them once outside.

My mom's expression turns serious. "You need to understand honey that it's possible your friends may not have survived. If the Reapers saw them, they certainly wouldn't have let them walk away unscathed."

I have thought about that. It was one thing that kept me up last night. I also thought about my friend's abilities too. "Yes, but Claire can go invisible. If Connor could use his powers to help them get out, then I can't see why Claire wouldn't have been able to make them all go invisible to get away."

"Oh, she can go invisible? That's a rare gift; very useful." She pats me on the leg. "There may be hope for them yet. Now finish up. I'm going to take Sebastian to his class. Meet me in the foyer when you're done." She stands up and calls to Sebastian. "You ready sweetheart?"

"Yep!" He jumps up from the table and runs to me. "Bye Wello! You read me a story tonight, right?"

The sun is starting to rise, better illuminating the canteen. It also makes Sebastian's eyes more noticeable. While the neon yellow is still extremely odd it doesn't take away from his absolute adorableness. "It's a date!" I ruffle his curls.

"Eww, Wello. No date, we just hang out. K?" His grossed out expression makes my mom and me laugh.

"Deal." I smile and give him a hug. He gets a little too enthusiastic and hugs me until I let out a little grunt.

"Sowee." He shyly smiles up at me.

"It's okay. I'll see you tonight." I give him another hug and he heads off with my mom to his class.

I take a look around the large eating hall. Most everyone's eyes are on me. Some look curious, some look disgruntled and others look afraid. My cheeks flush at all of the attention and I quickly avert my eyes.

Someone scoots closer to me and I look up to find Tony. "Don't worry. They'll realize soon enough that you aren't dangerous. You're just the new commodity around here, that's all."

"Commodity?" I raise my eyebrow at his strange word to describe me.

He shrugs his shoulders. "It's been a while since anyone with another power has been around us. Most of them...Well, most of them aren't with us anymore." He looks sorrowful.

I nod my head understanding what he means. I can't help but wonder who he may have lost.

"So, how old are you Willow?" He changes the subject.

"I just turned sixteen." The memory of spending my birthday with Alec comes to me and I quickly store it away. This isn't the time to be emotional. "How about you?"

"I recently turned eighteen." He answers.

I look up at him. I don't know why, but I imagined Tony was a bit older than eighteen. Maybe it's the way he carries himself or perhaps it's all of the pent up emotions that show as turmoil in his bright yellow eyes. "How long have you been fighting?" I ask.

He looks away at first and seems to take a few seconds to contemplate his answer. Finally he responds, "I've been fighting beside your mother for two months now. She saved my life."

I raise my hand up to my heart and ask, "Really? How?" Pride wells in my heart thinking about my mother being a hero.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that my parents tried to inject me with the red shot. Your mom got to me just in time and saved me from becoming a Reaper. I've been indebted to her ever since." His features turn stoic but the hurt is still noticeable in his eyes.

There is no way to mask the horror that flashes in my expression. "That had to have been...I mean...I'm sorry Tony." I whisper the last part not sure what to say.

"It is what it is. No time for pity now though, we've got to go. Your mom asked me to get you outfitted for the trip. Are you ready?" He stands up and takes my tray and his. I still had some grits left on it but I don't complain. I stand up and follow him to the trashcan.

I block him as he starts to head out into the hall. "I don't pity you by the way. You are very strong."

He raises an eyebrow and his lip turns up at my statement.

"I mean, of course you are strong...You have that ability..." Get it together Willow! I do everything in my power not to slam my hand into my forehead. "What I'm trying to say is that inside, you are strong. I would never pity you. You've been through something horrible, but I can tell that you are the kind of guy that will use that for good." I mumble out quickly, feeling thankful that I was able to get my point across. "Anyhow, thank you for telling me your story."

"Thank you for listening." He smiles.

With that, I step aside and allow him to head out into the hall. I follow him down to a large meeting room where a crowd of around twenty people have gathered.

"I'll be right back." Tony tells me leaving me in the giant room with these people.

I look around the room. I can't help feeling a bit creeped out by the sight of all of them harboring military grade weapons. Some carry large guns while others have opted for machetes and scythes. They look like a low grade militia, what with their grim, tired faces and stunning yellow eyes.

I swallow rather loudly and look at the floor. Tony comes and stands next to me. I jump a little to the side when I see the large gun he's got strapped to his chest. Goosebumps form along my arms. The size and amount of their weapons gives me a hint as to how dangerous life really is out there.

The random chatter stops immediately as my mother walks into the room. Everyone stands at attention; all eyes on her. I look around at their faces and see nothing short of ultimate respect and loyalty. My heart races at the sight; I couldn't be more proud.

"If I could have your attention please," as if she didn't already. "As you have probably heard, my daughter has come to join us. She came from inside." A few gasps and murmurs wave through the crowd of people. I'm guessing the gossip must have either not reached them, or they didn't believe what they heard.

"Most of you are probably wondering how she got out." My mom pauses as heads begin to bob in acknowledgement. "What I'm about to tell you has to remain top secret...it is of upmost importance." She looks around the crowd. It amazes me the way she seems to be looking at each person individually.

"My daughter, Willow, has been exhibiting multiple abilities for some time now. We haven't had much time to discuss all of her abilities yet, but I will tell you that the abilities that she possesses are both rare and of great importance to us. At all cost, we need to protect her and keep her safe. I have already spoken with Tony in private yesterday evening and he has agreed to be her protector, always staying by her side when we are on the outside." My stomach does summersaults and my cheeks turn an unnatural shade of crimson. I didn't realize I needed my own personal bodyguard! The thought makes me feel weak and vulnerable. I try not to let it get to me though...I know my mother only wants the best for me.

Tony gives me a sideways glance and I quickly look away embarrassed.

"I know you all must have many questions for Willow about life on the inside." Again, murmurs surface from the crowd. My mother turns towards me. "Willow, honey, would you mind coming up here? I'm sure there are a few questions these people would like to ask you."

I swallow the bowling ball that's lodged in my throat and make my way up to the front. As I pass through the crowd people move aside making a clear path for me.

When I reach my mother, she wraps her arm around my shoulders and gives it a squeeze. "Go ahead and introduce yourself," she whispers in my ear.

I take a deep breath. "Hello," I squeak, then clear my throat. "My name is Willow Mosby. I guess I'll open the floor for questions." I shrug my shoulders as everyone's hand shoots up. A feeling of shock peruses my body as I realize these people are very curious. They must have family on the inside. I point to a man holding the least intimidating weapon. He looks to be around twenty years of age with a pointed nose and hollow cheekbones. His five o' clock shadow has come and gone and he has a permanent scowl etched across his face. The only thing bright about the man's appearance is his yellow eyes.

"Yes, Willow, can you tell me what abilities you have exhibited thus far?"

Good question. I nod my head. "Sure. As of now, I've been able to listen to people's thoughts, go invisible, heal myself and others, pass through objects and use something I can only call compulsion which allows me to manipulate people's actions by mental suggestion." I hope I'm making sense.

His eyes go wide and then he furrows his brow. "So, you're telling me that you possess all of these gifts at any given time?"

I nod my head, "Yes sir, I do. I know it seems unbelievable but what I say is the truth."

Surprisingly he follows by saying, "Prove it."

I'm a little taken aback by his audacity but what the heck. Why not get it over with? "Sure." I say simply. "Would you mind being a volunteer?" I mentally laugh at his expression. I don't think he was expecting to become a Guiney Pig. He shrugs his shoulders and makes his way up front. I give him a small smile then I address the crowd. "I guess I'll start with the first ability I possessed which is mind reading. I'm sorry, what is your name?" I ask turning to the man now standing next to me.

"Chris," he says simply.

"Okay, Chris, would you please think of a number between one and a million in your head." It doesn't take long after I let my guard down that I begin to hear his inner voice, clear as a whistle.

"Like she's ever going to get this one...how about 769,384." Wow, he's a smug one.

"769,384," I say simply. All eyes turn to the man next to me.

"Yes," he says addressing the crowd bewildered.

Voices are heard whispering in the crowd to one another as I continue. "I'm not really sure how to show my healing ability..." I look to my mother.

She answers, "I don't think there's a need for that. There were several witnesses that were there the day you saved me."

A woman from the crowd speaks up. "I have a small burn on the side of my hand from preparing breakfast this morning. Could she heal that?"

I grin, "Of course."

She makes her way to the front and gives me her hand. I place it in mine and turn it to see a nasty red blister running down the side of her hand. She must be trying to be tough because anyone can see this is not just a small wound like she was making it out to be. It looks extremely painful. I give her an empathetic smile and concentrate on healing her hand. Slowly, her blister begins to disappear leaving new, pink skin in its place.

She takes her hand back and runs her other fingers over the place where the blister was moments before. She looks at me with awe, "Thank you. Thank you so much!" She turns and walks back into the crowd.

Chris is still standing next to me and I turn back to him. He has his hands crossed over his chest and looks peeved. I guess the concept of multiple gifts doesn't sit well with him. I'm not sure if it's jealousy or what.

"Next, I'd like to show you the gift I call compulsion." I say.

Chris squints his eyes at me. He doesn't believe in me...oh, but he will after this! I try and suppress the grin that's forming on my face. I look into Chris' eyes: "You will turn to the audience in front of us and do the chicken dance for ten seconds. Complete with full arm motions and sound effects."

Chris is desperately trying not to follow orders but lo and behold his eyes finally gloss over as he turns to the crowd and completely embarrasses himself. The crowd erupts in laughter...even my mother. After the ten seconds are over his face turns an unnatural shade of white as the realization of what he just did dawns on him.

I try and suppress my giggles but fail in my attempt. He just did the chicken dance while holding on to a very intimidating gun. The two just don't go together at all. "Thank you Chris," I say to him. "That's all I'll need you for."

He gives me a spiteful glare then disappears back into the crowd.

"This one speaks for itself, invisibility," I tell my audience. I concentrate on becoming invisible and watch as my body disappears before my eyes. Everyone erupts in cheers at this one. I smile to myself as I become visible again. I hear people through the crowd saying things like: amazing and how does she do it? I try not to let the comments go to my head, but it's not easy.

"The last one is the ability to pass through objects. I walk over to the closed, double doors of the meeting room. I concentrate as my body moves through the door. As soon as I'm through, I turn around and go back through it again. Claps and cheers erupt from all the people...except Chris. They huddle around me patting my back and congratulating me. I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. I'm usually not one for attention, but this feels nice. After all that I've been through in the past few months, it's nice to feel this love and appreciation.

Chris walks back up to the front of the room and addresses the crowd by giving a slow thunderous clap. Once the crowd quiets down he gives me a cold look. Then with a snarky expression he says to my mother in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "So, your daughter is a Reaper."

The crowd gasps and my mother's eyes narrow. "You of all people know about Reapers. You can see that obviously my daughter is not one of those monsters."

"Yes, yes I do know very well about Reapers. They are able to take powers and hold multiple gifts. They have red eyes. They are evil." He says with a cynical tone to his voice. "Nobody can deny the red spot in your daughter's eyes, can they?" The crowd that had huddled around me suddenly takes a step back in unison.

My mouth is hanging wide open and I have no idea what to say to this man. I obviously pissed him off to the core. Note to self: don't make people do the chicken dance against their will. Could something so goofy put him over the edge? Talk about low self-esteem issues. I finally gain my bearing and start to speak up but Tony steps in front of me.

"Don't be a fool Chris!" Tony says vehemently. Then he turns to speak to the crowd. "Willow is not a Reaper. She has done nothing to threaten anyone's safety. In fact she healed her mother and just healed Sherry a moment ago. No Reaper has ever shown any compassion whatsoever. I think we can all agree that Willow is NO threat to us, or anyone for that matter."

The crowd mumbles in acceptance of what Tony said but they still keep their distance.

"Fine, believe what you all want. It's your funeral. Mark my words, there is trouble coming and Willow Mosby is going to pull us all in head first if we let her." Chris focuses his beady yellow eyes back on me. If looks could kill!

My mom faces him full on. Her posture is rigid, her hands are on her hips and she's giving him the momma bear stare down. "Your comments and assumptions are uncalled for. You have no reason other than your own fragile ego to say such things about my daughter."

Score for mom! Pride for having such a woman on my side fills me.

Chris sticks his foot in his mouth. "Exactly, she's your daughter. Do you think you have the best judgment when it comes to your own blood? Next thing we know you will be declaring her princess over this messed up world that we've been left in."

"You are dismissed for insubordination. Leave now Chris." My mom says boldly pointing towards the exit.

He arches his eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Is your hearing messed up? You do not question the judgment of your commanding officers. You are dismissed." She doesn't back down.

He gives her a look filled with menace, as he turns to leave. He walks in my direction since I'm still standing in front of the door. With his hateful glare my first instinct is to step to the side. I look up at my mom and I decide that the new Willow is going to be brave just like her. I stand up even taller and put my hands on my hips. He keeps walking towards me and I'm sure he's going to pummel me but Tony once again steps in front of me.

Chris looks him up and down and rolls his eyes. He makes his way towards the door slamming into Tony's shoulder on his way there. I see Tony stiffen but he doesn't take the bait. He allows Chris to walk out of the room avoiding the potential conflict that was brewing.

The crowd starts mumbling again. My mom brings them back to attention. "Does anyone else want to question me?"

Nobody speaks up so she finishes the meeting. "Meet us outside in the North parking lot in fifteen minutes. We will head out then."

The crowd disperses. Tony turns towards me and says quietly. "I'm sorry Willow, Chris is a punk. He's been unhappy with his position ever since his demotion. He used to be right under your mother."

"Really?" I ask surprised. Tony shows so much respect for my mom, but I saw none of that in Chris. "Why did he get demoted?"

Tony seems to be lost in thought. He runs a hand through his coppery hair then says, "His girlfriend took the red shot and became a Reaper. He tried to hide it at first. You see, they don't immediately turn into phsyco, heartless enemies. In fact, it actually takes a few days, sometimes a week before they lose touch with their humanity. He hid her and didn't warn anyone until it was too late. She killed three people and took out the last and final healer we had here."

"Wow." I wonder how Chris's life was spared. I thought Reapers lose all compassion, even when it involved their own family. I would think that would cover romantic relationships too.

"Well, we better get you some weapons. Are you ready?" He asks me with a gleam in his eye.

Weapons? "Oookay." I say a bit uncertainly.

Tony smiles really big. "Don't worry. I'm not going to get you a machine gun or anything. Perhaps just a knife...or two."

Oh boy. I don't know what I'm going to do with a knife...or two for that matter but I guess it's best to have something on me if it's that bad out there. I make a mental note to get with Tony after this to train on weaponry. "Let's go."

As we walk out of the room my heart ramps up in anticipation for the upcoming search. I just hope it's successful. I follow Tony down a flight of stairs and end up in what looks to be their makeshift arsenal. It's actually the hotels laundry room. There is little light in this room since it's partially below ground and the only windows are small slits at the top of the ceiling. I nearly trip over a gun laying casually in the walkway. Tony catches a hold of my arm and rights me back up.

"So are you right handed or left handed?" Tony asks me.

"Right." I wonder if there are knives that are better suited for lefties. I watch as Tony sifts through a pile of boxes on a nearby table. "So, where did you get all of this?" Scanning the room, there are piles of outdoor gear, weapons, ammo and survival packs with food and water.

"We looted a Walmart and some other neighborhood sporting good stores." He answers without looking up from his search.

"Looted? As in stole?" I ask surprised.

He looks up at me. "Who else is going to use that stuff?"

I hadn't really considered what would happen to all of the belongings and material items we all left outside of the shelter. I just figured it would all be there waiting when we got out. "Um, I don't know. I guess you have to do what you have to do out here."

He gives me a half smile. "Yeah, they left us outside. We certainly weren't going to sit around and rot while holding on to our moral code of ethics. They aren't using them so it's fair game." He turns to the table and says, "Got it." He pulls out a thin box about six inches long and hands it to me.

I look down at the cover on the box. It shows a gnarly looking blade that despite the hot pink handle seems intimidating even to me. I open up the box and pull it out of the packaging. Pulling the blade out all I can do is stare, turning it over a few times in my hand. I look up to see Tony giving me a funny grin. I try to close it back up but I can't get the blade to budge. "It's broken."

Tony laughs and holds out his hand. I pass the blade to him and he says, "Whoa! Watch it tiger. You don't ever hand a knife to someone blade first. Hand it to me handle first, please."

Feeling a little silly for not having thought of that, I quickly turn the knife around and hand it to him by the handle.

"These have a safety catch that keeps the blade open when it's in use. You press this tab here and close the blade at the same time. It prevents the blade from collapsing when you shove it into something." Tony demonstrates how to close it.

"Wow, shove it into something? That seems innocent enough." I say joking.

Tony takes on a serious look. "Weapons are anything but innocent." He opens the knife back up and hands it to me handle first. "Knife 101: you always hand a knife back to a person in the same way they handed it to you. So if the blade was open, you hand it back open, if the blade was closed, you hand it back closed."

"Thank you oh wise one." I joke and that seems to lighten Tony's serious mood. "So, now I know how to open, close and pass a knife. How exactly would I use it? Do I just 'shove it into something'?"

Tony laughs. "We don't have time for a formal training. Until then, your instincts will tell you pretty much what to do. You could slice at them or stab them, whatever you have to do to get away from them. You don't need to finish the job, just scare them enough to give you a chance to run. Also a tip someone once told me is that when you go into a knife fight, go into it knowing you are going to get cut. This will help mentally prepare you to deal with your fear of the blade. If you are ready to be cut you won't be as scared when it comes time for you to defend yourself."

The thought of using a knife or getting cut in a fight makes my heart race. I must look terrified because Tony adds. "Don't worry though; I won't let anyone get close enough for you to have a chance to test your skills anyway."

"Well, that does make me feel better. Oh, and if you get hurt defending me I can always heal you." I give him a half smile and he returns it.

"Sounds like we will make a great team then." He turns to start leading me out of the room.

"Oh, should I take one of those guns?" I ask looking at a pile of firearms.

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Well, no..." Of course I don't know how to use it.

He laughs and when I give him a frustrated stare he adds. "Don't worry Willow. I'll teach you these things in due time."

I wonder what due time is. I don't know if there will ever be enough time for me to get used to handling a gun, or any type of weapon for that matter. I stick the pink knife in my pocket and follow Tony out of the room and all the way to the parking lot. Is it sad to wish the knife handle had glitter or shiny things stuck to it? Bah, I'm such a girl.

Outside everyone is huddled around my mom who is doling out orders. My mom looks up at me as I approach and waves her hand calling me over. Most everyone disperses, except for four burly looking guys.

"Did Tony get you some gear?" She asks me.

I pull out my hot pink knife. "Yep. Girly, yet deadly." I smile.

She raises her eyebrow. "Looks good. Hopefully you won't have to use it." Concern flashes in her eyes.

"She won't." Tony offers confidently.

My mom nods her head then gestures to the big manly foursome. "This is Mike, Tom, William and Henry. I've assigned them along with Tony to be dedicated to your protection. It is their top priority."

In unison, the fearsome four nod their heads. I give Tony a funny look and he smirks.

My mom must have caught it because she gives me her famous mom stare, which tells me that I'm being rude. She continues looking directly at me. "You will need to listen to their orders and stay close to them at all times. Don't try to be brave or go out on your own." She seems to be waiting for a yes ma'am response or something so I nod my head. "I mean it Willow. You saw what it was like on your first day outside. The Reapers are dangerous and while I'm not sure if they can take your powers or not, they can still kill you just as easily with their weapons."

"I understand mom." I shiver at the memory of all of the heartless red eyes I saw. What my mom should truly fear more than my death would be what would happen if the Reapers take my powers. Nobody should have the amount of gifts I have. I have trouble holding in the reins and keeping it all from going to my head. I can't imagine what someone who can't differentiate between right and wrong would do with all of my abilities.

My mom looks satisfied that I'll be compliant. "Alright. Let's get going."

"Where are we going?" I ask her.

"To the mountain. You said they came out at the same place you did right?"

I nod my head.

"So we are going to comb the forest around the mountain's base. If I were on the run from those monsters that's where I would hide." Her expression turns sadly thoughtful. She reaches out and runs her fingers through my hair. "You do need to prepare yourself though honey. We may not find them today. Or, we may only find what's left of them. It's a crazy world out here and their chances for survival could be low, especially if they go at it alone."

My heart lurches in my chest. I know she already warned me once of that possibility, but I can't let myself accept it. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to my friends, what I would do without Alec. Everything in me wishes that I could be in his arms right now. I blink back the tears that threaten to build. "I know mom. We will find them though...and alive. We have to."

She doesn't confirm or deny my statement. She just pats me on my back and says, "Let's move out." She turns on her heel and heads to lead the group.

As I move forward to join the throng of soldiers I am immediately flanked on all four sides by the fantastic four. They pull their automatic rifles off their back and hold them in position, prepared to shoot any threats. Tony walks to the right of me, inside the small diamond formation that the other four guys make. While I'm a little creeped out about leaving my comfort zone, something about Tony makes me feel safe. Well, as safe as one could feel when being led out to a possible slaughter.

We walk out of the parking lot and follow a gravel road for what seems like miles. The sun beats down on us mercilessly as we walk. Sweat starts accumulating on my forehead and I wipe it away with the back of my hand. Tony pulls a bottle of water from his hiking pack and hands it to me. Feeling like a wimp, I guzzle down half of it and hand it back. He takes a small sip then puts it back in his bag.

I'm grateful when the tall thirsty looking evergreens greet us at the end of the road. Perhaps some protection from this unrelenting sun will help me to cool off. I glance at a few trail map signs. I wonder on a normal day how many hikers would be out here exploring. My heart yearns for some sense of normalcy.

When we step into the forest my mom calls us all to a stop. We stand silently, listening to the nature around us for a good five minutes. I guess she is assessing the area and listening for threats. When she deems it clear, she allows us to proceed. We repeat the same stop and listen procedure every half mile or so.

I place my hand in my pocket and stroke the smooth texture of the knife's handle. I'm not sure why, but the gesture comforts me. We continue marching for several hours through the woods with no signs of my friends or anyone. All this marching on and on is making me antsy and bored. Looking around at the fab four and Tony, I get an uncanny itch to pull a little prank. I can't help myself. They look so stoic and...and constipated or something. I go invisible counting the seconds until they figure it out. Heck, while I'm at it I might as well practice using my multiple powers. I try Connor's power on for size while still invisible and pass through the caboose guy, I think it's William, and stand behind him. I try and stifle a laugh as I watch them continue marching.

Alas, it doesn't take long before Tony finds me gone. He stops abruptly looking for me, causing William to crash into him. The other three turn around with guns drawn aiming all around them. It's in this moment I realize this might not have been the best time for a practical joke. As their guns swing around, I panic and duck, hoping they don't mistakenly shoot me. I let out a small screech and let go of my powers so they can see me.

Tony is the first to come barreling towards me. He grabs me by the arm and hauls me to my feet so fast my head is swimming. "You think that was funny?" He spits in my face.

My eyes go wide in fear. I didn't know he had it in him to be so forceful. I guess that's why my mom must have put him in charge of me. "Sorry Tony, I was just bored. We've been walking for what seems like millennia and are getting nowhere. Shouldn't we stop and talk about other options?"

Tony's eyebrows rise into a questioning look. "Are you questioning your mother's authority?"

I let my eyes wander; anything is better than meeting his scolding gaze right now. Realizing I'm not winning this argument, I relent. I shake my head no. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. It won't happen again."

A second later I hear my mother shuffling through the crowd of soldiers that has gathered around. "What is going on here? Willow are you okay? Why did you stop?"

Before I can answer her myself, Tony steps in for me. "We're fine. Willow just had to stop and tie her shoe. She neglected to tell William behind her, which caused a small collision, slash scuffle."

My mom narrows her eyes looking from Tony to me and back to Tony again. She relents. "Okay then, let's get a move on. We don't want to be caught out here past dark." She turns on her heel and marches back to the front.

The fearsome four gather around me again enclosing Tony and I in the middle. I bite my lower lip. "You know, you didn't have to do that." I say, and I really mean it. He doesn't owe me anything.

"I know I didn't have to," he says. "But, I wanted to. Just don't do it again." He turns his head back forward and continues his march.

"I won't. Thank you. I owe you one." I say.

He shoots me an intense look. "Just stay out of trouble and that will be enough."

My cheeks flush as I nod my head. I look away quickly, embarrassed. I'm sure my joke made me look like an immature child to Tony. Not that I care what Tony thinks...Well, maybe I do, just a little. But, really I do want to be taken seriously, especially if I want my mom to allow me to fight by her side. I make a mental note to be on my best behavior from now on.

My stomach starts feeling unsettled as we walk back. I don't know if it's the forest's eerie quietness or the long shadows cast by the slowly setting sun. I find myself inching closer to Tony. He must have a sense of unease because his back is rigid and his jaw is clenched tightly.

A piercing scream erupts from somewhere to the East. A clattering of startled birds disperses into the air not far from us. Everyone brings their weapons to attention and the group seems to form a blockade surrounding me. My heart launches into my throat. I try to look over the throng of protectors that surround me to see what's happening. The scream was high pitched and it sounded female. I pray that it doesn't belong to Claire.

I catch sight of an injured girl breaking through the trees to my left. She's limping so badly that she falls every few feet. My mom and several other soldiers jump out, not to grab her but to fight the figure who steps out after her. A man about six feet in height with crimson red eyes stands there staring at us. At first he seems shocked to see such a large group waiting for him. I can almost see his mental wheels turning, trying to make the decision between fight or flight. He decides on the former and turns back into the woods. My mom, along with eight other soldiers, runs after him. Worry for her consumes me and I immediately try to take a step forward but Tony stops me by putting his hand on my shoulder.

"She will be fine. Your mom can take that Reaper out by herself. With her backup, they are more than capable." He says. In confirmation, I hear two gunshots. "They got him."

I nod and then look down at the hand that's on my shoulder.

He follows my gaze and then pulls his hand back down to his side. He clears his throat. "Where do you think the girl went?" He scans the area around us.

The group seems to relax a bit knowing the Reaper situation was handled so they give me a little breathing room, which allows me to look for her. I catch sight of her long flowing black hair first. She's lying on the ground cradling her leg. "There!" I point to her. "She must be injured." I start moving her way but Tony stops me again.

"Where? I don't see her." He asks.

She's out there in the open, clear as day. How could he not see her? "She's right there!" I say pointing to her, irritated he's playing games. She looks like she's in pain. I shrug Tony's hand off my shoulder and speedily walk towards her.

Tony runs up to my side. "Willow, are you okay?" He pulls me by my arm and turns me around so I will look at him.

"Yes, but she's not!" Annoyed now, I yank my arm from his grasp and jog the rest of the way to the girl.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask the girl, kneeling down next to her.

When she looks up at me, I gasp. Her tear filled eyes are the same shade of purple as Claire's. She barely shakes her head.

I look down at her leg and see a gash running down her thigh. Examining it, I find that it's so deep that I can see the muscle tissue. My stomach rolls with nausea as I try and get ahold of my bearings. I move my hand over her leg and focus my healing ability on her.

"What are you doing?" Tony squats down and looks at me like I'm certifiably insane.

"Shut up Tony. I need to focus!" I tell him.

The girl groans and Tony straightens up. He looks in the girl's direction but doesn't seem to see her.

"She's invisible." I say realizing the same thing myself. I look back down at the gash to see it's healed nicely. All that's left is a light pink scar.

The girl sits up and looks at me with sad, purple eyes. "Thank you."

Tony reaches out towards her and touches her head on accident. The girl cringes and moves away.

"It's okay, he's not going to hurt you." I say to her, though she still looks scared.

"How are you able to see her?" Tony asks me.

I'm not entirely sure. I can't even see myself when I go invisible. "I have no idea." I answer him. Then I look to the girl. "Can you make yourself visible?"

She shakes her head, her eyes still look frightened.

"You're safe now. Nobody here is going to hurt you." I say earnestly.

Catching on to what's going on Tony adds, "We killed the Reaper. He won't hurt you. We need to get out of the woods though before dark. It's not safe."

"Please." I ask her.

Still looking intimidated she takes a deep breath and I don't realize that she's visible again until Tony tells her thank you. I didn't notice the difference since I could see her in her invisible form already.

"Will you come with us?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "I have to go home."

I look around the woods. "Where is home?" She can't possibly live out here with those monsters lurking about.

She shakes her head and tenses up.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell us." I say realizing she's scared, possibly even in shock.

"We do need to get out of here now though. You can come with us and tomorrow during the day we can take you home." Tony tells her.

She shakes her head again and tears start flowing from her eyes.

"You have to come with us. I promise, I will make sure you get home tomorrow but for now we have to leave. More of them may come." I am focusing so hard on getting her to come with me that I didn't even realize that I am using my compulsion. She stands up abruptly and reaches her hand out to me. I take her hand and lead her back to the group.

Having seen what just happened my mom doesn't ask any questions. Instead she just says, "Head out."

We all start walking. I continue to hold the girl's hand. Every once in a while I look over at her to make sure she's still breathing and okay. She seems so delicate and young. She can't be more than thirteen or fourteen. Other than her age and the dark hair, she reminds me a lot of Claire. Perhaps it's her small stature or the purple eyes that resembles my best friend. A pang of longing hits my heart. I pray my friends make it out of this safely.

I hate using compulsion but when we step out of the tree line and onto the gravel road, I feel confident that I made the only decision I could under the circumstance. We make our way to the Holiday Inn just as the final rays of sun vanish behind the mountains.

# CHAPTER 4

### Smores

We wind up getting back to the hotel just before sundown. We didn't find my friends and the only thing we brought back from our mission is sore feet, hungry stomachs and a random girl with purple eyes. On the way back I managed to find out her name is Molly and she's fourteen. Apparently there is another group of survivors like us beyond the valley. Molly still hasn't told us how she managed to get here. I'm guessing she's still too shaken up to talk about it. She did briefly mention that the boy she was with, ran away from the Reapers and left her there in the woods. She started shaking when she talked about it so I didn't press it. All I know is that the guy who left her in the woods deserves to turn in his man card. That is true cowardice at its worst.

We enter our 'compound' as others have been calling it, to find clamoring and ample activity going on in the dining area. Everyone is seated around tables relaxing and talking. Steaming piles of food await us buffet style in the corner. Tony cues me in that the people that stay here during the day cook dinner and always wait for the ones that went to 'the outside' to get back before eating. Apparently it shows a kind of respect.

After we all wash our hands and faces, my mom takes Molly to eat with her at an isolated table away from everyone else. I guess she wants to ask her a few questions. I pray she has more success getting her to open up than I did. Deep down, I'm hoping that Molly has seen my friends. I know it's a long shot but I have to hold on to something.

"Well it looks like this place is full. Do you want to sit over there with me?" Tony asks.

I follow his pointer finger with my eyes and find an empty table for two pushed up against a window in the corner of the dining hall. I shrug my shoulders, "Sure."

On our way to claim the table I pass Sebastian. I stop and give him a big hug and a tickle, which makes him squirm with delight. "Wuv you Wello." He says with a smile.

"Love you too." I ruffle his curly hair. I briefly catch Tony staring at me with an interesting expression out of my peripheral vision.

Feeling the heat of his gaze I head over to the table and take a seat. Not caring what Tony thinks, I immediately take off my shoes. I know it's not the best table manners but my feet are killing me! I thought being on my feet doing errands all day was killer...come to find out it's a walk in the park compared to the hiking we did today.

Tony doesn't judge me. Instead he lets out a light laugh, shrugs his shoulders and removes his shoes too.

A burly man busts through the swinging doors carrying an enormous bin filled with plates and silverware. No normal human could ever pick this thing up, let alone carry it with such ease and finesse. No one gives him a second thought as he trots through the dining hall balancing the large container on his shoulder. Tony must see me gawking because he begins to smirk.

I give him a look, "What?" I question, like I don't know what he's smiling about.

He just shakes his head. "Remember? Yellow eyes equals strength and speed." He points to his eyes.

I nod my head. "Yeah, I know. It's just bizarre and inhuman to see it in action." A line begins to form by the buffet and Tony and I waste no time hopping into it. At this point I notice that the table where Sebastian is sitting at is where all the kids are seated. I'm guessing that most of their parents work outside during the day. Several of the people go over and serve the kids, getting them situated and eating; then the line starts to move for us. It doesn't take long until I'm piling things on my plate that I can't identify for the life of me. But I don't care; I'm starving! I hadn't realized how hungry I was, but the smell of the food makes my stomach roar loudly. In response, the second I sit down at the table with Tony I begin shoveling food in my mouth. I don't even bother tasting it as I shove more in.

"Hey," Tony interrupts. "Chill on stuffing your face. I'm gonna have to give you the Heimlich if you keep eating at that pace...or hold your hair back when you vomit."

My face blushes. "Sorry," I say in embarrassment. "I'm just so hungry!"

Tony shakes his head and laughs under his breath. He seems to be doing a lot of that around me lately.

I look away and keep stuffing my face. Although this seating arrangement isn't ideal it does allow me to take inventory of all the people staying here. I find Sebastian in the crowd again. He's throwing what looks like peas at another little girl beside him. Then I watch as he gets scolded for throwing his food. I laugh; it's so good to see him again and to see him happy.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tony says breaking my wandering thoughts.

I nearly answer that I will sell them for a dollar but my heart squelches remembering Alec using that same expression. I let my head drop, trying to hold it together. I miss him more than words can say. But it's not like I can tell Tony this. He's a guy; he couldn't relate. "I was just thinking how nice it was to see my brother happy again." I give him a semi believable smile since this is a partially true statement.

He nods and goes back to eating his chow, or whatever the hell this mush is.

"So," I say between mouthfuls. "What happens after dinner?"

Tony wipes his mouth with a napkin. He does it in such a well mannered way that it's hard for me to hold onto the bad boy persona image I originally had of him. "Well," he begins. "After dinner, we usually like to have a little fun. Tonight we're having a bon fire in the inner courtyard. I heard rumors about smores being served. They must have found some marshmallows and such down at the boarded up corner store."

I raise my eyebrows. That really does sound like fun.

"What? Do you think that just because there is a war out there we can't have fun?" He smiles and it's one of the most genuine smiles I've seen him give. "Our motto is, 'you work hard, you play hard.' Well, not too hard." He points to some guys at a nearby table. "You see those guys over there?" I nod my head so he continues. "Jack and Will were good friends before this all went down and they were in a band together. We were able to scrounge some guitars and small drums on one of our outings. So on nights when the weather is cool we like to have a bonfire and they play some music while we dance, sing or just chill out. It's very relaxing. Takes your mind off things if you know what I mean."

I do know what he means. And that sounds like the thing I need right now. I would give anything to ease this pain in my chest that seems permanently etched there.

I look outside the window to keep Tony from seeing the emotion in my eyes. With the sun almost completely set it makes it harder to see in the room. Right as I notice that, a skinny teen comes out from the kitchen carrying an armful of candles and matches. He sets one on each table with a match. Within seconds the dining area takes on a romantic ambiance. It kind of makes me uncomfortable being as though I'm sitting at a table for two with Tony under candlelight. Yeah, this is a bit awkward.

Finally full, I begin chewing on my thumbnail hoping for Tony to finish quickly so we can get out of here. I spot my mom in the opposite corner of the room still talking with Molly. They're both smiling and talking animatedly. I'm immensely glad that my mom has a way of putting people at ease...especially scared, fourteen-year-old girls.

Tony tosses his silverware and napkin on the empty plate and stretches his arms up above him. He leans back and asks in a semi-yawn, "So, you ready to go?"

I pile my fork and napkin on my plate and nod my head. I follow Tony to a bin with dirty dishes and put mine on the top of the heap and Tony follows suit.

"Do I have time to change?" I ask Tony.

He looks me over and I feel a little flush. "If you want. I think you look good though."

I laugh looking down at my tank top. "Um, thanks. It would be nice to wash Molly's blood off you know."

For once it's his turn to blush. "Oh, yeah that makes sense. Just come down when you're ready." He grabs a candle off a table and hands it to me so I can find my way back to my room.

The bed in my room seems to call my name but I don't listen. I head straight to the bathroom. I turn the water on, which is completely cold since the boiler runs on electricity, set the candle on the counter and hop in. Shivering, I wash off as quickly as I can. Even though I'm covered in goose bumps from head to toe when I get out, I still feel refreshed. Plus the cold water gave me a second wind. I towel dry my hair and look at myself in the mirror.

I don't know if it's the candle light or how worn out I am, but I look weary and older. I lean in closer to examine the bags under my eyes. That's when I notice the shade of my eyes is no longer navy. Instead they are a light baby blue color that I haven't seen before. All of the other colors are still present in that sort of prismatic way but this color is definitely a new development. The red spot stands out boldly against the lighter background.

Forcing myself to look away, since there's nothing I can do about my freaky eyes, I towel dry my hair and change into some clean jean shorts and a green tank top. I try running my fingers through my hair but settle on just scrunching my wet curls. There's no way, I'm going to tackle all of these tangles tonight. I throw on a pair of flip-flops, grab my candle and head down to the party.

Tony wasn't kidding about these people knowing how to have fun. The bonfire has the courtyard lit up in a warm glow. All around people are talking in groups and swaying to the live music. Kids are running around playing tag and giggling happily. A few people have already started making smores. I look around for my mom but can't find her in this huge group of partygoers.

Not paying attention to where I'm walking I run into the back of a girl. "Sorry!"

"It's okay." She says.

When she turns around I gasp. I stare at her long blonde hair, tanned skin and perfect Barbie doll looks. Everything about her other than her neon eyes and the fact that she wasn't a total jerk, reminds me of Candy. She gives me a strange look, most likely because I'm staring at her in horror, then she walks away.

I have to tell myself over and over again that it's not her. The thought that Candy may have changed her mind about letting me get away almost gave me a heart attack. I force myself to take a few breaths and then I push all thoughts of the horrible Hastings family out of my mind.

A hand lands on my shoulder and I nearly jump. "Wow, skittish tonight?" Tony asks me as I turn around.

I push my wet hair out of my face and shake my head. "Sorry, I guess I was just lost in thought."

"What's on your mind?" He hands me a soda pop and leans against the brick wall of the hotel.

I could say: I'm just thinking about the family who tried to dissect me, my missing friends, my dad still being on the inside and how much I would give to have Alec hold me and tell me everything is going to be alright. But, I don't. "Nothing." Is all I can manage saying.

A slight look of hurt hits his eyes, I'm not sure why though. Maybe he expected me to bare my soul to him, but we barely know each other. I wouldn't put that type of baggage on him. "Do you want to get a smore?"

"Chocolate and marshmallows smushed between two crackers? I'd be crazy to say no!" I joke. He smiles at that and then takes my hand to lead me to the supply table.

Following behind him I stare at our hands with wide eyes. I don't want to jerk my hand back, but it seems weird holding someone else's hand. Not that I think Tony means anything by it, he's probably just trying to not lose me in this crowd, but still. When we stop in front of the table I let go of his hand and quickly grab a metal hanger that has been turned into a roasting stick. As I begin pushing marshmallows onto it, I have to fight the urge to flex my hand or look at Tony. I don't want him to feel bad or to think I'm grossed out by his touch. I'm not, it just makes me think of Alec and how I wish he were the one here holding my hand.

Thankfully Tony doesn't seem to take notice of my slight discomfort. He makes small talk as he prepares his marshmallows. "So do you like them golden or burnt to a crisp?"

"I'm too impatient to make them golden, I set them on fire as quickly as I can." I say moving to the fire.

"Me too." He agrees. We both smile at each other then head over to the bonfire to put our marshmallows in. "So, I've been wanting to ask you. Do you know how in the world you were able to see Molly out there? Can people with the gift of invisibility see others when they use the same gift?"

I look up at him. "I've been thinking about that too. I can't see myself when I go invisible so it wouldn't make sense as to how that would allow me to see Molly." I catch a glimpse of blonde hair on the other side of the fire and that's when I finally connect the dots. "Candy." I say.

"Candy? Like chocolate? It's back at the table." Tony says a bit confused.

I laugh at his assumption. I shake my head and remember to pull my marshmallows from the fire. I have to blow several times to put the flaming sugar out. They turn out blacker than night and charred to a crisp. "No, Candy is a girl back in the shelter. She can see through people's gifts. I can't believe I didn't think about this earlier! That must be how I was able to see Molly through her invisibility."

Tony still seems confused. "How would another person's power mean anything to you?"

I hadn't realized that we never really discussed how I've gotten my abilities. "I am not completely certain about this, but it seems that when I'm around someone with a different gift, I kind of soak up the ability to use their gift." His eyes go wide and I quickly add, "I don't take it from them though; I'm not a Reaper Tony."

His eyes soften at that statement. "I would never think of you like that Willow. You are the polar opposite of those evil monsters."

I let out a sigh of relief. I hate having anything similar to what those horrible things have.

"So, you kind of absorb just a small part of people's gifts. Do you know why you are able to do this?" He asks me.

I shake my head. I don't know for sure, although I have a feeling it has something to do with the red shot I accidentally pricked myself with. I don't want word to get around too much about that. Alec is the only one who knows the truth about it. The last thing this world needs is for someone to hear about my abilities and to go experimenting with the same shot that created those atrocious Reapers.

"Well, you are very special Willow. You know that?" He smiles at me and instantly I feel a strange tension between us. He reaches up and brushes a strand of hair from my face.

"Willow?" A small voice calls from behind me.

Thankful for the interruption from whatever was just going on with Tony, I turn around. "Oh, hey Molly." Her black hair is wet and with it brushed so perfectly straight behind her ears, she looks even younger than fourteen.

"Your mom told me to come find you. She had to take your brother up to bed. Can I stay with you?" She looks around at the huge crowd of people.

"It's kind of intimidating right?" I say to her.

She nods. "I haven't seen so many of the same kind in a long time." She looks to Tony and then leans in closely to whisper in my ear. "Can he be trusted?"

I look at her confused then say. "Yes, of course." I don't know Tony that well but if my mom trusts him, then I certainly do too. I wonder why Molly would ask me that. I turn around to Tony. "Hey, do you mind getting Molly a soda?"

"Sure, do you want one too?" He asks me.

"No thanks." I reply. I wait until he heads off in hunt of a drink before I turn back to Molly. "Why do you ask if Tony can be trusted?"

She looks from side to side as if making sure the coast is clear. "I don't want you to think anything... I mean, I know your mom is one of them and she seems great and all, but...." She looks like she's going to clam up.

"But?" I ask, truly curious as to what she's getting at.

"They aren't all safe." She says.

"What do you mean they aren't safe?" That doesn't make any sense.

She looks down and pulls at the hem of her shirt. "We used to all be with these people but then many of them turned. How do you know that they aren't going to turn again?" She looks up at me in question.

"Do you mean turn as in turn into a..." I'm cut off when a hand lands on my shoulder.

"Ahhhh, well if it isn't the Reaper!" A slurring voice calls out from behind me.

Molly's eyes go wide with fear. My blood runs cold as I turn around quickly to knock his hand off my shoulder. I find Chris swaying and not to the music either. A near empty bottle of beer in his hand tells me that this is not going to be good.

"Go away Chris." I'm not looking for a fight tonight.

"Awe, is Willow upset because her mum isn't here to defend her?" He lets out a slight hiccup.

I roll my eyes. "Leave me alone."

"Why, because if I don't you are going to make me?" His eyes are drooping. He sniffs and wipes at his long nose with his hand.

"You're drunk, Chris. Go to bed or something." I give him a disgusted glare then turn to walk away. His filthy hand lands on my shoulder again, this time it grips tighter.

I try to brush his hand off but he only grips harder. "Get your hand off of me." I turn towards him and grab his hand at the same time.

"Ahhhhh!" He bellows and yanks his hand away. He hunches over cradling his hand and moaning.

I jump back, not sure what I did.

He falls over onto his butt and continues to sniffle and hold his hand. "She broke my hand!" He cries out.

"No I didn't!" I yell at him. Panic wells inside my chest as people start gathering around us.

He looks up at me with hateful, drunk eyes. "You piece of..."

"Watch it!" Tony steps forward looking ready to pummel Chris.

Chris looks up at him. His eyes are rimmed with red and his head wobbles a bit as he yells. "She broke my freaking hand!"

Tony laughs, which surprises me. "Then she probably had a good reason to."

Chris lets out an angry huff.

"I couldn't break his hand even if I wanted to." I call back in defense.

Tony turns around to me. "Don't worry about him, he's just a..." He stops cold, looking at my eyes.

"What?" I ask. My hands immediately go up to them.

"Let's get you out of here." He says. Whatever he noticed he doesn't want to bring up around the crowd.

"What about Chris. I can heal him." Even though I really don't want to touch him, if I did in fact break his hand then I should do what's right and fix it.

"I would never let you touch me! How would I know you wouldn't suck the life out of me? Reaper!" He spits at me.

Tony spins around so quickly that I barely have time to register what he does next. He socks Chris straight in the eye. A big burly guy that I recognize as one of the fearsome four pulls Tony off Chris. Chris is blubbering and holding his eye with his good hand and cradling his broken one to his chest.

"Don't you ever call her that again!" Tony's face is red with anger. "I swear, it will be a thousand times worse if you do Chris! Don't test me."

"You should go now." The guy, I think it's Henry, says to Tony.

Tony nods but his posture remains stiff and rigid as he turns around. "Let's get out of here Willow." He waits for me to turn and start walking towards the building.

"Molly, do you want to come up with us?" I ask her along the way.

She looks at me with her frightened purple eyes. "Yes please."

I gesture for her to take the lead through the crowd that's gathered for the newest version of live entertainment.

My mom meets us at the courtyard entrance of the hotel. "What happened out there?" She looks worried. "I was just putting Sab down to bed and heard the racket.

"Chris was giving your daughter a hard time again." Tony speaks for me.

"I think I broke his hand." I say a bit confused.

The first thing I see flash in my mom's eyes is pride. I have to stifle my laugh after seeing that emotion. Then she asks, "How did you break his hand?"

"I'm not sure, he had his hand on my shoulder and I just tried to remove it and then he was screaming on the floor." I start panicking again, worried that I'm going to get in trouble. Can I go to jail for that? Is there even a jail on the outside anymore?

My mom looks at me and suddenly her expression changes to the same one Tony had earlier. She's looking at my eyes. She doesn't say anything though. She turns to Molly. "Let's get you to your room honey. I made you a room next to Willow's."

Molly nods her head. "Thank you."

The four of us walk Molly to her room. We get her situated with a lantern light then let her have her privacy.

My mom immediately leads us into my room next. She closes the door and lights another lantern that I hadn't realized was in here. "What's going on Willow? Your eyes, they are starting to look like mine now."

"What?" I ask shocked. I run over to the nightstand where I kept the hand held mirror that Tony gave me last night. I pull it up and sure enough mixed into the swirls of purple and blue, is neon yellow. The red spot stands in an even more bizarre contrast.

"You must have our ability now!" Tony seems to realize.

"Oh man, I really did break Chris's hand." I feel dread in the pit of my stomach. I start pacing the room. Chris is an absolute butthead, and sure he deserved to be sucker punched but to have his hand broken? I don't know. "I should go heal him."

"Yeah, I don't think he wants you anywhere near him." Tony laughs.

My mom gives him a disapproving look before she tells me. "Look, I will go check on him in a moment. Right now we need to figure out what we are going to do about your eyes. I don't know if I'm ready to tell the whole compound about your multiple abilities yet. When they see your eyes though, I know the questions will begin."

"I bet Chris has already leaked the news anyhow." Tony says respectfully to my mom.

She shakes her head. "No, I had Lee speak with him. He shouldn't be sharing Willow's secret."

"I don't know about that mom. He called me a Reaper in front of everyone." Anger starts bubbling up inside me.

Anger flashes across her face and she clenches her jaw. "Well, we'll have to have another talk with him tonight then. For the meantime, let's still try to keep your abilities on the down low." I giggle at her use of the phrase 'down low.' Her mood lightens with my laughter. "Do you know how your eyes are changing colors so much? Just a few hours ago they were mostly light blue."

"I've been thinking about that. I think they are taking on the predominant color of the most recent power I've used." I say.

"That makes sense." Tony interjected. "You can still see the other colors but there is only a trace amount. Other than the red of course, that seems to be a constant."

"Okay, so can you work on using another power tonight so your eyes aren't neon yellow? The other colors are fine, but everyone will notice if you suddenly start looking like one of us." My mom tells me.

"I can do that, I think." Although, I'm not sure which one I should try. "Anyone need to be healed?" They shake their heads. I briefly consider reading their minds but that's the one power I feel guilty using. Sometimes I think of horrible and stupid stuff. I wouldn't want anyone to read my mind. I decide to go invisible.

My mom gasps and I chuckle. "I don't know if I will ever get totally used to you being able to do all of this." My mom smiles in my direction. She tries to keep looking at where she last saw me.

"Don't worry, I'm not even used to all of this." I say. I slowly focus on turning back visible again. "So, are they purple yet?" I ask.

My mom shakes her head.

Tony looks closer. "Well, I can see that the neon doesn't seem as bright. Maybe it takes a few minutes."

"Hopefully by tomorrow you will have purple eyes again." My mom says. She sees my worried expression then adds. "If not, then that will be fine too. I will tell everyone if I have to."

"Okay." I say. I look down feeling a little bad about tonight's events. "I'm sorry mom." I say quietly.

She puts her finger under my chin and makes me look up at her. "Don't ever be sorry for standing up for yourself. I'm sure Chris had it coming."

Tony says, "Yep!"

"I love you no matter what and don't listen to jerks like Chris. You are perfect just the way you are." She looks so sincere that I nearly cry in relief. I try and hold back the tears as she pulls me into a hug.

"I love you." I say.

"Love you too honey." She pushes my hair out of my face.

"I need to go check on Chris." She turns to Tony. "Let's leave Willow to get her beauty sleep."

He nods. "Goodnight Willow."

"Goodnight." I say to both of them.

Tony opens the door for my mom and they start to head out.

"Wait." I say to my mom. "I promised I'd tell Sabby a story tonight."

She smiles. "Okay, I'll take you to his room on the way down."

I follow her and Tony out. She leads me down one flight of stairs and then over to Sebastian's room.

I walk inside and close the door behind me. "Sabby?" I call out.

"Wello!" He shoots up from the bed and runs up to me, giving me a tight squeeze. This time my body is stronger and I don't crumble under his grip. "I no think you come." He says.

I pull gently on his curls. "How could I ever forget you Sabby?"

He gives me a contagious grin and my world instantly feels just a little bit brighter. I lead my brother over to the bed and hop in next to him. The lantern light bathes the room in a gentle glow. I look around the room. It's much like mine with two double beds. Some of my mom's clothes are strung out on the other one. I'm glad that Sebastian doesn't sleep alone in here. Kicking my shoes off, I scoot closer to Sebastian and he rests his head on my shoulder.

"Once upon a time...." I tell him a story about a world where everything is right and life ends in a happily ever after. Then I fall asleep with my little brother curled up beside me.

# CHAPTER 5

### Training Day

I wake up in the morning still holding Sebastian in my arms. Rain is pounding on the rooftop and windows; something I haven't heard in what seems like forever. Memories of my childhood flood my mind. I remember playing digital games with my family and putting on puppet shows during stormy weather.

I glance over and see my mother curled up on top of the covers in the bed beside us. She looks so young and innocent when she sleeps; a major contrast to her outward appearance during the day.

As if she senses me looking at her, my mother's eyelashes begin to flutter. A smile fills her face as she takes us in. "It's so good to see you two together again."

I smile back and give Sebastian a little squeeze. He stirs and nestles in closer to me. I put my cheek against his head and breathe in the scent of baby shampoo.

Thunder claps, rattling the windows, which startles Sebastian. He looks frightened until he realizes that I'm here next to him. "Wello, whatchu doing in my bed?"

My mom and I laugh. Gosh this little guy is too cute for his own good. He rubs his eyes with his little pudgy hands and lets out a big yawn.

"I guess I fell asleep while telling you your bedtime story last night. I don't mind though; you're awful cute when you wake up." I kiss his forehead.

Sebastian gets a stubborn look on his face. "I not cute Wello, I hansome. Mommy tells me so."

I smile. "Is that right..." I give his curls a ruffle and climb out of bed. The cold hard floor hits my feet causing me to shiver. I instinctively wrap my arms around myself for warmth.

I look to my mom who is still trying to wake up. "So what do y'all do when it rains like this? You know, to pass the time and all."

She rubs her hands over her eyes and stretches her arms up over her head. "Well honey," she says while still yawning. "Usually we use this time to strategize or train. We always have someone watching the outside, but there's usually no use going out when the weather is like this."

I nod my head and say, "Well, I guess I should go talk to Molly. I don't think we'll be able to take her home till this weather clears up." My mom nods again and slowly gets out of bed. "Alright then. I'm going to get back to my room and get ready for...well, whatever it is we do today."

"Sounds good. By the way, your eyes are mostly purple now." My mom says.

I instinctively reach my hand up to them. "So it worked?"

She nods her head. "There's still a bit of neon yellow in there, but it's only as noticeable as the other shades. The purple is the most prominent. It's quite amazing."

I laugh, "Well that's me, amazing Willow."

"You are amazing honey. I'll see you at breakfast. Love you." She smiles.

"Love you guys too." I quietly shut the door behind me not knowing the sleeping schedules of the others. For all I know they stayed up half the night and partied downstairs. I tip toe to my room but just as I reach for the doorknob, Molly's door opens slightly. I let go of the door handle and walk next door. Molly's head pokes out and she lets out a little squeal and jumps back when she sees me.

I guess she wasn't expecting my face to be the first thing she saw when she opened the door. "Hey," I say. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just going to my room when I saw your door open. I figured I'd come and see how you were doing."

She purses her lips together and then squints her eyes. "Why were you returning to your room? Were you out...you know. All night?" Her eyebrows wiggle up and down.

I stare at her with nothing less than shock. "Excuse me?" I question. I'm not sure I heard her exactly right. Is she accusing me of what I think she is?

Molly leans against the door jam. "Because I'm not going to judge you or anything." She examines her nails while talking to me. "I mean, Tony, is that his name?" She doesn't wait for me to answer before she moves on. "Yeah, Tony is pretty hot. I wouldn't blame you. But you really do need to be careful and all. We don't want anything to happen, if you know what I mean." And with that she pats my stomach.

I think I'm going to puke! I was totally wrong. This girl is nothing like Claire. What happened to that nice sweet little girl that we rescued yesterday? I not so gently remove her hand from my stomach. "Uh, no. I was with my little brother in his room. I fell asleep telling him a bedtime story."

Molly's expression never sways. "Yeah, okay," she says. "Whatever you say."

I clear my throat. This is getting awkward so I try and change the subject. "So, I guess you've noticed it's raining outside." She nods her head. "So, after talking with my mother this morning, we're going to have to postpone taking you home until the weather lets up."

Molly gives me a half smile and says, "K, guess we'll just have to find something to do in the meantime."

Oh great. I guess I expected her to be maybe...disappointed or something. She seems indifferent now and it doesn't make much sense to me. Was the quiet, gentle girl I spoke to yesterday just in shock? I can tell this girl is going to be a hand full. I begin to wonder if I can pass off responsibility of her to my mom today.

We stand there for a few moments in an awkward silence. I finally break it, "Well, I'm going to go and get ready. I guess I'll see you down at breakfast in a few?"

She perks her head to the side. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." She turns back into her room and closes the door. I roll my eyes for dramatic effect and march back to my room. Maybe I was wrong and her super power isn't just invisibility, perhaps she suffers from extreme mood swings. I've never seen someone's mannerisms change in such a short period of time.

The rain is still beating against the windows as I stroll into the dining area. Thankfully someone had left me a change of clothes in my room the night before. I'm feeling pretty good and refreshed...until I see Molly flirting full speed ahead with Tony. I stop dead in my tracks and watch the master at work. Flirting with full on hair flipping and lip biting. I let out a sigh and walk over to their table. Molly bats her eyelashes at Tony a few more times until Tony sees me.

Like a rocket he jumps out of his seat so fast I only see a blur. He stands like he's at attention and ready for inspection. "Willow," he says and clears his throat. "I was just talking to uh, Molly here. Waiting for you, of course."

I scratch my head. "Yeah, okay. Well, I'm here."

Tony waits for me to sit and then follows suit. I guess we're a little early for breakfast since it hasn't been put out yet. My bet is it's almost ready though since the smell of grits is starting to permeate the room. My stomach growls loudly and Molly giggles. I roll my eyes.

We sit at the table in an awkward silence for about a minute until people start walking in with huge metal containers filled with breakfast. I am the first to hop up and I nearly knock my chair over in progress. Tony catches it before it hits the floor. "Thanks." I say quickly before I run over to get in line.

A few people manage to get in behind me before Tony and Molly claim their place in line. Something bizarre is going on this morning. Molly is a completely different person. Tony seemed freaked out that I caught him talking to the little flirt. The most inexplicable thing that happened this morning is that I felt a little something...like it was very small, but it was there. I don't even want to say the word in my head but I will anyway. Was I really jealous? I ponder on it while I make my plate and heap all kinds of yummy breakfast fare onto it. There's no way I would feel like that when it comes to Tony and Molly.

I grab my silverware and start heading back to the table. I pass by the two of them who are still in line. Tony stares at me strangely and Molly puts her hand on his shoulder completely unaware of my noticing. Crap! Double crap, crap! It's there! I have no idea why or how but it's there. A small pang of jealousy that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever is there.

I walk past the table I was going to sit with them at and set my tray down next to Sebastian at the kid's table. The kids wiggle over giving me space to sit. Their little eyes light up excited to have someone new at their table. I eat my food and answer all kinds of silly questions that the kiddos throw at me. Sebastian is beaming. He seems so proud to have his big sister sitting with him, especially when I'm gaining all of the awe and attention from the other children.

Every once in a while I glance over and catch Tony staring at me. He has a brooding scowl on his face. Molly has even taken notice because she's inched her way to the edge of the table, eating her food in silence. I try not to think of what Tony's look means. I don't understand what is going on here. There is absolutely no reason I should be jealous at all when it comes to Tony. I have Alec. I love Alec. I miss Alec. Alec, Alec, Alec. I tell myself. I close my eyes and the first thing that comes to my mind is the hottest guy in the universe with black hair and navy blue eyes. My Alec. I open my eyes and realize that whatever I'm feeling must have to do with something else. Perhaps it is jealousy but it's not the: I am pissed that you want to touch my man kind of jealous, it's something else. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my feelings for Alec aren't jeopardized.

After breakfast I walk Sebastian to his class then head out in search of my mom. I find Mr. Leroy downstairs and at first I hesitate but then I gain the courage to go talk to him. "Do you know where I can find my mom?" I ask him.

He studies me for a moment. I don't have to listen in on his thoughts to hear that he's catching on to the faint neon yellow swirl in my eyes. I expect him to wig out or handcuff me again but instead he surprises me. "I'm sorry Willow."

I look at him in surprise but don't say anything.

"I misjudged you. I can see now that you are not a Reaper. I had to be careful though. I have to help protect these people. It's my job." He says to me.

I nod my head. "I understand sir."

He nods his head. I guess that's all he has to say about that because he swiftly changes the subject. "Your mom is in the weapons room."

"Thank you." I say then head there. That was definitely unexpected but his apology meant a lot to me.

My mom is alone in the dim room. I catch her cleaning a pistol at a table close to the thin windows. A lantern lights her view since the clouds outside have blocked out most of the morning sun.

"Hey mom." I call out as I walk towards her.

She looks up and smiles. "Hi honey."

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" I hadn't really realized why I felt compelled to find my mom until now.

"Sure." She pats the chair next to her. "What's going on?"

I take a seat and rest my hands on top of the table. "Mom, I really need to find my friends."

She puts the gun down and gives me her full attention. "I know you do sweety. We will do our best to find them, but I can't tell you enough that you need to prepare yourself just in case."

"I know they are out there, they can't be gone. I'd feel it, right?" I say.

She looks at me with love. "I don't know for sure if you'd be able to feel it. I wouldn't say that it's impossible though. I knew that your father and you were going to be okay. I knew it deep down in my chest. I believe whole-heartedly that if something happened to any of my loved ones, I would know. I don't know how I would feel it but I imagine that the world would grow dimmer and I'd just know." She takes my hand in hers. "But, we are connected in a way that is different than friendship, so I don't really know if you'd feel it or not."

"But if it were more than friendship, if it were love then I'd know if they were dead or alive?" I ask a bit confused by her statement.

Her eyes go wide and she does her best to contain a smile. "Are you in love with one of them?"

I forgot that I hadn't told my mom about Alec and I being together. I nod my head. "Very much. I love Alec so very much."

My mom's eyes tear up and mine do too. She pulls me into her chest, hugging me tightly and brushing my hair back with her hand. "My baby girl is in love." She pulls back from me and looks me in the eye. "It's hard for me, you know...I should have been there to hear you talk about your first kiss, about the first time you fell in love." She looks hurt, which I can totally understand. She missed a huge milestone in my life.

"You're here now, I can tell you everything." I smile trying to make her feel better.

Her eyes brighten. "Please."

"Alec was sort of my boss." I laugh when her eyes go wide. "He's only a year older than me though. At first we didn't get along that well. Then we got to hanging with each other and started connecting on a deeper level." I continue telling her all about how I got hurt and he carried me to the medical clinic. How he checked on me every day and then about our first kiss the day I got released from the hospital. I tell her about the cute check box note he gave me asking if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I even tell her about when I heard him say that he loved me in his thoughts.

She oohs and awes appropriately. When I'm done telling her everything about our relationship she pulls me into another hug. "My daughter is in love. Wow." She pulls back again and raises her eyebrow. "So, what did your father do when he found out?" She smiles as if already knowing the answer.

"At first he didn't like the idea but he grew warmer after a while. No dad wants to see his daughter date, but I'm pretty sure that deep down he knew Alec is a good guy."

"Well, I guess since he didn't have any of these guns he wasn't able to properly threaten him. I can take care of that when I meet him though." She smiles really big which gains a good eye rolling from me.

"Yeah, we have to find him first." I say.

"We'll go out again tomorrow if the rain lets up. Have you asked Molly if she saw him? If there is another group of survivors out there then they may have seen them." My mom offers.

"Of course! I'm going to go talk to her now." I had totally meant to ask this yesterday but Molly was in such shock. Well at least I thought she was. It seems like she's over that now. I jump up excited about being able to do something productive. "Love you mom." I kiss her on the forehead.

"Love you too Willow." She goes back to cleaning her gun as I head out in search for Molly.

I pass Tony in the hall on my way to find her. A huge weight is lifted off my chest. Talking to my mom about Alec really reaffirmed my feelings for him. Tony still seems a little moody though.

He stops me by putting his hand on my arm. I look down at his hand on my skin and he quickly drops it. Seeming uncomfortable, he runs his hand through his copper locks. "Your mom asked me to train with you today. Are you ready?"

I look past him down the hall. "Um, yes, but I need to talk to Molly first."

He looks even more out of sorts. "Look Willow. She was flirting with me but I wasn't reciprocating. I didn't want you to think..."

I cut him off, "It's fine Tony. I'm not judging."

A spark lights in his yellow eyes. "She's just a baby! I wouldn't."

"Whoa, I'm not saying anything about it Tony. She's not a baby though, she's only two years younger than I am. Not that it matters, but really, it doesn't bother me." I seem to make him more agitated with that comment but I don't know what more I can say.

"You seemed bothered." He stares me down.

I don't look away when I answer, "Well I wasn't."

His gaze is so intense that it takes nearly everything in me to keep from breaking our staring match. I'm certainly not going to sit here and admit that I did feel a pang of jealousy even though it was totally ridiculous. Anyway, no matter what I feel, I don't have to defend myself here.

Tony breaks eye contact and looks behind me. "She's back there talking to Andrew in the lobby."

I look back to where his eyes drifted. Sure enough I see Molly's small frame. Her hand throws her dark hair to the side in a flippant toss. Urgh, this girl is totally incorrigible. "Thanks." I call back to Tony as I walk away.

"Meet me in the training room in fifteen Mosby." He calls to me once I'm halfway down the hall.

I turn around surprised to hear him call me by my last name for the first time. I only catch sight of his back as he turns the corner.

"So you could really lift a car?" Molly giggles and curls her black hair in her finger.

"I could lift a bus." The boy I'm assuming is Andrew says back. He puffs his chest with pride. This boy is more Molly's age. He couldn't be more than fifteen. His face is covered in freckles and his blonde hair is cropped close to his head. He's not bad looking if you are into guys that wear Dockers and polo shirts everyday and have preppy school boy written all over them.

"Can I feel them again?" She asks him.

He gives her a toothy grin then flexes his arm muscles. I'm pretty blown away by the size of his guns myself. I wouldn't have thought that those babies would be on this lanky boy. Molly feels his muscles and makes an awe sound.

Nearly gagging I interrupt them, "Molly?"

She spins around surprised to see me. "Oh hey Willow." She doesn't seem overly excited to see me interrupting their powwow.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I look over at Andrew, "Alone." I add.

She turns and tells Andrew, "I'll see you in a bit, okay darling?"

I groan.

He smiles goofily, "Okay Molly. I'll be here."

Molly winks at him and then turns to walk with me. I lead her to a small conference room.

"What's up?" Molly asks me.

We both take a seat at the table. "I wanted to find out if you've seen my friends."

"Which ones?" She asks thinking I'm talking about someone here.

"Three of my friends from the shelter that I came from. We got separated. That's who we were looking for the day we found you."

Molly's purple eyes go dark remembering the day we met. "Three friends?" She asks me. She taps her fingers on the table in thought.

"Yes, their names are Connor, Claire and Alec. Do you know if anyone from your camp saw them when you were there?" Her eyes tell me she knows something and hope sparks inside me.

"Actually yes. Three new people did come to our camp the day before you found me. One of our scouts found them out by the mountain. Since they were like us, they took them back to our camp." My heart pounds with excitement as she continues. "I didn't get to speak with any of them, although I planned to. The dark haired guy was freaking hot. The elders wouldn't let me near him though, since they were still in shock."

She catches my murderous look and scoots back. This time full-blown jealousy boils in my veins. I do my best to ignore her remark and focus on this amazing news. Taking a deep breath I continue. "Do you think they are still there?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't really know. I heard a rumor that they came from the shelter and that they needed to go back. Our people were strongly against it since the Reapers cover the mountainside. Our leaders had asked them if they could give them a few days to gather up a team to escort them. I don't know what came of it though."

"They can't go back! I need to find them." I say hoping desperately that this rain has set them back as well.

"They may be there when you take me home." Molly offers realizing my desperation.

"Okay. Thanks Molly." I hug her and she gasps in surprise. Even though the girl is starting to drive me nuts, I'm still so grateful for this new hope she's given me.

"You're welcome." She says. "Oh, I'm sorry about flirting with Tony by the way. I didn't realize it was like that between the two of you."

I crinkle my eyebrows. "It's not like that between the two of us."

"If you say so." She throws out hopping up from the table and to walk out of the room.

Yep, the girl still annoys the crap out of me. I follow her out of the room and head over to meet up with Tony for training.

# CHAPTER 6

### Fun and Games

I find Tony in the training room, which must have formally been a banquet hall. It's a very large, open room. There are targets set up on the back wall along with several different kinds of weapons. Bows, arrows, guns and knives are scattered about on long narrow tables. Next to that is a table dedicated solely to ammunition.

As I enter the room I watch Tony hit a punching bag in the far corner. With each hit he lets out an oomph. I watch his technique with mild curiosity. One thing that is really evident is his strength. He knocks the punching bag around like a rag doll. I've never seen anything like it before.

I clear my throat to get his attention so I don't startle him. He doesn't notice right away so I do it again in between punches. His body swirls around at the sound of me and he simply stares.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. "Not long, why?"

He swipes his hand across his forehead taking his sweat with it. "It's just that I usually sense when people are watching me, even if I can't see them."

I purse my lips unsure of how to respond. "So," I say trying to change the subject. I rub my hands together in mock anticipation. "What are you going to teach me today?" Tony rubs his chin in thought.

"I think we should start with the basics. But first, I need for you to show me what you can do so that I'll know a little better about where to start."

Oh boy, I think. I know absolutely nothing about self-defense or fighting. He's probably going to think I'm some lost cause or a total dud. I nod anyway ready to get things going.

He waves me over to the weapons table. "Is there anything here you've ever used before?"

I look down at the table. Everything is foreign to me except the butcher knife. I point it out. "To be honest I've never really used anything except for that knife. I used to help my mom a lot in the kitchen when I was younger. She would let me slice things on occasion with a knife that looks similar." I raise my eyebrows hoping maybe that will suffice.

To my dismay he doesn't seem too thrilled. "Oookay. Well, at least that's something we can work with." He picks up the butcher knife. "Since you're most comfortable with the knife, let's learn a few tricks of the trade that could help you if you're in a life or death situation. Let's start with throwing knives."

I try and swallow the huge lump that's lodged in my throat. "K," is what I let out.

He hands me the knife handle first and I begrudgingly accept it. He leads me over to the targets and backs me up about twenty feet behind a line made from silver duct tape. I put my toes on the duct tape and wait for instructions.

Tony comes and stands behind me. "Okay, so you've got to hold the knife like this." He shifts my fingers with his fingers slightly as I grasp the handle.

"Now, you're going to ready yourself by looking at the target. With your left arm you need to point at the target. After that, you're going to pull your right arm back and then release when you're right arm is level with the left."

I scrunch my eyebrows together hoping I understand what he just said. "Okay," I reply. "I guess I can do that."

Tony steps back away from me then tells me to go whenever I'm ready.

I right my stance making sure that both of my feet are facing forward. I level my left hand toward the target like he showed me. Then I pull back on the right, swing forward and release. To my amazement the knife goes flying at an ungodly speed and sticks in the wall adjacent to the target. I run up to where it hit and gasp when I can only see a few inches of the handle sticking out of it.

Tony comes jogging up beside me. He looks completely baffled. "I forgot you now have the gift of strength on your side." He turns his head towards mine. "It shows in your eyes too. We need to make sure you do something about that before we leave." He stands there staring at me.

I'm the first to break eye contact. "Sorry about the wall. I'll try to ease up a bit now that I know what I'm capable of." I give him a half smile and jimmy the knife out.

I walk back behind the duct tape and get ready to try again.

Tony stands behind me and watches my form. "Here, wait a sec," he says. He places his hands on each of my arms and repositions them. The moment he does this all I think about is how close he is to me. The proximity between us is so immensely minute that it begins to make me uncomfortable. I can feel his breath on my neck as he breathes. Goosebumps form down my arms as Tony takes a strand of my unruly hair and places it behind my ear. He begins to whisper to me, "Much better. If you stand this way, you'll be more likely to hit the target." His lips gently touch my ear and that's when I realize I've had enough.

I turn around so fast it catches Tony completely off guard. He nearly falls to the floor but rights himself just in time. I realize I'm still holding the knife and waste no time pointing it in his direction. Tony lifts his arms up in a surrendering position.

"Don't you EVER try that again! Do you understand? I have a boyfriend whom I love and care about very much. And even if he isn't here right now, that doesn't mean you can take advantage of me. I'm here to learn about defending myself, not how to cheat on my boyfriend!" I am seething at this whole situation.

What must Tony think of me if he just tried to pull that move?

"Whoa Willow. I was just trying to show you how to hold the knife." Tony raises his eyebrows at me.

I shake my head and lower the knife. "No you were trying to kiss my ear and you were whispering all sexy like." My face starts turning red and I begin wondering if I imagined everything.

"Look, I wasn't trying to pull anything on you. I'm sorry you felt that I was. I didn't try to kiss your ear. I was trying to show you how to do the stance and if it seemed like I was trying to take advantage of you I apologize. I respect you too much for that." He runs his hand through his hair in frustration.

Did I just imagine that whole ear kiss thing? I immediately feel like a total jerk and a fool. What is going on with me today? It's like I'm trying to over accentuate that the jealousy I felt this morning was nothing. "I'm so sorry Tony. I'm having a rough day. You haven't been anything but nice to me, I'm sorry that I went all crazy faced on you." I put the knife on a nearby table and start to walk out the door.

Tony stops me. "Willow." I turn around to face him and he continues. "Maybe you weren't completely crazy faced." He laughs nervously. "I can't say that if you were any normal trainee that I would have been that close to you during training." I raise my eyebrows and he continues really fast before I can say anything. "I promise though that I wasn't trying to kiss your ear or take advantage of you. I mean, I can't say I haven't imagined what it would be like to kiss you though." His voice goes soft at the end.

He gives me a steamy look that makes me feel something deep down in my stomach. Something that is so very wrong. "I have a boyfriend." I feel good that I manage to keep my voice level and my conviction strong.

Tony's face crumples ever so slightly. If I hadn't been paying such close attention I wouldn't notice the subtle change. "I understand. I didn't know that you had a boyfriend, but I totally understand. I respect that and I won't make any type of move on you unless you want me too."

"I won't." I say a little too quickly.

He clears his throat. "I hope this doesn't affect our relationship. I've grown to consider you a friend."

I look into his yellow eyes. "Me too. It's all good. Look, let's get back to training, okay?" I wish there was a rewind button to go back and redo today. I feel like I woke up in an alternate reality. These feelings and this stuff doesn't make any sense to me. I need to find Alec soon.

"Okay." He says looking relieved. "Do you want to try using a gun?"

"Sure." I follow him over to the table that holds the weapons. My stomach tightens as I watch him pick up a pistol. He demonstrates how to remove the magazine, clear the chamber and load the ammunition. Then he shows me how to lock the magazine into the pistol.

He hands me some clear glasses for eye protection and a pair of orange foam earplugs. I watch him put his in and then repeat with mine. I can still hear but the sound is a little more muffled.

"You ready to try it?" He asks handing me another pistol from the table.

I gulp as I feel the cold metal grip in my hand. I try to remember the steps he taught me. I feel surprised that I move through the steps rather easily. The gun feels natural in my hand.

I look at Tony and he raises his eyebrows equally surprised at how I repeated the steps so fluidly. "Alright, you ready to shoot?"

I nod. The tightening in my stomach increases as I follow him to the target area at the other end of the room. The target is a silhouette of the upper half of a faceless human body.

"Now that you're ready, chamber the round by pulling back the slide." He says demonstrating with his pistol. I do as I'm told finding it to be not as easy as it looked. I manage it finally, so he continues. "You need to make sure your muzzle is always pointed down range." He aims towards the target with his pistol.

"Yeah, so I don't accidentally shoot you?" I joke.

"This is nothing to joke about." He says but I still see the humor in his eyes. "Okay, stance is important. Start with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, arms extended but not locked. Like me." He takes the stance and fires the first round.

I yelp and jump back in surprise.

"Whoa Willow! Watch it!" He says pointing the muzzle of my pistol away from him and down range.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I say feeling like a rookie. Well, I guess I am a rookie.

"Okay, take the stance." He looks like he wants to help me get in position but because the last time I nearly stabbed him for getting close to me, he maintains his distance.

"Very good." He says looking me over. I blush again. He doesn't notice as he continues with the lesson. "You need to line up the front sight post between the rear dove tail posts as you aim the gun at the target."

I look over at him with my eyebrow raised, not knowing what the heck he's talking about.

He smirks. "Three in a row, you're ready to go." He says as he points to the sight alignment.

"Oh." I say with a quiver in my voice because I know what's coming next.

"With the pad of your index finger squeeze gently but firmly straight back on the trigger." He says.

I take a deep breath and everything in me wants to put the gun down but I don't. I slowly pull back on the trigger and close my eyes as the round goes off."

"Hey!" He yells at me. "Watch it! Don't shoot the ground. Do you want those bullets to come ricocheting back at us? Don't close your eyes!"

The intensity in his voice scares me. "I'm sorry, I didn't try to shoot at the ground." I try to hand the gun back to him but he quickly pushes the muzzle back downrange since I was accidentally pointing it at him again.

"Crap!" I say feeling stupid. My heart is pounding with adrenaline and for some reason I feel like I want to cry. I look down at the pistol. Nothing should have this kind of power. It's like I felt it in my bones, the power this machine has to take a life. I start feeling nauseous and my hands shake as I continue holding the pistol point down range. I want to get it out of my hands but we didn't really go over what to do once I took a shot, so I just keep it aimed.

Tony's hand goes to my back. This time I feel comforted by his gesture. "It's okay Willow. It's scary the first time you shoot." He takes the gun from me and I feel as if a thousand pounds have been lifted off of me. I shake my hands out several times and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans.

"I don't think I want to practice anymore." I say still feeling on the verge of tears.

Tony's face turns gentle. "If you don't want to practice anymore that's fine, but I can promise you that if you keep practicing you will feel more confident. You just got scared. You closed your eyes and dropped your aim when you anticipated the recoil of the gun."

"I just don't like it." I take a deep shaky breath and shake my hands out again.

He puts his hand on my shoulder then removes it quickly. "I understand. Are you sure you don't want to try again?"

I think of my mom with that question. She's so strong and carries herself like the leader that she is. If I am going to fight with her, I need to learn to do this. I need to be brave like my mom is. I look down at my pistol in his hand then back up at him. "Okay, I'll try again." I feel the nausea start to build up again as I take the gun from him.

He demonstrates his stance and aim for me again. He takes a shot and hits the target in the middle of the head. He gestures for me to try. "Aim at the chest for now." He says.

I take the stance and breathe a few deep breaths as I aim the gun. "Three in a row, ready to go." I whisper. I will my eyes to remain open as I gently pull the trigger back and shoot. The recoil is not nearly like I imagined it would be. I look at the target. "I hit it!" I say excitedly. I want to jump up and down but I remember the deadly weapon in my hand this time.

"Yes, you did!" Tony's unable to keep from catching my excitement. "Okay, this time try to aim for the chest." He says.

I laugh nervously. I hit the target sheet this time in the lower corner. Nowhere near the drawing of the body but I'm just happy to see the small hole that hit the white paper. I steady myself and aim again. This time I take several deep breaths and focus everything into lining up the sights on the middle of the target's chest. I pull the trigger and manage to hit it in what might be the stomach.

"I'm getting better." I say excitedly. Although the gun still freaks me out, I'm getting more amped up about actually being able to hit something.

"Yes you are." Tony smiles at me.

I shoot a few more rounds and manage to get a pretty good shot in the chest. It's no bulls eye but still, it would do some damage if I had to go up against a Reaper. Tony lets me practice for a little while longer until it's time for lunch. We put everything away and then he graciously reminds me to do something to change my eye color back again. I decide to walk through the wall, ignoring the door and disappear from his sight. I laugh when he calls for me. He catches up with me out in the hallway.

"They are mostly brown now. Nice." He smiles and then lets his smile drop again. I hate that there's this uncomfortable tension between us. I'm glad that my eye color is changing colors quicker now than when I first arrived.

We grab a bite to eat at lunch. I look around but don't see Molly anywhere. I guess she's off with her new boy toy. I hope she's not doing anything she'll regret.

My mom comes to sit with Tony and I. "So how's training going?" She asks.

"It's going." I say.

"Your daughter is catching on very quickly." Tony elaborates looking annoyed at my short answer. "We are going to practice hand to hand combat next."

Yippee! I manage to keep my thought to myself.

My mom tells us about the plans she's making to send the same group out tomorrow to take Molly home. She doesn't want me to come but she quickly relents when I pitch a fit. Everything is set to start at dawn as long as the rain lets up. I look out the windows of the dining hall. It's still nearly dark outside as sheets of soaking rain fall from the sky. I hope it lets up soon.

We finish our lunch and I go back to the training room with Tony. He shows me a few combat moves like dodging hits, punching, kicking and getting out of holds. I try them a few times but since we are both a little uncomfortable being close right now, we don't really get much good practice in.

Around five we decide to call it quits for the day; which is a good thing since I'm starving. I run to my room to get washed up and meet Tony back in the dining area. As I walk through the foyer, I spot Tony talking to Molly at the other end of the room. I try and squelch the foreign feelings I'm having and make my way over to them. I've decided I'm going to be nice to Molly or at least I'll die trying.

Tony catches my eye when I'm about half way across the room. Molly must sense Tony's not listening to her anymore because she flippantly turns around and glares in my direction. I guess I must be cramping her style.

"Willow," she says through clenched teeth and a faker than life smile.

I nod my head at her. "Molly." I state. "How have you been holding up? I haven't seen you all day." I try and keep to the small talk so I can keep the more awkward conversational moments at bay.

"Good, good," she replies halfheartedly. I return her fake smile and turn my attention to Tony. "Hey, thanks for helping me out today. I really do feel I've learned a lot...like if I really needed to defend myself I could." I hear Molly do a small snort next to me. I take a deep breath and try to think happy thoughts to keep from using some of my newfound skills on her.

Dinner goes off without a hitch...well, if you don't count Molly's unrelenting flirtation with all the guys at the table. I've concluded she must have some pretty deep daddy issues so I try and not make a huge deal over it. Tony doesn't seem fazed. Either he's used to people flirting with him or he's trying to not hurt her feelings. For goodness sake she's jailbait next to him! I feel guilty thinking about how lovely it is that we're taking Molly home in the morning! Well, God willing that this rain lets up. I send a silent prayer to the Man upstairs.

We clear our table putting the dishes in the large plastic bins.

"Wello," I hear a little voice call from a table nearby. I turn around and see Sebastian sitting in his little booster seat with all the other children. I put my hand on Tony's shoulder and whisper for him to give me a few minutes.

"Not a problem," he says in return.

I make my way over to Sebastian. I notice he hasn't touched his food while all the rest of the children are having their desert. I squat next to him and ruffle his curls. "What's going on my little man?" I ask.

He has his bottom lip stuck out and his eyes have tears in them just waiting to be released. "I don't wike what they give me. It's uky."

I look down at his plate. It doesn't seem that bad except I know he hates peas. Back home, if his plate even had one pea on it he wouldn't eat anything on the plate. I scratch my head and think about what I could say that might convince him to eat the peas. An idea comes to mind. Something I used to do back home.

"Hey Sabby, you remember back home when the little green Martians came to visit and they left these strange green eggs that wound up on our plates?" His little head bobs up and down. "Well, I think they're back!" I say in a conspirator-like tone. His little eyes get as round as saucers. "And they're going to be looking for them so we better hurry up and hide them so they don't get mad!" I take his fork from his pudgy little hand and move the peas a little at a time underneath his mashed potatoes. Once they're all hidden I wipe my brow in mock relief. "Phew, that was close!" I say. "Now those scary Martians will never find them." A little smile breaks across his face. "So, you'd better eat your food. That desert tonight was mighty yummy and I'd hate for you to miss out."

"Tanks Wello!" he says and gives me the sweetest little hug. He lets me go and dives in to his food. I smile at the teacher and she mouths, 'thank you'. I mouth back, 'no problem' and give her a smile.

Tony's standing near the end of the table smirking at me. I drop my head in mild embarrassment. I didn't mean for him to see that. Why I'm embarrassed, I can't quite say though. I walk up to him. "Hey, thanks for waiting up."

He laughs under his breath. "No prob. I think it's cute how you're the only one who can get the little guy to eat his peas. I don't blame him. Peas are like the antichrist anyway." He holds up his finger like he has an idea. "But, maybe they really are Martian eggs. That would explain the taste!"

I punch him playfully in the shoulder. "Very funny." I laugh a little with Tony as we walk down the hall. "So, what's the plan for the night....and where's Molly?"

"Molly who?" Tony teases.

"Seriously, did you lock her in a closet or something?"

Tony purses his lips. "I may or may not have done such actions." We both laugh a good belly-shaking laugh. Tony rights himself. "No, I asked your mom to take her for a while. She can be a little...over the top sometimes."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "A little?" I ask playfully.

Tony just shakes his head laughing under his breath. "Come on, Willow. I've got an idea."

I shrug my shoulders and give him a sly grin. "Whatever it is, it sounds good to me. I need to unwind from all that work this tough instructor made me do."

"Yeah, he sounds like a really mean guy." He says which makes me laugh. He turns and looks behind us making sure the coast is clear. He bites his lower lip, grabs my hand and begins running down the hallway. I try not to pay attention to him holding my hand but it is very distracting. We turn several corners until we come to the stairwell door on the far end of the hotel. Tony releases my hand and opens the door. A musty smell permeates the air.

"Why did we have to come all the way over here to get on a different stairwell when we have one that was a lot closer?"

He wags his eyebrows at me. "That is for me to know, and you to find out." He doesn't try to explain further before he grabs a candle and matches that he must have stowed earlier.

"Did you plan this?" I ask him. It seems unlikely that there would be candles and matches in a random corner of a stairwell.

He doesn't answer me but simply hands me a candle and lights one for himself. "Come on, there's something really cool I want to show you." I nod and let him lead the way.

After many stairs and several stops to relight my candle, we come to the basement door. Tony reaches in his pocket producing a key that just so happens to unlock this particular door. The verdict is in...it was totally planned. The door opens and flings dust with it. I cough a little and wave my hand in front of my face trying to clear the air. It's dark in the basement and it looks really spooky. I can't say I'm too keen on the idea of waltzing my way in there.

Tony must sense my hesitance. He holds out his hand to me. "As friends," he says.

I try to weigh the pros and cons of this choice but give up. "As friends," I repeat placing my hand in his.

He squeezes it and then leads me into the basement. I try and lighten the mood with humor. "So, do you lead all the girls down or just me?" I can feel him laughing through his hand.

"Just you, Willow." Argh, the way he says my name! I can't put a pin on it, it's just different.

The flickering glow bounces off of the walls casting shadows on all kinds of hotel items. I guess this is where they kept their extra beds and what-not's. We round another corner and Tony comes to a stop in front of a large metal cabinet. "Can I have my hand back?" He asks.

I hadn't realized how hard I was squeezing his hand. I blush in embarrassment. Thankful he can't see it. I let go of his hand. He jimmies the handle for a second and then the door swings open. Another cloud of dust explodes leaving me in a small coughing fit. I clear the dust away by waving my hand in front of my face again.

I place my candle closer to the inside of the cabinet to get a better look. Thin rectangular boxes that look extremely old, line the different shelves. "What is it?" I ask. It's the million dollar question.

"I saw this stuff when we initially searched the building." Tony takes his hand and begins to wipe some of the dust that's formed on one of the boxes.

I begin to make out the name. M-O-N-O, and I can't make out the next few, but the last ones are L and Y. I wonder what Mono ly is. I take my hand and brush some of the dust off another box. "Y-A-T-Z-E-E. Hmmm, this one isn't as worn down as the other is. I wonder what Yatzee means. I've never heard of it before have you?"

Tony shrugs his shoulders. "Let's take a few out and see what's inside."

I nod and my hand reaches for the Mono ly box. I place it on the floor and open the lid. Inside are these tiny green and red houses. "Look," I say. "Here's a dog. But...why is there a thimble the same size as the dog?" Now I'm really confused.

I hear Tony laughing next to me.

"What's so funny, huh? Since you're so smart, why don't you tell me what these are?"

This makes Tony laugh even more. "They're games silly. Haven't you ever seen any before?" He asks.

I guess I'm a bit taken aback by this. I've played games plenty of times but usually that requires our tablets or the computer, not a box of random stuff that looks ancient. "How do you know what this is? And why didn't you say something before now if you knew what it was?"

"I'm sorry Willow, I just wanted to see what you thought of it first. The only reason I know what these are is because I've read about them. Apparently, a long time ago people used to play these kinds of games in their spare time. When I realized we'd have some time together this evening I figured I'd take you down here and show you; then maybe you'd like to try and play one with me."

I scratch my head. I guess his explanation sounds innocent enough. At least he wasn't making me the brunt end of a joke. "Fine, I'll play. But how do we know how to do it?"

Tony reaches around me and sorts through the box. He pulls out an old, worn sheet of paper and unfolds it. "Directions," he says like it's the greatest invention since sliced bread.

We set the candles down in front of us and sit across from one another. I dump the contents of the box in front of me. A cardboard piece falls out. I notice it's doubled over so I unfold it carefully. "Tony, check this out." I say and show him the cardboard piece. Look, it's so pretty, and geometrical. There are all these squares with multiple colors surrounding the cardboard.

"Look in the middle," he says. "Apparently it's called Monopoly."

I scrunch my eyebrows. "Monopoly, I've heard that term before."

Tony nods in affirmation. "Yeah, me too."

We read the directions carefully and set the game up according to them.

"Tony, check out how cheap this property is!" I show him a card called Baltic Avenue.

"Man, this game is really old for land to be that cheap." Tony agrees.

We decide I am what's called a banker and he's the one who holds the little property cards. We hit several road bumps in the beginning but soon we start getting into the game. My favorite part is rolling the little dice. It takes a while for me to count all the small circles but it's not a big deal.

Pretty soon we're laughing with every move. It's either the greatest thing that's ever happened or the worst. After an hour of playing, I'm rolling in so much money that I have trouble keeping it organized and Tony only has two dollars to his name and has had to mortgage all his properties.

When he lands on Boardwalk he throws his last two dollars at me and laughs. "Okay, okay. I concede. You are definitely the queen at Monopoly."

I stand up and jokingly take a bow. We stay down in the basement for hours playing all sorts of fun games. We decide against Yatzee because it takes too long to count all those circles. We try this one called: Hungry Hungry Hippo. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I put it aside so I can show it to Sebastian later. The other one we play is Clue. Scarlet is so gorgeous in her red dress. Tony plays as Professor Plum.

Somehow I end up winning all of the games except Hungry Hungry Hippos. Tony gets so competitive while playing that he manages to break the poor hippo's tail, trying to get it to chomp up the most marbles.

We check the clock and find that it's past ten. "Wow, we missed dinner." I say.

"Hmm, I don't even feel hungry." He smiles at me. His expression turns intense and I dart my eyes away quickly. "Anyhow, we better head out."

I nod my head quietly while helping him put away the games. I tuck the game for Sebastian under my arm and follow Tony up the million stairs back into the hallway.

"I had fun." I tell Tony when we reach my door.

"Me too." He stops and looks at me. I can see some type of emotion stirring in his eyes and I do my best to try and ignore it. "Hey, your eyes are dark green. I haven't seen you have that color before."

"Oh?" I say reaching my hand up to my eyes.

"What power does that correlate to?" He asks me.

"Um, reading minds." His look turns to worry so I quickly clarify myself. "I didn't listen in on your thoughts. I do my best not to use that ability. I don't like to invade anyone's privacy. Well, maybe I cheated a time or two on the game and read your thoughts without realizing it."

He looks relieved and he even chuckles. "Okay then, next time we play, no cheating. Deal?"

I nod my head and smile. "Deal. I guess I didn't realize how competitive I really am."

He laughs quickly then his expression turns serious again. He stares at me for a good several seconds, all of which I hold my breath during. Finally he says, "Goodnight Willow."

"Goodnight." I say letting out the breath that I'd been holding.

He hesitates at first but then turns around and walks to his room down the hall.

As I lie in bed, I think about how that is probably the first and last time I will play those games with Tony. God willing, tomorrow I will find Alec and things will go back to normal. I do my best to swallow down any feelings that I might have about losing what I have somehow built so quickly with Tony. "He's my friend." I tell myself out loud before I fall asleep.

# CHAPTER 7

### Reading Emotions

I hop out of bed when my alarm goes off at five in the morning. My stomach is in knots. It's been four days since I've lost touch with my friends. I pray that we will find them today.

After a cold shower I feel even tenser but at least I'm fully awake. I look around my room for some clean pants but all I have left from the pile of clothes I was given is a yellow summer dress. I go to the laundry hamper and open it up but find it empty. Someone must have cleared it out last night. "Crud." I mumble aloud as I shimmy out of my towel and throw the dress on. I check myself out in the mirror before heading out. There's no way I'm going to be able to fight in this, but it's either this or the flimsy pajamas. I need to get some clothes from my mom before we head out.

The first person I run into out in the hall is Molly. I look her over and consider asking if she has any clothes left but she looks like she'd be some ridiculous size like zero or something. "Where'd you get a dress?" She says snarkily.

"It's all I had left to wear. I need to find something else before we leave."

"I'd give you something of mine but there's no way you can fit your hips into it." She seems overly satisfied by the statement.

I want to remind her that I saved her life, well that could be an exaggeration but still, I healed the heck out of her. I hold my tongue and walk past her. The huff she lets out as she follows is satisfaction enough for me. What in the world is up with this girl?

I rush down the stairs and literally run into Tony at the bottom nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa, slow..." Tony stops his exclamation mid sentence and stares at me with wide eyes. His mouth drops ever so slightly. "What are you wearing?"

Molly laughs behind me and I go flush from head to toe. I answer angrily. "Look, it's all I could find. I need to get something else to wear before we leave."

Tony shakes his head. "No can do. We are leaving now. I was just going to look for you. Your mom and the rest of the search party are already in the parking lot."

"What?" Exasperated I look around hoping that maybe a pair of jeans will appear out of thin air.

"You will be fine." Tony hands Molly and me a muffin and a bottle of water. I slip the bottle of water into a small draw string bag I managed to snag. I pull the wrapper from the muffin and take a bite as we head out into the parking lot.

The air outside is warm and crisp. The sun has barely started to rise so most of the search party's holding lanterns and flashlights. I finish off the muffin as we come up to them.

To my complete embarrassment several eyes land on me. They looked shocked at my choice of attire.

My mom walks up to me. "What are you wearing Willow?"

"The only thing I had left in my room. Please tell me you have an extra pair of jeans in your bag?" I look hopeful.

She shakes her head then sighs. "It'll be fine. We've got to move out. It's best to get an early start if we are going to travel the distance to Molly's village and make it back here by nightfall."

"Fine." I grumble.

"I know Tony taught you some moves but we will still have the same team assigned to Molly and you today. Make sure you follow directions." She eyes me like she knows about the stunt I pulled last time.

"I promise." I cross my heart and she gives me a hug.

We move into formation. The fantastic four flank our sides and thankfully Tony takes his place between Molly and me. I try not to focus on the next several hours I have to spend with her.

"Here you go." Tony hands me a pistol.

I look down at it. "And where exactly should I put that?" I raise my eyebrow.

He seems a little too amused by my predicament. "Hold it. Or you can put it in your bag. You won't need it with our protection anyway."

"Is the safety on?" I ask as I start to put it in my bag.

"Of course." Tony smiles at me and those butterflies start moving around in my already tense stomach. I break the gaze and look over at Molly who is flirting atrociously with Tom. Gag, he looks old enough to be her father. Okay, a young father but still, gross! I roll my eyes and focus my attention ahead as we near the tree line.

The silence makes my nerves stand at attention. We move quietly, stopping on and off like we did the last time to listen for any sign of trouble. After several hours of walking, we reach the spot where we found Molly. My mom moves through the group to ask her for directions. I listen partially as I look around the woods. Nausea builds as I remember the red eyes of the crazed Reaper who tried to kill Molly.

Tony senses my unease and places his hand gently on the small of my back. It comforts me yet makes me feel more nervous. My heartbeat accelerates as we start moving again.

"It shouldn't be much further." Tony whispers.

My mouth is too dry to talk so I nod my head.

We walk for another hour before we come out of the woods and land on a paved road. Confused I look around.

Molly says quietly. "It's only a little ways down there." She points ahead. We follow the road quietly, sticking close to the trees. Everyone is on guard being out in the open like this.

Soon I can make out a group of buildings up ahead. A sign stating: Camp Cheley marks the entrance. Numerous log cabins dot the area around a group of large common area buildings.

"It used to be a summer camp." Molly says.

"Well it looks like it hasn't been occupied for years." I whisper as we enter the grounds. There is no sign of life anywhere.

"I should move to the front, they may think we are hostiles." Molly says.

"That might be good." Tony looks at me. "I need to go with her. You will be safe though. Hang tight."

I nod as he escorts Molly to the front of the group. The knots in my stomach grow tighter and tighter. I can feel the nausea move up into my throat. I pull out my water and take a few small sips as we walk forward. I try to breathe and count to ten in my head to stave off the panic attack that's threatening to overcome me. My friends could be here, right now.

Molly startles me when she yells out, "It's okay, they are safe!"

I look around expecting people to come out in groups at her proclamation. Nothing happens. We move up to the front of the building. A metal placard labels it The Commons.

"I said it's safe." Molly yells out even louder. She starts to pull on the front door and Tony pulls her back as someone pushes the door out so hard that it bangs against the wall.

"Get your hands off her." A guy sputters loudly. He walks out into the light to where I can get a good glimpse of him. He must be at least six feet tall. He has dark tanned skin, which tells me he has affection for the sun. I'm guessing he is in his late twenties and by his tone and stance, he must be a leader or someone in charge. The most striking thing about him is his eyes. They are as black as night.

Tony takes a protective stance in front of Molly. My bodyguards pull closer to me.

"Who are these people Molly?" The man asks her. He looks us over and looks none to pleased with what he sees.

"They helped me. I was being chased by a Reaper and they saved me." She steps out from behind Tony. "Your brother left me to die in those woods." She snarled.

Oh this is getting interesting! I move to my tiptoes to try and get a better view of the unfolding drama.

"Come in Molly. The rest of you need to leave." He gestures for Molly who isn't moving forward.

She keeps her hands on her hips. I can only see the back of her long black hair but I can bet her expression is livid. "Are you not listening Erik? They helped me. We need to help them in return."

I'm mildly surprised that she even cares enough about us to speak up. Bonus points earned back for Molly.

"We don't need to do anything." Erik spits, looking at our group like we are contagious.

"The girl who healed me is looking for her friends. They are the ones we found the other day." Molly says gesturing her hand back towards me.

Erik's eyes follow her pointer and he raises his eyebrows. "You may come in too then." He says to me. "They stay outside."

"Absolutely not!" Tony yells.

I try to move forward but the fab four won't let me through.

My mom steps forward diplomatically. "I realize that you have every reason to be cautious. There is nothing to fear from us. We obviously don't wish you or your people any harm, otherwise we wouldn't have protected and returned Molly to you. My daughter Willow needs to find her friends and we believe they are here. I would like for her to be able to reunite with them but you also need to understand that she is my daughter and I am protective of her. I do not know you or your people. However, I've gotten to know Molly, and she tells me that your people are trustworthy. I hope that you can put a little trust in me by allowing Tony and me to escort Willow."

Erik considers my mom's speech. "Why do you need the guy to come?" He looks at Tony with disdain.

"Tony has been assigned as Willow's protector. When you see my daughter up close you will notice that she is very special. She must be protected at all costs." My mom looks back at me and gestures with her hand for me to come forward.

The red sea made up of burly bodyguards part allowing me to walk forward. I move to stand between my mom and Tony. "I'm looking for my friends Connor, Claire and Alec." I say to Erik.

He does a double take and blinks a few times while he takes in my eyes. He looks curious enough that he tells mom. "You both may escort her." He doesn't wait for a confirmation. He turns and walks into the building, followed by Molly, then my mom, me and finally Tony.

The door closes behind Tony and I turn to see another man in his thirties with purple eyes shut the door. He raises his eyebrows at me in surprise and I realize that he must be using his invisibility.

"Molly, go to your room." Erik demands.

Molly huffs then turns on her heel and stomps away.

Erik leads us into a small inner office not far from the front entry. Inside is a square table with several chairs. Erik takes a seat on one side of the table and all three of us move to the other.

When Erik looks into my eyes again, his mouth drops. "Your eyes just changed. What is going on here?"

Tony looks over at me and tells me, "They've turned light blue."

"Oh," I say. That must be because I just saw the guy using his invisibility. How in the world have my eyes suddenly sped up in the changing process?

I look up at Erik who looks part freaked out and part curious. "I have multiple gifts. I am not a Reaper though. I promise." I say remembering Chris's reaction to the red in my eyes.

He thinks it over. "I believe you." He rubs his chin. "Tell me this, how do you get your powers?"

"I'm not sure. We think I absorb the ability to use other people's gifts. I don't take it from them though." I say not sure how to explain myself.

"When Willow is around a new power, within days she is able to use it. The person she was around is never affected. We still don't know the semantics of it but we plan on doing more research once things are settled. Right now we have been focusing on finding her friends. Are they here?" My mom speaks for me.

Erik nods. "The girl is here."

"Claire." I say, excitement filling my chest. It turns to dread. "What about Connor and Alec? What happened to them?" I grip the edge of the table to steady myself.

"They left this morning. Some of our people escorted them to the mountain and have already returned. They made it in safely. They wanted to go back into the shelter to look for someone. I'm guessing that someone is you." Erik answers me.

The door to the room opens and a high pitch scream lets out. "Willow!" Claire comes running in. She nearly jumps over the table and pulls me up out of my chair. She hugs me much tighter than I would have imagined she could.

"Claire!" Tears of relief fall from my eyes. I hug tightly, but not tight enough to break her ribs with my new super strength. She seems so small and fragile. It's been too long since I've seen her tiny figure.

"I thought they..." Claire sniffles into my shoulder. "We all thought the worst. We didn't know what they were going to do to you." She pulls back. Her light purple eyes are filled with tears and her face looks tired from worry.

"I'm okay. I got away. I was so worried about you guys." Tears escape my eyes.

"It was scary outside but these people helped us." She hugs me again quickly. Neither of us wants to part from each other. "Alec was so sick with worry Willow. I've never seen anyone react like that before. He nearly went mad trying to get back into the shelter. The second we stepped foot outside and Alec realized that Connor could move us through the mountain, he wanted to go back for you. We tried to turn around and go back but these horrible people came after us. They came down in droves from the mountainside. Erik and some of his people saved us."

I look to Erik. "Thank you." I say to him and I mean it. If anything were to happen to them, I don't know what I'd do. He nods and I return my attention to Claire. I'm so grateful to have found her. "We have to go and let them know that I'm safe. If Zack or Dr. Hastings finds them, who knows what will happen?" I decide more determined than ever to find Alec and Connor as well.

I turn towards my mom for confirmation but my eyes focus on Tony. His eyes look pained. As soon as he sees me turn his way he looks the other direction, clearly avoiding my gaze.

Claire opens her mouth but Erik interrupts her. "We only have one person here that can take you through the shelter walls and she's sick. You will have to wait until your friends come back or until she's better."

"When are they coming back out?" I ask.

"In two days. We have plans to meet them first thing in the morning at the drop off point." He answers.

"That's too long!" I say a bit too loudly. Erik moves back an inch at my outburst, eyes widening.

"Honey, do you think they will be in danger inside the shelter?" My mom asks me.

Both Claire and I say "yes," simply and simultaneously.

My mom looks to Erik. "Willow can take us inside. Can you provide us with the coordinates of the pickup spot so we have a starting point?"

"Yes, but I am unable to provide any of my people to accompany you." He says.

"We will be able to accompany her." Tony speaks up. Caught up with my reunion with Claire, I nearly forgot he was there.

"We will need a place for our team to camp out while they wait for us to return." My mom tells Erik.

He thinks it over for a few seconds then says, "They may bunk at the lake house. It's large enough to house them all and has a full kitchen. I will have some of my people set some supplies there for them to use when they return."

"Thank you." My mom tells him, she turns to Tony. "We need to make preparations. I think the best thing will be to head out immediately."

"Yes ma'am." Tony stands up. "I will go make arrangements." He shoots me an interesting look that I can't decipher and then he leaves the room.

What is going on with him, I wonder. The desire to listen in to his thoughts is strong but I fight the urge. I'll just need to find a time to talk with him when we get back. Maybe this place just puts him at unease. Maybe he's worried about my safety. For sure, it couldn't be jealousy over my need to find Alec. No, I tell myself. That can't be it.

"Thank you for taking care of my friends Erik. Is there anything I can do for you in return? Do you need us to check on anyone inside the shelter for you or your people?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "None of our people have any family on the inside but thank you for the offer." I remember what my mom told me about the people on the outside who have other abilities. They never entered the shelter because their family members were declined.

He stands up and we follow suit. "Our main concern right now is that none of your people lead the Reapers back to us. We have managed to keep a safe perimeter and don't want it compromised."

"We understand. The team we have with us are some of our best soldiers. They will be careful to avoid detection." My mom tells him. Erik must take her word because he turns and walks out of the room. We follow him into the empty foyer and he escorts us to the front door.

I'm the last one out. I stop to ask Erik a question that's been on my mind since I first saw him. "May I ask what your ability is? I've never seen black eyes."

I can see the wheels of his brain churning as he decides if he wants to share the answer with me. "I can sense people's emotions and in a way, I can manipulate them. That's how I could tell that your group wasn't a threat to us."

"You can sense emotions?" I wonder what that entails.

He smiles a little, which is the first time I've seen him relax an inch. "Yes, I can sense right now that you are extremely curious. I can also sense the nervousness and worry you feel for your friends. There's also some other sort of confused emotion that I sensed earlier when you looked at Tony."

My eyes open wide and I quickly look around to make sure nobody overheard what he just said. "I think your reader is broken."

He laughs a nice hearty laugh that relaxes me. "It's all good Willow. Your secrets are safe with me. I wish you the best in finding your friends today."

"Thank you for everything Erik." I shake his hand and watch him retreat back into the building. A deadbolt clicks in place. I can't help but shake the idea that I'll have a piece of Erik's ability soon...maybe.

"Willow?" I turn around at Claire's call. I forgot how beautiful she is with her pale blonde hair and large purple eyes. She almost looks like an anime figure.

"Hey Claire." I run my hand through my hair worried about what I'm about to tell her. "I was thinking that maybe you should stay here."

I cringe as her pretty stare turns deadly. "Absolutely not! My boyfriend is in there too and there's no way I'm letting my best friend go there alone. I listened to them when they made me stay here, I'm not listening again." She puts her hands on her hips and tries to make herself look taller.

I pull her into a hug. "I didn't think you would say yes, but I had to try."

"Good try." She sniffs. "Hey, are you going to introduce me to your mom or what?" She hits me on the shoulder playfully.

"Oh, my bad." I drag her by her hand over to where my mom is consulting with Tony. "Hey mom. I didn't get to officially introduce you to my best friend Claire."

Claire holds out her hand to shake but my mom pulls her into a big motherly hug. "I've heard so much about you sweety. I feel like I know you already."

Claire hugs my mom in a way that reminds me that this is something she hasn't had for a long time. Claire is an orphan and has been one for many years. She won't have to worry about that in the future though. I know that my parents will take her in like one of their own. That's just how they are. "It's so nice to meet you Mrs. Mosby."

"Oh, you make me feel old honey. You can call me Alice; Mrs. Mosby was my mother in laws name." She winks at my friend.

"Okay, thank you Alice." Claire looks at Tony and then to me.

"I'm sorry Claire. This is Tony. He's my mom's right hand man." I look over at Tony then add, "And we've become pretty good friends."

That makes Tony's eyes darken a bit. "Friends," he repeats.

"Nice to meet you Tony." Claire extends her hand and thankfully Tony doesn't pull her into a hug. That might have been awkward.

"Nice to meet you Claire." He says to her.

My mom and Tony fill us in on the plans for infiltrating the shelter. It sounds like only my mom, Claire, Tony and I will be going inside. They think it's best that we keep a low profile to not draw too much attention to ourselves. Once inside we will be splitting up to cover more ground. Claire will be going with my mom and I will be going with Tony. We had to split it this way since both Claire and I can help them go invisible. The team will meet us outside at the rally point tomorrow morning. So we have a little over a day to find everyone. I hope that's enough time for us to go in, get them and get out.

I take a deep breath trying to place myself in the correct frame of mind. The last time I was near the mountain my mother and I almost died. I don't think I'm quite ready to revisit those fresh wounds but it has to be done and I'm the only one that can do it. It's time to put my big girl pants on. I see Claire fiddling with her nails. I can tell she's nervous. I put my arm around her and whisper in her ear, "They're fine Claire Bear. Alec and Connor are two of the strongest, smartest guys I know. We'll get to them before we know it." Claire gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I hope you're right," she replies.

We refill our water bottles and grab some extra canteens from some of the other men. They'll have access to a kitchen tonight; this way no one goes without. Tony hands me a pack and I toss it on my back. He hands Claire one too, which drops to the ground like a piece of lead. Everyone looks utterly baffled until we all remember that Claire doesn't possess the extra strength we all have. "Sorry Claire, I think they forgot about your ability being different from theirs."

She looks confused for a second then says, "Oh, right. Yellow eyes, strength. Got it."

Tony grabs her bag and loops it over his other shoulder, balancing two at once.

The usual suspects gather around Claire and me as we descend into the tree line. We don't talk for hours making sure that we're not seen or heard by any reapers nearby. We made a promise we wouldn't compromise the other compound's position and we're set on holding to our word.

The sun is beginning to set in the horizon. Our group stops for a quick break that also doubles as surveillance time for a small team of soldiers. Those of us waiting set our packs down and take out an assortment of food. I end up getting something called Spam. I've never heard of it, but it doesn't taste bad. A little mushy, but any food is food right now. It's the least of my concerns.

We've stopped on top of a hill, skillfully hidden in the foliage. From here we can see the base of the mountain, most importantly the sealed off entrance. A little smirk forms on my face. Well, not sealed for everyone, I think to myself.

I finish the majority of my Spam but can't seem to get it all down. It doesn't sit well.

Tony leans over with a mouthful of food and points at my Spam can with his fork. "You gonna eat that?" He asks in a muffled voice.

I don't even have to answer him, I just hand him the can. I see my mother smiling out of the corner of my eye but she quickly looks away. Claire is sitting cross-legged in front of me eating some form of meal bar. Her pinkie fingers are pointing up as she eats. She cracks me up with how dainty she can be at times.

My mother wipes the crumbs from her hands and stands up. Taking a deep breath she looks at each one of us before speaking. "I don't know if the Reapers are around or not. If they are, they're pretty well hidden."

I cup my hand and put it on my brow to block the setting sun. I look panoramically to see if I can sense anything. "The coast seems clear to me," I say reassuringly.

My mother shakes her finger at me. "Willow, you must always be prepared for the worst. Those Reapers are smart...sometimes too smart. And with your abilities, we have to be extra careful. You're not only a rare commodity, but you're my daughter. We all go in together; we all come out together. Got it?" We all nod our heads. "Are you ready?" She asks me specifically.

"Yes, I'm ready." My stomach feels like it's holding a million jumping jellybeans. I've been doing my best not to think about what could happen inside the shelter. I can't focus on that right now. I need to focus on just making it to the shelter. The land between here and the entrance is mostly bare. There are a few shrubs and an occasional tree, but not enough to provide us cover.

Tony gets up next. "Let's do this." He holds his hand out to me and I accept it allowing him to pull me to a standing position. Everyone else follows our lead.

My mom addresses the group. "I want double the enforcements to surround Willow and Claire. My hope is that if the Reapers notice us they may not engage in a fight." She looks at Claire and I. "You girls need to keep your heads down. Don't look around. The last thing we need is for one of their spies to catch sight of your eye color. If they think you're just like us, they may not bother with starting anything. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes." We say simultaneously.

My mom heads to the front of the group. Eight guys, not including Tony surround Claire and I. Tony stays to my left allowing me to walk next to Claire. As we walk I catch sight of her in my peripheral vision. She's shaking. I grab her hand in mine and squeeze lightly. "It'll be okay. Tony can kick Reaper butt and I have a gun."

She lets out a shaky laugh. "Good to know. I'm sorry, it's just that I know what they can do...the Reapers, I mean. We saw them kill one of the men from the village when they tried to save us. It was horrible Willow. They sucked him dry in less than five minutes."

I can't hold back the shiver that runs up my spine. "I've seen them kill but only with weapons. I'm sorry you had to witness something like that."

She lightly squeezes my hand. We both look down at the ground and walk silently as we leave the forest. One can't help but feel immensely vulnerable out in the middle of the open. I can sense everyone around us readying their weapons. Tony inches slightly closer to me. I can feel his shoulder brushing up against mine as we walk. I want to look up at him but I have to force myself to keep my gaze down. I don't want to put everyone in danger because I can't follow simple instructions.

We walk for a good twenty minutes without any sign of Reapers. Much to my relief Tony tells me we are nearly there. My heart has been pounding so hard that I can feel it in my ears. I take several deep breaths to keep calm. I need to be able to flawlessly get them inside the mountain. My mom had told me earlier that she needs Claire to turn us invisible before we move through the mountain. After all, if the Reapers saw us just walk into the mountain they would be ready for us when we came out for sure. That is the last gift we would want them to acquire.

I know we are up against the mountain when my mom appears at my side. I don't look up though. She whispers to Claire, "Are you ready? What do you need us to do?"

"I'm ready. You all need to be touching me." She does a good job of keeping her gaze on the ground while talking to them.

"You will need to touch me as well so I can pull you through." I tell them.

Tony moves to stand behind me so my mom has to stand behind Claire. I feel his hand land softly on my side. Butterflies kick up inside me and I do my best to ignore it. Even if I have to clip their wings, I will ignore it. I feel my mom's hand on my other shoulder and that gives me comfort. I hold Claire's hand. We stand like that for a moment and nothing happens, we are still visible

Claire looks up at me and asks, "Are you ready?"

"Put your head down Claire. You need to turn us invisible first." I whisper.

"We are already invisible. It's your turn now." Claire tells me.

I look up at her. I've got to remember that Candy's gift allows me to see her. Keeping up with all of these abilities is going to be confusing. "Okay, everyone stay close and walk with me." The mountainside isn't more than a few feet away. I take a deep breath and count to ten. Holding my hand out I slowly move through the sediment. "Hold on tight." I tell them. I close my eyes as I step into the mountain. I walk through as fast as I can, hoping to get everyone to the other side in one piece.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I feel the cool air hit my skin. I open my eyes but can't see anything, it's pitch black in here. I hear everyone let out a heavy breath as they step out of the mountain. Tony is the first to break contact. I can still feel the warmth of his hand on my side as I hear him shuffling around in his bag. A moment later a flashlight kicks on. I look around the dimly lit corridor. A flash back from when I first walked into this shelter with my dad hits me. I was so full of despair and my heart was broken in two. Anticipation fills me as I think about how close I am to having my family fully reunited.

"Okay, so are you ready to split up?" My mom asks us.

"Yes." We murmur at different times.

"Okay, Willow, I need you to tell me how to find your dad." My mom says. Claire looks a little taken aback by this but my mom quickly clarifies. "Don't worry, we will be looking for Connor too. I'm hoping that my husband will have an idea about where they might be."

Claire nods her head in understanding.

I give my mom the instructions on how to find our room. I also tell her some of the sanitation routes that my dad might be on if he's still at work. Luckily Claire has been to my room before, so she'll be able to help her find it. I look to Tony, "We'll start in the cave. I need to get my mom and Claire into the main hall though first so will you wait here?"

He doesn't look happy about it but he complies. "Yes."

I grab my mom's hand and Claire's. "We are going to walk straight out into the middle of a common area. Are you going to be able to keep yourself and my mom invisible for a while?"

She points her thumbs at her herself, "Um, of course! I'm practically an expert now." We all laugh at that.

"Good luck." I tell her. "Love you." I direct to my mom.

"Love you too. Go find your man." My mom smiles at me.

It's hard to ignore the grunt that Tony makes. "Let's go." I wait for Claire to confirm that all three of us are invisible then we start walking through the wall. We come out on the other side into the busy common area. I look out onto the sea of people in scrubs. Virtually every color is represented in a perfectly uniformed way. I forgot how goofy it looked to see everyone in those.

I hug my mom and Claire, then without a word I walk back through the wall.

"See, I wasn't gone long." I say to Tony once I appear on the other side. A slight woozy feeling overcomes me and I sway on my feet.

Tony is at my side in less than a second. He puts his hand on my back steadying me. "Whoa, are you okay?" He asks me.

I feel light headed and drained but I nod. "Yeah, It's been a while since I've used this many abilities at once. It's harder on me now because I'm not only using multiple abilities on myself but I'm also using them to cover other people. I think I just need to sit for a second." My head starts pounding so I quickly drop to the ground and prop myself up against the wall.

"Has this happened before?" He sits next to me looking worried.

I close my eyes so I don't have to meet his gaze. "Well, only after healing my mom. That took a lot out of me. I don't think it helped that I had run the gambit that day using every ability I had access to."

I feel his hand on my shoulder and it makes my heart beat a little faster. I don't like the clenched up feeling I get in my stomach when Tony is too close to me. It makes me feel confused and even a little bit guilty because I can't understand why I have those feelings. I'm too tired though to shrug his hand off. Plus, I don't want to make him feel bad.

"Maybe you need to take it easy for a few minutes." Tony says gently.

I shake my head and run my hand through my curls. Cringing when my fingers get stuck, I think about how my locks could really use a good brushing right about now. But that's a more frivolous need, what I need right now is to find Alec and Connor. "No, I'm feeling better. We should get moving." I stand up too fast and end up falling to the side.

"Crap, Willow!" Tony catches me before I fall. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and forces me to sit back down.

I end up leaning my head against his shoulder. Feeling frustrated I sigh loudly.

"Maybe you just need to eat something." With his free hand he wrestles something out of his bag. He hands me a protein bar.

My hands are shaky as I accept it from him. I slowly open the wrapper and then take small bites. After I finish it off he hands me some water. I take a few sips. The food was a good idea. I start feeling a lot better. "Thanks." I tell him.

"Are you feeling better?" He asks.

Remembering how close we are, I sit up. I feel the heat spreading across my cheeks so I'm grateful for the dim lighting. "Yes. I'm surprised that I just got wiped out like that."

"I'm not. You haven't really gotten much rest the past few days. You've also been using an awful lot of your powers lately." Tony says. "Do you want to rest for a little while longer?"

"No, I think we should get going." I'm anxious to find Alec. Plus I don't need any more close moments with Tony.

"Okay." He says a bit weary.

I stand up without a hitch and he looks a little more comfortable with the idea that I'm not going to faint like a damsel in distress. "We're going to move down a few levels from here. I'm going to have to keep us invisible while we move. This is going to be difficult to do, so we need to do it quick. Are you ready for that?" I ask him.

"Yes." He nods.

"Let's do this." I grab his hand and focus all of my energy on making us go invisible. Then I slowly allow us to fall through the ground. We land in the field of spinach. I inhale the crisp damp air that tells me that this time I missed the sprinkler rotation.

We both stand up. I grasp Tony's hand again and we move slowly through the floor and land with a thump on top of the storage container.

Tony throws his hand over my mouth. We both stand there in silence while we hear a pair of footsteps investigating the area. I remove Tony's hand from my mouth with my free hand and peek over the edge of the container. A tall man that I don't recognize, in black scrubs is looking around curiously. After looking around for a few minutes he seems satisfied that it was nothing because he walks back to the front of the storage area. We wait until the man gets on the elevator and the doors close before we hop down.

Tony jumps down first and holds his arms up for me to jump. A deja vu of jumping into Alec's arms so many times hits me. I take a deep breath and drop into Tony's arms. He slowly lets me down, allowing his hands to linger on my sides for a little too long. I avoid looking at him. Instead, I hold his hand and slowly move us through the floor, down to the tunnels.

Finally having made it through all of the floor levels without a hitch, we start crawling through the tunnel towards the cave.

Tony makes a groaning sound as I hear him pulling out his flashlight. He clicks it on and swallows loudly.

"Now, this part is a real tight fit. But don't worry, it doesn't get too tight. Just enough to make yourself a little uncomfortable." I tell him.

I look back and Tony doesn't look too pleased but he nods his head in affirmation and we start to move further through the tunnels. Halfway through I feel Tony grab my hand in a not so sweet manner. I turn to look at him and see his face is white as snow. "What's wrong?"

He looks as if he's seen a ghost. He barely manages to spit out the word, "Claustrophobic."

I give his hand a squeeze for reassurance then I let go and start crawling faster, hoping it will help him. "We're almost there," I keep reassuring him. When we round the final corner out into the open, Tony breathes a huge sigh of relief. I pat his back not sure what else to do.

"Sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to freak out. I've just had issues with tiny spaces since I was little. I never could get over them."

I shrug my shoulders, "No biggie." We step out into the first large cavern. Tony takes his time gazing around the room. I pry the flashlight gently from his hands and bounce the light off the walls. The shadows on the far end of the cave look luminous and I'm anxious to move out of here. "Come on, this way," I say leading Tony deeper into the cave. We walk along the water's edge towards the blown up entrance that leads to the second cave.

In the distance I hear the sound of a rock hitting the water. We both stop and I place my hand over the flashlight trying to dim our light. We listen for a few seconds and then hear another rock. I look over to Tony whom I can barely see in the dim light. I question him with my eyes as to what he thinks is going on but he simply shrugs his shoulders. We stay still and listen for a good five minutes before we feel comfortable moving again. When we reach the rubble from the explosion that locked my friends away a few days ago, I grab Tony's hand.

I begin to push my hand through the cave wall but the sound of someone clearing their throat a few feet away from us startles me. I end up dropping my flashlight and it breaks apart, extinguishing the light.

As quick as lightning Tony bolts up and pushes me behind his back, never once letting me go. I can't see the person in front of us because of Tony's height and the fact that the only light is now coming from a small lantern the other person is carrying.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" I hear Tony bellow.

The other person snorts and then tells Tony, "I want my girlfriend."

My heart leaps out of my chest as I practically throw Tony into the water trying to get to Alec. "Alec," I scream running into his arms. Yet, as soon as I wrap my arms around him I know something is wrong. This isn't Alec.

I look up and see Zack smiling down at me with his customary wicked grin. "Well, that's not exactly the greeting I expected, Sugar. But I'll take what I can get." He grabs my wrist harshly.

"Zack," I say in disgust.

It doesn't take but a split second for Tony to be at our side. "Get your hands off of her," Tony yells.

Zack simply cocks an eyebrow and sizes Tony up with his eyes. "And what, may I ask, are you going to do about it?" Zack asks with mock humor. He still hasn't let go of my arm.

Oh boy, I can tell this is going to get ugly. While the two of them participate in some sort of piss contest I look around at my surroundings to plan my getaway. Sure, I know I have the strength now to break each of Zack's arms but that wouldn't be very fun, now would it? The way I see it, Zack deserves better than that. Especially after he treated me so hospitably when I was in the shelter.

I have to do a double take when I see Tony turn around mid-sentence and go sit in the corner placing his thumb in his mouth. "What did you do to him," I yell at Zack.

"Do I really need to answer that," he retorts. He laughs at my angry glare then says, "What, are you mad that I put Baby in a corner?" His laugh makes me sick.

Hardy-har-har! He thinks he's so funny does he? I give him a good rolling of the eyes. Not that the light in here is good enough to notice, but still. "Zack, I'm only going to ask you once. Let me go." I say calmly looking down at his hand that encircles my wrist.

Zack pulls me into him even closer and stares down at me over his nose. I feel him chuckle against me which is totally revolting. "One more time, huh? I was gonna put money on it that you'd continue to ask me all the way down to my dad's lab. No can do though sugar. There's a bounty on your sweet little head and I intend to collect on it."

I give him an innocent smile. "Oh really?" I ask. "You're going to turn me in are you?" I squint my eyes at him for effect. "Well by all means, take me in then."

I watch as Zack's facial expressions turn to confusion momentarily as he wraps his mind around what I just said. It doesn't take long before he barks back at me, "Whatever Willow, enough of these childish games. Let's just get this over with."

He turns slightly to the side and while holding my wrist he begins to start walking but I ground myself in place. He struggles against my weight trying to pull me along. Sweat starts beading around his forehead as he struggles. "What, did you gain an extra...ton since I last saw you?" He grunts trying to get me to budge.

I just smile innocently at him. "What's the problem, can't handle a little girl anymore? Why don't you just pick me up?"

I'm amazed when he actually tries. He tries so hard that he can't stifle the grunting sound he makes.

I look down at my nails and pretend to examine them while he tries. I sigh, "What is this world coming to when a man can't be chivalrous anymore and carry a girl off to her mean old captors?" I ask with extreme blaze holding out my free hand to show him my manicure.

This infuriates Zack and he begins pulling with all his might trying desperately to get me to move. When he realizes it's a physical impossibility, a fear, unlike none I've seen before, takes over and his eyes become hollow. "You're eyes," he says. Then he stutters, "They're, yellow..."

I give him a smirk. "Well, if you say so. I don't exactly have a mirror on hand." I retort.

He must figure out this is a power he has no idea exists because he begins to slowly walk backwards towards the cave exit with his hands raised. "Alright, you win Willow." He backs up a few more steps before I cock my head to the side giving him a sly smile.

"Why Zack, I think you underestimate me." I glace over my shoulder and see Tony rocking back and forth in the corner sucking away at his thumb like it's the worlds tastiest popsicle. I then turn my focus back towards Zack. "Do you honestly think I'm going to just let you walk out of here after all you've done for me? Why, I think the only gracious thing to do would be returning the favor. After all, you did teach me the art of being a lab rat."

And with that Zack is off to the races. He runs with all his might towards the exit...and I let him run. Because, let's be honest, I know it won't take much to catch him.

I let him get a few feet from the tunnel then I use my speed ability for the first time. I catch up to him in a startling speed and throw him to the ground. He lets out a grunt and then a wail as he clutches his right arm.

I turn him over to his back and get in his face. "Aww, did the baby hurt his arm?" I stick out my bottom lip and cock my head to the side. I'm still not sure where the menacing capabilities of mine are coming from, but revenge tastes so sweet.

"Get off of me." Zack manages to grunt.

I click my tongue at him four times. "Now, now. Why are we in such a hurry?" I ask letting the false sweetness drip from my lips.

Zack tries to wiggle against me but I have him pinned to the ground. He's getting nowhere unless I say it's okay.

"What are you...you...freak!" He yells in my face.

Enough with the pleasantries. I take one hand and put it over Zack's mouth making him unable to speak and the other I use to pull Zack to his feet. I wrap my arm around Zack keeping my other hand firmly placed on his mouth. I have no desire to hear anything this idiot would want to say. With Zack in my hold I take him back towards the rubble that leads into the second cave. In the rubble I find several things Zack has stashed. Including a rope, some duct tape, food, water, and a flashlight. I guess he did plan on kidnapping me to collect the reward one way or another, or to try out more of those Hastings experiments on me. I shiver.

Zack continues to struggle but his efforts are fruitless. From nearby I hear Tony say, "What the hell?"

I know it shouldn't be funny but I can't suppress the small laugh that threatens to escape me. The compulsion must have worn off. "Hey Tony," I call. "Can you come over here and give me a hand?" He brushes his thumb on his pants, which must be pretty wet, and comes running towards me. "Help me tie him up with the rope. Then we'll use the duct tape for his mouth."

Tony scratches his head probably still trying to figure out how he got in the corner in the first place. We bind Zack and gag him with the rope and duct tape, then lay him not so gently on the cave floor. "What the hell did you do to me punk!" He yells at Zack on the floor.

Zack actually has the nerve to laugh. Or at least to try and laugh, what with his mouth duct taped and all.

This pisses Tony off even more and he lands a kick into Zack's side.

Zack curls up and groans. I should tell Tony that kicking a man when he's down is not cool. But, Zack isn't much a man, now is he?

"Willow," Tony begins.

I put a finger to his lips before he can apologize. "Don't," I say. "This is one of those secrets that stays between friends. We won't ever talk about it again...considering it could alter your manhood for life." I can't help but tease him a little but his face doesn't do anything but stay serious.

His face is red with fury. "It's not about that, don't you get it? Something could have happened to you and I would have been to blame. I do NOT take my duties lightly...especially when it comes to you." His voice becomes soft at the end.

I quickly look away not wanting to meet his eyes. "Well, nothing did happen, okay? Let's just forget it. For me?" I look back at him with pleading eyes. I don't want this to become a bigger deal than it already is. For goodness sakes I can handle my own. I've done it before and I'll probably have to do it again.

Tony ponders this for a moment and then takes a deep breath. "Fine. But just this once." I nod my head in understanding.

Zack grunts from the floor and I not so gently kick him in his other side. Hopefully that'll shut him up.

"So, what are we going to do with him?" Tony asks.

I put on my best sly smile. "Oh, I have an idea..."

Tony cocks his eyebrow.

"Just help me with this bag o' bones, would ya?" I ask him.

Tony heaves Zack over his shoulder effortlessly and I lead the way. Recalling the path that Dr. Hastings and Zack took me last time we were here, I follow it without error. Not bothering with the door locks I walk us through the steel enforced doors. Thankfully nobody is around in Dr. Hastings lab.

A feeling of nausea nearly overwhelms me when I see the examination table that they put me on. I remember the feeling of helplessness and the sheer terror that ran through my blood that day. Anger builds up in me at the memory. I point to the table and Tony throws Zack onto it hard.

Zack makes muffled noises as I pretend to mess around with the needles and sharp instruments. I try my hand at letting off an evil laugh.

Tony eyes me and chuckles. He grabs some more rope and secures Zack firmly to the lab table. "You're not going anywhere buddy." Tony slaps him on his shoulder and walks over to me to check out what I'm doing.

I found a sharpie and a blank piece of paper. Drawing out a sign I write in big block letters: SOMETIMES LAB RATS BITE BACK! WATCH YOUR STEP HASTINGS, 'CAUSE WE ARE COMING FOR YOU!

"Wow, that's intense." Tony says.

"No, this is nothing compared to what they deserve. Dr. Hastings is lucky to find his son alive and in one piece." I say coldly as I tape it to Zack's chest. "He certainly didn't have the decency to grant my father the same privilege when he tried to dissect me.

Tony doesn't say a word, he just nods in silent agreement as he looks at Zack with pure hatred. Tony knows what they tried to do with me and if I weren't here with him right now, Zack would be in a much worse position.

"We better get moving." I tell Tony.

"Where do you want to look next?" He asks.

"Stupid Zack interrupted us. There's another cave in the back of the first one. I want to check there. That's the best place for them to hide out if they couldn't find me." I tell him.

He gestures for me to lead the way. I take his hand and walk him through the doors and back out into the hallway.

"Ah!" A girl screeches as we appear on the other side of the door.

My jaw drops open as I stare into Candy's light blue eyes.

She looks at me as if she's seen a ghost then she looks behind her to make sure nobody's around. "What are you doing here? I told you to leave." She looks up at Tony in surprise. "Who is this?" She asks in a curious way that also tells me she's a tiny bit frightened.

"This is Tony and I did leave. I'm back to get my friends." I tell her.

She looks at me worried. "They aren't here. I went back after my father told me what he had done. I called to them for hours and got no response. Either they found a way out or they didn't survive the explosion." Her expression actually looks sad and sincere. I can't believe this is the same Candy who was such a total jerky face when I first met her.

"They got out. I went to the cave that day and they were gone." I tell her. "I have reason to believe they made their way back here looking for me. I haven't found them since I left this place." I don't know why I'm giving her this information. Something strange tells me that I can trust her. I can almost sense that she regrets how she treated me and she hates what her father has done. "Why did you help me Candy?"

She looks conflicted as she decides how to answer me. "While I didn't really care for you, you know cause of Alec and stuff, I didn't want them to hurt you. Plus, I hate my dad. I would never help him with his monstrous plans!" She curls her hands up into fists and takes a deep breath.

"Why do you hate him so much? He's your father." I mean, I know why I hate him but I can't imagine loathing my dad that much. I can literally feel the hatred seeping off her in intense waves.

"He killed my mom." She looks surprised that she shared that tidbit with me. I'm too stunned to say anything. I watch her eyes tear up. "I never told anyone that before."

"I'm so sorry Candy." I tell her.

She wipes at her eyes and clears her throat. "Don't be sorry. I'm not weak and I don't need pity."

"But..." She cuts me off as I try to defend myself.

"Look, I think my dad might know that I helped you. He's been acting very suspicious lately. You're not safe here. Heck, I'm not even safe! I think you should leave as quickly as possible." She seems to notice my eyes for the first time. "Whoa, your eyes are crazy! They are nearly black!"

I look to Tony who confirms with a head nod. That's how I must be sensing Candy's emotions, Erik's gift. I think about asking her if she has seen Alec or Connor but I recall that she didn't even know they had escaped the cave. When I sense the underlying fearfulness in her I ask, "Candy, I've been on the outside. It's crazy and dangerous. It's not hot though, not like they said it was going to be. We can survive out there. If you feel like your father is a danger to you, we can get you out."

Her face melts and she gulps back a sob that threatens to escape. "Thank you Willow. I don't think I should leave though." I can tell she has mixed feelings about it.

"If your father is a danger to you, then you should. We can protect you." Tony says gently.

She looks up at him with a sort of kindness I haven't really seen her reveal before. "That is very sweet, but I don't think I can leave."

"Think it over Candy. If you decide you want to come with us, meet us in the cave tonight at nine pm." I tell her.

She catches a tear on her fingertip. "Okay, thank you for the offer. I don't think I 'll be there, but I appreciate that you're thinking of me." She says. "It was nice to meet you Tony. Good luck Willow." She walks past us and punches the code to get into her father's lab.

"Um, maybe you shouldn't go in there?" I tell her really quick.

"Why?" She eyes me suspiciously.

I decide to shoot straight. "I tied your brother up and put him in there with a note to your father."

Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. "Is he hurt?" She asks.

"No," I shake my head.

"Well, I guess it's a good time to go check out a movie then." She laughs which totally surprises me.

I give her a half smile and we part ways.

I lead Tony back to the cave and then back over to the blown up entrance. "Are you ready?" I ask him.

He grabs my hand in response and I begin moving us through the thick sediment that leads to the special cave.

# CHAPTER 8

### Reunion

We step out into the cave. The sunlight has it lit pretty well. I don't have to look around too long because from the other end of the cave I hear my name being called.

"Willow! Oh my gosh, Willow!" Alec comes running towards me.

"Willow!" Connor yells out and follows on Alec's heels.

Tony drops my hand and I bound towards them meeting them more than half way with my speed. "Alec! Connor!" I cry out in relief.

Alec pulls me into his arms and I crush my head into his chest, careful not to crush him with my newfound strength. Tears of joy start falling freely, soaking his grey t-shirt that he must have gotten from the survivor camp.

Connor puts his hand on my arm showing his relief in a less physical way. "We've been so scared Willow! We couldn't find you anywhere."

Alec pulls me back enough to look at me. He notices my eyes but doesn't act freaked out or anything. I feel nothing but relief and love pouring out of his emotions. "I thought..." His voice cracks and he throws his hand through his black hair. "I thought something horrible happened to you. I couldn't imagine what I would do Willow. I...." He pulls me into his arms again crushing me to where I could barely breathe. I don't care though, being in his arms feels so good and right. He kisses the top of my head.

"I'm okay Alec. I'm safe you see?" I tell him. I can sense the fear he felt.

He pulls me back again to look at me. "Yes, I see." With both his hands he brushes back my hair from my face. His hands land softly on my cheeks and he lifts my head up to his. The butterflies dance in my stomach as his lips reach mine. He kisses me gently at first and then it turns into a passionate, hungry kiss.

I stiffen when a feeling of embarrassment and awkwardness roll over me. Most startling of all is an overwhelming sense of jealousy that nearly takes my breath away. I pull out of the kiss and take a deep breath.

Alec, doesn't seem to notice my hesitation. He just pulls me into another hug. When he releases me, I look to Connor whose face is red and he looks uncomfortable. I'm sure that kiss raised the temperature in the room a bit.

Hesitantly and slowly, I turn around to see Tony standing on the other side of the room. If I didn't know him better, I wouldn't have noticed his tense posture. No, I know him more than I ought to because I can feel the jealousy and hurt that has enveloped him. I instantly feel horrible and guilty. I shouldn't feel either of those, but I do.

Alec whispers in my ear. "Who is that?"

I turn towards him. "Tony. He's helped me and has protected me since I left the shelter."

"Really?" Now I feel the jealous undertones coming off Alec.

I nod my head. I really need to stop using this ability because I don't think I need to know exactly how everyone feels. Right now, I'm way too keenly aware of it. I grab Alec's hand and lead him over to where Tony stands. Connor follows as well.

"Tony, this is Alec and Connor." I try to ignore the hurt look in Tony's eyes.

He masks it well though. He reaches out his hand to my friends. "Nice to meet you." He says while shaking their hands. "Willow has been looking for you for quite some time." His eyes land on Alec's face.

Alec smiles down at me. "I've been looking for her too." He kisses my head softly and looks back up at Tony. "Thank you so much for helping her Tony. I am indebted to you."

Tony shakes his head. "No, it's my pleasure. Plus, I did it for her mom."

I don't know why that stung a little. It shouldn't but, what, he didn't do it for me? That's stupid, I know.

Alec looks at me. "Your mom?" His eyes open wide in surprise.

Unable to control my smile I beam up at him and nod my head vigorously. "Yes, both her and my brother made it!"

He pulls me into another hug and spins me around once. "That's amazing!" He says.

"That's so awesome Willow!" Connor's eyes light up. He hesitates before he asks. "Did you by any chance see my..." The emotions won't let him finish his sentence.

I look up at him and shake my head sadly. "I didn't." When Connor's face crumbles I quickly add. "But, there are a lot of people there. I very well could have missed them."

"Yeah." Connor says.

"What are their names?" Tony asks.

"Scott and Laura." Connor answers looking all too hopeful.

Tony shakes his head. "I don't think we have a couple by that name. Well, we have some Scott's and some Laura's but not any together.

Not wanting Connor to focus on what that may mean, I quickly add. "We'll look for them when we get out of here, I promise!"

He looks hopeful again. "Deal!"

"What about Lily, did you check on her?" I ask Connor about his little sister.

Connor nods. "Yes, she's doing great. I wanted to take her, but Alec's right. She is safer here. Especially with those monsters out there."

Alec puts his hand on Connor's shoulder. "We will get her back as soon as we find a safe place."

"I know." Connor nods.

Alec turns to me. "How did you know we were here?"

"We found Claire." I tell him.

"Claire! Where is she, is she okay?" Connor demands.

"Yes, she's okay. She's here with my mom." I tell him.

"She's in the shelter?" Connor starts heading towards the wall. "She's not safe here. We need to get her."

"My mom will protect her. They will meet us here tonight." I tell him.

"No, if she's here, I need to find her now." He tells me.

"I'll go with you." Tony tells him.

Connor hesitates, not sure how he feels about going with a stranger, but then he shrugs his shoulders. "Fine, let's go."

He puts his hand on Tony's shoulder awkwardly and they both disappear through the wall leaving Alec and I alone.

Alec comes up behind me and putting his hand over my stomach he pulls me in closely to him. He whispers in my ear. "I'm so glad you are okay."

"I'm glad you are okay too." It seems surreal that I finally found Alec. Filled with happiness I move to where I can see his face. Closing my eyes, I initiate a kiss. We kiss tenderly for a few seconds before Alec turns me back around to where I'm fully facing him again. He kisses me hungrily. His hands rub across my back as mine run through his hair. We both express with no words how much we missed each other.

When the kiss comes to an end, Alec leans back and looks deeply into my eyes. "I love you so much Willow."

My heart soars. "I love you too."

We can't get enough of each other, so we stay in each other's arms as I tell Alec what happened with Dr. Hastings and Zack. I tell him how I escaped and he is just as surprised as I was that Candy let me go. I relay all that I've been through since getting out of the shelter. I tell him about my new powers. He tells me about the Reapers and how Erik's people saved him. It's amazing how much we need to catch each other up on especially since it's only been a few days.

Time passes by fast when we are together and before we know it Connor walks through the cave wall with Tony, Claire, my mom and my dad in tow.

"Dad!" I bolt up with lightning speed and run into my father's arms.

"Willow!" He pulls me close and holds on tight. "I'm so glad you are okay honey. I knew you could make it!" He tells me.

My mom joins in on our hug. "Yes, we raised a strong one here." She says rubbing my shoulder. I laugh but secretly I'm overwhelmed with happiness. Things are actually going right. My life that once was torn into tiny pieces is being mended right in front of my eyes.

Poor Tony is the only one left out of the love fest. I feel bad about that but I don't know what else I can do. Connor is being lovey dovey with Claire. After my mom is introduced to Alec she pulls my dad to the side and properly makes up lost time with him. I don't know if I should be excited or grossed out that my parents are making out in the corner of the cave.

After we end the love fest, my mom and Tony update my dad on all that's been going on outside the shelter. He tells us about everything that's been happening inside which includes a growing movement of people wanting to revolt. Some people are whispering rumors about the temperature outside and they want to be released. The government has upped the ante by having weekly assemblies where they show false temperature readings of 180 degrees and video shots of sandy deserts that I doubt exist in our country.

We aren't sure why the government would want to keep everyone inside the shelter but my guess is if they have satellite imagery as good as they say they do then I'm sure they've been able to see what's going on with the reapers. I wouldn't be surprised if some higher ups are formulating a plan to deal with it. I just hope the plan doesn't include mass bombings or military infantry...Not that we have much of an infantry left after the virus killed off so many of them.

When the sun begins to set and the lanterns and flashlights are lit, I go with Tony through to the other cave to see if Candy shows. I know it's a risky move and that's why I deny everyone else's requests to come with us. I trust Candy in a strange way but the logical part of my brain tells me that I should be ready for anything. Who knows if she is going to tell her dad and have a huge party of people on the other side ready to arrest us?

I'm confident that if there are people waiting for us, Tony and I can take them.

All is quiet in the first cave. The light from the small lantern barely shows us half of the cave. We wait for several minutes. Right when I figure that she will be a no show, I sense the conflicted emotions. A moment later they are followed by a flashlight emerging from the tunnel.

Candy makes her way over to us slowly. When she gets close enough for me to see her better, I notice her eyes are red and rimmed with tears. Her cheeks are puffy and tear stained.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, even though I can feel everything she's feeling: fear, nervousness, sadness and anticipation.

"I will be." She says quietly.

I know I wouldn't want to be coddled so I take her hand in mine and Tony's in the other. We both walk through the wall into the other cave.

She takes a deep breath when we step out. "Wow!" I'm sure that experience just blew her mind a little.

Everyone's attention immediately focuses on us. I introduce Candy. Sensing that she's feeling overwhelmed we all quiet down and don't hover over her much. It's getting late so we make plans for getting out in the morning. My mom takes Candy under her wing and I can sense a feeling of longing coming from Candy as my mom tells her about what to expect on the outside.

It's funny how hard I thought my life was. I can't imagine going through what Candy's been through or what she's about to go through. She will have nobody out there on the outside.

Before we settle down to sleep for the night I ask Candy privately what she thinks will happen when they realize she's missing. She tells me that she set a note to be delivered to her brother via his tablet tomorrow afternoon. She doesn't think her dad would give a crap but deep down she still cares for her brother even though he's a hot mess. She didn't reveal much other than the fact that she's found a way out and was going to take it.

# CHAPTER 9

### Escape

None of us get much sleep and I feel the effects in the morning. The first beams of light filter through the ceiling waking me up. I'm wrapped up in Alec's arms. I'm shocked my parents didn't say anything about us sleeping next to each other last night. My guess is they were either too tired, happy to have each other, or knew we couldn't really get in trouble when the two of them are here supervising anyway.

I get up before anyone else and take the opportunity to study Alec's face. My fingers trace along his strong jaw and pouty lips. I can see his eyes rolling around in his sleep as if he's dreaming. I move my fingers through his shiny locks and see a smile light up on his face.

Before he opens his eyes, his hand reaches up and embraces mine. He whispers to me, "Even if I lived a thousand years, I would never tire of waking next to you."

I can't help the smile that envelops my face. Feeling shy I try and break eye contact but Alec isn't having it. He places a finger under my chin and raises my eyes to meet his once again. He moves my face from side to side shining the light on the different areas of my irises. "I never got a chance to really look at your eyes yesterday. The light was too dim in the cave."

I let him look me over, trying to suppress the feeling of being self-conscious. This is Alec we're talking about. I should feel comfortable with him looking at me. After all, I am his girlfriend. Alec places his palm on the side of my face and gives me the sweetest, most heartfelt kiss. The sound of someone waking up causes us to break away from one another.

"Later," he whispers in my ear. Goosebumps form along my arms as I think about what 'later' might mean.

"Morning Willow," I hear my dad say behind me.

I roll over and smile. "Morning Dad. Sleep well?"

He nods his head. "Better than I have in a long while." He takes a deep breath and stretches his arms above his head.

Soon we're all up and moving around. My mother passes out some energy bars and canned food. Unfortunately we don't have enough for everyone to have their own so we each pair off and share...except for Tony. He gets to have an energy bar all to himself after Candy politely refuses any food we have to offer.

You would think Tony having his own meal would be a good thing, but he doesn't look too happy about it. Every time I look over at him he averts his gaze elsewhere. I have a difficult time not utilizing any of my powers to try and hear his thoughts or know his feelings. I guess I want a quick fix to something that looks to be in shambles.

Alec places his hand at the small of my back while we eat. Not wanting to break contact for any period of time. When he tries to feed me a piece of the energy bar, I turn my head, cracking up. "You are so not feeding me like a child!"

"Hey, I think it's romantic!" Claire jumps in.

"Well, I don't." I turn and smile at Alec hoping he doesn't take offense.

He laughs, "Ms. Independent. No feeding food to you, duly noted." He acts like he's making a check mark in the air. Then he hands me the piece of food and I accept it with a thank you.

I look around at everyone in the room. It kind of seems unnatural that everything is finally getting better and turning around. Almost like it's an impossibility to be this serene and at-ease. I can't help the smile that lights up my face. As soon as we reach the compound tonight my family will be reunited for the first time in what seems like ages. I can't wait to show Sabby his daddy again. He will be ecstatic! My heart goes out to that little guy and all that he's had to endure these past few months. Hopefully this will help make things right in his small world again.

We all huddle around my mom waiting for instructions. "It's about time to meet up with the others. We have two options. We can go back through the shelter to get to the original rally point or we can make our way outside here and walk in the daylight to the rally point." My mom tells us.

"I don't want to go back through the shelter!" Candy's voice gets really high as she proclaims this.

I look over at her and nod my head. "I think we can go out here and Claire and I can keep everyone invisible as we make our way to the others."

My mom looks to my dad first, then Tony and finally she nods. "Okay. I think with it being dawn, the chance of running into a Reaper is minimal. If you both can keep us invisible we should be able to avoid detection just fine."

"We can." Claire says confidently.

"Let's do this!" Connor throws his arm up in the air in a fist pump. Claire and I giggle. It's good to be around my quirky friends again.

With the decision made, Connor and I split everyone up evenly and begin taking them out through the wall. We take Claire in the first group so she can work on keeping everyone invisible. Halfway through the wall with Alec, I almost lose focus. He kisses me between the rocks making me lose my train of thought. We end up tumbling out of the wall with me landing on top of him...Oops. I get to my feet and brush my hands off on my pants.

My dad gives me the stink eye and I try and act as innocent as possible. "What?" I ask him hoping he realizes my intention of the question being rhetorical.

As soon as we're all gathered on the outside my mom, dad, Candy and Connor all connect with Claire. Their group takes the lead leaving me with Alec and Tony. Alec holds my hand and stands close to my right while Tony stands as close, if not closer on my left. Tony's hand lightly cuffs around my upper arm. Awkward.

As if knowing my thoughts Tony leans over and says to me, "Your mother's orders still stand until we're back at the compound."

I smile and nod my head trying to not show my annoyance that he's been assigned to protect me. As if I can't protect myself. I have to not think emotionally though. It is logical to have Tony protect me. He has a lot more fighting experience than me and nobody wants to chance a Reaper getting ahold of what I have. A Reaper with my abilities would be horrific.

The walk around to the rally point is longer and more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. You can cut the tension right now with a knife. Knowing Tony is standing close on my other side, Alec squeezes my hand even tighter. I squeeze back and forget my strength. He gives a small shriek as he pulls his hand to his chest.

He becomes visible again and I quickly grab ahold of his elbow. Biting my lip I say, "Oh, Alec. I'm so sorry! Sometimes I forget I can do that."

I watch him heal his own hand and catch sight of the grin on Tony's face in my peripheral vision.

Luckily Alec can't see Tony. I have to remember that nobody can see each other since we are invisible. The only reason why I can see them is because I have Candy's ability.

Accepting my apology Alec puts his hand around my shoulder. "How about this instead?"

I nod and keep up the pace walking behind my parents.

"You know Alice, I can't quite figure this out but I feel like I've walked around this corner before. It's almost like deja vu." My dad looks back in my direction and in the same instant says, "Watch your step Willow."

I gasp in surprise. His eyes have taken on a coppery orange hue. The direct sunlight must have accelerated his change. My dad turns his head back around to face forward and I blink several times trying to clear my thoughts. I haven't seen that color before and I can't help but be extremely curious as to what gift is in store for my dad.

I let out a screech as I stumble over a loose rock. Tony, having a hold of my upper arm, is able to right my balance quickly and I don't even hit the ground.

My dad turns around and says in my direction, "I told you to watch your step honey."

I look up at him and ask, "What? How?"

He just shakes his head like he's not sure himself. He looks slightly to my right since he can't see me. The sun hits his eyes and I am instantly reminded of a penny. He turns back around.

When we near another bend at the base of the mountain, my dad stops and his posture turns rigid. "This is so bizarre. I know I've been around this corner before but I really don't think it's actually happened. I know this doesn't make sense." I watch my dad run his hand through his hair.

My mom's hand squeezes his and she tenses slightly. "What do you mean by you can see them?"

"I can see the people with the same eyes as you. They are right around the corner. It plays in my mind like a memory or a sort of deja vu. I can't really explain it." He says.

"The people that you see, they only have my color eyes, right?" My mom asks.

My dad nods his head but realizing my mom can't see him he says aloud, "Yes."

We round the bend in silence and there waiting for us at the rally point are my mother's fighters.

"Wow." I say at the same time as my mom. How in the world did my dad call that?

Claire and I let go of our invisibility and the group notices us at once.

Immediately one of the head guys comes up to my mom and whispers to her. I can barely make out the words he's saying. He's telling her that the coast is clear but we need to head out ASAP.

My mom turns to my dad and gasps upon seeing his eyes for the first time. He looks taken aback so she quickly tells him. "Sorry honey. I just didn't expect the change to happen so quickly. Your eyes have already turned."

He touches the area under his eyes. A worry line forms between his brows. "What, what color are they?" I've never heard my dad sound nervous like that.

My mom puts her hand up to his cheek. "They are the most handsome shade of copper I've ever seen." She kisses him on the lips.

A few months ago I would have been grossed out by their PDA but not now. Not after all we've been through. No, that kiss makes something in me melt. It tells me that things are becoming right again. I mean, there are still some thoroughly freakish things going on, but the family part...yes that is right again.

My mom, dad, Tony and the others convene for a few minutes. Alec, Connor, Claire, Candy and I take a seat on the ground. Connor uncaps a canteen of water that someone handed him. He takes a swig and we pass it around our little circle. None of us say much. I can't help but notice that Candy looks really freaked out. She keeps picking at her nails and staring at the ground. I feel kind of bad for her. I try to pat her leg in a comforting gesture but she flinches so badly that I decide to keep my distance.

Claire sits across from me weaving wild flowers together to form a daisy chain. I've always wondered how to do that. Before long she's made a beautiful crown out of multi-colored wild flowers. Without a word she reaches over and places it upon Candy's head, fitting it perfectly within her blond locks. At first Candy seems startled but then softens, reaching up and gently touching the woven daisy chain. She politely mutters thanks to Claire and gives her a small sincere smile. I grin at the gesture. What a big thing for Claire to do...to give a peace offering to the girl who once made her life miserable. She truly is a beautiful example of humility.

Alec must sense my emotions because he takes my hand in his. I smile and give it a gentle squeeze. The next thing I know he takes one of the wild flowers and threads it around my ring finger making a flower ring. I bring it up to my nose and inhale the floral scent, closing my eyes and reveling in the sweet smell. I nestle into Alec and enjoy the sunshine for a few more minutes while we wait.

When everyone is ready to go, my mom comes to give us direction with my dad at her side. "Just like before, you six will be heavily guarded. I know it will be hard, but you need to keep your eyes at your feet the entire time. We don't need any rogue Reapers catching sight of those colors."

"We could just keep everyone invisible while we walk if that will help." Claire suggests to my mom.

Tony answers for her. "It's quite a long walk and that would take a lot of your energy." He looks over to me. If I were to listen in on his thoughts, I know he'd be thinking about how much it took out of me just taking that many people a short distance inside the mountain.

"Okay." Claire says.

"Are you ready?" My mom asks us. We all agree and immediately a group of ten, which includes the fantastic four, Tony and my mom, flank our sides forming a strong perimeter of neon yellow eyes. Tony of course stands next to me and Alec stands on the other side.

Tony's gaze drifts down to the flower ring on my finger and he looks away with a surly expression. I can't help but wonder if Alec chose to walk on my other side for just that reason. I give a little snort realizing his attempt to mark his territory.

My father walks directly behind my mom. I hear him whisper to her, "I don't know if I'll ever get used to the fact you're the protector now."

She lovingly pats the hand that he has placed on her hip. The six of us keep our eyes to the ground as we walk. Once again, we don't run into any of the Reapers out in the open. We make our way into the forest without a hitch.

After an hour of walking next to Tony I start having trouble blocking out his turmoil of emotions. I can sense that he's feeling extremely torn and there is an escalating amount of jealousy building within him. I look down at my hand that is encasing Alec's. I hate that this is tearing Tony up inside but still, I don't let go of Alec's hand. I know it's completely unreasonable but I have an underlying fear that if I part too far from Alec, we may be separated. I don't want to go through that again.

We stop halfway to our destination to take a break. Keeping my eyes to the ground I accept the canteen from my mom.

"Close your eyes as you drink." She says softly.

I shut my eyes as I lift my head and take a drink. The water feels amazing sliding down my parched throat. I rub the back of my neck with my hand. It's sore from hanging my head down for so long.

Someone bumps into me from behind causing me to spill the water down the side of my face. I make the mistake of opening my eyes but quickly right myself and hang my head down again.

"Sorry, Willow." My dad tells me quickly before he hurries over to my mom. I watch as best I can by looking down at my parent's feet as they move about and talk.

"It's happening again Alice. I saw them. They're coming." My dad tells my mom quickly. The edge in his voice sends a shiver down my spine and it takes everything in me not to look up.

"What do you mean? Who's coming?" My mom asks, fully alert now.

"The people with the red eyes." He tells her. "It's like a deja vu. I remember walking a little ways down and running into them. I look up on accident and they charge us." I can hear the fear in his voice.

"Okay, okay." My mom paces a few steps back and forth. "Last time you said you recalled a deja vu, it came true. I haven't met anyone that was clairvoyant but then again, I haven't met anyone who had copper eyes. That may be your ability. Either way, we are going to treat this like it's real. You will be okay, but no matter what, you must keep your head down if this happens. You can't look up." My mom tells him.

He agrees and she walks over to me next. "I know you just heard that Willow."

I do my best to nod my head even though my head is bowed down.

"If anything happens, I want you to go invisible. Tell Claire, and you both grab a hold of the others. If things go bad, you get out of there fast. Do you understand?" She asks me.

Goosebumps rise up on my arms and I respond, "Yes." A sick feeling starts twirling around in my stomach and adrenaline pulses through my body.

"Good. I need to go tell the others. Tell your friends okay?"

"I will." I hug her quickly. "I love you."

"Love you too." She says and then quickly walks away.

I relay the instructions to Claire and the others. When our group decides to get moving again, the six of us walk even closer to each other than before. I'm prepared to grab ahold of them quickly if need be. We walk slowly for several minutes and for a second I start thinking that maybe nothing is going to happen. Perhaps my dad was wrong. That's when I hear the gunshot.

I feel Alec's hand squeeze and I quickly grab ahold of my dad. I turn us invisible and spin around to see that Claire has taken care of Candy and Connor. Turning my attention back to the source of the noise, I see a group of six Reapers blocking our path. The seventh one, a male, is lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. One of our people must have fired the shot.

Of the six Reapers four are men and two are women. Other than their beet red eyes, their clothing and appearance seems normal. Their bodies are tense and ready to attack. One of the women, a tall slender red head seems to be staring in my direction. She has a hungry look in her eyes and I have to remind myself that she can't see us.

The stand-still only lasts for less than thirty seconds before all hell breaks loose. Our people start attacking the Reapers. Gunshots ring out. Grunts and screams fill the forest along with a metallic copper scent of blood that drifts about in the air. Tony and the fab four remain around us along with my mom who is hovering directly in front of my dad even though she can't physically see him.

It's over in less than a minute. Two of the Reapers, one of them the tall red head, escaped. The other four lay lifeless on the ground. I do my best not to look in their direction. I can't help but notice that two of ours lay still near them. My heart starts accelerating with shock and I end up letting go of the invisibility. I look in horror in their direction. They can't be dead! They were here to help us, they can't be dead!

I look over to Tony. "I can help them." I say and start moving forward having let go of Alec's hand.

Tony stops me by putting his hands on my shoulders. I try to fight him by dodging to the right and he just scoops me back with ease with one fail swoop. The next second my face is in his chest as I try to break free again. "I can help them!" I cry out, tears start to fall as I struggle against him. I pound at his chest with my fists but to no avail. His grip never falters.

"You can't Willow! They are gone." Tony whispers to me, trying to get me to see the obvious.

"No," I sob. This horrible feeling of despair and sorrow overtakes me. "They can't be." I say. "It was my fault," I cry. Something in me knows that I am not the cause of this attack but a completely illogical part of me tells me that I should have had their back. I could have protected them. I cry harder feeling immense guilt overtake me.

"Willow, you need to stop this. We have to get going." He tells me continuing to stroke my hair. "You couldn't have prevented this. They are in a better place now." I know I shouldn't look up but I do. I look into his eyes. I see a second of hesitation in his and then he turns to look over his shoulder but doesn't let me move.

A second later he looks back at me and steadies me with both hands on my upper arms. He looks into my eyes and says, "Your eyes are black."

I shake my head not understanding what he meant, tears continue to flow down my cheeks as the feeling of grief ripples through me. Then it finally hits me. I look around Tony to see a man weeping next to one of our dead. When I look closer I notice that it's a woman that lies there still as night. I push my head back into Tony's chest and cry for them. I cry for the grief and sadness that is overwhelming that man so much that it has spilled over into me. I realize now that my feelings are not my own but his.

I allow myself to lose it for only a minute. Then I quickly straighten up, wipe my eyes and focus everything on blocking out the emotions. I take a few deep breaths and back away from Tony.

I don't look at him again. Instead I wipe my hands on my dress and turn to see Alec looking at me. His face is filled with concern and his posture is rigid. His expression seems to be a mix between worry and jealousy. I notice my dad's hand cupping his shoulder. I'm guessing my dad held Alec back from coming to my side for whatever reason. My dad releases him and I meet Alec halfway and jump into his arms.

Alec hugs me and whispers in my ear. "I'm so sorry babe. Are you okay?"

"Yes." I tell him a moment later. I do my best to not break down again. "I could feel his pain, you know?" I tell Alec.

He looks into my eyes and nods his head. "Another gift?" He says reaching up and caressing my cheek near my eyes, wiping the tears away.

I nod and we stand in silence, I stay in Alec's arms as we watch a few of the others build two make shift stretchers to carry the ones we lost back to the hotel. I have to work hard to not hone in on everyone's emotions. I already have enough turmoil inside my own heart.

When everyone is ready, we start moving again. The rest of the journey is taken in silence. My dad doesn't have any more premonitions on the way back and we don't run into any more Reapers.

When we reach the Holiday Inn after a few hours of walking, several people come spilling out. I hear the cries of a few and we watch in silence as they gather around the lost ones.

The funeral and burial was quick with no way to preserve the bodies. Afterwards we get everyone settled into their rooms, reunite Sabby with his dad and eat dinner. Back in my room I crash hard, falling asleep to the soft snoring coming from Claire who's sharing my room with me.

I wake in the middle of the night to someone tapping softly on my arm. I blink trying to adjust my eyes in the dark. A soft voice calms me pushing my hair away from my eyes. I look up to see Alec kneeling beside my bed.

"You know," I say with a sleepy whisper. "My dad would probably have you shot if he found you in here." I crack a smile as Alec lets out a small grunt. I quickly place my finger over his lips shushing him so he doesn't wake Claire.

He kisses my finger softly; then kisses my lips. I run my fingers through his hair reveling in the simplicity of the moment. Alec pulls away and says, "I just wanted to come check on you. We had a pretty rough day and I wasn't sure how you'd be feeling or if you'd even be able to sleep."

I rub the sleep from my eyes. "Thanks, but I'm okay. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow."

He gives me a small grin. "Good, I'm glad."

I run my fingers through his hair. "Thanks for checking on me though. We haven't had much time to be alone lately. Hopefully that will change now that we're back together again."

He takes my hand in his. "Willow, I'll make you the promise right now, I will never leave you again. The last time we were apart I couldn't function. It's like you're the thing that grounds me to this earth and without you, I feel lost."

My heart soars hearing his declaration to me. I know he never really left me the first time but still, it feels good to hear.

Alec kisses me softly on the forehead. "Well, I'll let you get some sleep. See you in the morning, okay?"

I nod my head at him and yawn. "See you in the morning," I manage to say as my eyelids become heavy again.

"Goodnight," I hear Claire say from the other side of the room.

I unsuccessfully stifle a laugh, biting my lip.

Alec smiles and shakes his head, getting up off the floor. "Goodnight to you too, Claire," Alec jests. I listen as he walks to the door and closes it behind him gently.

"That was sweet," Claire says between yawns. She rolls over and goes back to sleep.

I fall back to sleep easily with a smile splayed upon my lips.

# CHAPTER 10

### Safe and Sound

"Willow," someone softly shakes my arm whispering my name. Fighting out of a groggy sleep, I roll over to see who woke me. My mother stands hovering over me. "Time to wake up sleepy head. If you sleep any longer, you'll miss breakfast."

I groan softly but manage to sit up after a little more of my mother's coaxing. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and look beside me and see that Claire is not in her bed.

My mom answers my question before I even get a chance to ask it. "She's already downstairs. Connor and her seem pretty...inseparable."

Stretching my arms up overhead, I yawn and talk at the same time. "Yeah, they are kind of adorable in that way." I can't help but notice that my mom seems to almost be glowing. I haven't seen anyone in my family this happy in a long while. It's nice.

"So, I didn't really come here on my own accord honey. There is a hunky boy outside the door waiting to escort you to breakfast." She tries to straighten out some of my bed head by running her hand through my hair. Of course it gets caught in the mess of curls, but a little hair pulling isn't going to get me down. My boyfriend's outside! My mom coos over my beaming smile. "Yeah, he seems like a good one Willow."

"Are you sure you can't read minds too mom?" She's doing an amazing job of reading me this morning.

"Nope, you are the only one that can do that." She adds, "I'm glad too! I would hate to know what everyone else is thinking. Some things we think should never be heard."

"Tell me about it." I hop out of bed. That's the exact reason I've avoided using that gift. Plus, a part of me is worried that once I start listening into other people's minds, I wouldn't be able to turn it off again. I shiver recalling when I first realized I had that gift. I was a hot mess until I learned how to shut it off.

"Alright, well, go get dolled up or at least change your dress or something." My mom shoos me towards the bathroom.

I look down at my tattered dress from yesterday. Yeah, that's not flattering in any way. My mom pulls a pair of cut off jeans and a tank top from a drawer and brings them to me before I shut the door. "Thanks for replenishing the stock. Hopefully I won't be stuck with anymore dresses." I laugh.

"You used to love dresses!"

"I still do. I just don't want to go on rescue missions in them." I give my mom a quick hug then I start my cold shower. I don't waste time and within fifteen minutes I'm dressed and ready to go. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the way out. That same glowing light I saw in my mom's eyes is in mine too.

My eyes are still a deep black but the other colors can be seen through a prism effect when the light bounces off them. The red fleck is prominent, as always, but today it looks less menacing. Perhaps it's because for the first time in a while, I look happy. I take a deep breath and allow the fact that my family is safe and sound to soak in. Then I run my brush through my wet hair and skip to the door. Pinching my cheeks a few times I open it and find Alec standing against the wall.

I don't waste any time running to him. He gathers me up in his arms and spins me around once before he sets me down. I hug him tightly, well not too tight but just enough. With my head in his chest I take a moment to commit this moment in my memory. The amazing smell of fresh soap and shaving cream coming off his skin, the secure feeling I get when he holds me in his strong arms and the way he whispers that he loves me in my ear. I will remember it all. I lean my head back just enough to see his eyes and tell him, "I love you too." We both beam at each other like fools in love for a few more seconds and then hand in hand we head down to breakfast.

The second I walk into the dining area I see Sebastian's curls jumping up and down from a table across the room. My mom and dad are on each side of him. They wave us over and we end up sitting with them for breakfast. To say it's a bit awkward at first is an understatement. I know my mom is on board with Alec but my dad...well, that remains to be seen. He still doesn't seem too keen on the idea of his daughter dating.

"Mornin' guys. Did you sleep well?" I ask trying to break the tension.

My dad nods, "Oh yeah." He gives my mother's hand a squeeze.

Oh brother. "T.M.I. dad!"

He lets out a small snort.

I introduce Alec to Sebastian whose enthusiasm and joy is so contagious that Alec catches it quickly.

Alec and I sit next to each other and are each handed a bowl of eggs and bacon.

"Wello, lookie, lookie." Sebastian says. I peer over to the paper and crayons he has in front of him. "I drew our family. So happy daddy's back!" He says stumbling over his words.

My dad gives his curls a shake and I give him a big grin. "Are you sure some famous artist didn't draw that?" I tease playfully.

"Noooo, Wello! I's drawed it." He says giggling.

I see Alec give me a sideways smile before he begins digging into his food.

"So," I say to the table between mouthfuls of food. "Got any big plans for the day?" I spear a forkful of eggs.

My mother politely finishes her bite before answering. "Not today honey; we usually rest after a big day like yesterday."

I smile and bite my lip. Yipee! I think to myself. I get to spend my whole day doing whatever I want. I can't remember the last time I tasted the freedom of a whole day to myself...with Alec of course.

My mother raises her eyebrow at me. "Within reason. You can't leave the compound or anything, just in case I need you." She states pointing her fork at me for emphasis.

"That's fine," I say with a smile. I reach my hand under the table and squeeze Alec's leg lightly. "There's somewhere I want to take Alec; in the compound of course." I tell her reassuringly.

"Can I go too Wello?" An all too familiar voice asks.

I grimace just a little before my dad saves Sebastian from being hurt. "Actually little man, I have something for us to do together today. What do you say we go fly a kite?"

Sebastian leaps out of his chair jumping around like he's on a sugar high. "Kite, Kite, Kite," he repeats over and over. Other people look over from their table but just smile in response to Sebastian's over exuberance.

I look to my mom because obviously kite flying will have to take place outside.

"Your dad is going to wear sunglasses and of course I will be outside to protect him." She nudges him in the side.

"Of course." I smile at them then I finish my last bite of eggs in a hurry. "Ready?" I ask Alec.

He smiles and nods his head. We stand together and he grabs our dishes up in his hands.

"Thanks," I say. I didn't even ask him too. What a gentleman I swoon. We drop them off in the bin and I wave goodbye to my family.

On our way out I find Claire, Connor and Candy sitting at a table with one seat vacant.

"I just got word we have a free day! I've got a little something in mind." I say. I can't wait to show them the basement.

They begin gathering up their dishes.

"Hey, where's Tony?" I ask. They all shrug their shoulders.

"Haven't seen him," Connor says.

"Yeah," Claire starts. "I went up to his room to see if he'd like to join us, but he wasn't there."

That's odd, I think to myself. "Well, I guess it's just us then." As we leave the dining hall, I notice Sebastian's still dancing around the room. I take a moment to introduce him to my friends and they ooh and ah over him appropriately.

Leaving Sabby and my dad, I grab a lantern from one of the side tables hoping it doesn't belong to someone. I test it out to make sure it works before leading our pack down to the basement. I keep looking for Tony along the way, but apparently he's vanished. No one's seen him today.

We reach the door to the basement and I grab the handle to open it. It doesn't budge. I sigh in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Claire asks putting her hand on my arm.

"The key! I totally forgot we had to have a key!" I say resting my forehead on the door in frustration.

All of them begin laughing at me, Connor especially.

"What?" I say irritated. "What could possibly be so funny? I was so excited about this; now we can't go!" I say bewildered that they're laughing at me.

They never stop laughing as they grab onto Connor's arm and walk right past me, through the door.

"Oh my gosh," I say, banging the heal of my hand on my forehead. I join them on the other side with the lantern in tow.

"Glad you figured that out finally," Connor jests. "It was getting pretty dark in here waiting for you."

"Ha. Ha." I respond feigning annoyance. "Let's all laugh at Willow at her own expense."

Alec takes my hand in his. "We're not laughing at you Willow. However, we should be laughing with you!" Alec says.

I roll my eyes. "Fine," I relent. "It is kind of funny." I lead them through the labyrinth of stuff stored down here. Giggles still erupt intermittently even though I don't think it's that funny.

We reach the large cabinet and I set the lantern down next to it. I reach up to the handles and pull open the squeaky doors. Another bout of dust unsettles itself permeating the air. We all cough and wave our hands trying to clear the room.

"What is it?" Candy is the first to ask. She reaches in and brushes the dust off some of the boxes. "Mono ly...What's that?" she asks.

"It's Monopoly," I say. "It's something called a board game."

Claire scrunches her eyebrows. "How can a game be a board?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm not sure, but they are fun! Here, I'll show you." We all grab several boxes and carefully place them on the floor. Wiping the dust carefully we examine the titles.

"Chutes and Ladders...Candy Land...Twister...," Connor mumbles.

"Twister?" Alec questions. "That sounds fun."

I shrug my shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

Candy helps herself to the box and opens it slowly. She sets the top to the side and pulls out a rubber mat with circles on it and a square with a plastic arrow attached. "Come on Willow, how can this be fun?" She asks.

She has a good point. This is the oddest form of entertainment I've seen yet. "I don't know this game so I'm not sure. But let's at least give it a try! I've played some of the others and they're a blast."

Connor reaches over and grabs a piece of paper in the box. "Ah Ha," he says. "Directions!" He holds them in the air like he's won some sort of prize.

We're all helping unfold the mat and placing the cardboard thingy next to it when Connor starts busting up laughing. I'm not talking about giggling, but some kind of deep guttural laugh. We all stop and stare at him not sure what exactly is so funny. Tears stream down his face as he tosses from side to side unable to control himself.

I know what we're all thinking: has he completely lost his mind? It takes a while but he finally gets a hold of himself.

Claire's the first to speak up. "Connor! What on earth could be so funny on that paper! It's simply directions."

You can tell Connor is trying hard not to bust out laughing again. "Sorry Claire Bear, it's just...well, this game is...different."

Claire cocks her head to the side. "Different, as in how?"

Connor rubs his chin. "Well, here. Let me read the directions to you. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What?" Claire asks taking the bait.

"You have to promise that you'll at least try it once. After I've read the directions that is."

Claire scratches her head in thought. "Okay, I guess. I mean, how menacing could this game possibly be?"

Connor looks at each of us in turn making us promise the same thing. We all agree and sit around the mat as Connor reads the instructions aloud. "Step one," he announces. "And just so you know, I am going to paraphrase. Some of these things are a bit long winded."

He takes a deep breath. "Step one," he repeats. "Take off your shoes."

We all look at each other but oblige.

"Now, someone is going to have to sit out, because it is made for four players." Before Connor can finish Candy raises her hand.

"Okayyy, Candy will be our spinner." He says turning the page. "Now, basically each person needs to be on an end of the mat facing each other. The person across from you will be on your team. Naturally I think it goes unsaid that Claire and I will be on a team and Alec and Willow will be on the other."

We agree and each claim an end, including Connor. I face opposite Alec. "Okay, so Candy is going to spin the spinner, which is what that thing is called that she's holding. She will call out what it lands on and then each of us has to place that body part on the colored circle that the spinner lands on." Connor bites his lip trying not to laugh.

Everyone's faces are unreadable; we just stare at Connor. "So for example, if she spins a red right hand, you would need to put your right hand on a red circle."

I wipe my sweaty palms off on my shorts. "Um, Connor?" I ask. "Which body parts are we talking about here?" The question honestly weighing on my mind.

Connor looks over to the spinner. "Hands and feet, nothing else."

I let out a small woosh of air in relief. That would be awkward if it was right butt cheek on blue or something.

"The last rule is that you cannot move that body part unless the referee, which is Candy, tells you that you can. Also, two people can share a single circle since it's a four player game." We all look at one another not sure what to say.

This is about to get as awkward as it gets. "So, how do you win? Or is there a winner?" I ask.

"Good question," Connor says. "The winner is the last one on the board without falling or hitting their knee or elbow on the mat. On the bottom here it says 'Strategy for Winning at Twister: Good strategy is to advance toward an opponent in an attempt to keep him in his end of the vinyl sheet. This will give him a smaller area of circles on which to gain each position, without going under or over the advancing player.'"

"Under or over," Alec replies. "Good cow, this is crazy!"

"Hey," Connor states. "You guys promised you would give it a try!"

Alec purses his lips together. "Fine," he relents throwing his hands up in the air. "I just don't think I'm looking forward to being tangled up, pretzel style, with Connor. With Willow though, we may be able to arrange that."

I blush from head to toe and wag my finger playfully at Alec ready to get this show started.

"Alrighty then," Candy says. "Let the game begin." She spins the little spinning thing. "Right foot blue." Everyone places their right foot on a blue circle.

"Left foot green," Candy announces. We all abide.

"Left hand red, right hand yellow, right foot green." Candy says in turns.

I struggle to get my right foot to green and end up having to shoot it underneath Connor. After a few more spins, grunts and groans, we are all tangled up together. Connor is between my legs and Claire looks like a human bridge over Alec. Jealousy tries to come to surface, but I remember its Claire we're talking about and relax.

"Left hand yellow," Candy says.

I shake from being twisted so much trying to get my left hand all the way over to the yellow circle. I end up going with the one that has Connor's hand already on it. Without realizing it my hand goes through Connors and reappears on the bottom.

"Cheater!" Connor yells. "She used her powers!"

I let out a snort. "Connor, was that in the rule book?" I ask playfully.

Connor narrows his eyes. "Fine, two can play at that game."

Oh boy, I think to myself. This round of Twister is about to get more interesting.

"Right foot blue," Candy announces.

While I'm trying to figure out my next move Alec says, "Hey, where's Claire."

I see her giggle above me. She must be using her power of invisibility, so I join in on the fun and go invisible too.

"So not fair!" Alec asserts.

I watch as Connor physically goes through Alec to get his foot on the blue space.

"Really?..." Alec complains. He's the only one playing like a normal human would since his gift of healing is not useful at all here.

"Ah!" Claire announces.

I watch her knee hit the ground.

Candy calls it before I do. "I saw that! Claire, you're out!"

Claire's face turns red. "I forgot you could see me," she says meekly. She twists and turns back into shape and moves off the mat.

We play a few more turns until Connor and I are literally on top of one another with his face almost against mine. Alec drops immediately to the floor taking him out of the game.

He gets in Connors face and puts his first two fingers to his eyes and then to Connor's. "I'm watching you," is all he says in a joking menacing tone.

"Hey, just playin' the game." Connor states simply.

I end up the victorious champ when Connor falls through me on a right foot yellow. I raise my hands up in the air and pretend a crowd is cheering me on.

"Alright, Alright," Connor says after a minute of my end zone dance. "What's next?" I can tell he's a bit of a sore loser.

"Oh, I know," I say. "How about Monopoly? I've played it before and it's really fun."

Claire gives me the once over. "Are we going to be a piece of the game?"

"Nope, this one is different. No wrestling matches to be had," I say playfully.

We put away Twister and the other boxes before setting out Monopoly.

I grab the little car again and Alec grabs the dog. Connor is the ship, Claire is the thimble and Candy insists on being one of the little green houses. I try and tell her she can't but she won't have it any other way.

I go over the rules briefly. We decide that this time whenever someone has to pay taxes or make a payment to the bank, we will put all of that cash in the middle of the board so that whoever lands on Free Parking will get it. Claire goes first and starts the game.

Later in the game, on my turn, I eye the wad of money piling up and look back at my little car, which is visiting the jail. Blowing on the dice, I shake them and toss them down hoping for a ten. "Whoot!" I jump up and start doing the running man dance as my friends grumble. Making equally enthusiastic oohs and ahs as I sit down, grab the money and start counting it.

Consumed with my glorious winning spree I don't hear the footsteps approaching until he's standing at the edge of the room.

"Willow." Tony looks rather peeved. "I've been looking for you for the past half an hour."

Unfortunately I notice more than his annoyance in his gaze, there is hurt there. The high from my winning streak fades so fast that I'm amazed at the feeling of guilt that overwhelms me. This was the place he showed me, the board games that we played. He never told me to keep it a secret, but still. We shared it together. I can see that the fact that I'm down here with my friends and with Alec hurts him but I don't know what to say to make it better. "Oh?" Is all that comes out.

I watch his stare harden with that. "Yes, your mom had us scheduled for training an hour ago."

"Training? I didn't know we had training today." I really had no clue. My mom had said it was a free day.

He looks annoyed. "What, do you think, that just because you've found your friends and your boyfriend that you no longer need to learn how to protect yourself? Don't be naive Willow. You know how dangerous it is out there and you are a hot commodity."

Naive! I stand up and thrust my hands on my hips. Oh yeah, and they are facing outwards, that's right! "I am not being naive Tony! Just because I wasn't aware of the training today doesn't mean I'm naive." Just saying the word pisses me off more and more. "I only figured that we would have a break today in light of everything that happened yesterday."

Alec gets up and stands at my side. He looks at Tony and in a calm voice says, "I don't think naive was the right word to use."

Tony ignores the fact that Alec said anything at all. Instead he addresses me again, his face turning red. "In light of everything yesterday, you should want to train even more! If you don't care about learning to protect your own life then you should consider what it would mean to us if a Reaper got ahold of you. Those powers in one of their hands can be detrimental and could costs many lives. Is that what you want?"

"Watch it!" Alec starts moving towards Tony but I grab his hand and yank him back. All the while, I stare at Tony dumfounded. While I know he's taking this to the extremes because I hurt him, I can't help feeling wounded by his words. I never thought of myself as selfish and I certainly don't take this whole situation lightly. I'm hurt by the fact that he could think of me as being so low that I wouldn't care what happens to others or myself. I open my mouth to respond but no words come out. I blink away the angry tears that threaten to overflow.

In that instant I see Tony's face crumble. "I'm sorry Willow." He runs his hands through his hair. "I was just a little freaked out that I couldn't find you and I'm letting those nerves get the best of me."

I know he's letting something else that starts with a 'j' get the best of him, but I don't comment.

Alec puts his hand on my shoulder and pulls me to face him. His expression is serious and his eyes have a worried and angry glint to them. "Are you okay?"

I can tell that he's trying to let me handle this situation on my own, but if it were up to him, he'd go off on Tony for me. I don't need a fight right now. Especially when Alec doesn't stand much of a chance against Tony's strength. I take a deep breath and nod. "Yeah. It's all good." I tell him.

He stares at me for a second longer. "If you need to go train, it's cool." He looks to Tony trying to diffuse the agitation in the room for my benefit alone. "In fact, I think it would be good for all of us to get on a training schedule too."

I look down at his hands, which are crumpled into fists. I can tell that he's not happy with this whole situation. I step in front of Alec to try to be a sort of buffer right now to the testosterone waves that are taking over the room.

After tiring of their macho-man stare down I tell Tony, "Let's get on with it then."

He doesn't respond. Instead he turns around abruptly and stomps out of the room.

I look back at Alec and mouth the word sorry.

He pulls me into his arms and gives me a kiss on the bridge of my nose. "You go learn to kick butt." Then he points towards where Tony stalked off. "And if that guy gives you a hard time, you come get me."

I smile. If anyone stands a chance against Tony it wouldn't be Alec. I'm not trying to be rude, but you have to be realistic when it comes to abilities. Alec is certainly strong enough to take on a normal man, just not a beefed up superhuman. Anyhow, I know Tony isn't really a jerk like he just acted. "He really is a good guy. He's just a bit high strung right now, that's all."

Alec cocks an eyebrow. "He got to you Willow. I'm not blind. He hurt your feelings and that's not cool in my book."

Great, a new animosity has formed now. "Not that bad. I mean, the words stung a little, but like he said, he's a bit on edge. He's helped me this whole time and has protected me. He's a friend, even though he was being a little bit of a capital 'A' back there. I want to make sure you stay cool with him. I don't need you two fighting." I say earnestly to Alec.

He studies me for a few seconds then says, "Fine."

Not wanting to talk about it anymore I kiss him quickly on the cheek. I look over to my friends who are still sitting quietly around the Monopoly board. They are acting like they weren't paying attention, but I know better. "Bye guys." I say as I head out.

"Willow!" Connor calls before I leave.

I look over my shoulder. "Yes?"

"Can I have your money?" He asks with a big heaping smile on his face.

I roll my eyes and wave him off with a laugh. "Sure." Then I head out to find Tony.

# CHAPTER 11

### Pinned

I find Tony in the practice room. He's taking out all of his troubles on a poor beat up punching bag. The windows are open in the room and interestingly enough, the draft feels cool. Not cold by any means but there's definitely been a drop in temperature. That heating the earth plan is now truly an epic fail. Project ELE should be called Finding ELE since she's pretty much left the building. I don't foresee it getting any hotter anytime soon.

I clear my throat to let Tony know I'm here.

He turns around and takes off the boxing gloves he was wearing. Heading towards me he says, "I really am sorry Willow. I realize I was being a jerk back there. I just..." He stops himself.

I meet him halfway in the room. Part of me wants him to confess the real reason why he was being so mean, but the other part of me doesn't want to hear it. If it's admitted outloud, I don't know what that would mean for any sort of friendship Tony and I could have. I decide to sidestep the situation all together. "I forgive you. Let's just get on with training please." I realize after the fact that my words sound cold.

Tony does a great job of masking the hurt. "Fine. Let's start with shooting today." He leads me over towards the makeshift target range.

I put on the protective gear, pick a pistol up off the table, load it and ready my stance, holding the gun towards the target. I don't wait for him to signal me to fire. Instead I start shooting, unloading all of the rounds into the target. Who knew that shooting would be a great way to blow off steam?

"Wow. I didn't expect you to remember how to do all of that after just one training session." He tells me.

I avoid looking at him. Instead I busy myself with reloading the magazine. "Yeah, photographic memory comes in handy sometimes." I look over at the target. Too bad it doesn't help me with better aim. I did hit the target four times, but none of the shots are vital organs and they are barely on the paper.

"I'm sure that helps." Tony says. He doesn't question me further about my memory. "Take your time this round and line up your sights. Remember, three in a row, you're ready to go."

I nod my head, load the gun and try again. This turn, I take my time. Breathing deeply, I concentrate as I fire off round after round. All of my shots hit the paper silhouette. With one bullet left in the chamber I take my time lining up the sights just right. I fire and hit the target right in the bull's eye on the chest. I carefully place my gun down first and then I do a happy dance. "Yeah!" I say feeling elated and like a champ. It's amazing how achieving a goal can change a mood so easily.

"That was awesome!" Tony says excited at my enthusiasm.

"I know, that was amazing! I can't believe I actually hit it!" I hug Tony before I realize what I'm doing. He stiffens up and I back away quickly.

Realizing the awkward situation, he quickly says, "You're learning quickly. You must have an awesome teacher." He jokes.

Grateful that the tension was cut I say, "Yeah, or you can chalk it up to that kick butt photographic memory of mine."

"Nah, we'll stick with the awesome teacher story." He laughs and I join him.

"Deal." I smile.

"Because you did so great, you get to choose what we work on next."

"Oh is that so? What are my choices?" I raise my eyebrow and smile.

"Knife throwing or hand to hand combat."

"Tough choice. Let's go with hand to hand combat." I choose.

Tony leads me over to some mats on the other side of the room. He starts off with showing me some more dodging maneuvers. Then we move onto punching and kicking using practice pads. We practice in silence with the only noise coming from our heavy breathing and the sound of force hitting the kicking pads. Tony shows me how to flip a person, pin a person to the ground and how to get out from a pin.

Somewhere in the middle of our training a new tension floats in. I don't know if it's all of the physical contact or the aggressive fighting that's causing it but it's definitely there. While sparring with each other, our maneuvers and punches start getting a little harder, which causes us to duck and dodge quicker. If the dodging isn't enough to give me whiplash, the hot and the cold between the two of us is.

When we take a second to grab a drink of water Tony makes the stupid decision to break the silence we've kept for the past forty-five minutes. "So, are you happy to have your boyfriend back?"

Of all of the questions he could bring up, he has to go for the most inept one. I try to avoid looking at him. Instead I stare at my water bottle like it's the most interesting piece of plastic ever and wishing that the silence had never been broken. "It feels good to have everyone back together again. I feel complete now."

He steps in front of me so I have to look into his neon yellow eyes. He runs his hand through his copper hair that's wet from exertion. "Are you happy with him Willow?"

I gulp. The lack of space between us is so obvious that my stomach turns on its side. I am very happy, but I know that this response will only hurt Tony and I don't want that. I can tell that's not what he's asking anyway. He's really asking 'what about me?' I start by saying, "Tony..."

He cuts me off before I can complete my thought by turning away from me abruptly and heading back over to the mat. "Never mind. I mean, it's obvious you are happy. I have eyes. I don't know why I asked you that."

"Tony..." I try to speak up again not totally sure what to say.

He wave's me off. "Let's get back to work."

I set my water bottle down and meet him back at the mats. We start sparring again. I get in a few good punches before he flips me over onto my back. The air whooshes out of my lungs in one fail swoop. Feeling like my chest has been hallowed out, I gasp for air.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry Willow." He kneels at my side with worry etched across his forehead.

I don't say anything as I finally start to catch my breath again. That hurt like hell!

"I didn't mean to..." Tony starts to say, but I quickly sit up and knock him over, pinning him to the ground. I give him my best don't mess with me kind of look as I pin his hands to his sides. Feeling elated at having gotten the best of him and making up for his knocking me down I smirk.

He gives me a dangerous glare and in one quick maneuver he reverses our roles. I struggle to get free as he moves on top of me, pinning my hands above my head. "Fighting tip: don't ever get cocky."

Fury rips through me and I thrash about trying to get out from the pin like he taught me to do. Nothing's working. I'm just exhausting myself as I struggle beneath him. I huff and puff and refuse to cry uncle.

Tony laughs at my efforts and moves closer to my face.

I stop struggling and look up into his eyes. My heart stops and my breath catches at the passion in his gaze.

"Get off her!"

Tony and I both turn in unison towards the door to see Alec coming at us like he's on a warpath. Tony does the smart thing and moves off of me quickly.

I sit up, "It's okay, we were just training."

Alec looks so pissed that I expect to see smoke come out of his ears at any second. "That did not look like just training!"

I stand up in time to block Alec from going after Tony. I push at Alec's chest with both my hands and he doesn't budge. He looks at me and through the reflection in his dark blue eyes, I can see my neon ones staring right back.

"Let me by, Willow." He says through his teeth.

"Chill out man. We were practicing hand to hand combat and pins." Tony says coolly from behind me.

Alec looks from him, then back to me, then back at him. His eye's narrow, "You need to watch it." He points at Tony. Then he looks down at me. It takes a second before his expression turns gentler again. "Are you done here?" He asks.

I exhale heavily, not realizing I had been holding my breath. I nod and say, "Yes, we are done for today." I grab his elbow and hold onto him all the way out of the room, afraid to let him go.

When we make it out and turn down an empty hallway, Alec stops me. He turns to look at me and succeeds in backing me into a wall. "I don't like this training."

I raise my chin and say, "I need to learn how to defend myself Alec."

"Not with him!" He says loudly, getting in my face, pointing at the general direction of Tony.

I've not seen him this forceful, other than back when Zack had used compulsion to tell him to be mad at me. A shiver runs up my spine with that memory. I shake it off. "Tony is a good trainer."

"I don't care!" When I jerk back from his outburst he takes a deep breath and works to calm down. "He seems like a loose cannon. Then when I walked in with him on top of you..." He tightens his hands into fists and places them on the wall to each side of me, locking me in. "I was ready to pummel him." He admits in a whisper.

I shiver. Then looking into his deep navy eyes, I say, "We really were just training."

"Are you sure there is nothing else there?" He demands earnestly, his hands are still boxing me in against the wall.

"No, Alec. There's nothing there." I close my eyes for a second to confirm that revelation within myself. I open my eyes again and see the man that I love staring back at me. "Nothing is there. I love you and only you."

As if he felt the need to confirm this, his lips collide with mine in a passionate kiss that blows my worries and thoughts away like embers in the wind. We hold onto each other like we could slip away forever if we let go. He says everything to me with that kiss. It tells me that I am his and that I hold his heart in my hands. I will not take such an enormous responsibility lightly. I kiss him back with just as much passion and when we break away the worry and anger in his eyes is gone.

"Alec and Willow kissing in a tree..." Connor chides in his best singsong voice. We both turn our heads to see him and Claire walking down the hall towards us. Candy is on their heels. She looks every bit of the uncomfortable third wheel.

"Um, I think you meant sitting in a tree." Alec playfully punches Connor on the shoulder.

"You two were not just sitting." Connor laughs then makes his move, trying to put him in a headlock. Alec blocks him and the games begin.

I roll my eyes and turn my attention towards the girls as the boys do that weird wrestling thing that guys do. "Awkward." I joke.

"I guess for guys a simple hug doesn't do." Claire laughs.

We laugh for a second and then I turn my attention to Candy. "So, how are you doing?" I ask her seriously. She stands a step behind Claire and looks like she wants to melt into the background. I can't believe how much the tables have turned. I actually feel bad for this girl who bullied us for three straight months.

She looks up at me with her baby blue eyes. "Fine."

I stare at her for a moment and then let her unspoken emotions sink in. I can feel the anxiety, sadness and homesickness that she feels. Pushed away in a far corner is a mix of anticipation and determination that might just get her through all of this.

"Please don't do that." Candy tells me firmly.

I cock my head to the side, surprised by her statement. "What do you mean?"

"I can sense you reading my emotions." She tells me.

"Oh, and your eyes are like...black." Claire says in wonderment while moving a step closer to get a better look. "That's pretty cool how quick they just changed. It was like neon yellow and then slowly the black came on like an eclipse."

I instinctively reach my hand up towards my eyes. Then I tell Candy, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't like the invasion of privacy though." She tells me. Her voice lacks passion and she seems a bit beat down.

"I'll work on that." I twiddle my thumbs a little lost for words. "If you ever want to talk or something... Um, you know." I look up and her eyes are locked on mine. I say a little more sure of myself, "Claire and I are here. We are pretty good listeners."

"Yes, anytime." Claire agrees.

Candy looks to each of us and her eyes soften a bit. "Thank you. I know, I've been a total queen B to you two and I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven." I tell her sincerely.

"Yes." Claire confirms.

"Thank you." Her lips turn up slightly into the closest thing to a genuine smile that I've seen from her in a while. She turns her attention to the guys who are coming up behind us.

"Group hug?" Connor comes at us with his arms open wide.

"You are such a goober!" Claire punches at him and he kisses her on the cheek. This earns a laugh from the rest of us. Candy even lets off a little chuckle. Surprisingly, it doesn't sound anything like her famous hyena laugh, for which I'm grateful.

"So, is it dinner time?" Connor asks.

"Probably. Let's go check." I grab Alec's hand in mine and lead everyone back in the direction of the cafeteria.

We sit with my family during dinner. Once again, Tony is a no show. I do my best not to think about it though. We talk as we eat. Candy sits next to Sabby and dotes over him. I think he's going to be good for her. Slowly but surely, I see some of her fragile state disappear. Nobody is impervious to my baby brother's charms.

My mom does a great job of involving Candy in the conversations too. She takes care of everyone like they are her own. My mom totally rocks.

We all laugh and make fun of Connor because he gets a talking to for trying to get seconds of food before everyone has gotten their fair share. He sulks for a bit and then we move on to more interesting topics of conversation.

Apparently, two gathering groups have been sent out to search for supplies in the area and they should be back by midday tomorrow. My mom explains about how they go out on missions to search nearby neighborhoods and stores for supplies and food rations that can be useful. On a side note, she tells me that Tony joined one of the groups.

Another bonfire party is scheduled for tomorrow night after they return. It's a tradition to celebrate when a mission is successful.

They didn't hold a celebration for us when we returned out of respect for the two soldiers who lost their lives.

After dinner, we lounge about for a while more, talking about this and that. My mom introduces my friends to the soldiers that they will be training with tomorrow. The trainers just happen to be the fantastic four. One for each: Alec, Connor, Claire and Candy. My mom tells us that she will be personally training my dad. That should be interesting.

Since Tony won't be around to train me, I get to tag along and join in wherever I want. Everyone is set for a six-hour training session tomorrow which starts immediately after breakfast. Connor seems the most excited about the training, which doesn't surprise me at all. Every so often he'll do a random ninja move to show his enthusiasm.

When the vicious cycle of yawning overtakes our group, we head off to our respective rooms. Claire and I talk for a few minutes about the boys before we fall asleep. I tell her about the situation with Tony and Alec. She eyes me warily and warns me to be careful because it sounds like Tony might have a thing for me. I brush the comment off but it doesn't really leave me. No, it weighs heavily on my conscience. I lie in bed quietly and listen to the sounds of Claire nodding off. I guess it's going to be one of those tossing and turning kind of nights.

A thunderous knock on the door pulls me abruptly from my sleep. I hop out of bed to answer the incessant knocking. Claire groans as I open the door and the light from a lantern filters in. The lady that I healed with the burn a few days ago is standing there looking scared out of her wits.

"Willow, we need your help. He's hurt!" She grabs my hand and doesn't wait for me to answer her. She pulls me out the door and down the hall.

Claire jumps out of bed and comes after me but I tell her to go back to the room.

I let the woman lead me without question, down a few flights of stairs and towards a room at the far end of the hotel.

"You need to help him!" She tells me in a panic as we enter the room. A group of people that I recognize as part of the search party that helped me, is standing around a bed. They part when they see me, allowing me to view the 'him' she was talking about.

I gasp and my heart starts doing flips as I look onto Tony's crumpled, beat up body lying on the bed. His eyes are closed and I have no idea if he's even breathing. I run to his side as tears flow from my eyes. "What happened?" I demand franticly.

"He was leading our group when some Reapers ambushed us. We weren't prepared and didn't have our weapons armed. He took two on by himself as we fended off the other three of them. He killed the first one good, but then the other one jumped him and they took a tumble down a steep drop. We got to him as quick as we could. The other Reaper broke his neck during the fall. Tony, he didn't make out so well either." A man says. "We brought him back as quick as we could, but he's been like this for more than two hours. The trip was long."

I don't take my eyes off Tony while the guy tells me the story. Two hours! That's forever when you are injured this badly. Tony looks so still and even up close I can't tell if he's breathing. Cuts and contusions are all over his body. One of his arms is broken and positioned unnaturally. His clothes are torn and covered in blood, dirt and other debris from the fall. I place my head to his heart, just to confirm that it's still beating. I can feel it but it's weak if anything. I'm not sure what a weak heartbeat means, but I do know it means he's still alive.

I place my hands over his chest, not sure which part of him to focus on since he's beat up all over. I close my eyes and focus everything on healing him. My heart is racing so fast as my mind wanders a million miles an hour with worry.

I open my eyes and a sick feeling swells inside me. He doesn't look like he's getting any better. I'm not helping him! I turn and catch the reflection of my eyes in a mirror on the wall. They are swollen with tears but they are the right color of navy blue. Why is this not working?

Panic starts to overcome me and I take deep breaths, not removing my hands from Tony's chest. I focus on steadying my heartbeat remembering that my abilities don't work as well when I'm panicked. Closing my eyes once again, I focus with all of my strength on healing him. Slowly I feel his chest warm under my hands. When he starts to breathe in and out I open my eyes.

His yellow eyes flutter open slightly and he stares back at me as I continue to focus my healing powers on him. I watch as his cuts close up and his bruises fade away on his face. The light returns to his eyes and warmth returns to his cheeks.

I wait until his heartbeat is strong underneath my hands before I finally let go. And when I do, I crumple beside him on the bed.

# CHAPTER 12

### The 'L' Word

When I wake up it's still dark outside and candlelight makes the room glow softly. My eyes flutter open slowly and my body feels numb, my muscles weak. Remembering what it felt like when I healed my mom after she was close to death gets my heart pumping. Memories of Tony's nearly lifeless body lying on that bed flood back to me. I open my mouth to call out but my throat is parched.

Alec moves to my side quickly and places a glass of water to my lips. I lift my hands up to grab it but my muscles are too weak. Allowing him to help me, I gulp it down like it was the last drop of water on earth. When I'm done, he sets it on the bedside table and then he helps me sit up.

Before I am fully positioned, he pulls me into his arms. "You scared the crap out of me. I didn't know if you were going to wake up!"

"I'm okay." I croak out, my vocal chords not fully up to speed yet. "Tony?" Alec moves away just a little bit.

"Yes." Tony comes into view behind Alec. His face is masked with concern and a bit of envy. Feeling his emotions, he is wishing he were the one holding me right now. "Thank you Willow..." He wants to say more but can't think of what to say.

"It's okay." I can't say more than a few words since my throat still feels like sandpaper. Tony and I stare at each other speaking unspoken words with our eyes.

Claire interrupts, "I'm so glad you are okay Willow! I saw what you did, that was freaking amazing!"

I guess Claire didn't follow my directions about staying behind. I try to smile but even my facial muscles are hard to move.

"You should let her rest a little more." My mom comes into view. Alec moves away from my side, allowing my mom to take a seat next to me. A proud gleam is in her eyes. "Like Claire said, you are freaking amazing." She smiles and brushes the hair back from my face. "I am so proud of you." She tells me.

"Thanks." I whisper. My eyes feel heavy and I struggle to keep them open.

"You get some rest. We will be here when you wake up, don't worry." My mom tells me. She moves off the bed.

Alec comes back to my side and kisses my forehead. "I will be right here." He tells me, squeezing my hand. Then he goes and takes a seat near the window.

Tony comes to my side next. I notice his hands clenched at his side. He's doing his best to keep them to himself. "Thank you." His voice is full with emotion.

"You're welcome." I say sincerely then I allow my eyes to shut again.

This time when I awake, my eyes open easier. The sun is streaming in through the windows. Alec is lying on his back next to me in the bed. I look around the room and see that we're alone. I move my arms and realize that my muscles feel stronger this time.

Alec sits up realizing that I'm awake, he hops out of bed and grabs the water for me again.

I sit up on my own and take a drink. "How long was I out this time?" I ask him, my voice back to normal.

"Only a few hours." He smiles at me.

"Wow, I feel completely better."

He nods his head. "I don't know why I hadn't thought about it before babe, it's just your mom told me that you would be fine. I should have done it earlier. Then when Tony recommended it, I felt like a complete idiot."

I crinkle my eyebrows, not sure what he's getting at.

"I used my healing on you." He pushes some stray hair behind my right ear.

"Oh." I grab his hand in mine. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner. I was just so worried. I hate seeing you like that. It reminds me of when you fell back in the tunnels a few months ago. That helpless feeling is horrible!" He leans in and rests his forehead on mine.

I know very well what he means. Seeing Tony like that last night was almost excruciating. "I know. I'm sorry."

He moves back and turns serious. "No, don't be sorry. You did what you felt like you needed to do."

I nod my head. "Yes, I couldn't just leave him like that."

"I know babe. I wouldn't expect that someone with as good of a heart as you could." His hand cups my cheeks. "I still don't like him though...at all."

I laugh uncomfortably. "I wish you two would give each other a chance. You might find that you aren't that different from one another."

"Yeah, we both have the hot's for my girlfriend." Alec gives me a funny look that's mixed with jealousy.

"Nuh-uh!" I push at his arm softly, but it's hard to mask the blush that I'm sure, rises to my cheeks.

"It's true Willow." His expression softens. "I can't blame him though. You are an amazing girl."

I raise my eyebrow at him, feeling a little uncomfortable with this conversation.

He qualifies quickly, "I mean, I'm not cool with it but still, if you want me to try to get along with him, I will." He gives me a quick kiss on the lips. "But I won't put up with him trying to pull any moves on you."

I laugh. "I think you are seeing things that aren't really there." Although, deep inside, I know he's right. "Thank you for being willing to try."

"I will do anything for you." He tells me.

The door to the room opens and my dad walks in. "I see you got the winning shift huh Alec?" He smiles at me. "I didn't expect you to be up so soon."

"Yep, someone helped speed up the healing process." I squeeze Alec's hand.

"Good. I'm glad you are okay baby. I didn't like seeing you like that." My dad comes to my other side.

"I know." I tell him.

"I am proud of you though." He pats my hand.

"Thanks dad." I give him a hug.

He turns his attention towards Alec. "Alice wants to make sure you get to go to at least half of your training today. The Reapers are stepping up their attacks and everyone needs to be prepared."

"I shouldn't leave." Alec looks at me.

I shake my head. "You should go to training." He doesn't look like he's going to budge so I tell him. "I'm feeling nearly one hundred percent better. How about I come watch you?"

That was the magic phrase. "Okay, as long as you feel up to it."

"She's a big girl Alec, you don't need to coddle her. She will be just fine." My dad says.

Both Alec and I turn to him, surprised he would speak that frankly. I can't help but laugh a little which helps diffuse the situation.

I take a moment to freshen up before we head out. I look in the mirror before jumping into the cold shower. Blood from Tony is still on my shirt. I take it off and throw it in the hamper then jump under the water. I'm getting used to the cold water. It wakes me up and leaves me feeling refreshed.

I come out of the shower and find a new pair of clothes and a towel waiting for me on the counter. I'm guessing my dad left them there seeing as how I know he wouldn't let Alec near the door. Not that Alec would take advantage of any kind of situation like that anyways.

Both of them are waiting for me when I come out ten minutes later. Without any words, we head out of the room and down to the training area.

The training room is filled with a lot more action than usual. All of my friends are practicing with their trainers. I watch Alec join in. While I don't do anything more than watch, the afternoon passes by nicely. I find myself thoroughly entertained watching my friends learn to kick butt. The best part was watching my mom teach my dad a few things.

When we wash up and go to dinner we find that the second team returned without incident. New food and supplies are stacked in the corner of the dining hall. Everyone is talking excitedly about the bonfire tonight.

Instead of eating with my parents I take a seat next to my friends, sans Tony. I spot him across the room eating with some of the other soldiers in his unit. Taking a deep breath, I excuse myself from the table and walk over to where he is. Before I get there one of his friends sees me and nudges him playfully with an elbow to his side.

I pick up on the anxiety that flutters through him as I approach, but I do my best to push the emotions away. "Hey, Tony."

"Hey," he repeats.

"Um, I was just wondering," I bite my lip hoping I don't sound stupid. "I was just wondering if you'd like to come sit with us, I mean, with my friends and me?" I try and give him a small smile of encouragement.

Tony shrugs his shoulders and grabs his food. "Sure, I can do that."

"Cool," I say. Turning around I lead the way back to where my friends sit.

When I get back to our table Alec gets up and pulls out my chair for me. I wonder if that's yet another way of marking his 'territory.'

Alec has a seat to my right and Tony finds a seat to my left. Not awkward, not at all...

"So Tony," I say breaking the pin dropping silence at the table. "Why don't you tell these 'newbies' about the bonfire tonight."

He takes a bite of his potatoes and nods his head. "Well," he begins. "Do you want me to tell them about the animal sacrifices or about painting ourselves with animal dung?"

Candy makes this horrid screeching sound with her voice as a piece of her food lodges in her throat. She coughs and sputters till it flies out and lands on her plate.

I playfully punch Tony's arm. "Nice Tony, real nice."

Tony gives me a look like, 'what did I do?'

"None of that is going to happen Candy, promise. The bonfires are a really special time for everyone to unwind. It's a time to celebrate and a time to relax. That's it. There's music, dancing and smores. Need I say more?"

Candy still looks suspicious but starts eating again after putting the regurgitated food in her napkin.

"I like this one," I say holding the dress up to my body.

"No, that looks too...girly." Claire states. "It's not you at all." She digs through the pile and pulls out a light blue number that has offset shoulders. "Try this one," she says throwing it in my direction.

Candy's still sorting through the pile as my mom comes in the room. "Finding everything okay girls?" She asks in a sweet, motherly voice.

Candy picks up a sequined number and puts it up to her body. "Look what I found at the bottom of the pile...and it's pink!"

It's no wonder it was at the bottom of the pile. There's not really a use for sequined numbers around here. Plus, I don't think they have a senior prom here in the compound.

"It's...lovely," my mother says trying to find words. We all nod with fake enthusiasm and she runs to the bathroom to change.

"Alrighty then," I say holding up the dress Claire picked out for me. "Hey mom, what do you think of this? Too much?"

She gives me a smile. "I love the color, why don't you try it on so I can see what it looks like on you."

Candy comes out of the dressing area looking...well there really aren't words for how she looks. Tacky? No, that's not nice.

I smile against everything in me as she twirls around. "It's a nice color on you," I tell her, not sure of what else to say. If an eye blinding, sparkly dress makes her happy, then so be it. She deserves a dose of happy after what she gave up to leave the shelter.

"Thanks," she chirps.

I walk into the changing room and put the dress on. Claire was right; it is a really good fit. Almost too good. It definitely shows off my curves in a not-so-teenage way.

I walk out expecting my mother to order me to turn right around and take it off. Instead she puts her hands to her cheeks and says, "Oh, Willow! You look stunning!" Then she comes over to me messing with the sleeves, turning me around and looking at me from different angles. "I'm not sure if your father would agree, but you are sixteen now. I think it makes you look beautiful."

I try hard not to blush as Claire takes a dress she picked out into the dressing room. Candy is still standing in front of a full length mirror turning 'round and 'round, checking herself out from every possible angle. Every once in a while the diminishing sunlight that's trickling in from the windows hits it just right that I have to turn my face away in order to avoid being blinded. I feel like I'm having to dodge deadly laser blasts. My mom has to dodge the elusive sparkle beams too. We both do our best to stifle our laughs.

My mother bends down and opens a small satchel she brought. She opens it up and pours out a few bits of makeup on a small table. "I thought you girls would like a few finishing touches. I know it's just a bonfire, but it's fun to get dressed up sometimes."

Candy comes running over. "Lip gloss!" She squeals in delight.

Claire finally comes out of the dressing area in a full-length lavender cotton dress. She looks stunning, especially with her matching eyes. My mother catches sight of her and begins the same doting process she did on me, with Claire. I'm so grateful. I know Claire, deep inside, is doing cartwheels now that she has a mother figure.

My mom stays with us a while longer making sure each of us look our best. She is beamingly happy too and I can tell she loves this. Candy and Claire head down, leaving us alone.

She applies a fresh coat of lip-gloss to my lips. "Willow, I just want you to know how proud I am of you." She says. "And, that I think you picked a winner. Alec, he's one of a kind. Believe me when I tell you, they are hard to come by. Take your father for example." Okay, that might be awkward, considering he's my dad and all, but it's not. She continues. "Just know, I want you safe and I really want you to make the right choices."

Oh boy, I see where this is going. As much as I love my mom, 'the talk' is never pleasant.

"Mom," I say interrupting her. "You don't have to worry about a thing. Alec is a gentleman, true to the word. He's never pushed me to do something I don't want to do. And I know he never would. Plus, I'm not ready for that. I know it's old school, but I want to be like my parents and wait." There, that's about as much as I feel comfortable sharing.

My mother accepts this thankfully and gives me a small smile with a nod of her head. She places her hands on my shoulders and looks deeply in my eyes. "Baby, I love you so much. You are becoming such an amazing young woman. I am honored to be your mother." Her words strike a chord in me making my eyes tear up in response. "Now, now. Don't you go crying on me. You don't want to mess up my masterpiece!" She exclaims. I give a little giggle and she wraps me up in a hug. "Now, you go join your friends out there and have a good time tonight."

I tell her I will and then head out.

Back in my room I find Claire fastening her shoes on. My mother left us both a pair of dressier shoes in our room earlier tonight. She insisted that we couldn't wear tennis shoes with our dresses this evening. She left me a pair of ballet flats, which work perfectly. I'm not one for heels of any kind. They make my feet hurt.

"Claire, you look beautiful," I gloat. "Connor isn't going to know what to do with himself!"

Claire turns about fifty shades of red. "You do too, Willow. I can't wait to see the guys' faces when they see us."

We squeal like schoolgirls as Candy barges into the room. I think my chin drops to the floor as I take in her six-inch stilettoes and sequined dress. I'm completely speechless and at a total loss for words.

"What, you don't like?" She asks me.

I stammer for a few seconds and thankfully Claire steps in for me. "You look wonderful. Everyone will have eyes on you tonight." She says. Boy is she ever right!

The three of us finish up and walk towards the stairs. At the top of the stairs I spot Alec and Alec spots me. He looks amazing. He's wearing a pair of black slacks and a black polo shirt that hugs him tightly, showing off the curves of his muscles. His short black hair is combed just right where it doesn't look perfect, but it doesn't look like he just rolled out of bed either. His navy blue eyes widen and his mouth drops slightly. "Beautiful." He says a little breathlessly. Blushing, I take his hand.

I can't tell you how many times I've dreamt of this moment. Since I was a little girl I dreamed of going to a dance when I was older and having my prince charming pick me up. I always wanted to be dressed to the nines and descend down a staircase. Every time it happened in a movie I would swoon at the way the guy looked captivatedly in love as the girl walked gracefully down the stairs. Because of the virus I never knew if it would be able to happen or not. I guess the big guy upstairs saw to it that I got my wish.

Claire and Candy are already at the bottom and soon I'm alone at the top of the stairs. I didn't realize Alec and I were staring at each other that long. I walk down easily in the ballet flats and come to a stop in front of Alec.

I try and take a million mental images of the way he's looking at me. With sheer love and respect. He gives his head a shake and says, "I'm going to do my darnedest not to beat up all the guys who can't take their eyes off you tonight."

I laugh a bit at that. It wasn't exactly what I expected him to say. "Well, I appreciate that." I respond with a large smile plastered to my face.

He leans in and whispers in my ear, "Now, what exactly is Candy supposed to be wearing?"

"It's supposed to be a representation of the setting sun. Or possibly, a sparkly vampire?" I joke.

"Hmm, nice." He says.

"Wowza!" Connor comes to a standstill behind us. He's wearing a similar outfit as Alec. His light brown hair is growing out and it looks disheveled but it fits his style. His eyes are bugged out and his jaw has dropped. By the way he's ogling her, I'm surprised he didn't whistle and holler 'va va voom.'

Claire's cheeks turn crimson. She runs her hand through her hair self-consciously, twirling it between her fingers. "Hi." She whispers.

Connor moves quickly to her side. "You look...hot."

She giggles. "Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself."

Connor leans in and kisses her sweetly.

Alec takes that as a cue to pull me into a quick lipstick smearing kiss then we all head out to the courtyard.

The party is going strong outside. The sun has fully set and the fire lights the courtyard up nicely. Kids are running around again, stealing marshmallows and popping them into their mouths. More people are dressed up tonight than during the first bonfire. I attribute that to the new items that were found during the most recent scavenging expedition.

I look around but don't see Tony anywhere. I don't know if I'm happy about that or not. Things are still a little awkward but I think we can work it out.

Alec grabs my hand, spins me around once and pulls me onto a makeshift dance floor. We dance to a slow song and I lay my head against his chest just like women do in movies. It's nice.

When the slow song turns into a fast one, we join up with our friends. I have a blast dancing and laughing at Connor and Alec trying to dance.

Candy found herself a dancing partner and is dancing with the cutest boy at the party. We all smile and laugh as Sebastian sways his hips from side to side and nods his head in unison. He's too cool for school!

When we are all thoroughly sweaty and our energy levels have dropped a few points, we head over to the refreshments table. Alec serves me a glass of punch and I hand him a skewer with a marshmallow attached to the end. We head over to the fire to make the tastiest smores ever.

Surprisingly, the flames reflecting off Candy's dress looks pretty cool. A beefy looking blonde who looks to be around seventeen, notices it too. I overhear him introduce himself as Jake. He flirts with Candy and I watch the come on from my peripheral vision. She giggles at one of his comments and unfortunately a little bit of that hyena laugh surfaces. I cringe, worried that he'll be deterred but he laughs too and accidentally snorts. Maybe there is a perfect match in the making here. He asks her to dance and I look over at her as she walks away. She mouths to me, 'He's hot.'

I nod my head, even though he's not really my type.

Once we are stuffed to the rim with sugar and chocolate, we go back to dancing. After a few songs, I excuse myself from our dancing circle that has grown larger with the addition of Jake. I tell Alec that I need to go to the restroom, but really I want to look for Tony. I haven't seen him all night and I want to make sure he's okay.

I walk around the party by myself for a few minutes, then give up and head to the restroom for real this time. On my way back I run into Tony. When I say, run into him, I mean I literally smack into him at the end of the hallway. I almost fall back, but he catches me just in time. He sets me upright and I smooth my dress down to keep it from riding up too high.

Tony's copper hair is combed back and shorter than the last time I saw him. He must have recently had it cut. He is wearing low cut jeans and a bright blue polo that makes his eyes look nuclear next to it.

He gives me the once over. The look in his eyes kicks the temperature up a few notches and I squirm in place. "You are earth shatteringly beautiful." He says to me.

His comment takes my breath away. My mouth drops slightly and I find myself at a loss for words.

At my reaction, he shakes his head like he's clearing the cobwebs. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He runs his hand through his copper hair.

I blink a few times then say, "It's okay. I mean, thank you."

He looks away. "Just stating the truth."

Ready to change the subject and lower the uncomfortable factor a notch, I say, "Are you not going to the party?"

He shakes his head. "Well, I was heading down there but I'm probably just going to go join a poker game I saw going on in the dining hall instead."

"Why?" I raise my eyebrow inquisitively.

He runs his hand through his hair again. I really wish he'd stop doing that, since it makes him look boyishly cute. I try to think of Tony as being a lot older than me, since he handles his demeanor that way. Most of the time he comes across as rigid and cold. It helps me to not think of other things, like how good he looks in those jeans. Or how his muscles stand out under his polo shirt. No, I don't want to think of those things around Tony. I want to think of him as my hard-core, drill sergeant trainer who just happens to be my friend. That's how I want to think of him.

He clears his throat. "I want our friendship to work Willow. I'm sifting through a lot of feelings that I can't help having. I don't think spending a night watching you dance around in that dress will be good for me. In fact, that will probably be the end of me."

I blush at his candid statement. "Okay." I twist a strand of hair in my fingers and look away awkwardly.

"Have fun." He says sincerely. Then he walks past me leaving me alone in the hallway.

I stand there for a few moments feeling stunned until I hear someone clear their throat.

I look up to find my mom. "Hey." I wonder if she saw all of that.

"Hey." She comes up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I nod my head. "Yes, why do you ask?" Hoping she won't confirm that she was a witness to the interaction between her right hand man and me.

She gives me a half smile and hugs me from the side. "You know I saw everything." She points to her eyes, "Mom vision." I look up at her embarrassed so she quickly continues. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. "Not really." I can't even wrap my head around everything, never less be able to talk about it.

Understanding sparks in her expression. "I understand sweety. Do you mind if I give you some advice?"

"No." I tell her. "I mean, yes, you can give me advice. You know..." I know I'm not making sense so I'm glad when she ignores my stammering.

"I think you need to take some time to really figure out who Willow Mosby is. You have two great guys who I can tell like you a lot. I also can see that you seem very torn when you are around Tony."

I look at her guiltily. I didn't know it was that obvious.

"I'm not going to tell you that's wrong baby. It's perfectly normal. Tony helped you when you needed him on the outside. Alec helped you when you needed him on the inside. Your feelings for the two of them are natural. You need to take the time to think about what you want."

My eyes tear up. "What are you saying? Do you think I should not be with Alec because I have these feelings?" I can't do that, I love Alec.

My mom shakes her head. "No, I'm not saying that at all. Alec is good for you. I'm just saying that I don't want you to beat yourself up over having a small spark with Tony. Of course, I'm also not saying that you should act on that spark by any means while you're with Alec. Over time though, you will get to know more about who you are as you come into your own. Eventually you will know exactly what you want. I know I did." She tells me.

I blink away the tears. "So there was another guy before dad?"

She laughs. "Of course honey. There were several other guys that I thought I loved. Your dad and I even broke up for a while back when we first started dating. We both saw other people in between but it was that time apart that confirmed that we were meant to be together." She clarifies quickly. "I'm still not saying to break up with Alec. I just don't want you to think you are a horrible person for having mixed feelings, that's all."

"Okay, thanks, I think." I feel a little confused by my mom's talk but deep down it does make me feel better. "I love you."

"I love you too baby." She gives me a hug, then we part ways and I head back to the bonfire.

I find Alec leaning against the wall with a drink in his left hand. He looks around the courtyard, taking in all the action going on. I walk over to him and put my arms around his sides.

"Did you get lost?" He asks me.

I shake my head. "No, I was talking with my mom in the hall." It's not a complete lie, but I don't feel like opening up a can of worms about Tony's and my conversation.

Alec doesn't ask me anymore he just holds me tight against him. I close my eyes and listen to the music playing joyfully in the background. With all the chaos that's going on around us I can't help but feel so right in this moment. Things may not be perfect, but with Alec, everything seems right. That's all I can ask for in times like these.

Alec and I find a spot by the fire and listen to several people tell stories of times past. A few of the older gentlemen tell us about life before the virus. Alec cradles me to him and I rest my head on his chest. The fire brings a comforting heat in the cool air of the night. I learn a lot about our history and ask a lot of questions.

After an hour or so Connor and Claire join us and then Candy comes over a bit later, winded by all the dancing she's doing. She claims she had to dance so long in order to burn off the calories from all the smores she ate.

Yeah right, I think to myself. I'm sure Jake had nothing to do with her wanting to dance so long.

After the party dwindles down, the guys escort us girls back to our rooms. I can't help but notice Jake go in for a kiss outside of Candy's door. I look away quickly to give them privacy. Inside, I'm happy for her. She can use a little encouragement out here.

I kiss Alec goodnight and head into my room. I take my few minutes of privacy, with Claire still outside to change out of my dress and throw on some cotton shorts and a tank top.

Claire comes in several minutes later practically glowing. "He told me he loves me!" She squeals and belly flops onto my bed.

"So, what did you say?" I ask in a calm voice that I'm putting on only to tease her.

Her eyes get big and she flips her hair back. She lowers her voice and talks like a guy. "I said that's cool, I like you a lot too."

I throw my head back laughing at her impression.

"I really said: Finally! Then I told him I've loved him for a long time now." She says with a wistful smile on her face.

I match her previous squeal and raise her a high five. "Oh my gosh that's big!" I know that Alec and I have been using the L word for a while, but Connor doesn't seem much like Mr. Commitment. So this kind of step is huge for him.

"I know! I mean I didn't think he would say it anytime soon. I have to admit that I've felt pretty green every time I hear you guys say it. I had to keep telling myself that Connor will tell me that he loves me when he's ready." She throws her head down into a pillow and screams into it excitedly while kicking her legs.

"I'm so happy for you Claire." I can't help but feel giddy too, with all of the excitement emanating from her.

She looks up at me, all sunshine and rainbows like. The girl sitting across from me with a giant smile plastered on her face is a complete reverse from the one I originally met. I'm so happy that she has found happiness.

"Thanks Willow!" She gives me a hug then goes to the bathroom to change.

I fall asleep almost instantly once we turn off the lantern. It's a nice peaceful sleep too, one without interruption or dreams.

# CHAPTER 13

### Visions

We train a lot over the next three days. My mom has stepped up everyone's training schedule and now we are working not only with our individual partners but also in group settings. I'm getting better at hand to hand combat. I'm not trying to gloat, but I'm a pretty rocking shot now with the pistol too. I don't hit the target perfectly each time but nearly every round hits it at least. That to me equals rock star shooter status.

Tony and I don't have too many awkward moments thankfully. I can see that he's doing his best to separate his feelings for me from our training. He still hasn't gotten to the point though that he volunteers to hang out with us in our free time. I don't bug him about it. Plus I'm sure he's busy doing whatever he usually did before I came around...whatever that is.

Having finished a long day of training, I head to my room to shower. I've been hearing about an impromptu meeting my mom is going to hold at dinner, but I'm not sure what it's about. Either way, I'm sure that everyone will appreciate it if I don't come drenched in sweat and smelling like teen spirit.

After a quick shower, I meet up with Alec and we head down to the dining hall. When we reach the entrance, we find that the tables have been put away and instead there are just rows and rows of chairs.

Alec and I scoot down a row and take a seat next to Connor and Claire. Even though Claire is sitting between us, I can hear Connor's stomach growl. Mine growls too.

"So, what does this mean about dinner?" Connor asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm not sure. This is the first meeting like this I've been to."

"Great." He complains.

My mom walks in and the room grows quiet. "Thank you all for coming here." My mom says in a strong voice. I notice Mr. Leroy standing to the side watching her. I haven't seen him in a few days. This hotel is pretty big though, so I guess that's not uncommon.

My mom continues. "We've gathered you all here to talk about plans for the future. We've sent out some scouts over the past two days and some of the reports we've received have been concerning. The Reapers seem to be furthering their mission to gain access to the shelters. There's been a lot of activity around the base of the mountain. We have reason to believe that they may have gotten their hands on some demolition devices. We don't know their plans for such things, but we believe they may be planning to rig some explosions. We can only assume that they think that these explosions will help them get inside. I'm sure that you understand what this means. We must make a decision now on how to proceed." The crowd starts mumbling.

Mr. Leroy takes a step forward to add. "This has given us leaders a lot to talk about. Unfortunately we have been unable to come to a unanimous decision on how to proceed. Therefore we've come to a fork in the road. Some of us want to move on and leave this area quickly. There are some deserted towns that we believe may be a good place to set up shop only a few days travel down the road." This sends the crowd into another roar.

Tony steps out from the background and makes a high pitch whistling noise that grabs the crowd's attention.

My mom steps forward again. "We have decided that we will give everyone the choice. You may leave with Lee tomorrow or you can stay with me and fight."

Hollering and chaos breaks out with that. My mom does her best to gain the attention of the crowd again. Tony tries the whistling again and that gives my mom a second to add, "You will need to make your personal decisions by tomorrow morning. Anyone wishing to leave will need to be ready at sunrise." Then the crowd dissolves again into its chaotic state.

Not sure what to do or what to think, we make our way out of the dining hall to find my mom. I run into Tony in the hall. Without discussing with Alec or my friends I raise my chin proudly and say, "I will fight with you."

Everyone agrees with me except for Candy. Jake has told her that he wants to leave so she's planning on joining him. Not because they are inseparable in such a short period of time, but because she doesn't want to go anywhere near the shelter again. She can't handle it.

Honestly, I've watched Candy try to train, so I think it's probably in her best interest as well as our own, that she not join us. We let her know that we understand and then part ways to follow Tony who is taking us to my mom.

Tony leads us to a room I hadn't seen before. When we enter, my mom is in there with my father and a few of my mom's other main soldiers. "I'm fighting with you." I demand the second I walk in. Alec, Connor and Claire stand quietly near the entry to the room as I walk to my mom's side.

My mom looks up from some maps that she was going over with my dad. Pride flashes on her face and then regret. She stands up and puts her hands on my shoulders. My dad joins her a second later. "I think you need to go with Mr. Leroy." She tells me.

"What? No!" I yell. "Absolutely not! I can fight!" I tell her. "I'm not bad at it either." I turn and look to Tony who looks like he already knew my mom would try to send me away. "Tell her Tony! Tell her that I can hold my own."

His expression softens. "You can definitely hold your own Willow."

My father interrupts him, helping him dodge the bullet. "We don't doubt that you can fight. Your gift is too precious and too dangerous to fall into the hands of a Reaper. You know this." He tells me.

I look at him and angry tears start to make their unwelcome way into my eyes. I blink rapidly, not wanting to seem weak. "Yes I know that and frankly, I'm sick of hearing it. I am capable. My gifts if anything give me an edge not a hindrance. I am not going to tuck tail and run away with Mr. Grumps-a-lot!"

"This isn't up for discussion. You will be leaving here tomorrow morning." My mom tells me.

"No, I can be useful!" I stomp my foot. I know it's not giving me maturity points, but who gives a crock! My family is on the brink of splitting apart, yet again.

"You will be useful Willow. We are asking you to take care of Sebastian." My dad tells me.

Sebastian? They are going to send him away too? I guess he can't very well fight, but still... Another revelation comes to me: "So you're fighting dad? They are going to let you? You have a gift too. You are just as much of a liability!"

My dad stands firm. "First, you need to watch your tone young lady. Second, I left your mom once, I will not leave her again."

I can't take any more of this, so I stomp away from my parents ignoring anything that anyone says to me. I push past my friends in an angry tirade. Fury and anger are about to reveal themselves and I don't want anyone around when they do, out of fear for what I might say.

I run up the stairs utilizing my full speed knowing good and well I will beat any of my friends. I lock my door and lean a chair against the handle for extra protection. I grab a pillow from my bed and rip it in half with one motion. Feathers come flying out of the pillow, coating the room in a snow like haze. I grab feathers out of the air trying to slap them down.

My anger is still pulsating through my veins as I grab the sheet off my bed and begin ripping it into shreds, screaming and crying in fury. I rip it into smaller and smaller pieces until there is nothing left to rip.

My energy is spent and I collapse on the floor. My mind is finally calming down and I take deep breathes as I feel my blood pressure return to a somewhat normal level. My face is stained with wet tears and my nose is running. I get up off the floor and go to the bathroom, turning on the sink to splash water on my face. I blow my nose a few times and focus some more on breathing.

Grabbing the sink with both hands, I look in the mirror and my heart stops as I view my reflection. Those are not my eyes, no! I look in horror at the image of myself that can't be real. No, I must be having a nightmare. My eyes are red, the color of a reapers. I don't know how long I stare. It could be a minute, an hour, a day...all I know is that I am in serious trouble.

Am I a Reaper now? I don't understand. Nothing in me feels different. I only let the rage overtake me, that's all. I can't be a Reaper. If anyone finds out about this I will be locked up or killed. I have to hide this secret at all costs. No one, not my family, not Alec, not any of my friends can know about this.

I place my back against the cabinet and slide to the floor. Cupping my head in my hands, I cry some more. Even when the tears stop coming I heave and choke on my sorrow, desperate to make it all go away.

I'm so scared because I don't know what any of this means. I don't know if I can handle being in charge of Sebastian. What if I lose my temper at him? I look around the room at the huge mess I've made. If I can do this to objects, who's to say I won't do it to people? When my anger was at its highest point it was like something else out of my power took over my body. Rage seeped from every pore of my skin until I took out the anger on any object in my path.

I run water over my face once more before going back in my room. Fists pound against the door calling my name. They don't sound mad, they sound worried. Lord knows how long I've been raging, they've probably heard my screams. I work with quick speed to brush all the aftermath of my frenzy under my bed. I use my speed ability to get it done even though I feel more than spent. By the time it's finished I'm out of breath.

I run to the bathroom and look at my eyes breathing a sigh of relief when they've changed to a nuclear yellow. I hurry to my door and remove the chair from under it. I unlock it and find six furious people staring back at me. I'm not sure what to do. I can't cry, I don't want to get mad, for the life of me I can't smile, so I just stand there not doing or saying anything. My eyes drop to the ground as I go to move past them. I'm not sure where I'm going but I can't stay here with judgmental stares.

Someone grabs my arm and whips me around. "Young lady, explain yourself." My dad says through clenched teeth.

"I have nothing to say. Apparently my entire future has already been decided for me."

You can see the anger and hurt that wells up in my dad's eyes. "For your information, your mother and I thought long and hard about how we can best keep you safe. It is for your own good that you are being sent away and not staying to fight. If you go, you will not only endanger yourself but everyone around you. Would you feel comfortable putting your family and friends at risk for your own personal gain?"

A horrible dose of pride that I didn't know I had, wells up inside of me not allowing me to really see or take in what my dad is saying. I grit my teeth trying to control my rage. I look at the floor completely unsure what color my eyes are. "I need some air." I don't wait for anyone to respond. I grab a lantern from the hallway and leave with my gaze to the ground the whole way.

Outside, the night air is crisp. I can feel that same small dose of chill in the air. I take several deep breaths trying to calm my brain. I have got to control these emotions that are bubbling within me. Anger, fear, anxiety and a whole lot more are overflowing in abundance. Don't let it control you. I tell myself.

When I hear the inevitable door open up from behind me I focus everything on going invisible. I step to the side and turn around to see Alec looking for me. I watch his worried expression as he darts this way and that way looking for me. Just seeing his concern strips away some of the layers of anger. I walk toward him and with every step I take it eases more and more. When I am next to him I let go of my invisibility.

"Willow!" He pulls me into his arms. My tears are spent so I just hold on keeping my head close to his chest.

"It's going to be okay Willow, everything is going to be okay." He soothes while brushing my hair over and over with his hand.

I tell myself I believe him. I know I'm lying, but I say it anyway. I know that my world, which only seemed right for a total of three days, is about to be turned upside down once again. I can feel it in my bones, my life will be different tomorrow. I hold onto Alec tighter and when I hear him grunt, I loosen my grip. "Sorry." I whisper into his chest.

"It's fine. I love you and I will never leave you." He tells me. "If you want to stay, I will stay. If you want to go, I will go. I will help you with Sebastian, I will do anything for you."

He lifts my head up to meet my eyes. My heart stops for a moment as I worry what he will see there. He looks into my eyes and then pulls me into a kiss. Relief pours out of me as I get caught up in the kiss. I pull him closer and kiss him harder, releasing all of my emotion on him. Allowing him to be an outlet for my roller coaster of feelings. When we part I feel the last layers of my anger wither away into nothingness.

"I love you." I tell him.

"I love you too." He says.

With that we walk back into the hotel. Not feeling like discussing anymore tonight, I allow Alec to walk me to my room. I know I should discuss more of this with my parents but I can't, not tonight. We will have to speak of it tomorrow.

When I close the door to my room, I'm surprised to see my bed fully made with new sheets and a new pillow. "Thank you." I tell Claire who is doing a horrible job of acting like she's sleeping.

She cracks one eye open and smiles. "Anytime." She waits till I get settled under the covers to continue. "I will stay with you Willow. If you don't want to go tomorrow, we will all stay with you. Connor, Alec and me are all with you till the end."

I peek at her from under the covers. "Thank you Claire."

"Do you know what you want to do?" She asks.

I shake my head. "No." I whisper.

"Maybe you will know in the morning." She says with a yawn. "Just remember, we got your back either way."

"Thanks." With that I turn over and flip off the lantern, which plunges the room into darkness. With all of the crying and emotions, I fall into a heavy deep sleep instantly.

# CHAPTER 14

### Nightmare

Red eyes, dozens of red eyes pile in through the doors of our hotel. Carrying weapons, they walk with a mission breaking into each room and taking everything from our people. They take until they are dry.

Screams erupt but are silenced within seconds as the Reapers do their dirty work. The hallways are a mess of people running this way and that, trying to find their way out of this nightmare. The sounds of weapons clashing and gunshots in the small narrow spaces, ring out. Blood is splattered about as a massacre begins.

I try to run but someone stops me. I turn around to look into the all too familiar eyes of the Reaper who has me in his clutches.

"Huhhh!" I shoot up from bed breathing in a deep ragged breath. My heart is accelerated at unnatural speeds. I look around the room, it's still dark out. I put my head between my legs and take several deep breaths trying to remove the dream from my memory. Finally my pulse slows and returns to a normal pace. I lie back down and pray that the memory of my dream will go away. The sick feeling it left in the pit of my stomach hasn't ceased. I close my eyes hoping that I won't see anything.

My door opens and I shoot up out of bed and am across the room in an instant ready to attack. My mom shoots to move around my dad to protect him from whatever move I'm about to make. I stop a foot away when I realize who it is. "Mom?"

"Honey, we don't have time. They are coming." My mom says.

The panic I did so well to stave off moments before comes back full throttle. "What do you mean?"

"Your dad saw them, they are coming now. We only have a few minutes to prepare."

"You need to get your friends and go. There will be people downstairs waiting. You have five minutes." My dad tells me.

"No! I can't leave." I tell them.

"We can't do this, not now Willow. You have to and they are coming now. We can't fight. Take your brother and get out of here. The Reapers will kill you." My mom begs me.

"I saw it." My dad says with ice cold fear in his voice.

I look at him and know he's not lying. "I saw it too."

"We need to go." Claire comes to my side and says with conviction.

"Okay, okay, but you two are coming with me." I tell my mom and dad.

My mom's eyes tear up and she lets out a sob. "I can't. I can't leave them, these people depend on me."

"No mom, you can't. We depend on you. I depend on you. I need you." I cry.

"I know." Her voice breaks. "I love you so much, I love my little boy so much. Can't you see it breaks my heart Willow to tell you that I can't go with you? I am their leader. I can't abandon my people." My mom crumbles against the door her head in her hands sobbing.

"I am staying with your mom. We don't have time to talk this out but you need to know that we love you. We trust you, that is why we are sending Sebastian with you." My dad steps in.

"I can't, I'm only sixteen dad!" I furiously bat away the tears.

"You are the strongest sixteen year old I know. You will have help, there are several others going right now. The teachers will help you with Sebastian." My dad tells me.

"I will help you too." Claire says.

"You will come find us right dad? You and mom will make it right? Did you see that happen?" I beg him.

My dad takes a shaky breath. "I don't know, I didn't see anything for certain. We will fight with all of our heart to beat this and to make it back to you. Hold strong and know that we love you." He pulls me into a fierce hug. My mom joins in.

"You must go." They tell me. With that said, none of us take the time to change. We run out the door and down the stairs. Sebastian is at the bottom, barely able to stay awake on his feet. A few of the teachers are standing with him along with a large group of over thirty children. Mr. Leroy is there also. So are Alec, Connor, Tony, Candy and Jake. My friends come to my side.

I watch as my parents tell Sebastian that they love him and that they will see him soon. The kids don't know what's happening and perhaps it's better that way.

"They are coming!" Someone yells from down the hallway. Like a herd of cattle we are ushered out of our pin and into the night.

"I love you!" I yell to my mom.

I turn to see Tony arguing with her heatedly as we are being pulled outside. Everyone is moving so quickly that they try to pull me away with them. I fight against the flow of people and when I look back I see that my friends are already far from me. Everyone except for Alec. He is standing there waiting for me with Sebastian in his arms.

I hear some screams from inside followed by gunfire. The group outside begins running quickly. Many people scoop the children up to move faster.

"Come on Willow!" Alec yells to me.

I look at him and at Sebastian, then back to my parents. I turn to Alec and shake my head.

"I'm not leaving you!" Alec tells me firmly.

I look at Sebastian in his arms, shivering and scared. I know my eyes are the tint of hazel when I say, "You will go now! You will take my brother to safety. Do not let him out of your arms until you two are safe."

Alec's eyes glaze a bit. Then he nods, turns and runs to join the group, with my little brother cupped safely in his arms.

With most of the group gone, I can hear Tony yell to my mom. "I won't leave you! I will fight by your side."

"My final order to you as your leader is to protect my daughter. You want to lay down your life for this cause? Then you protect my daughter with your own life. That is my final directive." My mom says authoritatively, glancing behind her back. She pulls a gun from her side and without turning around she yells, "Go now!" She runs into the building with my dad at her side.

Tony tries to argue but finally says, "Yes ma'am." He turns and our eyes lock. I look away seeing the hurt there. I know he wanted to stay and fight. He comes to my side and doesn't mutter a word. We begin walking quickly towards the tree line up ahead where the others went.

Something hits me from behind and I fall to the hard earth. The shocking pain radiates down my left shoulder blade. I look back to see a knife sticking in it. It seems so surreal to see a weapon protruding from my back. It takes a second for the pain to hit its fullest potential. I gasp against the pain as I hear Tony fighting someone behind me. I look back to see that two Reapers are on him and he's doing his best to fight them off.

Behind them I see some bodies lying lifeless on the ground. In the dark I have no idea who they are.

As I watch the fight, a Reaper turns to look at me. Anger begins burning through my veins. From the ground where I lay, I watch as Chris walks towards me. Just like in the vision I had. His red eyes and cold hard stare tell me that he's even more far gone than he was when I broke his hand. Someone jumps him from behind before he can get to me.

Mike, one of the fantastic four, is on top of him with a knife aimed at his heart. Chris has a hold of his knife hand as he pushes it away from him. He turns it slowly with his own abnormal strength and plunges Mikes knife into his own chest. Then Chris knocks him off of him as Mike is gasping for breath. I watch in undiluted horror as Chris lays his palm on Mike's forehead and Mike's body shakes and trembles like he's having a seizure. From the short distance I can see Mike's eyes roll to the back of his head and then he's gone. Nothing left of the man that was nothing but nice to me.

Overwrought with a livid emotion that can't be contained, I personally pull the knife out of my own back. I feel the wound healing as I stand up. Tony is fighting off a new Reaper who has joined in on the fight. I see that the first Reaper is already lying dead at his feet. He doesn't see Chris approaching me, slowly and with a cocky stare. I'm on my own for this fight.

I clench my hands to my sides and allow the rage to overtake me. I breathe the shaky breaths of someone on the brink of losing control and when I look up, Chris is stopped and staring at me in horror.

He stutters and steps back. "I...I kkneww iit!"

I give him my nastiest smile as I move forward ready to tear him apart like he's nothing more than a pillow. He tries to fight me off but I'm much stronger than him. I use my ability to pass through objects and I walk right through his punch. He stumbles forward with his momentum that landed nowhere but rights himself immediately. He turns around quickly and I go invisible so he can't see me. He pulls the knife out of Mike's breathless chest and starts taking aimless swings with it. They don't come anywhere near me.

When I'm ready and the rage has hit its fullest point I let go of the invisibility and I knock the knife to the ground with a kick that Tony taught me. I punch him in the gut then tackle him to the ground. When he's on the forest floor, I keep punching at him. I focus all of my energy on making those punches count. He tries to fight me off, but I'm stronger than him. I pick up his head and bang it against the ground.

The anger is a swirling emotion now and it has consumed me. I hate this! I hate that my family is being torn from me. I hate that these things are trying to hurt the people I love. I hate that they kill! I hate, hate, hate them! I think each thought and with each thought I punch him harder. Then as his eyes grow weak I put my hand on his forehead like he did to Mike. "You want to know how it feels to be taken from? I will show you." My voice doesn't even sound like my own.

"Willow no!" Tony yells to me. I hesitate and the next moment Tony has me pulled up and away from Chris. His eyes catch mine and he's taken aback for a second but then he pulls me into an all out run. We run with all of our speed into the woods. He holds my hand and doesn't let go as we dodge fallen trees and get slapped with hanging limbs. We don't know where the others have gone, but we head in the general direction, knowing that we will catch up with them eventually.

We stop for a second to verify that we haven't been followed. Tony listens and all I can hear is our heavy breathing and the blood pumping in my ears. He turns back to me after he's sure nobody is around.

He stares at my eyes and then he lets go of my hand. I look away hurt. He's realizing what I am, what my eyes tell him. With his hand under my chin he moves my face to where I'm looking at him again.

I try to look away and he commands in a confident voice, "Heal me." He holds out his left arm that has a vicious cut across it.

"What?" I ask him yanking away from his hold. I don't know why he would want me near him at all, not when I'm like this. "You don't want me to touch you. What if..."

With yellow eyes full of certainty he tells me. "You are not a Reaper."

"How do you know?" I cry out. My chest is heavy with pain from what I just saw, who I left, what I am becoming.

"Because I know you. You could never be one of them. Plus, we just held hands for a mile. You didn't do anything to me." He looks so confident that I feel compelled to believe him. He puts his right hand up to my cheek then says. "So, heal me. You need to focus your mind on something good."

I look down at his arm that has the cut on it. I place my hand over it gingerly and channel my healing ability. I don't breathe again until I pull it away and see that his arm is completely healed. I slowly look back up into his eyes and we both let out a sigh of relief.

"Please don't tell anyone." I beg him. I have to blink away tears. This new part of me is so scary and shameful that I can't bear sharing it with the world.

"Never." He tells me and I believe him. Then he grabs my hand and we continue running.

We run until we reach the top of a small hill that allows us to see a panoramic of the area. I spot a small, almost insignificant light in the distance. I point it out to Tony. "There they are," I declare.

He grabs my hand once again and we run to catch up to the others. It doesn't take us long until we see their light through the branches of the trees. I instinctively let go of Tony's hand, hesitant to see what Alec would think.

I find Alec who's holding Sebastian in his arms. His little cheeks are tear-stained and he sniffles in his sleep. My heart nearly breaks in two. I swallow hard trying to keep the tears at bay. I rest my hand on Alec's and he turns towards me. Relief fills his eyes as he realizes I'm safe. With his free hand he reaches for me. He pulls me into a hug gripping me tightly.

I let one, and only one tear fall. I keep thinking this may be all Sebastian has for a family now. I never envisioned myself as a mother this young in life but I'm willing to do whatever has to be done to protect this little guy from harm.

I link my arm through Alec's and we walk in motion with the others. During our walk Alec's arms begin to get tired so I take Sebastian in mine. It takes me a few moments of coaxing because the compulsion is still telling Alec that he can't let go of Sebastian. I have to assure him that we are safe now and with that he relinquishes him.

Sabby's tiny head nestles in between my neck and shoulder perfectly and I feel his pudgy little hands holding on to my hair.

He whipsers, "Wello," in his sleep.

"It's okay little guy," I whisper back. "Everything's going to be okay." I rub his back feeling his body go limp as he falls back to sleep.

A few hours later we arrive at a large estate. The grass is quite a bit overgrown and the topiaries are undistinguishable. All of the windows are boarded up and locked. One of the adults in the group begins working on the front door. He uses some sort of saw and starts chipping away at the wood.

Alec and I take a seat on a porch swing. I'm still holding Sebastian as we begin a light sway. I rest my head on Alec's shoulder allowing myself a small reprieve from the stresses born of this night. Alec wraps his arm around my shoulders. Even if I am physically strong I truly believe that Alec is ten times stronger than I am on a mental level.

As we sway I spot Claire and Connor, each holding a small child in their arms. Candy and Jake are together on the steps watching the man with the saw jimmy the handle of the door.

Before long the door swings open. We all get up and shuffle inside. The children are exhausted as we all uncover the plastic furniture laying the children on any soft surface we can find. Some lead the children up the stairs to find beds.

All of the people ages sixteen and over are asked to meet back downstairs in the formal dining area once the children are put to bed. Alec and I find a nursery and uncover a small crib off in the corner. Alec removes the sheet and I place Sebastian on the tiny little mattress. He hasn't been in a crib for a few years but this makes him look smaller than four. I run my hand through his curls and kiss him softly on the cheek. When we're sure he's asleep we tip toe out of the room. I place my hand in Alec's and we walk down to the formal dining area.

We find Connor, Claire, Candy and Jake in the opposite corner talking amongst themselves. We make our way towards them.

One of the adults has a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. "My name is Chloe. If you'll all form a line so I can get all your names and information that would be great."

Alec and I take our place in the back of the line waiting our turn. We end up giving Chloe our names and tell her what gifts we possess. She takes a while to jot mine down, much longer than anyone else. I feel a little embarrassed as people stare at me with stunned expressions as I name one gift after another. I make darn sure not to put down my reaper gift...if you can even categorize it as such.

"I'm sure you all are extremely tired. It has been a long night. Thank you to everyone who helped get the children to safety," Chloe states. "I'm sure you all are wondering what the plan is and to be quite honest we don't really have one. The only orders I was given was to get the children to the safe house, which is here, and wait for further instructions." Chloe pauses looking around the room. "A few months ago some rations were brought here along with clean water in case this facility had to be used. They are in the large shed at the rear of the home. With as many people as we have, I'm not sure how long the rations are going to last so please, no wasting."

We all nod our heads in agreement. My stomach growls but I ignore it.

"Now, if you all will find a place to sleep near a child or two, we can all rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be another big day." Chloe is the first to leave. I walk across the room and bid my friends goodnight.

Tony is standing near the door watching me. I give Alec's hand a squeeze and ask him to give me a few minutes. He kisses me lightly on the cheek and leaves. I watch him walk out of the room and then turn towards Tony. Most of the others have gone now, only a few linger about.

Tony meets me halfway and gives me a small smile. "You were great tonight." He says.

I let out a small snort, not sure if he's being serious or not. "Sure, now that you know I'm part monster," I retort.

"Willow," Tony chastises. "You are not some kind of monster. You took on one of the monsters. You didn't lose your mind like a true reaper would. You used it for good! You can't be so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can with the cards you were dealt."

I let his words sink in. "Thank you, Tony." I tell him simply. "And thank you for protecting my secret. It means a lot to me."

He nods his head like a true soldier would.

"So, I guess I'll see you in the morning," I tell him.

"See you then," he replies.

We part ways and I make my way back to the nursery. Alec has made a small cot next to the crib.

I lay down on the pillow he placed for me and nestle into his arms. I'm so thankful for his rock in the storm attitude. It's easy to lose it in situations like this. I rest my head on his chest and he strokes my hair. I listen to his heartbeat slow down until I know he's fallen into a deep sleep.

I must wait for some time before I get up. It's just before dawn now as the moonlight is gone, replaced by a very dim morning glow. I carefully move out of Alec's arms. I take time before I go to study him like this. He's so peaceful right now, looking years younger.

I stand up and take a peek at Sebastian. "You'll be okay little guy," I whisper. "Take care of Alec for me." I give him a small kiss and watch as he rolls over.

Before we even left the compound I made the promise to myself that I would make sure my parents were okay. I knew no one would agree to it so I kept this information to myself. Deep down I know I may be the only one who can help them and I'm not going to let them down. I inch my way to the door making sure not to wake Alec or Sebastian. I tip toe down the stairs and out the front door.

There's a guard walking around the perimeter of the property and he almost sees me. I push my body against the house and thankfully he doesn't shine his light on me. I wait until he walks to the side of the house before I take off in a run. I run as fast as I can through the woods praying that I'm headed in the right direction. My memory seems to be spot on as I round the familiar places I saw just a few hours ago.

I stop at the top of the hill and take in my surroundings. The view makes it easier for me to plan my assent. After making a mental plan, I sit down on the ground and catch my breath.

My stomach is growling so strongly now, I can hear it over my heavy breathing. The sun is just starting to peek over the mountaintop. I place my hand down on the ground and get pricked by a plant. I put my finger in my mouth trying to soothe it when I see that I'm sitting next to a blackberry bush. Laughing at the irony, I take a few berries and pop them in my mouth. This is just the thing I needed. More fuel for the fire that is burning within me, keeping me going. After a few minutes the berries have stained my hands a deep purple. I try and wipe them on my pants, but to no avail.

I hear a rustling in the bushes behind me and immediately hunker down. My heart rate doubles as I listen for noises. The rustling happens again, closer this time. I'm about to attack when I hear my name. Completely dumbfounded I rise up off the ground and see Tony crouched down about twenty feet in front of me.

I look into his eyes, which look angry as heck, and know it would be useless to ask him what he's doing here. He's doing his job. I finally get it. Tony is like a loyal puppy. He's never going to stop coming to help me. Not when he's been told his only directive is to protect me.

I pick off a few berries and offer them to Tony. He comes over and his angry glare softens a touch as he accepts them. "Out of all places you stop, you come across a blackberry bush? Someone up there must be looking out for you."

I give him a small laugh. "I guess you're right,"

He shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair. The sun hits it in such a way that it shines like a penny. "What are you doing Willow?" He sounds exasperated.

"I am going back for them." I cross my hands over my chest and firm my stance. "I am going back for them and I will not allow you to stop me. I will not leave them."

We stare at each other for several seconds. The vision of Tony throwing me over his shoulder and taking me back to the safe house runs through my mind. Luckily that doesn't happen. Instead I see a strange sort of pride and relief display on his face. "If you are going to do what you want to do no matter what....And if I can't change your mind....Then we better get moving. We're wasting time."

I let out the breath I had been holding. It takes a lot to force myself not to say, 'really?' Instead I say, "Let's do this."

We both start moving again in the direction of the hotel. We stop every so often to listen to our surroundings. When we near the tree line that borders the hotel, we pause to survey the area. The land is completely silent, which is starkly different than when we left.

We move closer to get a look at the back door. A few bodies are lying cold on the ground, motionless. I don't know if they are ours or the Reapers.

When we are certain that there is nobody alive from as far as we can see, we begin moving silently towards the hotel. I grab ahold of Tony's hand and turn us invisible just in case. We walk through the open door and find more bodies in the hallway. I turn and heave, throwing up the blackberries I just ate. Tony rubs my back but remains alert as he tries to comfort me. The smell is over whelming, the coppery stench of blood permeates the air.

Knowing we need to get moving I tell myself that these people are just sleeping. We walk through the downstairs area, checking each room, looking for any sign of life. Dread fills me each time I see a new body and I pray that they are not my mom or dad.

We see a lot more lifeless red eyes than I imagined we would. It looks like our people held their own well. Feeling confident that there is nobody around that's alive, I let go of Tony's hand and we both become visible again. "I think we should split up, that would make our search quicker."

Tony shakes his head. "I don't like that idea."

"We need to get moving now! If my parents are here, if they are hurt, I can help them if I find them in time." I yell at him.

He considers it for a second then reaches into his back pocket. He hands me a pistol. "Use your powers and get out if anything happens. Keep this ready for backup. Your powers are more useful than any weapon, so be ready." He tells me.

"Okay, I will call to you if I find anything on the third floor." I tell him.

"Ditto." He confirms.

With that, we head up the first flight of stairs. Tony and I separate as he heads down the hallway and I go up another flight. There are fewer bodies up here. Most of the doors are either open or have been kicked in. I turn invisible for safe measures as I search room by room. I don't find my parents anywhere.

At least fifteen minutes has past when I head down the flight of stairs to find Tony again. He's been silent as of yet and the anxiety of being separated from the only other living thing in this building is starting to wear on me. I search the rooms looking for him and find him in one of the rooms on the far end of the hall.

"Tony?" I ask as I watch him hunched over.

"He-elp...Th-eemmm." A male voice croaks out. I hear one final labored breath and Tony's eyes turn to me. They are rimmed with tears. I can't see the person that he is hovering over and my heart bottoms out.

"Dad!" I cry as I run to Tony's side. I look down at the man Tony is kneeling next to expecting to see the lifeless eyes of my father. Guilt overruns me as the relief fills my veins. I know I have no right to feel such relief when another man has died, but I can't help feeling it. I let out a shaky breath then I put my hand on Tony's shoulder.

He rises slowly and turns to me. Seeing the pain in his eyes I pull him into my arms. He holds me tightly and his hands clench at the fabric on my shirt. I feel a few tears soak onto my shoulder before he pulls away.

"We have to go now." He tells me.

"Why? Did you know him?" I point to the man who is one of ours.

Tony nods, "Yes. He was a great fighter."

"If you had called me, I could have helped him." I say softly, not wanting to make him feel worse.

Tony shakes his head, "No, he was near death. We both knew it. Healing him would have taken everything out of you for a while. We need to get to the mountain."

"Why?" My heart starts to race and panic sets in. "My mom and dad? Are they there?"

He nods. "Yes, this attack was a decoy. That's why there weren't as many Reapers around as there could have been. Only a quarter of them attacked this place. The rest are at the mountain. Your mom thinks they found a way to get inside. Along with many other survivors, she went after them."

"Let's go!" We grab each other's hand and run out of the room and out of the hotel. Our energy is spent by the time we make it anywhere near the mountain. I can see the top of the peaks rising up from a mile away. That gives me the push to keep on going.

A loud explosion rings off nearby and the earth shakes. We run faster and another explosion sounds off. The earth rumbles with it and I lose my footing. Tony scoops me off the ground and we look around. Through the tree's I can see smoke rising up in the distance.

"What the heck was that?" I ask out of breath.

"Don't know!" Tony says looking in the distance. We start running again and another explosion sounds. I have no idea what is going on! It sounds as if a war is breaking out and my stomach twists in response. My parents are out there, not to mention the hundreds of innocent people outside and inside that shelter right now.

When we near the clearing we hear the chaos of screams, fighting and gunshots. We break out of the tree line and another explosion goes off. I lose balance again and go down, taking Tony with me. From the ground we both look up at the fiery red balls of flames coming from different points around the mountain. Thick charcoal smoke filters up to the sky. Fire seems to be everywhere, engulfing the area in a deadly orange glow.

The sound of hundreds of people screaming fills our ears as we watch them filter out of the shelter into the sunlight. The Reapers pillage and our people fight off as best they can. Chaos is everywhere. People run around crying and screaming and soon the entire clearing is filled to the brim with people fighting and trampling their way over others in their efforts to escape this nightmare. The ones coming out of the shelter have no idea what they've run into. They don't know who is bad and who is good. Some of them try to fight our people, with the yellow eyes, but they only get pushed away.

Tony helps me to my feet and I try to charge into the mess but he holds me back. "We need to look for them first, you can't see them out in the middle of that blood bath!" He tells me.

I search the crowd frantically looking for any sign of my mom and dad. There are too many people, which makes it impossible. The scene laid out in front of me is so intensely crazy that I can't even register everything that is happening. People run past us into the trees. We watch them with their faces filled with fear. Here and there, I can see the change of a person's eyes. Nobody understands the abilities and some go invisible, some run through others and some crumple to the floor holding their hands to their ears. Of all of the new gifts to have, hearing thoughts and feeling emotions has to be the most debilitating in this situation.

I know I need to find my parents but for the mean time, all I can do is try to help. I see a girl around twelve, fall to the ground a few feet from me. She balls into the fetal position and cups her hands over her ears. I run to her with lightning speed, scoop her up and deposit her a little ways into the forest where some others have gathered. Tony is at my side with a woman in a similar condition. He places her on the ground and we silently run back. We run back and forth helping people, who can't help themselves, to safety.

Returning to the clearing on my fifth trip I come across a Reaper kneeling over a young girl. The first thing I notice about the little girl is her red hair. "No!" I yell in a high pitch voice realizing that the little girl is Connor's sister, Lilly.

The Reaper put's his hand on the Lilly's head. "Stop!" I yell at him. Not waiting for a response, I pull the gun out of my back pocket, aim and shoot.

The Reaper falls down on top of her. I shove him off and work on picking Lilly up into my arms. She's passed out and fear for her overcomes me. I can't let anything happen to Connor's sister so I hold her tightly to me doing my best to protect her from the war around us. Tony comes to my side with another victim in his hands.

When we turn to take them to safety I see him standing in my path. Our eyes lock and his head cocks to the side. He eyes me with a cool, dangerous stare. I watch as the colors in his eyes twist and turn like a small tornado surrounding his pupils. My stomach clenches when a crimson red shadow overcomes the colored twisters, filling half of his eyes with the tint of blood. The shock of the sight nearly makes me drop Lilly.

Tony jumps in front of me in the next instant ready to attack him. His hands are empty, except for a gun.

"Hello Willow." The man says coldly, looking over Tony's shoulder, into my eyes.

The fear in my voice doesn't even sound like my own when I say, "Hello Zack."

* * *

To Be Continued....

# Exposing ELE
# CHAPTER 1

### Ambush

Chaos abounds all around us. Tony, my protector, stands before me in a defensive stance while Zack's sinister glare penetrates me to the core. To say that Zack and I don't get along is a bit of an understatement. He and his dad tried to turn me into a lab experiment after they attempted to kill my friends.

I shiver at the sight of his bizarrely formed eyes and I grip Lily, Connor's little sister, a bit tighter to my chest in response. Thankfully, she's still passed out and is completely unaware of the danger we are in.

For a few seconds no one moves or breathes; we just wait and watch to see if the other will make the first move. Even though I desperately want to, I don't dare break away from Zack's gaze. I watch in horror as the colors continue to swirl through half of his iris, while the outer half turns a crimson, blood red. He grins eerily and Tony raises his gun a little higher.

Suddenly a sound like a freight train breaks our staring match. We all turn in unison to watch a multitude of helicopters begin surrounding the area. Large black SUVs pull up around us on all sides, entrapping us like circus animals. I find myself stunned, in awe at the sight of working vehicles. It seems like forever since I've seen any type of running automotive, much less an aircraft.

Not wasting any time gawking, Tony yanks my hand and rushes Lily and me into the nearby brush while Zack is distracted. I watch as Zack turns around quickly and realizes we are gone. He looks royally pissed, but he starts moving in the direction of the SUV's.

The brush that we are hiding in is still a few hundred yards from the tree line and, truth be told, I don't think we could make it without someone spotting us for sure. Some of the others we've rescued, around fifteen in all, huddle around us, trying desperately to hide as well. We all try our best to find cover between the wispy blades of grass, but it seems futile.

Something bad is about to happen, I can feel it in my bones. The brush offers us little protection and I know that if I don't turn us invisible, and soon, our chances of being seen increase tenfold. I've never tried to mask this many people before, but I have no choice but to try. I look around and, unfortunately, I don't see any other purple eyes amongst us. Realizing that it's up to me, I have everyone that is with us place one of their hands on me. Tony holds my left hand and I hold Lily tight with my right arm. The poor thing still hasn't woken up, but that's probably best right about now. Tony links his fingers between mine. I don't have time to process how intimately he's holding my hand, so I concentrate on turning us invisible.

"Did it work?" I ask Tony, since I can still see us even if we are invisible. It's one of my other gifts.

He looks down at our hands and whispers, "Yes."

I fight back the feeling that I am being drained of power and energy, focusing instead on what is happening just twenty yards in front of us. The helicopters are hovering over the clearing and the trucks sit idle, apparently waiting for instruction. The masses of people are still one big blur of confusion.

I spot Zack and his father, Dr. Hastings, standing off to the side next to one of the SUVs. Dr. Hastings holds what looks to be some sort of remote control in his hand. Zack is holding his right hand high up in the air, watching for what looks to be a particular moment to release it. As soon as his arm comes down, all of the helicopters open up and ropes fall fluidly to the ground. Men in black uniforms begin rappelling out of the helicopters, making their way down to solid ground. Simultaneously, the SUV doors begin opening and swarms of men in the same black uniforms begin piling out of the vehicles, armed with automatic weapons.

I watch as Dr. Hastings pulls an antenna out of the remote control device and presses several buttons. At the same time, Zack pulls out a large pair of headphones and places them over his ears. Within a few seconds, to my dismay, all of the Reapers that had been fighting up until this point begin dropping to the ground, cupping their ears as a high pitch noise reverberates around the mountainside.

I must have cringed a bit because Tony instantly becomes worried. "Willow, what's wrong?"

With my hands full, I attempt to rub my ear against my shoulder, trying to get the sound to stop. "It's the noise," I tell him. "It's hurting my ears."

He looks at me in confusion. "What noise?"

I furrow my brow, trying to understand why I hear the noise and he doesn't. I look back out to the field and note that, indeed, only the Reapers are affected by the noise. Dr. Hastings's remote device must be omitting a sound that only a Reaper could hear. That has to be why Zack is sporting the headphones.

Everyone else has stopped fighting each other. They stumble about, confused, as the army of men circle in on them.

It only takes a few seconds for the peacefulness to reinstate itself back into chaos. The people that are in the clearing begin running away from the men holding the large ammunition guns. The 'soldiers' are indistinguishable, with black fabric covering every square inch of their body. The only thing you can see is their eyes that peer through small slits made in their masks.

When the first shots ring off, I instantly duck and cringe while hiding my face in Tony's chest. He puts his other hand around my lower back and holds me close. Everyone else seems to huddle closer to me in fear and I struggle to keep my powers going. My body starts feeling weak. I'm not sure if it's the fact I am sharing my power of invisibility with all of these people that is draining me or the fact that I can feel the fear permeating through their pores and into mine.

I look back up to find that the 'soldiers' are grabbing people and shooting them point blank with their weapons. My heart begins to race knowing my parents are out there somewhere. I can't for the life of me figure out how they'll escape.

With all the worry and anxiety that is flooding through my veins, and with the added stress of keeping this many people invisible, I begin to weaken more and more. I close my eyes and pray that my parents are going to be okay. As soon as I open them though, I see that my prayer has not been answered. To my horror, I watch as my parents struggle against two armed men who have them each in a chokehold. I watch as they point a smaller gun at their necks. Tony must see what I'm seeing because his hand covers my mouth the second I am about to let out a panicked scream.

I hear a gunshot – maybe it was two – and watch as my parents fall to the ground in a heap. Tears sting my eyes as I try to convince myself that this isn't happening. The urge to run to them is so great that I can barely contain it.

Tony glances over at me, his face red with fury, and asks me if I'm okay. I don't know how to respond so I don't; I just try to tell him with my eyes what my heart wants so badly to say. It wants to say that I am in utter disbelief; I just saw both of my parents shot point blank a few yards in front of me. All of this heartache, combined with the people around me who are draining my powers, makes me instantly weak. My head drops a few inches as I rest it on the top of Lily's head.

Tony asks me again in a more intense whisper, "Willow, are you okay? Answer me!"

My eyes begin closing against my will. Between the slits of my closing eyelids, I see a pair of men in black coming our way. I can't let go now. They will surely see us if I do.

"Willow," Tony whispers again, looking from me back to the men who are gaining on us.

"My...powers," is all I can manage to say. The men are only a few feet away now.

Suddenly, Tony lets go of my arm, turning visible. I want so badly to protest. I try to reach my hand out to grab him, but my arm doesn't move, it's too weak. He can't let go... he'll get himself killed!

Tony leans over me very briefly and says, "I can see your powers slipping. Please get these people to safety. I'm going to see if I can help your parents. God willing, I will see you again." He kisses the top of my head and runs towards the men. I try to say something to stop him, but I'm just not strong enough. He tackles the men to the ground effectively and manages to keep from getting shot. I begin hoping against hope that he can make it through this.

I use all the energy I have to keep the people around me safe, while Tony works to lure the other soldiers away from our hiding place. All I can do is watch helplessly as person after person is shot and falls to the ground. Tony reaches the area where my parents lie. He bends down and looks at them, then looks back in the direction where we hide. His expression seems perplexed and I wish I could hear what he's trying to tell me with that look.

Another soldier walks up behind Tony. I want to call out to him but it happens so fast. All too soon, I watch as Tony becomes the newest victim and falls slowly to the ground next to my parents.

A scream wells up inside my throat as I watch two of the 'soldiers' drag their lifeless bodies into the back of an SUV. No! Everything that I love is being ripped away from me. I want to move – I want to go after them – but I couldn't even if I had the energy to do so. The lives of fifteen other people depend on me.

About ten more minutes go by before all the victims and soldiers have been piled into the trucks. The doors securely close them inside. The helicopters lift away as the SUV's peel off down a dirt path, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in their wake. I feel myself falling though a dark tunnel, Tony's name whispered on my lips as I lose consciousness.

# CHAPTER 2

### Visions

Run! It's all I can think to do at a time like this. My mind can't comprehend why he would be chasing me or why he has murder in his eyes. I run behind an alley that lines a steel graveyard of refineries and old buildings. The sound of his feet hitting the pavement behind me propels me forward. My eyes must be glowing neon yellow with how hard I'm pushing this ability.

"Don't worry, Willow! I'm not going to hurt you." His breath doesn't even sound winded. I don't dare glance behind me, not even when he adds an evil, "much," to the end of that sentence a second later.

A few yards ahead, there is a fork in the road. I debate whether I should take it or stay on this straight path. At the last possible second I decide to go for it. I push the limits of my power, running so ridiculously fast that I can only imagine there's a smoke trail under my sneakers. I take the turn and the pit in my stomach bottoms out. Wrong freaking move!

He laughs from behind me as I come to a standstill in front of a brick wall. My hands meet it and grip into the grooves of the grout holding the bricks together. There was a time that his laugh would have comforted me. Not today. No, that laugh has an edge to it that tells me he no longer is in control of his actions. He's the marionette for a powerful puppet master. I should have killed that jerk when I had the chance! I turn around slowly with my head to the ground. I don't know if my heart can take seeing him.

"Please," I say, before I lift my head up to meet his glare. My breath catches as I take him in and my heart betrays me by perking up at the sight of him. So many emotions run through me and no words can express the way I feel. Something incomprehensible tells me that even if I die at his hand, I will not hate him. There is no such fortune for me to be able to hate the man who haunts my dreams and hunts me in the night. His copper hair shines under the moonlight and his eyes glow an eerie burgundy red, swirling together with hints of yellow. There is evil in those eyes. Not an internal evil, but one that has been forced upon him. I don't mean for my plea to come out in a throaty whisper, one that begs him to see me, but it does. I need him to see through everything that has been done to him, to us, and to break away from the one who pulls his strings. It comes out as I plead, "Please, Tony."

As if adrenaline has been pumped into my veins, I shoot up from the bed, gasping for air. I look around the room and expect to see him in front of me. I have no idea where I am. I push my fingers through my sweaty hair as my eyes try to focus in the minimal light. What was that? A dream? A premonition?

A door opens and candlelight filters in through its crack. "Willow?" The door opens wider and I watch Alec step into the room.

"Alec?" I blink a few times not sure what's going on. "Where am I?" I ask.

"You're in the new safe house; everything's going to be okay. We managed to get everyone here and situated while you were out. What you did back at the mountain took a great deal out of you, but you saved a lot of people. They are all calling you a hero." He steps closer to the bed. Something in his expression seems torn, but I'm not sure if it's just my imagination.

"Oh," is all I can think to say as I focus on withdrawing my memories from the far recesses of my mind. As if hitting me like a bullet, it all comes back to me. The mountain, the shooting, Zack and his dad, the soldiers, my parents and then Tony. The last two thoughts feel more like a landmine blew up in my heart than a bullet. Tony sacrificed himself for me, trying to save my parent's lives, even though they had already been lost.

"Are you feeling okay?" Alec asks me. I can see clearly now that there is a hesitancy about him that I can't quite explain. He seems hurt and conflicted. His hands keep clenching and unclenching as if he wants to reach out and touch me but he has to hold back. Something is definitely wrong.

I move my legs to the side of the bed, intending to stand up. I still feel weak so I lean back against the headboard. "Yes, I think so." I look up to Alec. "I need to find Tony and my parents," I tell him strongly. Even if they are all dead, I need to see them. It's as if I am trying to comprehend what happened at the mountain... it doesn't feel real.

Alec takes a step back; a hurt look overcomes his expression. "You were calling for him in your sleep you know."

I remember the dream I had right before waking up. It seemed so real. Those feelings I felt were vivid and unexplainable. I open my mouth but don't really know what to say. I try to divert his previous statement. "My parents. I think they're dead." The moment I say it aloud, it becomes a reality. I try to stifle a sob. "And Tony... I think he's dead too." I put my face in my hands, squeezing tight, trying to make the pain go away.

Alec comes to my side and crouches down beside me. "Willow, please stop crying and listen to me."

I can't for the life of me figure out why he is acting so blasé about the death of three people that I care so deeply about. He takes my chin in his hand and lifts my face so I can see him. I am instantly lost in his beautifully haunting, dark blue eyes, and a sense of peace moves over me. "They're not dead, Willow. The guns the 'soldiers' were carrying were loaded with special bullets that contained tranquilizers. It apparently knocks them out just long enough to get them transported to wherever they are going."

My heart begins hammering in my chest. My parents, Tony, they're alive? I think it to myself over and over again. It's as if grief and elation are fighting an internal battle inside me. I can't grasp my mind around it.

As if to reassure me that I heard him correctly Tony states, "Willow, Tony and your parents are alive. One of our soldiers who escaped came and told us what happened. He was able to tell us that, along with information about where they are keeping them locked up."

I take a moment to wrap my mind around everything Alec just said. I'm sure my mother and father are going to be okay, especially if they're together. For goodness sakes, my mother has been leading one of the largest militias around for the past several months. She can handle her own. Tony, however, I can't be sure. He's strong and smart but my heart is tugging at my feet to move and find him immediately. I have an uneasy feeling about his fate.

I voice this to Alec, "I need to find Tony."

Alec looks flustered the moment I say it aloud. "Look, Willow." Alec runs his hand through his hair.

Worried about what he's going to express, I cut him off, "He saved us! We can't leave him. I have to help him. And I have to help my parents too."

My words seem to wound Alec even more and that ricochets back onto me. I don't want to hurt Alec. Can't he just see that I have to help Tony and my parents? He seems to be at a loss for words, so I muster my strength and stand up. I start to walk past him towards the door. "I have to help them."

Alec grabs my arm and prevents me from reaching the door. I turn to face him.

"I have to go, Alec." I plead with him to understand. I have no idea how long I've been out, but I know that any amount of time is too long. I need to find the person who knows where they're being kept. God only knows what they're going through right now.

Alec's eyes heat with a fire I haven't seen before. "You have to go? Just like you had to go in the middle of the night? You left me with your little brother. You left without saying a word!" His hand on my arm seems to squeeze a little harder. "We have sent a search team to retrieve all of our people, Willow. There's no need for you to go on a suicide mission!"

I take a deep breath, knowing he's right to be upset. "I know, Alec. I'm sorry, I am. I feel like it's my responsibility to rescue them though. I felt like I had to do it back then too."

"You didn't trust me to tell me your plans or to have me go with you the first time. But you trusted him?" Alec spits out the last word. He looks royally pissed.

"It's not about trust!" I yank my arm free from his and tuck my hair behind my ears. "Look, I don't have time for this right now. I have to go."

"You don't have time for me?" he asks.

I huff, not sure what else to do. I have to mentally make myself not stomp my foot. "It's not that I don't have time for you. I have a duty to help them. Tony saved me and I at least owe him the same respect in return."

"Who are you trying to kid, Willow? It's more obvious than the nose on your face. You have more than a duty to help Tony! I see the way you look at him and the way he looks at you." His voice grows quiet as he takes a deep breath, holding my stare with his.

My face falls as the realization of what he's saying dawns on my heart. I want to say that I have no idea what he's talking about, but the turmoil I've been feeling around Tony, and the memories of my feelings in that dream, can't be denied. I look back up at Alec, torn, not sure what to say.

"Willow, I can't handle this. You obviously don't trust me enough to confide in me and..."

I cut him off. "I do trust you!" A helpless feeling settles in as I feel something starting to slip away that I so desperately want to hold onto.

"I honestly don't think you do, at least not completely. Look, you will always hold a special place in my heart, but I can't keep competing for a battle that's already won."

I furrow my brow at him. "What battle, Alec?" The frustration has my heart speeding up.

"The battle for your heart, Willow." The emotion in his eyes is like a kick to my gut.

My stomach drops. "What?" I reach out to grab his hand and he yanks it away from me. The hurt from that simple action stings like a bee and my eyes instinctively tear up. "I don't know what you're talking about, Alec."

"I think you do, Willow, you just haven't admitted it to yourself yet. Tell me that everything I'm saying or thinking is wrong. Tell me that I must be insane and losing my mind. Tell me that, please," he whispers as he looks away from me.

"I..." I don't know what to say. What can I say that wouldn't be a lie? I have no idea what I feel. I open my mouth but no more words come out. How can I sit here and not declare that he is so far from the truth? Why can't I just say two simple words? You're wrong. Those two words can stop what's about to happen from happening. Nothing comes to my lips though, and I dread what's coming next.

"See, you can't even deny it. I can't do this." His voice is choked with emotion.

I close my eyes in that moment and swallow hard. I drop my head again, unable to look him in the eye. A tear slips down my cheek as I realize what's about to come. "So, this is it?" I ask Alec. I look up at him and my emotions are threatening to burst like a dam that's too full of water.

Alec runs his fingers through his hair and then he looks into my eyes one last time before nodding in affirmation. He takes the three steps to the door, leaves, and closes it behind him without ever looking back.

I don't have it in me to think about what just occurred, but it only takes a few moments before the dam breaks and my eyes flood with tears. They spill down my cheeks and onto the bed. I hold my head in my hands, rocking back and forth. I feel so unattached from the world, like what I'm living right now isn't even real. I can't distinguish truth from reality. All that I ever knew has been ripped from me... it's as if this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I grab the pillow next to me and place it over my face. I sob into it loudly, hoping not to draw attention to myself, but also desperately trying to release these foreign emotions. I scream and sob into the pillow, desperate for some sort of relief.

I hear the door click back open and I peek over the pillow to see Claire standing in the doorway. She wastes no time in coming to my side. "Alec said you might need me." She wraps her arms around my middle and draws me close to her small frame. I cry on her shoulder as she strokes my hair. It reminds me of something my mother would do.

"It hurts," I tell her, as I clutch at my heart that feels as if it's breaking into a million sad little pieces.

"I know. It will be okay, I promise." She strokes my hair some more. "It will all be okay."

As my sobs turn into a softer cry, she places her hands on each of my arms and lifts me from her embrace. She wipes the tears from my cheeks and hands me a tissue. I gladly accept it and dab at my nose.

"I know you may not believe me now," Claire begins. "But this heartache you're experiencing will soon be but a memory... one that won't hurt near as bad as it currently does."

I'm tempted to ask her how she could possibly know that, when I remember what Claire's life has been like. She lost both of her parents very young in life. If anything, her loss is far worse than mine is.

I wrap my arms back around her, hoping that she isn't reliving the pain of her past for my expense. "Thank you," I whisper into her ear. I don't need to say anything more to her. I can tell she already knows how thankful I am to have her as a friend. She's always there in my time of need and goodness knows I will always be there for her.

"Why don't you go get washed up? You are probably starving!" Claire pats my leg.

I shake my head. "No, I need to find the soldier who knows where they are keeping my parents and Tony."

"Why?" She looks at me and then shakes her head in understanding. "Look, Willow. They already sent a team to save them. I know they will get them out. You can't go. Not by yourself."

"How long ago did they leave?" I wonder if I can catch up with them.

"This morning; that's over four hours ago. You can't catch up with them," she says as if answering my unasked question.

"Now look whose reading minds," I tell her. "Actually, I can catch up with them. I'm mighty fast. They're probably carrying heavy artillery. I won't be needing near as much as they do. Now, who's the guy I need to see?"

Claire looks down uncomfortably and fidgets with her nails. "I don't think I should say." CRAP! THAT'S A SUICIDE MISSION. ALEC WOULD BE PISSED IF I TOLD HER IT WAS THAT JOSH GUY. As if sensing my invasion, she darts her head up and meets my eyes. "How dare you!"

I cringe at her angry glare. "I'm sorry, Claire. I have to help them. I know you don't understand but I can't just sit around and wait to see if the rescue team accomplishes their mission. I have to go." I feel bad for betraying Claire's trust, but I have no other options right now. I stand up and catch my reflection in the mirror above the bed. My eyes are a dark green. This eye color corresponding to my abilities thing sucks. There's no way to be covert at all.

"Fine! Then I'm coming with you!" She stands up and throws her hands on her hips.

"Absolutely not." There is no way I'm going to let anything happen to any more of the people I love.

"This isn't up for discussion. I'm coming," she demands.

I focus on her eyes. "No. You are not coming. You are not going to tell anyone else that I know about Josh. You won't follow me or even remember that we had this conversation. Do you understand?"

Her eyes glaze over a bit as she nods her head. "I understand."

"Thank you." I take a deep breath. My heart is hammering out of my chest and bile is rising into my throat. I can't believe I'm doing this to my best friend. I once again feel as if I am left with no other choice. "I love you, Claire. I'm sorry," I tell her.

Her eyes focus again. "What are you sorry for, sweetie?"

I sigh. "Everything." She looks even more confused so I add, "I think I'll wash up before going down to eat. You don't have to wait for me though."

She hesitates but finally shrugs her shoulders. "Okay. I'll leave my light with you. This hotel is set up much like the other one. The dining hall is downstairs. I'll see you in a few."

"Okay." I pull her into a big hug and hold on firmly. It takes a lot to blink back the tears that invade my eyes. I let her go, she hands me her candle and then leaves the room.

I take a moment to wash my face. The hazel eyes of a girl who's becoming more and more like a stranger, stare back at me. The same hazel eyes that Zack has... I mean had.

I grab a new pair of jeans and a tank top from the dresser and change quickly. Then I head out in search of Josh. The hallways are deserted; probably because everyone is eating. I pass a room on my way to the dining hall and stop quickly. The door is slightly open, but from here, I can tell that it's the weapons room.

I slowly push back the door and my lantern illuminates the small, conference style room. I half expect to see Tony inside waiting for me. The crater in my chest throbs a little more. I'm not sure if it's caused by my worry over Tony and my parents, my betrayal of my best friend's trust or the fact that Alec and I just broke up.

I take a few deep breaths and focus on pushing away these emotions. This is no time to be weak. I look around the room and grab two small pistols, a knife, and some ammo. I stuff everything into a small backpack, and start walking towards the dining hall.

I stop along the way when I see an exit sign. I turn down the short hallway and look around before opening the door. I shiver. The night air outside is crisp and cool. I'm still amazed at how much the government failed in its plan to heat the Earth. I place my backpack outside to the right of the door, and then head back inside.

When I turn from the hallway, I bump into someone and lose my balance. He grabs my arm and steadies me. My heart beats double time as I look up at Alec. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Me too," he whispers back.

We stare at each other and, for a moment, I think about saying, I'm sorry, I love you, please forgive me. I don't though and it's awkward. The moment passes when Connor walks up. I turn my attention towards him.

"Hey, Willow! I'm so glad you're okay." He pulls me into a Connor-sized bear hug.

"Thanks, Connor." I smile up at him.

He looks over at Alec and then back at me. The awkwardness is evident. "So, how about that dinner? Chicken and dumplings. Yum!"

"Oh? I'm just heading there," I tell him.

"You better hurry. They are running low," Connor says.

"Yeah, after you ate like five servings!" I hadn't heard Claire approach. She playfully jabs at Connor's shoulder.

"I can't help it. I'm a growing boy." He leans down and gives her a quick kiss.

I look away and end up meeting Alec's gaze. My face heats up and I have to avert my eyes again.

"Well, I better go grab some food before more growing boys get at it," I try to joke but the smile doesn't come.

Claire gives me a sympathetic grin. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's fine. I'm just going to go grab a bite and then I may go to bed early. I'm feeling really tired." Argh! I freaking hate lying.

Alec moves a little and I can't help but look up at him. He's studying me like he doesn't believe me.

I decide this is the best time to make my exit. "Alright, I better go."

"Goodnight," Connor and Claire say.

I walk past them, making sure not to look at Alec. I don't get but two steps away before someone grabs my elbow.

He gently jerks me around to face him. "You aren't planning anything stupid, are you?" Alec studies my eyes.

I look down at his hand on my arm and the close proximity to him makes my insides stir. I'm so close that I could easily stand on my tiptoes and pull him into a kiss. I could make everything better. Why am I not doing it? I slowly shake my head. "No," I answer him.

He stares me down for a few more seconds and then he lets go of my arm; I turn and walk quickly away in the opposite direction. The butterflies that once fluttered free toss and turn in my stomach in utter confusion.

I'll be surprised if I still have any friends left after this. As soon as I get out of their eyesight I double back to look for the man with the intel. Before I round a corner, I hear a couple talking. I stop dead in my tracks, desperately trying not to draw attention. I can't help but listen to their banter while I wait for the coast to be clear.

"Clarissa, you know that I've had a thing for you for a while right?" The man's voice takes on a sultry tone. I cringe, hoping I'm not about to witness something embarrassing.

"I've kinda figured that out only recently," she says back to him while chewing loudly on a piece of gum. "I asked my friend if she knew who kept sending the flowers that never had a note attached. She said she was pretty sure she knew who it was but that she wouldn't tell me. I was so mad at her because I couldn't for the life of me figure it out."

I roll my eyes, hoping this playful badgering doesn't take up too much more of my time. I need to find Josh and get the heck out of dodge! I look up to the ceiling and see a mirror attached to the corner of the wall. No doubt it was put there so that people wouldn't run into each other when they rounded the sharp turn. I let my mind wander for a second. I bet it would be pretty funny if they put a camera behind it, I think to myself. The things it would see. I guess it wouldn't matter without electricity though. I squelch a small giggle from myself and focus on the two of them around the corner. From what I can tell from here, the guy is standing pretty close to the girl and he is twirling her hair in his fingers. She's blushing and looking at her shoes. Oh brother.

"So," Clarissa begins again. "I took my friend's locket and hid it in my room and told her she couldn't have it back until she spilled the beans on who sent the flowers."

"Uh-huh," he says, egging her on. "And what did she have to say?" Although by now, the answer is completely obvious.

"Well," she says with a giggle. "She said many unladylike things about my stealing the locket. Then she finally said: You silly...Josh sent them."

My mouth drops open, realizing that the Josh I need to talk may very well be standing on the other side of this hallway. How convenient! I quickly formulate a plan on how to interrupt this...whatever you call it, without making a scene. I back up a few paces and jiggle a door handle. I watch in the mirror as the two of them gain about an extra foot of distance between them. I walk heavy to make sure they know I'm coming around the corner. They stand casually next to each other as if it's just normal, everyday behavior.

"Oh, hey guys," I say, breaking the ice.

"Hey," they say back in unison.

"Josh right?" I ask, even though I already know. He nods his head but the girl looks at me like I'm trying to take her man. Down girl, I think to myself. "One of the soldiers said that he spoke with you at the meeting earlier about the reconnaissance mission, you know, where they're keeping the other soldiers locked up." I'm totally shooting in the dark here but hoping I hit a bull's eye. He doesn't stop me so I continue. "Sorry, I can't remember his name..." I leave the sentence hanging while snapping my fingers, hoping he'll fill in the blank.

"You mean Steve?" he fills in, looking annoyed.

Bingo! "Yes, Steve," I say with a little too much exuberance. "Steve wanted to see if you could draw up a simple map so he can show it to some of the others about where the location is that the prisoners are being held at." Yes, I know that this is probably going to end up badly, but I'm hoping that he just wants me out of his hair so he can get back to Clarissa. The fastest way for him to do that is to give me what I want.

He eyes me kind of funny for a moment but slowly pulls a pen out of his shirt pocket. "Steve said that?"

I nod my head in affirmation. "He told me to tell you that some of the details of the plan were lost to him. He was wondering if you could do this so it'll jar his memory." Josh shakes his head.

"Man, that old fart always forgets stuff. Why Alice put him in charge I'll never know."

I give him a small smile. "Yeah, he did seem a bit off, if you know what I mean," I say, to try to be more personal.

"Clarissa, do you have a piece of paper or something?" I know he asked her but I search through my pockets anyway and come up empty.

Lo and behold, she pulls out a business card sized piece of paper from her bra. Josh turns an unnatural shade of red and carefully takes the paper from her as if it's the most precious piece of paper in the world.

Ick, I think I just gagged! By the way they exchange shy, yet ogling, glances, I can only assume that the card must be one of the blank ones that he put on the flowers he sent her.

It takes him a few moments to roughly sketch a map of some sort onto the business card. He hands it to me and says, "Here you go." I can also catch the other thing he didn't have to say out loud, here's what you came for, now leave.

I smile and walk past them, thanking them for their time. I round another corner happy to be away from that sick love fest. I don't think I could have handled any more of that. The romance was palpable in the air... like you could cut it with a knife. I stick the card in my back pocket, noticing that it doesn't have any sort of direction or compass on it.

I think I can figure out a way to decipher the map though. I come back around to the exit sign, silently and stealthily slink out the door, and close it quietly behind me, making sure it latches. I pick up my bag and toss it over my shoulders. I stretch my arms above my head and look around, trying to gather my bearings.

I spot a fire escape ladder hanging from the side of the hotel. I unlatch it and flinch at the loud squeak it lets out. I hold it in midair, making sure that I'm still undetected. After a few seconds, I let the ladder down the rest of the way and set it quietly on the ground. I grab the metal sides and begin making my way up the numerous series of ladders, to the top of the roof. The wind whips across my face the higher I get up. Instead of the trepidation I thought I would feel at these heights, I feel rejuvenated and energized... like I'm on top of the world.

I reach the top of the ladder and carefully make my way onto the gravel-paved roof. There's a few old air conditioners and other machinery here I can't identify. I watch my step, making sure I don't trip. It's a little creepy that there's no railing, but I guess no one is really supposed to be up here in the first place.

I saunter over to the middle of the roof and set my backpack down. Scanning the horizon, I take a mental note of any particular landmarks that are around me. I pull out the piece of paper and hold it so the moon's reflection allows me to see what's written. Glancing this way and that, I try to match up what's drawn on the paper with what's out there. Then I see it, to the east, a small glow dotting the horizon. I'm not sure if it's where they took Tony and my parents but it's the only light that's illuminating the sky... besides the moon and stars that is. I point the piece of paper in that direction and sure enough, it's an exact match for where I need to go.

I glance back up and focus in on the small glow that's illuminated in the distance. It's strange to see what must be electricity being used. That definitely has Dr. Hastings written all over it. Who else would manage to find a way to turn the power on? Thoughts of government conspiracies pass through my mind. I wonder if they have any knowledge of what's going on here or if this is all at their discretion. I sure hope not, because if so, I may be headed into a battle I have no chance of winning.

I take a few more seconds to note what's between the place I'm headed and me; then I grab my things and head back down.

Once safely on the ground, I take a deep breath and start to run. I run as fast as my body will take me down an abandoned paved road. I figure if I stick to solid ground, that I could cover more distance than if I traveled in the trees. It does mean more risk of being seen, but I have to take that chance if I want to get to Tony and my parents as soon as possible.

For the longest time all I hear is the clap, clap of my shoes hitting the hard ground. I run against the wind and it gratefully pulls the hair away from my face. For a moment I feel like I am back in that dream I had only a few hours before... except this time I'm racing to save Tony instead of being hunted by him. The thought makes me shiver and I immediately relinquish it.

I run for what seems like hours, mentally checking off in my head the landmarks as I pass them. An old abandoned gas station, a rest stop, a tiny Wal-Mart, and then a fork in the road. I curve off to my left and come around a corner.

After a few more miles, I begin to see small slivers of light through the trees on my left. I take this as my cue to get off the road and into the woods. I slow my pace, scared that my speed may work faster than my brain. The last thing I need is to catapult myself into a tree and knock myself out.

I slow down to a jog and then to a steady walk. I want to try to rest my powers before I attempt to use them again. Goodness only knows what waits for me behind those trees. Hopefully, it's the place I need to go.

With no advanced warning, a hand wraps around my mouth and waist. I try to scream and struggle away but to no avail. Then a voice whispers in my ear, "Shhh, it's me...Tom."

It takes me a moment before my body registers that Tom isn't an enemy but an ally. In fact, he's part of the fab four my mother assigned to protect me early on when we went on smaller missions. When he feels my body go lax, he lets go of his death grip and turns me around to face him. I squint in the darkness and see him holding his index finger over his lips. I nod my head in understanding of his signal to stay quiet. He grabs me by the hand, leads me over to a small group of trees, and has me squat down next to him. "I don't know how on earth you found us," he whispers. "But the fact is you're here and we could use an extra set of hands... er powers. Right now, our team is doing reconnaissance. We are meeting up in twenty to define our plan of attack."

I nod my head in understanding. "What have you observed so far?"

"You see over there," he points to an opening in the trees. I look over at a large brick wall with barbed wire affixed to the top. While I can't see beyond the fence, I can see the light from within its perimeter shining out. Seeing electricity on the 'outside' still seems unreal. "Inside that facility is where they're keeping them."

I'm guessing he's meaning all the people that were seized next to the mountainside, including my parents and Tony. My spirits lift a bit at the realization that they're so close... yet so far. The wall and barbed wire looks vicious. "Do you know how many there are on the other side?" I ask.

He shakes his head.

Nerves start setting in as I stare at the wall. I have all of these comic worthy powers, where the heck is the x-ray vision when I need it? If I weren't so scared right now, I'd probably laugh at that joke. My hands begin to sweat and I wipe them on my pants. I whisper, "How are they keeping those people locked up now that all of their powers are unleashed? Why wouldn't some of them just walk through walls or go invisible and escape?"

I watch Tom shrug. "One can only wonder what they're going through in there."

Thoughts of kryptonite pass through my head. If Dr. Hastings had a device that took down Reapers, what might he have in store for everyone else? I shiver at the thought of metal chains and steel bars holding those people prisoner. Feeling helpless with the endless possibilities, I make sure my mind doesn't digress into the what-if's. Instead, I take control of what I can do. "What can I do to help?"

"We will know more when we meet up with the others. I think that your many abilities will come in handy. Other than our kind, we have a few people with us who can go invisible, a few who can walk through walls and some healers. Since you can do all of the above, we can place you anywhere. Your compulsion may come in handy too," he whispers.

"I'll do anything, just as long as I get to go inside," I declare. I know I'm going inside no matter what, but I can't help but think about how hard my mom and the others worked to protect me from the Reapers. I don't want them to continue in that trend in this instance... especially since we aren't dealing with Reapers here. I refuse to stand on the sidelines any longer.

"Don't worry about that. We'll take all the people we can get if we expect to pull this off," Tom says. Without another word, he signals for me to follow him.

We stealthily maneuver through the tree line that encircles the prison. At one point, the only thing standing between the prison and us is an electric fence. I have no idea if it's electrified but I don't plan on finding out. We do get a good view of the prison yard. The prison itself is two stories tall with small, barred windows dotting the grey brick exterior. The makings of it look cold and hard.

An armed guard makes his rounds along the inside perimeter. Tom and I stay in the same spot for a few minutes to see if there is a routine. Every three minutes the guard passes by. He must be walking back and forth, back and forth. Tom takes out a pair of binoculars and takes note of all the guard's eye colors he can see. We aren't sure if they have abilities, but we need to be prepared just in case. It's best to just assume that they do for now.

Realizing it's time for the rendezvous, we head towards the rally point. About a quarter a mile up the road, we meet up with the others. I count about fifty people in all. Around three-fourths of the soldiers have yellow eyes and the last quarter of the group is a mix between purple, navy, and brown eyes.

What surprises me most is the man that steps to the front of the group. Mr. Leroy. He eyes me and nods his head in acceptance of my being present. First, he asks for feedback on what everyone saw. Each designated leader of the different reconnaissance teams takes turns relaying information. They refer to Dr. Hastings's soldiers as Unfriendlies. I'm amazed at how organized the information is relayed from person to person. So far, we know that there are fifteen Unfriendlies guarding the outside perimeter of the prison. We still don't know what's on the inside.

After hearing more about the approximate layout of the prison, Mr. Leroy speaks up. "We will split up into teams with at least one person who can turn invisible, one who can walk through walls and one who can heal on each team. We will have four teams total. Our goal is to get in and stay invisible for as long as you can. Look around; find out how they are keeping everyone contained. Look for any weaknesses or ways to escape. You must know that this mission is for reconnaissance only." Mr. Leroy turns his attention on me for the last part of his speech. "You are not to engage in combat at all on the inside. Go in and look around. Get a feel for the layout and get out. Our goal is to remain undetected. If they know we are in there, we will lose our advantage and they may beef up security or worse, they may come looking for the shelter where we're keeping all the children." I involuntarily shiver. "We'll meet back at this rally point in one hour. If we find that the situation is something we can take on our own, without reinforcements, then we will lay out more plans. Please split off into teams."

Mr. Leroy allows the team leaders to work out the arrangements as he heads over to speak with me one-on-one. "I'm glad you're here, Willow."

I raise my eyebrow at him in surprise. "Really?" For some reason it seemed like the last thing he would say.

He seems to ponder the question as if it's a surprise to him as well. "Well, yes. Your powers are very useful. What won't be helpful though, is your emotional tie to this situation."

"This isn't a situation, Lee." He jerks back in surprise. We've never been on a first name basis... at least not until now. "This is about my parents and Tony," I emphasize.

"I understand, Willow. At this point, we could be walking into a blood bath. We have to get information first to figure out how to proceed. I need to know that I can trust you not to do anything rash."

I lie, "I won't." He is about to walk away but I stop him. "Why are you leading this? I thought you just wanted to leave and escape. That you didn't want to fight," I state, recalling the night before the Reaper attacked the shelter. Mr. Leroy, along with more than half of my mother's group, was planning to break away and go to the new safe house. They were ready to abandon the mission of keeping the shelter safe in order to keep themselves safe. I understand the parents of the children making that decision, but not people like Mr. Leroy who seemingly had nothing to lose.

"You may not believe that Mr. Grumps-a-lot has friends, but I do." My eyes widen when I hear him acknowledge the name I used to call him behind his back. He brushes off my acknowledgement and continues. "Most of them are inside that prison; including your mom and your dad. They didn't ask to be captured. Whatever is going on here just upped the stakes. It's no longer about a war on Reapers. We may be fighting something a whole lot bigger and I have a duty to protect and serve."

By the way he declared his last statement, I wonder if he's ex-military. "I respect that." I say it because I do.

"Good. Then respect my orders when I say that you are not to show yourself to anyone or try to break anyone out until we rally back and make a more precise game plan." He stands firm, awaiting my assurance.

"Fine," I say. Yeah right! If I see my family and Tony, you better believe I will be busting them out of there. It's not likely that three people gone will be noticed. It's like leaving a pile of unopened Halloween candy in front of a child and telling them that they can only look at it... but not eat it.

He tries to give me a hard stare with his yellow eyes to reinforce his orders. I don't back down, so after a few seconds he nods and excuses himself to meet with the other team leaders.

After a few minutes, we are all split into teams of around thirteen people. My heart is pounding as the adrenaline pumps through my veins. I can hardly contain myself as I wait for the others in my group to get their guns and ammo together. One of the soldiers must see my fidgeting because I feel a hand steady my bopping shoulder. I take a deep breath and give him some semblance of a smile. His hand leaves my shoulder, taking away the warm comfort he provided.

As luck should have it, Mr. Leroy... or Lee as I have come to call him, is the leader of the group I'm in. Oh goodie, I think to myself in a sarcastic manner. If I have any chance of getting what I need, which is my parents and Tony, I can't be around Lee. I'm going to have to separate from him and go AWOL, hoping the others don't take notice.

Thankfully, there is one more person that can go invisible and one that can pass through walls in our group. So, if I do leave it won't be like they can't get out, I tell myself. We form a line, each person holding the person's shoulder in front of them. I use my invisibility and so does the person towards the front. It still feels draining, but not near as much as if I had to do it all on my own. I made sure I was near the back for good reason... Lee is in the front.

We do a short, very quiet march to the barbed wire fence. I can feel the intensity of emotions in the group and I do my best to ignore them. I don't blame them when they stiffen up as a guard looks our way. Thankfully, the guard has purple eyes. It's difficult to get your brain to understand that the guard can't see you. The only real enemy here would be the blue-eyed people, those with Candy's gift.

We pass through the fence uneventfully. The lights are on all around us, which makes it look like daytime. It's a bonus for us because we can at least see the one thing that tells of someone's ability... their eyes.

We quickly run the perimeter of the yard and stop when we get to a darkened corner. I try not to let my guard down because I know all of these people depend on me and the other dude to keep us invisible. To be honest though, the guards that walk the perimeter and those stationed high above us, give me the heebie-jeebies with their large weapons that point where they're looking. I give an involuntary shiver as we near the inner brick wall, which most likely houses all of the people from the mountain.

A brown-eyed man helps me get each soldier through the wall. We start with the man who can keep everyone invisible.

I'm the last to cross through, and as soon as I do, my stomach threatens to lose whatever little sustenance it has inside it. All around our feet are people still in their scrubs, as well as a few of our soldiers. They lay lifeless on the floor, drooling from their mouths. I reach down quickly, still holding onto the person in front of me, and check for a pulse. It's weak but it's still there.

The room is relatively small, maybe ten feet wide and ten feet long. We stand there staring at the carnage, awaiting instructions from Lee. I look around at all the faces, some slightly familiar from life in the mountain. There are some I've spoken with when I was a Runner or just seen passing by in my daily routes. I think I see my teacher somewhere in the corner so I turn away. I can't get distracted from the real reason I'm here.

Sadly, I don't see my parents or Tony in this room. One person in particular makes me queasy; it's the woman from the first day my father and I arrived at the shelter. She's the one that, while standing in line for our meal, told us that this was all a conspiracy and we're going to die. I don't think she's crazy anymore, that's for sure.

Seeing that prisoners, not Unfriendlies, occupy this room, Lee steps away from the person behind him, becoming visible. He motions for us to drop our hands and all of us become visible too. I reluctantly drop my hand from the person in front of me. Lee quickly instructs us about what to do. "I want you all to try and find out why these people are like this. Work quickly and quietly so we remain undetected. If you suspect someone is about to open the door and enter, you all need to run to the wall over there." He points in the direction of the northerly wall. "Invisibility people, you need to immediately grab as many people as you can. If for some reason you can't make it then you need to lie down and remain motionless." We nod our heads and get to work.

I walk over to the woman that makes my toes curl and examine her. She looks normal except for the vacant expression she exhibits. I look over all the visual parts of her body and see nothing out of place. There must be something that is causing them to be like this, I think to myself.

I listen into her thoughts but all I hear are jumbled words that make no sense whatsoever. After listening to her for a little while longer though, I hear two words that come up often... 'arm' and 'hurt'.

I look down at her arms but don't see anything unusual at first glance. I roll up her sleeve and hit something with my hand. A small white patch sticks to the fleshy part of her arm. I run my fingers over it and feel a strange sensation go through my body. It looks like some sort of an adhesive is holding it in place. I decide to attempt to remove it. I remember my dad always telling me when I was younger to make sure I rip the bandage off instead of spending the time to pick it off little by little. So that's what I do. I rip it off and I'm startled by the moan the woman makes. I look down at her arm where the bandage once was and see hundreds of teeny-tiny pinprick dots of blood.

I look back at the bandage and realize that the bottom of it is filled with hundreds of short needles. I have to fight the gagging sensation that comes with the sight of this. It looks so otherworldly, not like anything I've ever seen.

I make eye contact with Lee and motion him over to me. I show him the bandage and the spot where it was on her arm.

He checks another person's arm beside me and, lo and behold, there's another bandage on their arm, identical to this one. He quickly removes it and examines it as well.

While he's looking at it, I see the woman below me begin to stir and wake up. "Lee," I whisper.

He turns and witnesses her waking also. She seems extremely groggy so I place my hands on her and focus healing her. Color floods back into her cheeks and her eyes are no longer glazed over.

I put my finger up to my lip to do my best to calm her and tell her she can't scream. I bend down over her and whisper, "It's okay. I'm one of the good guys and we're trying to help you. Can you tell me anything about what's going on... anything that you remember?" I look at her with hope that maybe she can tell me where my parents and Tony are. The thought of them like this makes me want to hurl.

"They shot us. They killed us." She looks like she's about to start freaking out. "They shot us. They killed us." She keeps repeating this mantra over and over and is growing steadily higher in volume.

Maybe this wasn't the best person to try to get inside info from. I get as close as I can to her face so she will shut up and look into my eyes. "YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN AND NOT SAY ANOTHER WORD." Just like that, her eyes glaze over and she nods her head.

Lee gives me a funny look.

The other woman that Lee pulled the patch off of is starting to wake up too. I decide the best thing to do is to start straight off with compulsion. "YOU ARE SAFE. DON'T SCREAM. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. YOU NEED TO HELP US FIRST THOUGH. TELL US EVERYTHING YOU SAW AND EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE YOU WERE CAPTURED."

Her black eyes glaze over. Of all the gifts to have, feeling other's emotions right now would be the suckiest of all. She speaks in a monotone voice. "They shot us. When we woke up we were in a huge room filled with guards. They pricked our fingers and placed the blood on strips, which they ran through handheld machines. Sometimes the machine beeped. When that happened, they took the person out of the room at gunpoint. The machine didn't beep for me. The rest of us that remained in the room were scared. The guards came by one by one and placed a patch on each person's arm. They all fell down within seconds. I thought they were killing us." I can sense her emotions starting to rise.

"IT'S OKAY. YOU ARE NOT DEAD. YOU ARE SAFE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE TESTS WERE FOR? OR WHERE THEY TOOK THE OTHERS?" I doubt she knows but it's worth a shot.

She shakes her head. "We don't know what the tests were for or where the others went."

I have to fight off the frustration that builds. It's not like it's her fault that she doesn't know. I clench my hands into fists and stand up quickly.

Lee takes over my position, kneeling down by the woman. "Thank you for the information. You will need to follow our instructions to the dot to stay safe. Do you understand? We will do our best to get you out of here."

I steadily back away as I watch Lee continue to comfort the woman. Soon enough I find my back against the wall. Everyone in the room is busy looking elsewhere so I take my opportunity. I turn myself invisible and step through the wall.

I find myself in a dreary, grey-bricked hallway lit by long rows of fluorescent tube lights. To say the decorating is cold and uninviting is an understatement. This is a place that you don't want to stick around for long, if at all. I move through the hallway, thankfully not running into any guards. Eventually the grey brick walls turn into barred jail cells. I look from side to side into each one expecting to find someone. They are all empty.

Hearing footsteps around a nearby corner, I step through the bars to hide in an empty cell. The bars offer little protection, but I'm not taking the chance on running into anyone who can see through abilities. A guard holding an assault rifle walks purposefully down the hallway.

The thought of him finding our people in that room, sends me into panic mode. I don't know if that's where his destination is but I have a duty to help them. I step quietly out into the hallway, reaching for the knife in the waistband of my pants. I speed up to where I'm right behind him. He turns around all of a sudden and looks right through me. I hold my breath. His eyes are copper like my dad's. I wonder if he saw this coming. I look down at my knife and back up at the guy who is about to turn back around. My heart hammers in my chest as I think about what I'm about to do.

I move closer to the man and raise the knife. That's when I feel it. His emotions. Something within him is torn. He despises himself and feels helpless at the same time. So many feelings go through him and into me. I slowly lower the knife, realizing that this guy is just a pawn. He doesn't deserve to die.

A lesson Tony taught me on knocking people out comes to mind. I move forward and wrap my arm around his throat so fast that he doesn't stand a chance. With his neck in the crook of my elbow like Tony showed me, I pull him off balance and he falls, with me underneath him. I didn't mean for that to happen but he is so much taller than I am. I do manage to keep my grip on him and squeeze my arm tighter. I'm hoping to block the artery on the side of his neck like I learned from Tony. I have to focus my strength in order to not do major damage to this guy. The entire time my heart is beating so loudly that I can feel it in my own throat. The man struggles against me for a few seconds before, eventually, he passes out.

Whew! Thank goodness. That was probably one of the scariest things I've ever done. I push the guy off me and drag him through the bars of a jail cell using my abilities. I grab a dusty sheet from the metal bed in the cell and tear it up. I tie a gag around his mouth and then bind his hands and feet, leaving him unconscious in the corner. I go back and get his gun. I use my strength to bend the muzzle so that the gun is no longer usable, and place it in his newly acquired jail cell.

I head back out in the hallway and stop prior to the corner that the guard had come from. I listen for any sounds of more guards. After a few seconds I feel confident the coast is clear and step into the hallway.

This one looks a little different; stark white walls with glass windows dotting the hallways, ending with a pair of windowless steel doors. I move to the first window and peer in carefully. An unconscious person lies on an exam table with tubes in their arms. A surgical tray with unidentified tools is at their side. I want to go help them but I can't chance waking someone up here. That would be another person I would have to carry with me; I can't risk that. I have to find my parents and Tony.

I continue down the hallway checking each window. Every time I hope that I'm going to find my parents or Tony, but no such luck so far. At the ninth window, I begin to feel like this mission may be hopeless. I peer in and find that this room is larger than the others are. A hospital curtain is drawn halfway around a table. I can only see the prisoner's feet.

Not wanting to leave any stone unturned, I step into the room to get a better look. That's when I see him. Even though his back is to me, I immediately recognize his hair and his tall, muscular frame. My heart starts racing. Not knowing what new abilities Zack may have acquired, I duck behind a small filing cabinet.

Zack opens the curtain a little further and looks around the room. I cringe and scoot further behind the cabinet. It isn't the best form of protection but it's something. I don't know if I can take Zack and I don't want to chance anything. Not with the red I saw in his eyes the last time we met. Plus, I have no idea what in the world he has turned into. Last I saw him in the mountain he only had one gift. It's obvious he's been experimenting with the immunizations. He may even be able to see through gifts now, which is why I hide in fear.

I hold my breath and make myself one with the cabinet as I hear the curtain open up further. I can't see what's going on but I hear a few footsteps and then the cling of instruments hitting the metal tray.

I wait for a few seconds before I get the courage to peek around the cabinet. When I do, my heart drops. I watch in horror as Zack finishes injecting the prisoner with a shot. Not just any shot, but a red shot. I can't see the prisoner because Zack is blocking him from my view.

I have to shrink back behind the cabinet when he starts to turn around. I listen to the sound of the needle hitting the tray and then the curtain is moved some more. More footsteps follow and then Zack comes into view.

My heart pounds in my chest and I swear he can hear it. He doesn't flinch though. Instead, he moves purposefully to the door and leaves the room.

In one strong whoosh, I release the breath I was holding. My stomach turns upside down as I quietly stand up. Whoever was given that red shot is either about to die or will be turning into a Reaper. Either way, it's a death sentence. I move hesitantly towards the curtain that Zack had fully closed.

At first, thoughts of a Reaper jumping out at me cross my mind. Then I remember when Tony told me about Chris, one of the soldiers who hated me, and his girlfriend who took the red shot. He said it took several days for her to turn after taking it.

I move a little more confidently to the curtain now. I grab the light blue fabric and begin pulling it back. When the prisoner comes into view, my knees buckle and I hit the floor. As if a freight train hit me straight in the chest, I suck in a haggard breath. Tears come to my eyes as I look up at Tony. "No!" I cry out in a muffled whisper. My heart beats heavily as I gain the energy to stand up and move to his side.

He too has a patch on his arm and he's unconscious but breathing. I reach out and run my hand through his copper hair. He looks so peaceful. He has no idea what was injected into his blood stream. He doesn't know that in a few days he will turn into the very monster he worked so hard to destroy.

I don't realize I'm crying until my tears land on his arm. This can't be happening! He cannot turn into a Reaper! My hands ball up as I consider the complete unfairness of this situation. He saved me. I was supposed to save him! He doesn't deserve this fate! No, I can't deal with this. I just realized that I may have feelings for this man and now he's going to die? No!

I kick the wall next to the examination table, leaving a heavy indentation in the paint. "Crap!" I cry out. That freaking hurt! I have to walk around in a few small circles to walk off the pain, praying all the while that no one heard that. If I have any chance of getting Tony out of here, he has to be awake.

This sobers me up. "Screw this!" I yank the patch off his arm and place my hand right over his heart. Maybe I can heal him. Perhaps if I try hard enough, I can heal whatever that red shot is doing to his body. I focus all of my energy on helping him.

Within a few seconds, he opens his eyes. He looks up at me as if in a dream. Realization plays across his expression and then he darts up off the bed lightning fast. He moves so quickly that I start to fall back. Life feels like it is going in slow motion as my weary body falls backwards.

He catches me before I hit the ground and pulls me to him. "Willow." He strokes my hair; my face is planted in his chest. I feel so tired but I still notice how good he smells. Like fresh cut grass and soap. "Willow, you have to open your eyes. You can't pass out now," he whispers in my ear.

The darkness is calling my name. He shakes me some more. "Not right now. Focus on healing. You can do it. Heal yourself. I believe in you. I need you."

With his words of encouragement, I focus on healing once again. This time I focus my abilities inwardly. I begin feeling more alert in less than a minute. My muscles strengthen up and, eventually, I find the ability to stand on my own.

Begrudgingly I back away just enough to look into his eyes. They are still the same beautiful neon yellow they have always been. My heart catches as I realize how close we are. "Hi," I whisper in a throaty voice.

His eyes light up and he smiles slightly. "Hi." Time stops in that moment as we stare into each other's eyes. He breaks the silence that's settled over us by saying, "You saved me."

I nod my head.

"Thank you." He runs his hand through my hair. I hold my breath. What an awkward situation for such a beautiful moment to occur. His hand moves to my cheek and I rest my head into it.

"You're welcome," I say.

He slowly drops his hand to his side. My cheek still feels warm from his touch. "We need to get out of here, Willow. They're planning some crazy stuff."

I nod my head. "Yes, we have a team inside right now doing reconnaissance. We have to find my parents first though."

"Definitely," he says. His face turns serious for a moment. "I don't want to alarm you but I have to tell you that I haven't seen your parents; not since we saw them taken down in that field. I did my best to look around the room they herded us into at the beginning, but didn't have any luck."

A lump forms in my throat as my brain starts pondering a million things a minute. "Do you think they survived? Why wouldn't they be in here?"

He places his hand in mine and gives it a small squeeze. I rub my thumb over the side of his hand, trying to squelch the feelings I'm having. "Don't worry, Willow. I'm sure they're fine. The room was huge and filled with chaos. It's very possible that I didn't see them."

I doubt that. Tony is very observant and I'm sure he could spot my mom from a mile away. He was trained to look after his leader. "I hope so." A thought comes to mind. "Do you think they got away? Perhaps before they brought everyone here?" I say as false hope fills me.

His expression tells me that he highly doubts that possibility but he humors me anyway. "You never know. Anything could have happened."

My eyes widen at the thought of 'anything' since that's such a broad range of outcomes; including horrible ones.

He sees my thought process and quickly adds, "I mean, yes, they could have gotten away. They could be safe and sound this very second."

"But you don't think so," I say, hoping I'm wrong.

His expression softens. "I think that your mom is a very strong woman. Your dad has to be one heck of a guy too, in order to keep up with her. I think they'll survive. We do need to find them quickly though. I don't know what Dr. Hastings's plans are, but they can't be good. Not with how that militia swooped in like that, shooting people point blank. I don't care if they were tranquilizers or not. That was definitely a hostile takeover."

"Yes it was." The memory of the scene sends chills up my spine. Dr. Hastings's plans can't be good, especially not if his son Zack was shooting Tony up with the kill shot. My chest tightens. I can't let Tony become a Reaper. I can't think about that right now though. I focus my mind knowing I need my thoughts to be clear. My parent's lives are on the line.

"We should get a move on," Tony says.

"Okay." I grab my backpack that I had set on the floor and hand Tony my extra pistol with some ammo. He gladly accepts and puts the gun under his shirt at the small of his back. Hot! Urgh, when did I start thinking about Tony this way? I don't know. All I know is that now, this man next to me makes my palms sweat and my stomach flutter. This is such horrible timing to be developing these feelings.

"Ready?" He holds his hand out for me to accept.

I wipe mine off on my jeans, nod, and then take his hand. He smiles and squeezes my fingers gently. With Tony's hand in mine we head out of the room and move into the hallway, careful not to run into anyone.

Thankfully, we don't notice any signs of guards in the vicinity. We make our way up the row of windows checking each one carefully. I can tell that Tony wants so badly to help the other prisoners, as do I. There will have to be another time for that though.

After checking the last room at the end of the hall next to the steel doors, we realize that my parents aren't in this area.

"We need to go in there," Tony says quietly, while pointing towards the steel doors.

"Do you know what's on the other side?" I ask, hoping he may have some inside knowledge.

"No, this hall is as far as they took me." His expression turns serious.

"Well, I guess it looks like we are going in blind." I reposition my hand in his. "Hopefully anyone on the other side is blind too, at least when it comes to seeing powers." I turn us invisible again.

The steel doors don't seem to be locked but I use my gift to move us through the doors anyway. After all, if a door magically opens, I doubt that someone on the other side would blame it on a ghost.

We step through to the other side effortlessly and find ourselves in the middle of a large room that I assume is either a clinic or the prison hospital. A few makeshift hallways run behind rows and rows of curtains that are all attached to tracks on the ceiling. The smell of ammonia burns my nose and I find myself having to breathe through my mouth. A fluorescent light in the corner of the giant room is on its last leg, so it's flickering eerily.

A sinking feeling starts welling up in the pit of my stomach. Everything about this place tells me to run. There isn't a soul in sight and the room is so silent that all I can hear is Tony's and my breathing.

Tony gently squeezes my hand. I look up at him and find comfort in knowing that he's just as thoroughly freaked out as I am.

We walk silently down the corridor of curtains, peeking into each one as we go. Nobody occupies them, so we continue moving. When we peek into the fifth curtain, I suddenly remember why I hate odd numbers so much. I double over and dry heave from the sight. If I had any food in my stomach, I would have spilled it onto the floor. The poignant copper scent fills my nose and throat, causing me to gag even more. Tony pulls me to him and tries rubbing my back in comfort. Eventually the dry heaving calms enough for me to stand back up. This room is covered in so much blood that it's impossible for me to fathom where it all came from. It stains the white linen coverings of the bed. The floor is wet and sticky from it and the rear curtain has splatters of red across it.

"What happened here?" Tony asks. I look at him since this is the last place we should be talking and realize I must be reading his mind.

"I have no idea, but we have to find my parents. Now!" I think to myself.

"I agree!" Tony confirms.

I look up at him in utter confusion. "Did I just say that last sentence out loud? I know I thought it. This is freaky."

"I can hear you, Willow. In my head." Tony looks at me in wonder.

"Weird... No time to contemplate it though, we have to find my parents," I tell him telepathically. Man, this is just too convenient that this would happen now of all times. Now the risk for being heard talking is nil.

"Yes, let's get out of this place." He takes my hand and pulls me away from the nightmarish scene. My stomach continues to twist in knots and it's extremely difficult for me to push the visual of that room from my mind. I do my best though. I have to focus. "Should we try the door up ahead or should we pick a wall and walk through it?" I have no idea where my parents would be kept in this place.

"Let's stick with the doors for now," he thinks, and I nod in acknowledgement.

We both move quickly to the end of the room, desperately wanting to leave this horrible area. I focus my powers and walk us through the doors and into a short, empty hallway. No windows or cells dot this hallway. Within a few steps, we are at a new set of doors. This one looks like it has a type of keycard access panel that's lit with a red dot.

Ignoring the security measures they put in place, I walk Tony through the reinforced doors. My back goes rigid, my muscles tense and Tony pulls me to the side, behind a pair of fake Ficus trees.

This area is not empty. Not at all! There are dozens of guards coming to and from what I assume is a command center. Cubicles are set up in geometric patterns with computer workstations at each one. There are women and men sitting behind most of the computers. We stay silent and hide behind the little cover the trees offer. I just hope that nobody possesses the gift to see us.

We wait a few minutes, observing all that's going on. I watch the workers and the guards who are dressed in matching black uniforms, hustling here and there. Every once in a while a few people in blue surgical scrubs come and go from what I assume is a break room. I look around trying to best assess our plan of action, as does Tony.

A man in scrubs approaches in our direction. I lean into Tony on impulse and he puts his arm around me. I hold my breath when the man gets close enough to see us. Seeing he has navy eyes, I let out a breath. He passes us without notice and opens a door in the corner of the room. Before he steps into the room, I catch a glimpse of several racks filled with surgical equipment and scrubs. I can tell that Tony takes notice of it too.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I ask Tony.

"You tell me. You're the one listening to my mind," he jokes.

"Funny." I look up at him and roll my eyes. "I'm thinking we may not be this lucky next time."

"True. We better go incognito then."

I nod my head.

We wait for the guy to exit the small supply closet. Once he's far enough away, we make our move. I pull Tony into the closet. We look around at the medical supplies, scanning the shelves. There are several sets of surgical scrubs stacked on the top shelf. We both grab a pair at least one size bigger than we usually wear to fit over our clothes. We put them on as quickly as possible.

"You ready?" he asks me.

"Yes." I say. I let go of our invisibility and do something I haven't done in a while: I reach for the doorknob. We exit the closet with the greatest of care to not draw attention to ourselves. Without the veil of invisibility, it makes me feel completely vulnerable. Thankfully, nobody even acknowledges our presence. We walk through the main room, taking time to peek in when we reach the break area. We both try to keep our eyes focused downward. I feel naked and exposed out in the open like this.

Suddenly alarms are blaring and strobe lights are flashing. "What the heck did we do?"

"I don't think we did anything," he says, trying not to panic.

All the people around us stop what they're doing and begin running in the same direction. A guard yells out above the chaos, "Code Orange."

I glance at Tony momentarily and hear him say, "Just run with them." I nod my head and we're off. We follow the masses of people out into the courtyard that runs along the fence line towards the front gates. I immediately get nervous as the guards with guns begin pointing them in our general direction.

We watch as all the people from inside form a barrier at the gates. Tony and I quickly line up alongside them, trying desperately to play the part.

The alarms and strobe lights die off almost instantaneously and everyone around us stands stoically, not moving a muscle. Facing forward, eyes never wavering. The doors we came through open one last time and my stomach drops. Zack and Dr. Hastings emerge carrying massive assault rifles. I swallow the lump that's formed in my throat. They come to the middle of the courtyard and wait... for what I'm not sure. The doors behind them open once more and four people emerge. Two of them are bound together with steel chains and black cloth sacks have been pulled over their heads, making them indistinguishable. The other two guards have them by the crook of their arm, ushering them to where Zack and Dr. Hastings stand.

They each grab one of the black sacks and simultaneously pull them off the prisoner's heads. My knees threaten to buckle when I stare back at my mother and father.

My dad shakes his hair out of his eyes. My mother doesn't have to shake her hair back because Zack does it for her. His face so sinister and menacing... it makes me want to risk everything to run to them. Tony holds me back though. "Not yet."

Zack puts his hand under my mother's chin, lifting it up for inspection. My dad tries to yell between his gag to stop him but it only comes out as a jumble of grunts. My mother turns her face quickly to the left, releasing herself from Zack's grip.

Dr. Hastings then turns toward us 'onlookers' and addresses us. "As you all know, we are under a code orange. This means we detected infiltration from the outside and went into lock down mode. All those with the gift of purple have been sent into the fields around us to pick out the intruders as they attempt to escape. Since I know they haven't all left, one in particular, we've decided to provide some entertainment. Willow..."

I hear my name and it sends ice through my veins. It ricochets off the walls a few times and Tony's grip tightens tenfold on my hand. "Don't do anything irrational, Willow. We have to wait if we're going to win this game."

I can't answer him now. Not even in my head. My parents are in harm's way and the outcome can't be good. I try to use my gift to see what the future holds but I am too shaken up to make it work.

"Willow," Dr. Hastings continues. "I have something you want, and you have something I want. I know you're here... I can feel it." He stops talking for a moment, letting what he says seep in.

One of the guards brings a briefcase and places it at Dr. Hastings's feet. Dr. Hastings bends down and unlatches it, pulling out a long syringe with a clear liquid. He flicks it with his finger and pushes the syringe up just enough so that a small amount sprays from the top.

My heart is beating with the pulse of a thousand horses. My breathing grows ragged as tears come to my eyes. I don't look away though, no, I can't give up my position now. I may be the only one who can save my parents at this point. Dr. Hastings comes around to the back of my mother and places his free hand on her shoulder; taking the time to place his fingers down one at a time. I can see my mother trying to move but it's no use. The straps that have her tied down are just too strong.

"All I need is a pint of your blood, Willow," Dr. Hastings says while running the needle around the surface of my mother's neck. "Just one pint," he reiterates. I struggle to hold on to my sensibility instead of running immediately to my mother's aid. Tony's right. If I have any chance of winning this evil game Dr. Hastings has created, patience is my greatest ally.

"However, if you don't want to give it to me, then I'll take the one thing you love most from this world." Dr. Hastings takes his hand from my mother's shoulder and pulls her face to the side, exposing her neck even more. I swallow the bowling ball that's lodged in my throat. My hands are shaking in anticipation. I'm fearful that I may not know the difference between the right time, and the point of no return.

"Steady," Tony's whisper enters my thoughts.

"I bet you're wondering what's in the shot," Zack says, pointing to the syringe in his father's hands. "That is a mega dose of the stuff they use for lethal injections. It will kill your mother the instant it reaches her blood," he says nonchalantly, smiling back at the crowd of onlookers.

Behind the gate, I hear a few shouts... one sounds like Mr. Leroy, but I can't be sure. I just really hope they're all going to be okay.

"This is your last chance, Willow, your last chance," Dr. Hastings says once more.

I'm screaming inside for Tony to do something, anything! A timer flashes on the side of the building being lit from an unknown source. It has thirty seconds lit up on it. Then it begins to tick down: twenty-nine, twenty-eight. I try reasoning with Tony, begging him to help me do something, anything! The clock is at fifteen seconds and I'm about to come unglued.

"A pint of my blood or my mother's life," I repeat over and over in my head. Is this really a choice I need to make? It seems so simple.

Tony comes through my thoughts. "No! Dr. Hastings would never take just a pint of blood. He will kill you. I swore to your mom that I would protect you at all costs. Your mother wouldn't want you to sacrifice yourself. If she had the ability, she wouldn't let you."

I fight back, yelling in my head. "I can't just watch my mother die!" I grit my teeth, biting my tongue to keep from shouting.

Ten, nine... The anxiety is so intense that I find myself paralyzed by it. A single tear slips down my cheek as I frantically look at Dr. Hastings, Zack, the needle, my mother... I open my mouth to call out, not able to take it any longer. But then I hear a popping sound; like something coming apart that was never meant to do so. I watch as my mother frees up her left hand from one of the ties. Hope builds in me as I expect her to break free. That's why it takes me a second to process what happens next. As if in slow motion, I watch her hand reach upward. She swiftly removes the syringe from Dr. Hastings's grip and plunges it into her neck. I stare in horror as she injects herself with the drug. As if in slow motion, she falls slowly to her knees and then face down on the ground. Her life force ripped from her in an instant.

"No!!!" I yell, expecting people to turn in my direction, but I must be crying out in my mind. I reach my hand out and my knees buckle beneath me, but Tony pulls me close to his side preventing me from falling. "No..." I whimper aloud quietly. "I can help her!" I tell Tony.

"No, Willow. She's gone. She did that for you. You have to stay strong. Please stand back up," he urges me.

Before I can process what's happening, chaos from the crowd of people erupts and they begin to rush Zack and Dr. Hastings. I hear some of their thoughts like, "that was our only hope", and, "what are we supposed to do now?"

I feel like a rag doll when Tony pulls me with him. "Get us through the bars, Willow, now!"

I look him in the eyes. It's like he's speaking another language. I can't understand what he's saying.

"We have to go!" he yells out loud.

I shake my head. "My dad. My mom." Something breaks inside me with the last two words.

He sets me down on the ground and I watch, with a glazed expression, people running around panicking, trying to figure out what to do.

I didn't even notice Tony leave until he returns with my dad at his side. My father's arms and legs are free and he looks just as broken as I do. His eyes are glazed over as if he still can't process what just happened.

I hear something that sounds as if it could be the bars behind me bending. The next thing I know, Mr. Leroy is running past us into the mix of chaos. He returns a second later with my mother's lifeless body in his arms. That's when my father's knees hit the ground. He puts his hands over his face and falls face forward to the earth, sobbing heavily.

I should comfort him but I can't move. I can't take my eyes off my mother's small and ever so still form. Tony puts his hand on my back. With that, my breath catches, my heart breaks and the flood gates open. Tears that I can't control stream down my face like a river of sorrow. I reach out to heal my mother, but Tony stops my hands. I try to break free to do something, anything, to help my mother. "She's gone," Tony keeps whispering over and over again in my ear.

A man and woman with yellow eyes, whom I barely know, come to my father's side. They each grab one of my father's arms, lifting him up between them, and begin running towards the trees.

Lee follows them, holding my mother, and Tony whisks me into his arms. We fit perfectly through the bars and our group takes off running at full speed away from the prison walls.

I don't recall the trip back to the safe house. I find myself too drained to do anything but lie limp in Tony's arms. I can't even cry anymore. My face is tucked into his chest so he can't see me. I refuse to open my eyes or say anything even when Tony persistently asks me if I'm okay. He tries to ask me through his thoughts, so I close myself off to that ability somehow.

I feel as if I have ceased to exist. That this world has brought nothing but pain to me and at this point I'm done with it. I don't have to talk, move, or open my eyes ever again. Just like my mom... My chest aches with the thought. I hate feeling! If only I could turn it off.

I assume by the people's cries that we've arrived back at the safe house. I know that not only my mom is being brought home to rest, but several other soldiers as well. I heard the whispers as we ran. The guards had attacked a group on the other side of the prison. They barely made it out alive.

I don't want to witness any of this so I tuck my head further into Tony's chest, trying desperately to block it out. We are still outside and I can hear as the others run up to our party sobbing and calling out cries to Heaven. The wails rip and thrash at my soul like hungry hands trying to tear the last part of me down. I can't take it anymore. I tell him, "Take me inside."

He squeezes me gently as he lets out a sigh of relief after finally hearing that I'm not comatose. "Of course." He starts walking again; this time, thankfully, away from the crowd.

"No!!!" I hear a high-pitched cry and the sound of feet running in our direction.

"Willow!" I flinch at the sound of my name being called by Alec, and possibly Claire, from afar.

They reach us in a second. I know I need to turn around and tell my friends that I'm not dead. I can only guess that was their assumption since Tony is carrying me. I just feel like I can't face them. Like I can't open my eyes and see them, because, if I do, everything will be real. My mother's death will be real. I can't take this pain; it hurts too much.

"She's alive," Tony says quickly as they approach.

Claire lets out a loud sob of relief.

"She's alive; she's going to be okay." Connor comforts his girlfriend.

"Is she hurt? Tell me what happened!" Alec demands with a forceful voice.

"Physically, no... Mentally, more than we can comprehend. She just watched her mother sacrifice herself to save her." Tony doesn't seem too thrilled by Alec's presence either.

"Alice is dead?" Claire asks bluntly.

I can feel Tony nodding his head and he pulls me closer to him. "You can comfort her," he says to Alec. "He can help you." With that, he gently pulls me from his chest and tries to move me into Alec's arms.

"No." I cling to Tony's shirt.

"I don't think I'm the one she needs right now. We broke up today." There is a slight mix of bitterness with a hint of pain in his voice.

"Oh." Tony says. "You didn't tell me." He says it in more of a statement than a question.

I don't answer. I just grip his shirt tighter. "Please, just take me inside."

"She wants to go inside," Tony tells them.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Claire asks.

"Please tell her I can't right now," I tell Tony. I just want to curl up into a ball and let the world pass away before my eyes. I don't want conversation or comfort. I just want my mom.

"I think she just wants to be alone right now," Tony tells her.

"Okay," Claire says hesitantly. "We love you, Willow. All of us do. We're here for you when you're ready." I feel her hand's warmth on my back.

"Thank you," Tony tells them.

He starts moving again, using his foot to push the door open. He carries me up a few flights of stairs and opens another door. He closes it behind him and then gently places me on the bed.

Instinctively, I curl into myself in the fetal position.

"I'll let you rest, Willow. I'll be right outside if you need me. Just call for me." He brushes my hair back.

I don't open my eyes when I say internally, "Please don't leave me." It's the only cry for help I can manage right now.

"Never." He takes off my shoes. He then takes off his and lies down in the bed behind me, pulling me into him. He holds me tight against his chest. "I'm here. You can let it out now."

With that, the tears let loose again. I allow them to fall. He strokes my hair and holds me tight. He doesn't tell me that it will be okay or that she's in a better place. He just lets me mourn.

I grip Tony's shirt and ball it into my fists. I feel like if I let him go my world will completely fall apart. My mother... the woman I used to call mommy, is no longer here. Choking sobs bellow from my mouth as I try to get my mind to understand what has happened.

I have flashbacks of all the beautiful memories of my mother and me. Her pushing me on the swing, her laughing as the top of the blender comes off, leaving a ginormous mess in the kitchen. I remember her stroking my hair at bedtime and always being there to tuck me in. I remember sitting in her lap as she would read me story after story telling me that someday my prince would come.

Then something dawns on me... Sebastian! What on earth are we going to tell my baby brother? Is he old enough to understand? The idea of him falling apart makes me grip Tony's shirt even tighter... like the security blanket I used to own. I don't think I've ever felt this much grief in my life... and I hope I never will again. Not even when we had to leave my mother and Sebastian at the mountain. At least then, I held onto the hope that they were going to be okay. That they were going to make it.

That night I end up falling into a dark and dreamless sleep, holding onto Tony for dear life.

# CHAPTER 3

### Crushed

Nothingness. That's what I feel right now. I guess it's better than anything else is on a day like today.

Claire brought me up a long black dress. She stands behind me, twisting my hair into a bun. She places tiny pieces of baby's breath she found in the garden sporadically through my hair. I don't recognize the person staring back at me... that person who looks so haunted. My eyes have become shrunken and hollow, my skin looks pasty white. It's obvious that my body is lacking in sustenance. I haven't eaten since who knows when.

It was only yesterday that my mother died. Out here, they bury the bodies quick. They buried the rest of the lost ones last night and waited till the morning for my mom. You can feel the tension that lies in the air from all the people who have lost their leader.

I look through my peripheral vision at my little brother lying on my bed. I stifle a sob as I remember my dad and me telling Sebastian what happened early this morning. My memory of it is fresh and I can still see his cherub cheeks stained with tears. His little eyes turned bloodshot. His curls stuck to his forehead. He dropped to the floor and screamed if anyone tried to touch him. He exhausted himself so much that he fell asleep in the bed next to me, clenching my mother's old sweater. Even now, dried tears cling to his face and every now and then, he whimpers "Mommy," in his sleep.

Claire places the last clip in my hair and gives my arms a tender touch. "Thank you Claire," I manage to say, although my voice is noticeably hoarse.

"Not a problem," she replies back to me. Claire looks down at her watch. "We only have a few more minutes. It's probably time to head downstairs."

I give her a slight nod and stand to my feet. I pick up Sebastian gently in my arms. His little eyes flutter open and he asks for mommy. I purse my lips and shake my head. "Mommy's gone, baby. Mommy's gone." His eyes squeeze shut and his face curls up into me, similar to how I did to Tony last night.

We get to the bottom of the staircase and see everyone gathering in the old ballroom. Someone must have taken the time to tune the grand piano because there is soft music playing. Amazing Grace, I know that one.

Claire must sense my hesitation because she places her hand around my middle. "It'll be okay. We'll get through this together."

I take a deep breath, steadying myself before I enter the room. All eyes turn to me as I walk in. It's almost too much and I consider walking out, but Claire's hand remains strong around me, helping me to the front.

I get nauseous as I notice my mother's handmade coffin positioned just a few feet from me. The lid is down, thankfully. Tony and three other soldiers stand two by two at each side of the coffin, as if to either protect my mom or to stand by her side for the final time.

"Are you okay?" His face looks worried and I can tell he's torn about wanting to be with me at this time. I nod my head gently and take a seat.

My father comes to sit next to me. He looks about as bad as I do, if not worse. He doesn't smile in my presence; he just squeezes my hand and kisses Sabby's curls.

Mr. Leroy comes to the front of the room with a Bible and a few notecards in his hand. He places them on a podium and clears his throat.

"I wish I was standing before you under different circumstances. Today we honor the life of one of our most cherished soldiers... Alice Rose Mosby."

I take a moment to look at the casket before me. Several kinds of delicate flowers line the coffin, giving it a comforting feeling. I look back up to Mr. Leroy as he continues, "Alice was an amazing woman. She had a heart of gold. She was a devoted mother and wife, and a great leader. Today our hearts mourn for the loss of someone so special... our hearts ache." Mr. Leroy clears his throat. You can see the tears in his eyes and the fact that he is trying to get through this, one moment at a time.

I lay my head on Claire's shoulder and close my eyes. I could listen to her eulogy, or I could close my eyes and transport myself back to the beautiful memories I hold of my mother. Sabby twitches a little in my arms but falls back to sleep. I think of my mother: her smile, her laugh, her quirky antics. I remember how amazing she was and what a not so good cook she was. Every time she would try to make dinner, she would burn it. One time she used salt instead of sugar in a pie recipe. She was so excited she hadn't burnt it until we took our first bite. We laughed and teased her about it long after the evening was over. She would never live that down. I replay these memories over and over again in my head, never wanting to forget.

I'm brought back to the present when Claire's shoulder lifts, making my head go up with it. I glance over at her and she points to the coffin. Mr. Leroy has finished his speech and there is not a dry eye in the crowd. I watch as Mr. Leroy comes and stands by the coffin. "For those of you that desire closure we will be opening the casket one last time before burial. Please allow the family some privacy and then form a line." Tony and another soldier gently lift the lid, placing it next to the coffin against the wall.

My breath hitches as I see my mother lying lifeless before me. She looks so beautiful. She's been dressed in a lovely, yet simple, ivory dress. Her hair and makeup are done as well. She holds a bouquet of purple flowers in her hands, which have been placed over her heart. My brain wants to convince me that she's only sleeping. That she can't look this beautiful and really be dead. I realize I need to wake Sabby. He can't miss these final bittersweet moments with his mom.

I gently wake him up and a tear escapes his eye when he sees it's me and not mom waking him. I sit him up, making him look at me. "Sabby, it's time to say goodbye." I want to say more to him, but I can't think of what to say. So I take his hand and, together with my dad, we walk up to the open casket.

Sebastian doesn't waste a second reaching in to touch her cold skin. "Mommy." He gives her a small shake as if he's trying to wake her from a deep sleep.

"Sabby," I say, while bending down to his level. "It may look like she's sleeping but really she's not there. Her soul has left and is with the angels now."

His brown eyes stare up at me and his brows crinkle. "She's wite here, Wello!" he demands. Tears begin to fall freely and I see he won't understand. Not now... not till he's older. I take him into my arms and watch as my father leans over and gives my mother's lips a light kiss. He takes something out of his pocket and places it into her casket. It's a very small stuffed animal that looks as if it's seen better days. I remember the story behind it. It was the item my father gave to my mother on their first date at a carnival. He had tried to win her the big prize but ended up spending way too much money earning her only the little prize. She didn't mind though. She always loved what it symbolized. I'm surprised she had found a way to keep it through everything that was going on.

My dad takes Sebastian from my arms. "Take your time," he says to me.

I nod my head, not sure what to do. I stand alone, next to my mother's lifeless body. I take her hand in mine and rub it like she used to do with me when I was little. "Mommy," I say through the tears. I can't get much out before I lose it, falling to my knees next to her casket. "Mommy, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." The guilt and blame are eating me alive and I feel like this is all my fault. I feel like I killed her and it's killing me inside.

I don't know how long I stay kneeled by her casket, holding my mother's hand. The next thing I remember is Claire coming to my side and helping me to my feet. Her cheeks are stained with tears as well. "Claire," I confess. "I don't know how to let go." I look down at my mother's hand in mine. "If I let her go, I'll never see her again." I begin to panic, my breathing increases.

"Willow," Claire reasons. "You will see her again someday. Just not in this lifetime. She's looking down from above admiring what an amazing legacy she left behind. She wouldn't want you to cry like this for her. She would want you say goodbye, to remember all the good times and the fun times you shared together. She would want you to help your father and little brother. She once told me you were the strong one... the glue to the family."

I look in Claire's eyes. "She said that?" I ask her.

She nods her head. "Yes, and she meant it."

I bite my lip knowing that time is drawing this to an end. I take a flower from the bouquet she's holding and clutch it in my hand. "I'm going to dry this so I'll always remember her sacrifice and what she did for me... for all of us." I take one last look at my mother and turn my back. Realizing it's not forever makes me feel a little better.

Tony and the other soldiers are the pallbearers. Someone plays a beautiful melody on the violin as we follow my mother's casket outside. Near the trees, we stop around a small hole made in the dirt. I hold on tight to my father and my brother's hands as we watch them slowly lower my mother into the ground.

Alec and Connor stand to the side with shovels in their hands. I hadn't seen them inside the hotel earlier. I hadn't seen much of anything, though, through the tears and the pain. When it's their turn, they slowly shovel dirt one by one into the hole.

Part way through, Mr. Leroy taps on Connor's shoulder and requests that he have a turn. He shovels a scoop of dirt into the hole and then hands his shovel to another person waiting behind him.

Realizing that this is some sort of closure type ritual, Alec hands his shovel to Tony. Afterwards, Alec makes eye contact with me. I mouth, "thank you," to him and he nods his head graciously.

Tony drops a pile of dirt in and then brings the shovel to my father. My father accepts it and walks dutifully towards my mother's grave. I know it takes everything within him to cover her casket with one more layer of dirt, but he does it. Sebastian and I walk to his side. Instead of using the shovel, Sebastian leans over and scoops up a handful of dirt. He holds his little hand over the hole and lets the dirt fall slowly. It takes everything in me not to completely lose it. Someone hands me the second shovel and I gather earth into it and drop it in. Then we hand our shovels to the others who have lined up to pay their respects in this way.

After the final layer of dirt has covered my mother's grave, we each drop wildflowers on it. By the time it's my turn to lie a dandelion down, my mother's grave has become a masterpiece of beautiful colors. I close my eyes and let the flower fall. Dandelions always were her favorite.

Mr. Leroy leads us in a prayer at the end and then we retreat inside. I didn't notice until I started walking towards the hotel that there are seven other graves surrounding my mother's. She will not be alone. I walk with my family and my friends inside where a meal has been prepared for us.

For the most part, we eat in silence. I don't have an appetite though, even if I can't remember the last time I ate. I move my food around my plate, concentrating on this simple action instead of inviting hoards of unpleasant thoughts to run through my head. I watch my dad and Sabby do the same.

"You need to eat," Tony speaks to my thoughts from across the room.

I look up from my pitiful plate and shake my head. "I can't," I say back to him mindlessly. I don't feel like even sitting here right now. I tell my dad that I'm going to go and lie down. Leaving my plate on the table, I head upstairs.

I can feel Tony's presence before I can even hear him. I can't explain why all of a sudden I feel so connected to him. It's as if something happened when we were at the prison. Ever since then I can tell when he's around, not to mention the fact that I can speak to him with my mind. I wonder why I can't do this with anyone else? The only thing I can think of is it may have to do with Zack and his experimentations.

I feel Tony's arm reach around my middle and rest on my hip. Without thinking, I lean into his shoulder, letting him carry a portion of my body weight. Sometimes I guess it just feels better to know that you have someone to help you when you can't even help yourself.

Tony follows me to my room and closes the door behind him. In any other situation, this would make butterflies dance in my stomach, but not today. Today I just need to exist. I climb under the covers and curl into myself. Tony, like the gentleman he is, remains on top of the covers and puts his arms around me. He squeezes gently but enough to make me feel grounded, like I am still an inhabitant on this earth.

I turn around to face Tony. His hair has grown out a lot in the last few weeks. I reach up and brush it out of his eyes. His yellow eyes stare back at me... except there is a red speck in them. I'm sure it wasn't there before. Panic begins to rise in my chest and without thinking; I begin to heal Tony through my touch. I'm not sure if it'll work or not, but it's worth a try. I hold Tony's gaze and a few moments later the spec has dematerialized.

I watch as Tony's eyebrows crease in the middle. "Why are your eyes blue?" he asks me aloud. He brushes my long bangs from my face, taking in my eyes.

"Oh," I say, realizing I can't tell him the true reason. "You had a scratch on your face. It must have been from yesterday. I was just taking care of it for you." I bite my lip instinctively, hoping he won't catch the deceit in my voice. Much to my relief, he simply smiles back and tells me thank you.

I curl up into his chest and he wraps his arms fully around me. I can't help but feel safe in his arms. As if nothing in this world could ever hurt me. If only I could just stay like this forever.

Thoughts of last night begin invading my mind. Visions of Tony being injected by that red shot, plays itself over and over again in my head. I try to squelch the panic but I'm having a hard time. It wells up inside me and tries it's best to choke me. I feel like everyone I love is going to be taken from me! I hope with all I am that I can keep Tony from turning into a Reaper... but what if I can't? Do I tell him? No, I can't. It wouldn't be fair for him to lose the last few days he has if I can't stop this.

I clench my fists unknowingly. My heart starts accelerating and I can feel my cheeks heating up. None of this is fair! I breathe out a long, shaky breath.

"Are you okay?" Tony asks concerned.

I give out a shaky, "Yes."

He tries to stare me down, knowing full well that I'm not sharing what I'm really feeling. Not wanting to talk about it, I turn over.

He pulls me closer so that my back is against his chest. "I know it's hard, Willow. If you need to cry some more, I'm not going to tell you not to."

I don't answer him. I don't need to cry. No, the emotions that I'm feeling are not just grief. No, this is much stronger and thicker than grief; this is anger. This isn't fair! None of it! My mom is gone and in a few days, I could very well be losing Tony. I pull a spare pillow up to my chest, clenching both corners of it with my hands. Needing to let my feelings out physically, I alternate between twisting it and gripping it tightly like a stress ball.

My blood starts pumping through my veins more rapidly. How did everything go down like this so quickly? How did my life get flipped on its axis in a matter of a day? You know the answer, Willow! I think to myself. My blood starts to boil. I know very well how my life got totally flipped up...the Hastings' men! My breath quickens and my pulse speeds up at the thought of the two people hell bent on making my life, and everyone else's, miserable, for their own personal, selfish gain. All of this, every single thing I am feeling right now, is because of them! My mom should not be dead! They killed her! Tony should not be turning into a Reaper! They caused it! They should be dead! They should... as the thought is spoken aloud in my mind, the plan starts formulating in my head. My heart is beating as quickly as the thoughts are coming, lighting fast. They will pay!

I hear the sound of something tearing. "Willow!" Tony sits up quickly.

I look down at the feathers my pillow has vomited up. My hands clench each corner of its torn cover.

Tony grabs my arm and pulls me over to face him. "Willow, you need to breathe. It's going to be okay. Everything will be okay."

I dart up out of bed like a lightning bolt. "No, Tony! It will not be okay. It will never be okay!" I angrily point towards somewhere on the other side of the window. "They did this! They need to pay!" My breath starts catching and I feel my heart skip a beat before it starts pumping wildly. "I will make them pay! Right now!" A dizzy sensation washes over me and the world starts to tilt.

Tony's eyes widen in shock; he then darts up and forces me to sit in a nearby chair. He pushes my head down between my legs. "Breathe, Willow." He holds my back down and accentuates his breathing in and out in long, deep breaths. "You're having a panic attack."

Thoughts of the nurse outside the shelter come to me. I don't want to think of that day. I focus on breathing in and out.

Finally, the dizziness subsides and Tony allows me to sit back up. He quickly kneels in front of me and examines my eyes. Whatever he sees comes as a relief to him. He seems to ponder on something for a second before he relinquishes it. "Your eyes were red."

I lift my fingers up to my eyes in surprise. "What color are they now?" My chest feels tight with anxiety.

"Dark blue." He puts his hand on my knee. "You must have used your healing ability to stave off the panic attack. Whatever just happened a few minutes ago was caused by your anger. You have to find a way to control it, Willow, or it will control you."

I shake my head and this time tears come to my eyes. "I have to hold onto the anger, Tony. Dr. Hastings and Zack deserve to pay for what they've done. I will make them pay if it's the last thing I do."

Tony stands up and starts pacing. "You can't just go after them like that, Willow."

I jump up out of the chair. "See, that's where you're wrong. I can and I will!"

He stops and stares me down. I don't back down or look away. Finally, he says, "I understand your need to avenge your mother. I feel the same way trust me, but we have to have a plan. You can't just dilly-dally in there and go all guns a blazing. They have a lot of manpower."

"Yeah well, I don't really care. I will go after them. Plus, a lot of that 'manpower' seemed to revolt there at the end for whatever reason."

Tony stops, remembering that last moment when everyone ran after the Hastings men. "You're right. They probably already killed them."

The thought makes me angry. "Either way, I'm going after them. I won't stop until I know they are dead."

"What is killing them going to do for you, Willow?" Exasperated, Tony runs his hand through his hair.

"Do you not realize what they've done? How much pain they've caused? They have killed people that I love! I won't let them take another life." I realize I'm adding Tony into the count of the people they've killed. The thought runs like ice through my veins. I start pacing, as if the steps can push reality away for a moment.

Tony doesn't notice the addition. His expression softens. "If this is something you have to do, then I'll go with you."

I stop mid-step and look at him. I didn't doubt that he would stand at my side just like he did my mothers. I just didn't know there would be so much turmoil and worry for my well-being in the mix. I can tell just by his expression, and the feelings emanating off him in palpable waves, that he cares about my welfare a lot more than a friend would. He is deathly scared of losing me. He steps forward, places one of his hands on my hip, and uses the other to push a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

My heart rate accelerates again, but this time it's accompanied by a fluttering sensation in my stomach. My skin feels acutely aware of him and my eyes glance down at his lips. Having forgotten to breathe, I inhale sharply.

Tony gently grazes his lips on my cheek and then he steps away. I don't want him to and neither does he, but he doesn't want to take advantage of me in such a turbulent time. "Your eyes are black now," he whispers matter-of-factly.

I blush at being caught reading his emotions.

Not bothered by it at all, he asks boldly, "Will you allow me to come with you to find Dr. Hastings and Zack?"

I nod my head at the same time that I say, "Yes."

"Then it's a date," he says, before realizing how funny that sounded in such a circumstance. "I mean, it's a deal."

I actually let off a half smile. "I get it."

The corner of his mouth tips upward as well. "I better go get us some supplies then. If you plan to go today then you'd better get some food in your stomach. I won't have you passing out on me."

"Deal." I feel the first starts of something semi-decent inside, knowing that we are going to be taking action.

"Why don't you wash up first and change? I'll meet you in the cafeteria." He heads towards the door.

"Okay." I wait till he leaves, then I head to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

# CHAPTER 4

### Revenge

I manage to keep down a peanut butter sandwich. Tony meets me in the empty cafeteria. He carries two backpacks and holds a pistol in his hand. He walks up to my table and seems pleased with the fact that I've finally eaten something. He places the pistol on the table.

I get up from the table and start to grab the pistol, but then I hear someone clear their throat. I turn to find my dad.

"Tony told me you were leaving." He looks exhausted with bags under his bloodshot eyes and more grey than usual in his hair.

Nerves rise up as I nod. "I have to, Dad."

"I'll come with you," he offers.

Tony and I both say in unison, "No."

My dad looks like he wants to argue so I say, "You have to stay with Sebastian. You can't leave him."

"You don't have to go," he urges me.

"Yes, Dad, I do."

He holds my gaze for several seconds and then pulls something from his pocket. He holds out a white, sealed envelope to me. "Your mother left this for you."

I look down at it like it's a hallucination or something that I can't quite comprehend. My dad pushes it closer to me and I have no choice but to take it from his grasp.

"You can read it when you're ready." I stare down at the envelope, not knowing what to say. It feels much heavier than it is, as if it weighs a thousand pounds.

My dad pulls me into a hug, crushing the envelope and me into him. "You have to come home to me." The emotion is so thick it chokes his words.

"I will, Dad." I hold on tight with my free hand.

He doesn't let go for several seconds and when we part, he looks to Tony. "You will take care of my girl, right?"

"Yes sir," Tony says solidly.

"You will bring her back to me safe and sound?" My dad seems so tired as he questions him.

"I will protect her with my life," Tony vows.

My dad's eyes water and all he can do is nod. He looks at me one last time and says, "I love you, Willow."

"I love you too, Dad." With that, I watch him walk away.

I look back down at the wrinkled envelope in my hand. I turn it over a few times in silent thought before stuffing it into the back pocket of my jeans. My dad said to read it when I'm ready. Right now, I'm not ready. I have something to do first. "Let's do this," I tell Tony as I pick up the pistol from the table and grab a backpack from him.

Tony nods his head firmly and then leads the way out of the cafeteria and out of the hotel.

The day is coming to an end and twilight is in full swing. I'm glad for the timing; it means when we get to the prison grounds it will be nightfall.

The air has a cool snap to it. One that tells me that winter may still come despite the plans to unleash Project ELE. The wind whips my hair around my face and into my mouth. I pull it out, take a rubber band from around my wrist, and put my hair into a messy bun. I glance over at Tony, realizing he's been watching me.

"Your hair looks cute like that," he says simply.

I try not to blush but lose the battle. Instead, I playfully punch him on the arm. "Let's get out of here. We've got an appointment to make."

Tony takes my hand in his. The warmth spreads up my arm as we run, each of us pushing the other to keep at a consistent pace. We only stop a couple times to rest and get a few sips of water.

We make it to the outskirts of the prison grounds as the moon begins to rise. Again, the lights are all on at the prison, casting an unfamiliar and artificial glow. Tony and I slow our running and come to a steady walk. We move stealthily towards a group of trees that give us an unobstructed view of not only the wall, but the prison grounds behind the chain link fence as well.

"If we are going to do this, Willow," Tony whispers, turning to me. "I have to trust that you will follow these rules. I promised your dad that I would bring you home and I have full intentions of doing so." He pauses for me to respond.

"I understand," I whisper.

"Good. We need to talk to each other through our minds, no talking aloud. Number two, stay together, that's a given. Number three, we are just going to be looking around. If for some reason opportunity strikes, we have to both be in agreement on how to proceed or we leave... no arguing. I will not give that rule any leeway."

He gives a slight pause and I nod in agreement. While I may be in a hurry to wring Dr. Hastings's, and Zack's, neck, I have to be smart about it; I can't rush this.

"And the last rule, which is one of the most important. Rule number four, we squeeze each other's hand immediately if you find someone with light blue eyes. They are our only real enemy here since they can see through all abilities."

I nod my head and take a deep breath. "Got it."

"Good. Ready?" Tony asks through his thoughts.

"Yes." I swallow my nerves. I try hard not to think about what I'm going in there for. If I do, I may not follow through with my plan.

We watch a guard walk past the chain link fence. They've been walking back and forth every five minutes, almost on the dot. We wait thirty seconds and then make our move. I grab Tony's hand and turn us invisible. We run full speed towards the gate. I quickly move us through the cold metal.

This time we know where we will land when we get into the prison. We move to the brick wall and I pull Tony through it as quickly as possible. I gasp on the other side when I find the room that we enter into completely empty.

"Where are they?" I ask Tony.

"Who?" He looks around the empty, concrete-walled room.

I forgot that Tony wasn't with us when we first entered the prison. "This is where they were keeping a lot of the others; the one's that didn't have that reaction on the tests."

Tony visibly shivers. "They must have moved them."

"I hope that's the case and not something worse." Our people need to find a way to rescue those prisoners soon. If there are any prisoners left to rescue that is. Ice shivers run down my spine and I fight back the thought.

"Let's keep moving." Tony pulls me towards the door.

I walk us through to the other side, finding the hallway empty. We walk quickly down the cellblock. The jail cell, where I placed the guard I knocked out, is empty. I wonder how long it took them to find him.

We walk to the next set of doors and I pull Tony through. Thankfully, no guards are walking down this hall either. It seems eerily deserted.

We check each window, looking for Dr. Hastings or Zack, who are nowhere to be found as of yet. This time when we walk through the steel doors, we run straight through the hall of curtains to the other side. The bulb that flickered creepily last time has finally given up and the entire room is dark except for the minimal light coming in through the windows near the ceiling. My stomach rolls sickly as I remember the small, curtained room with blood splatters all over it.

We go through the next two sets of doors as quietly as possible, knowing what's on the other side. As we step through the final door, we are plunged into darkness. A lone light shines at the far end of the room in an office. The cubicles and break room are empty and deathly quiet.

"Where are all of the people?" I wonder in my head.

Thinking I was asking him the question, Tony answers, "It's late, maybe they are off for the night." He gestures his head towards the end of the giant room where the single light is on. "Someone might be pulling an all-nighter though. We need to be careful."

I nod my head and we start walking towards the light. When we round the last cubicle, we see the small corner office where the light shines. We crouch down low trying to get a peek inside the doorway. It doesn't look like anyone is home. We stand back up and hear a muffled cough and then furious typing on a keyboard.

I inch closer to the doorway and peek around the corner before Tony can pull me back. My heart jumps.

"Breaking the rules!" Tony demands.

I focus on breathing. "Dr. Hastings is in there... Alone."

Tony's expression turns from serious to angry. "We may not get an opportunity like this again." I watch him use his free hand to pull the gun out.

I pull mine out as well. My hand is shaking. "I agree." Will I be able to kill him though? That's the main question.

"You don't have to do this. You can stand here. I can take him out and you don't have to raise a hand." He urges me with his eyes to let him do this.

"No! I need to do this myself." I take a deep breath.

"Let's stay invisible though. He doesn't need to see us coming. We don't want him to sound any alarms." Tony holds his gun out and grabs the crook of my elbow, knowing I need both hands to aim my gun.

I straighten up and step out slowly into the doorway. I raise my gun and line my sights on the back of Dr. Hastings's head. He doesn't know I'm here. I could do away with him with a slight pull of my index finger. My hand starts shaking and my chest tightens. Something dark starts filling me. A part of me wants to let the darkness fill me to the brim. Another part wants to fight it off. I slowly lower my pistol but Hastings scratches the back of his head and I raise it back up. "I don't know if I can do it." I keep my pistol trained on his grey hair.

"Let me." Tony raises his gun.

"Only a coward would shoot a person in their back." Dr. Hastings slowly turns around. His blue eyes land on me. The same eyes his daughter has.

My eyes widen in surprise and I'm not sure what to do. I keep my gun pointed at his head. He didn't have blue eyes yesterday.

"Yes, I figured I needed this gift if I were going to have any advantage around you." Dr. Hastings answers my unspoken question.

Tony lets go of my arm and I let go of the invisibility since it does us no good here.

"So, are you going to say hi or anything? Or are you just going to kill me in cold blood?" Hastings asks.

"Hands above your head," Tony demands.

Dr. Hastings slowly raises his hands up and places them on the back of his head. He leans back looking way too comfortable in a situation like this.

I finally find my voice and answer his earlier question. "I'm not killing you in cold blood. An eye for an eye, Doctor."

The fact that he has the nerve to actually laugh makes the prospect of shooting him seem all the more appealing. "Your mother killed herself, Willow. That wouldn't be an eye for an eye."

Anger flashes inside me like lightning. "No! You killed her! You and your son killed her. You held that shot to her neck."

"Yes, but we didn't have any intention of killing either of your parents. We only wanted a simple pint of blood from you. It was an empty threat." He tries to soften his expression but I don't buy it.

"If it was an empty threat then there wouldn't have been anything deadly in that shot." I'm not stupid enough for him to manipulate me with doubts.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm truly sorry that your mom died. I had no idea she would have reacted in such a way."

I narrow my eyes. "You aren't sorry. You are a horrible excuse for a human being."

He clucks his tongue. "You don't even know me, Willow. I can help you."

"Oh yeah! Like you helped seal my friends in a cave? Like you helped try to make me into your own personal lab experiment? Like you killed my mom? Or like you created all of these abilities and basically tested it out on all of us? You don't care who gets hurt. You even killed your own wife!" My voice gradually grows louder as I throw each accusation at him.

"Don't speak of things you don't know about, little girl!" Dr. Hastings throws his hands down on the table loudly. His face turns beet red. I guess I must have pushed the right button.

Tony steps forward with his gun trained on him. "Hands up now!" he demands.

Dr. Hastings gives him a mean look but complies with his demand. It takes him a few seconds but his face goes slack again like he couldn't be concerned with all of this. "You may not think I can help you but I can. You just have to give me a simple pint of blood."

I don't respond to him because I know he can't do a thing for me.

"I know how to help a person you care deeply for," he adds.

My eyes widen in shock and my heart starts racing.

"Yes, you know what I mean, don't you?" Dr. Hastings says in his attempt at playful banter.

"What is he talking about, Willow?" Tony asks me.

I shake my head at him. "Nothing. The man is crazy."

Hastings laughs. I roll my eyes and give him a furious glare. He smiles as he says, "I can undo it, simple as that. For a measly pint of your blood."

"Enough! You aren't getting anything from her." Tony turns to me. "Let me do this, Willow." His fingers inch toward the trigger.

I look from him to Dr. Hastings and then back to Tony. I have no reason to trust that Dr. Hastings can help Tony. I should just kill him, but I realize that I'm not going to be able to. Not with this new possibility that he laid out on the table. "I can't."

"Then I will." Tony walks around the desk and points the barrel of the gun at Dr. Hastings's temple. "Say goodnight."

His eyes narrow and for once he actually looks appropriately scared. He looks at me with a disgusted glare. "You Mosby women are nothing but trouble. I should have killed you when I had the chance. I don't even know what my boy saw in you. If he were here, I'd make him kill you," he spits.

I don't even pay attention to the part about Zack. I can only focus on his negative indication of my mother. I yell, "My mom did nothing to you!"

"With only a few words that woman started an uprising in here! Promising all of those workers that she would free them."

Pride wells within me for my mom. I smile and it pisses Dr. Hastings off even more.

"Can I proceed?" Tony asks one last time.

I appreciate that he wants to make sure he doesn't take this right away from me in case I feel like I need to be the one to kill him. "No. Knock him out. We will take him with us and show him what it's like to be a prisoner."

Tony starts to nod his head but then his body goes rigid and his eyes focus on something behind me. That's when I feel the cold metal of a barrel land on the back of my head.

I don't see the man behind me nor do I recognize his voice when he begins making demands. "Put your gun down now or she dies!"

Tony's expression hardens as he stares the man down. He slowly moves to place the gun on the table but before he does, he asks. "Do you trust me, Willow?"

I don't even have to think about it. "I do."

"Then duck!" he yells into my head.

Without hesitation, I drop to the ground. In the same instant, Tony raises his gun back up in a flash and shoots the man in the chest. The guard drops to the ground dead.

In my peripheral vision, I watch Dr. Hastings pull a gun out from under his desk. In the second that he aims it at Tony, I raise my gun without hesitation, aim it and shoot. I watch in horror as the doctor's eyes turn vacant. The small red dot on the corner of his forehead looks so harmless. Like a small cut that could be covered with a Band-Aid. I don't realize that I'm not breathing until the dizziness washes over me. I blink two times and then take a deep breath.

Tony moves quickly to my side and takes the gun from my shaking hands. He puts it away and pulls me into him. My whole body is shaking and inside I don't know how I feel. "Dr. Hastings is dead. I killed him." I keep repeating in my head. "I killed him. I killed him."

"I know, Willow. You did the right thing. You saved my life." He holds me tightly and gingerly brushes my hair through his fingers. "We need to get moving. Those shots will certainly draw some attention if anyone is around to hear them. We're still not sure if Zack's even here, so we should get out while we can."

I nod my head because my voice is lost. He takes my shaky hand in his and I use the last of my resources to turn us invisible. We move through the walls and away from the prison, the place of my nightmares. By the time we reach the tree line, my body is trembling so heavily that Tony pulls his hand from mine and lifts me into his arms. He begins running in the direction of the safe house. With the last of my energy, I rise from his arms and ask him, "Please don't take me to the safe house. I want to go somewhere alone, somewhere with you." Tony eyes me suspiciously for a moment but nods his head in agreement. I rest my head back on his chest and let myself go.

# CHAPTER 5

### Hiding

I wake up wrapped up in a cozy quilt with the fire lit in the fireplace. I have no clue where I'm at but it looks to be some sort of rustic log cabin. I catch a glimpse of Tony out of the corner of my eye. He's standing over a small gas camping stove, warming a mug that's begun to steam.

He must sense me waking up because he turns in my direction. His eyes light up upon seeing me. He makes his way over and hands me the cup, handle first.

I wrap my hands around it, finding comfort in the warmth it provides. "Thanks," I say.

Tony perches on the edge of the couch. I lift my head up and take a drink. "Ramen noodles," I say excitedly. "Where did you get this? I haven't been able to get my hands on any of this for years!" I sip the broth, reveling in its flavor. I close my eyes, "Mmm, chicken flavored."

Tony shakes his head and chuckles. "This is where I used to live." He pauses for a moment to let it sink in. "My parents and I liked the quiet and moved to this cabin a few years before ELE. When you asked me to go somewhere else last night, this was the first place to pop into my mind. Anyway, we always tried to keep a few items around that were imperishable. Ramen was a definite option for that reason." All the while, I'm gulping the broth and loudly slurping the noodles. "And I guess I'm glad I did because apparently, I just made your year!"

I nod my head, taking sip after sip of this glorious liquid. I get to the bottom of my cup way too soon and hold it out for him... hoping he has more.

"Slow down there, slugger, you're gonna get sick," he playfully scolds me.

"Great, now you know my weakness..." I jest playfully. He takes my cup and refills it once more. Again, I gobble it down in less than a minute.

Tony goes over and jabs at the fire, making it spark and crackle. It feels like I'm a world away in this cabin. Everything seems so... normal. All the loss and heartache I've experienced in the past few days has been left outside. But then a cloud comes over my eyes, bringing with it the thunderstorms. I still have to figure out how to help Tony. I haven't the slightest clue as to how a person transitions into a Reaper... I've only heard that it happens within a few days. I just hope my healing ability stalls the inevitable. I make it my mission to make these last days with Tony some of his best. I can't sit here and feel sorry for him or I'll miss the opportunity at hand to make him happy. I want that to be the last free memories he has. My mom would have wanted that for him as well. I shift the heartache and memories of the last two days to the far recesses of my mind.

Tony places the poker next to the fire and grabs a book. "Do you want me to read to you?" he asks me.

I can't even think how long ago it was that someone read to me. "Sure," I say shrugging my shoulders. "Why not." I set the coffee cup on the table beside me and curl back up into the quilt. Tony moves a large wooden rocking chair over to where I'm at and takes a seat. "So, what are you reading to me?" I ask.

He chuckles. "Alice in Wonderland. It's one of my favorites."

"Mine too," I whisper.

Tony gets comfortable in his chair and opens the old, tattered book. He clears his throat and begins, "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'"

I snicker when he says Alice's lines in a girly voice.

"What?" he asks me now that I've clearly interrupted him with my giggling. He narrows his eyes at me playfully and looks like he's going to pounce when all of a sudden his face goes lax. He stares into the distance, his eyes filled with hollowed emotion.

"Tony," I say trying to figure out how he can go from all emotion to nothing, so quickly. I wave my hand in front of his eyes, but still no response.

Suddenly he gets up from the rocking chair and walks into the kitchen, his usual gait absent. He opens one of the drawers in the kitchen area and pulls out a large butcher knife, leaving the drawer open. He turns robotically towards me, butcher knife in hand.

"Uh, Tony... what are you doing?" I ask him one last time before I start to panic. Naturally he doesn't answer and it dawns on me that Tony isn't in control here... something else is. I scoot back on the couch and crouch with my legs underneath me. Not knowing what I'm battling against I want to be ready for anything. And I have to do it just right or I could injure the Tony that's buried deep inside.

As Tony comes closer, I look him in the eyes. I notice a small red swirl, almost like a tornado, circling his iris.

"The shot," I say breathlessly. Like a lion about to pounce its prey, I ready myself to move. When Tony is but five feet from me, he begins raising the knife. I move quickly until I'm behind him and immediately grab his hand. His grip is deathly tight. I squeeze his wrist like he taught me and disarm the knife from his grasp. It falls to the ground and I kick it across the room. Then I immediately focus on healing, hoping with all I am that I can heal him again.

It only takes a few seconds before Tony, the real Tony, comes back to me. I slide off his back landing softly on the wooden floor. He turns to look at me, his face contorted in utter confusion. "What..." he asks, searching for words. "What was that?"

I scratch my head noticing the absence of the red in his eyes. "Uh, you were giving me a piggy back ride." I want to hit myself in the forehead for giving such a stupid answer but it was the only thing that came to my mind.

He ponders this for a moment and, surprisingly, he just shrugs his shoulders.

He looks lost in thought so I suggest, "Hey, let's read more of Alice in Wonderland."

He still looks perplexed, but he nods and sits back down in the rocking chair picking up the book from the floor.

While he's busy looking for where to start I walk inconspicuously over to where the knife is on the floor and silently kick it under the couch. I quickly slide onto the couch and throw the quilt up over my lap. I'm out of breath and sweating a little from the 'incident'.

Tony reads a few chapters and the entire time I find it hard to focus on the story at hand. I can't help staring at Tony and expecting him to just snap again. What the flip was that? I wonder. Out of all of the reactions I could have expected someone turning into a Reaper to do, I wouldn't have thought of that. I mean, if he's blacking out and going into Reaper mode or whatever, why did he grab a knife? Wouldn't he just try to take my powers with his touch? It doesn't take a knife to do that.

I glance towards the kitchen and can't help but wonder if I should hide the butcher block of knifes sitting on the counter. But, if we're being honest, he could use anything as a weapon.

"Are you okay, Willow?" Tony asks me.

I shake my head to clear it and look back at Tony. "Yeah... I mean, yes. I think so." I pride myself on the fact that I didn't bust out and yell, "No, you're turning into a Reaper," like I wanted to.

He stands up and puts the book away, then comes and sits next to me on the couch. "You just seem a little lost in thought." He pulls part of the blanket over his legs too. "You know, it's alright for you to admit that you aren't okay. You've been through so much in the past few days, what with losing your mom and then killing Dr. Hastings. That's a whole heck of a lot to sift through."

I grunt nervously. "Well then, I guess I should be real and admit that I'm all screwed up inside." My fake smile drops. "You're right, I'm not okay, but I'm working on finding a way to cope. I have to get through this and I'm very thankful to have you here with me right now." I run my hand through my hair.

"I know you'll be able to find a way to cope, Willow. You are stronger than you know. I remember when I lost my parents. At first, I was so mad at them for turning into Reapers and trying to turn me into one too. I hated them. I hated them because of their actions; your mom was forced to kill them. I was pretty screwed up inside back then too. Day by day though, things started easing up. I felt a little more like myself as time passed. Things will never be the same, but at least I know that I survived it. I know you will survive this just fine and come out even stronger because of it." Tony pulls me towards him on the couch and places his arm around me.

I rest my head on his shoulder and sigh. "I hope so. It's interesting the turmoil going on inside me. Part of my brain wants to close my eyes and pretend like nothing ever happened. Another part of me wants to break down and cry forever or to get angry at the world and take my pain out on everything in my path. Yet, I find myself in a strange limbo between all of these emotions. I find myself wanting to just move on. I don't want to sit and comprehend everything that has happened. I don't want to miss my mom or feel guilty for taking a life, even though he would have taken yours if I hadn't shot him. I just want to be. Because if I can just find a way to just be, I can get through this..." I let out a loud breath. "Wow, none of that just made sense. I should just shut up."

Tony squeezes me gently. "No, actually it makes a lot of sense." We sit in silence for a few minutes. It's not awkward. Instead, it's kind of peaceful. Tony asks a few minutes later, "Do you want to go back to the safe house?"

I sit up and look at him. "Is it okay if we stay here a little while longer? I think I just need some time away from everyone's attention. I don't think I could take it having my friends hover over me asking if I'm okay all of the time. You know?"

Tony laughs softly. "Kind of like how I asked you if you are okay just now?"

I give him a half grin. "No, that's not what I mean."

Tony smiles back. "Yeah, I guess I'm the exception."

"Yes, you are the exception." I nod my head.

He gives me a smoldering look that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. "You know I'd do anything for you, right?" Tony asks me.

I give him a small, but meaningful, smile. "I know you would. You've always been there when I needed you. But I do have to warn you. Now that you've said it out loud I may have to cash in on it sometime."

He gives me a light laugh. "If you say so," he says playfully.

"So," I say changing the subject. "If we are going to stick around here for a little while longer, I guess I ought to give you the grand tour." He stands up and holds his hand out for me.

"Why, I'd be honored." I accept his hand and he pulls me up from the couch. The blanket falls to the ground. I pick it up and place it back on the sofa. That's when I see some dried blood on my inner wrist.

Tony notices it too and gently pulls my arm up to get a better look. "What happened? When did you cut yourself?"

I look down, not sure what to say. You can barely see a scar from where the knife must have sliced me without my knowledge. My healing abilities must have fixed me up. "I don't know, it probably happened last night."

Tony looks at me suspiciously. I don't waver so finally he says, "Let's get you cleaned up then first." He takes me to the kitchen and washes my arm under the sink. I watch as he gently wipes at the bloodstain with a damp cloth. I could have just as easily rinsed my own arm off but something about Tony's gesture and protective qualities is quite endearing in this moment.

After I'm all cleaned up and good to go, no Band-Aid necessary, he takes me on the tour. I view their formal dining room, which consists of a large oak table and six chairs. He takes me upstairs and shows me his parent's room, which he doesn't linger in too long. I'm sure the memories in there are hard for him.

I give him a hug after we close the door. "So can I see your room?"

The grief leaves his eyes and turns quickly into playfulness. "I thought you'd never ask." He takes me down the hall and opens the door to his room. I walk in and look around. It's definitely not what I would have expected. The pitched ceiling makes the room look open and airy. A full size bed sits in the corner. A large desk seems to be the main focal point of the room. On it sits numerous graphite pencils, papers of different texture and colors, paints and a few books on sketching. Sketches of people and cars hang on the walls.

"Did you draw all of these?" I walk into the room and look from picture to picture as if browsing in an art exhibit.

"Yes," Tony whispers. I look back at him and I can see something in his expression. His cheeks are a little red and he looks almost embarrassed.

"They are beautiful. You have amazing talent," I reassure him.

His expression lightens and he smiles meekly, which is surprising since nothing about Tony is meek. "Thanks. I wasn't sure if you'd think it was goofy or childish."

I shake my head and go back to admiring his handiwork. "Nothing about art is childish. Not many people can draw like this." A sketch of an old Lamborghini is so three dimensional and starkly real that it looks like it could drive right off the paper. I find a picture of a man and woman holding hands. They look so lively and in love. The shading is perfect and you can see the emotions in their faces. The love shines through in the drawing. "Who is this?" I ask.

Tony comes to stand next to me. "That's my parents." He reaches out and gently grazes the sketch with his fingertips.

"They must have been very much in love." I'm not sure if this subject is too painful or if I should move us on to another sketch or not.

"They were. You know, I've had some time to think about it. I think that might have been part of the reason they turned into Reapers. I think they thought it would give them the best advantage to stay alive and together longer. We didn't know how long or how hot the temperatures would get during that time. When the first set of people started turning with that red shot, they tried to convince others that it was the best thing for everyone. They spoke about feeling more powerful than ever and some even thought that the change would make them immortal. When my parents made the decision, it was before everyone realized how bad Reapers really were. Some people were already dying around the shelter and coming up brain dead, but they didn't know it was because of a Reaper. I think the sudden deaths were a catalyst to my parents' choice as well as many others. I honestly believe that my mom and dad were trying to find a way to make sure they both survived together, along with me. I don't think they were looking for power. It's kind of ironic that little did they know that the change would kill the very love they were working so hard to protect." He turns away from the sketch.

What a tragic love story, I think to myself. I look up and notice his eyes are watering. I pull him into a hug. We stand there in each other's embrace for several seconds, neither of us wanting to let go. Tony leans back to where we are still in each other's arms but he can now look into my eyes.

I get caught up in that look and it nearly takes my breath away. So much can be said without words. I glance down at his lips and without my even thinking of it, I start leaning forward.

Tony clears his throat and takes a step back. "Why don't we go get some air?"

An ounce of hurt flashes inside me but I remind myself that Tony and I are just friends. I know he liked me like that once, but I made it known I wasn't into him in that way. He has no reason to be still into me. Plus, enough is going on right now. I don't need to be thinking about Tony in that way; especially when I just broke up with my first love not even two days ago. "Air sounds good," I say.

I follow Tony out of his room, down the stairs and out the front door. I find myself in stunned awe at the view outside. When we arrived last night I was not only pretty out of it, but it was also pitch black so I couldn't see anything. I step down from the porch and start walking towards the most magical lake I've ever seen. The sun causes the calm water to glisten. Mountains stand up in the background at the far end of the lake. Their image is cast onto the gentle water perfectly and the wisps of white clouds and blue sky above them give the reflection even more depth. I walk all the way to the water's edge, mesmerized by the setting. "I could live out here."

"I could see you living out here too. This is my favorite place on Earth." Tony puts his hand on the small of my back.

"I can see why," I tell him.

We take a seat on the soft grass and watch the clouds float over the water as if it's the best show in the world.

An hour must pass at least, with how long we sit in silence until Tony speaks. "Can I ask you a question, Willow?"

"Shoot." I turn to him.

He looks at me as if gauging how he should ask this. That can't be a good sign. "Why did Alec and you break up?"

Not a question I was expecting, but I'm sure it was a question that's been on his mind. "Um... I wasn't really the best girlfriend, you know."

Tony lets out a light huff. "I doubt that."

I raise my eyebrow. "Seriously, I wasn't. I did some stuff behind his back and I should have trusted him by letting him know what I was doing. I'm not sure why I didn't tell him that I was going to go after my parents or why I didn't just let him come, but I can't really go back in time and fix it. I made the decision and I doubt even if I could go back in time that I would have brought him into that mess."

"Why didn't you just apologize?" he asks as if it were that simple.

"There was more to it. I kept stuff like that from him before in the shelter too. Also, he felt like I was keeping something else from him. I think that was the main reason we broke up." I bite my lip knowing his next question.

"What else were you keeping from him?"

"He thinks I have feelings for someone else," I say.

Tony's eyes widen as the truth sets in. "Do you?" he asks a little breathlessly.

"I think maybe so." I look away shyly. The truth can be so awkward.

"Oh," Tony whispers.

My eyes dart back to his and I instinctively bite my lip. I wonder what 'oh' means. Good, bad? I quickly say, "Anyhow, I'm not ready to really dive into that right now. I have enough on my plate." I expect to see some relief in his eyes but instead he looks a little disappointed. That actually makes me feel better, knowing that he likes the fact that I might be feeling something for him.

Tony stands to his feet and helps me to mine. "Well, if we're going to have anything good to eat tonight we'd better get to work."

I give him a smirk. "I don't really mind having Ramen again," I playfully suggest.

Tony gives a small chuckle. "Ramen doesn't exactly give your body what it needs to function. Come on, I'll show you how to get a real dinner."

I follow Tony through the woods quietly while he sets snares and traps made from string, rocks, and twigs. I watch as he sets them up, one by one. His muscles strain against his shirt, which makes the shirt look like it's about to lose the battle and rip. Tony catches me staring at his arms and I quickly look away, clearing my throat.

I follow him as he wanders through the woods that he knows like the back of his hand. He takes me past a few Pine trees to where his favorite blackberry bush is. I taste one and it's perfectly ripe and sweet. We decide to take some back to the cabin with us. My hands get full trying to carry them all, so Tony takes his shirt off and makes a sort of satchel to carry the berries in. When he tries to hand it to me, I don't notice; I'm too busy trying to figure out if he has a six-pack or a twelve pack. Catching me in a semi-stalkerish moment, he clears his throat. I snap out of it, blushing from head to toe. Embarrassing! I take his shirt and focus on filling it to the brim with blackberries.

After we've picked the bush almost clean, leaving some for the animals, we head over to another clearing where he teaches me about wild greens and what you can and can't eat. We find Stinging Nettle, Chickweed, Dandelion and Monkey Flowers. I've never eaten any of them before so I'm looking forward to this culinary adventure.

We double back to where Tony set the traps and find a rabbit caught in one of the snares. Tony picks it up by the ears. He must see the look on my face because he says, "Think of it as food, Willow. Not a cute, furry pet."

I nod my head but my face still says eeekkk. I stand on the other side of Tony, as far away from little bunny foo foo as I can. It creeps me out knowing what's about to come next.

Tony sends me with a pail to collect water and directions to the well so I can clean the things we gathered. He tells me that the water line from the well is clogged so I will have to get water the old-fashioned way.

Tony stays behind to 'prepare' the rabbit. I guess prepare is the nice people word for butcher. My stomach churns a little with the thought. Don't think about it, Willow, I tell myself.

I locate the well easily. Pushing back the cover, I attach the bucket to the hook at the top and slowly lower it down. It's interesting because I've never had to use a well before for water. I guess this cabin is too far out to be connected to the city water. Retrieving the water turned out to be pretty easy. I squat down next to the well and begin cleaning all of the greens and blackberries we're having for dinner.

I keep hearing Tony, up near the house, chopping on a stump. Images in my head of a furry bunny staring back at me from my dinner plate play across my mind. Gross.

After I'm through cleaning, I gather up everything, along with a clean bucket of water for Tony to clean up his...er...mess. He sees the bucket and smiles, "I wondered when you were coming back. I started worrying you may have fallen into the well."

I roll my eyes and hand him the bucket. "I didn't want to see bunny foo foo chopped to bits, okay?"

He gives me a sideways grin. "Bunny foo foo?" he asks. It sounds funny coming from him. "You named our dinner?"

I finally give in and laugh. It does sound pretty ridiculous.

I head into the house as Tony washes up the blood bath. I find two large bowls, one to put the salad greens in and one to but the blackberries in. I steal a couple berries and put them in my mouth. The sweet, savory juice slides down my throat. Mmm, so good!

Tony comes through the door with a skewered, butchered rabbit on a long stick. He places the stick in the fireplace on these two 'legs' that connect with a crank. He adds a few more logs to the fire and gets a good, strong flame going. "We'll want to crank that every few minutes or so to keep it from burning."

I nod while admiring how self-sufficient Tony is... and his biceps. Shaking my head, I clear the cobwebs and finish the task at hand. I grab a blackberry from the bowl and squat down next to Tony. "Open your mouth and close your eyes," I say to him. I swallow the knot that's formed in my throat. My mother used to say that to me when I was little.

Tony turns towards me and gives me an impish grin. He abides and opens his mouth, keeping his eyes tightly shut. I place the blackberry in his mouth but all I see are his lips. They're hypnotizing. I move my fingers from his mouth and watch as he bites into the blackberry. His mouth turns up at the corners, "It's sweet."

I break out of my trance when he opens his eyes and I nod my head in agreement. He turns the crank a few more times till the browned side is pointing upwards. Tony is illuminated by the firelight casting beautiful shadows across his face. The glow makes each of his features more prominent and that much more attractive to look at. He turns towards me and I watch his yellow eyes gain depth and meaning. He reaches out and touches the side of my cheek. My eyes instantly close and I revel in his touch. He places a piece of my hair back behind my ears and lets his fingers trace the line of my cheekbone all the way down to my chin.

I open my eyes at the absence of his touch.

"You're so beautiful, Willow."

I bite my lower lip.

He says this in all seriousness and I believe him. Breaking the moment, he stands and holds his hand out to me. I take it and he helps me up. "The salad dressing isn't going to make itself," he says aloud.

"I wish it would," I say to myself.

"What?" Tony says, immediately turning around to face me.

My eyes go round with shock... he just heard that. "Nothing," I squeak.

He holds my gaze for a few moments longer. His eyes filled with a silent humor. Then he turns back around to assemble the salad.

I take a long deep breath and run my hands over my face. I've got to remember we can do that.

Tony grabs some oil and vinegar and begins concocting a salad dressing. He puts a pinch of salt and pepper in it and mashes up some blackberry to make a vinaigrette. I guess I'll add: cook, to the thousand-item list of things Tony can do. I can't help but wonder if there is anything he can't do.

He reaches back under the cabinet and pulls out a jar of sugar. He breaks the seal and sprinkles some on the blackberries. I sit down on the sofa to watch the master at work. If anything, I'm in the way of this one-man show. Tony alternates between cranking the handle on the fireplace, making the salad, and setting the table. I ask him if I can help but he insists that I take it easy. He wants to make dinner for me.

I must have dozed off for a bit because Tony wakes me by gently shaking my arm. The fire has died down some and it makes me wonder how long I was out. As if knowing what I'm thinking he answers me, "You were only out about half an hour."

I nod my head and sit up. Wiping my eyes, I let out a yawn. "It smells good..."

"Well it should, I made it," Tony says with confidence.

I follow him into the dining area where he's set up two plates... and a candle in the middle. The butterflies flutter in my stomach when it reminds me of that candlelight dinner we shared a while back. Only this time is different. This time not only am I single, but we're also alone. That ups the ante a bit.

I go to take a seat and Tony comes up from behind me, pulling out my chair. I sit down and he gracefully helps me scoot forward. He takes a seat and serves both of us our portions. I grab my fork and knife and try out the rabbit first. It's good; not at all gamey like I thought it would be. The salad is divine and it goes perfectly with it. A girl could sure get used to this kind of cooking! Tony mentions in between bites to save room for dessert.

After dinner, Tony brings out a dessert of warm blackberries with a sugary crumble mixture on top. It's absolutely ridiculous. I savor every bite.

We've been mostly silent throughout the meal and I decide to break the rhythm with some conversation. "So, are you going to tell me how you learned to cook?"

Tony finishes chewing his bite of food before answering. "Surprisingly, I learned from my dad. He went to culinary school in New York. Back when the virus wasn't a threat. He started teaching me the moment I could reach the counter. My mom also loved to bake. That double oven was a gift to her for their fifth wedding anniversary. She said it was one of the best gifts she ever received, with the exception of me." Tony stares off at the stove, lost in a memory.

I place my hand over his on the table. "It sounds like your parents were pretty amazing."

Tony looks back at me. The pain is still evident. "They were actually. It's hard for me sometimes to connect the past them with the people they turned into after taking that shot." He looks down at the table and drums his fork against it nervously with his free hand. "I shouldn't admit it but honestly Willow; deep down in my heart I am happy that Dr. Hastings is dead." He looks back up at me and finishes. "Anyone who had it in their right mind to create a substance that can cause that sort of reaction such as it did with the Reapers, deserves that fate."

I take a deep breath. "I wish I could say that I don't agree with you. That taking a life is taking a life no matter what sins they've committed. But, I can't help feeling like the world is just that much safer with him gone."

"I agree," Tony says stoically. "So... this is pretty heavy conversation for our first date."

I look at him in surprise. "Oh really? I didn't know this was a date."

He gives me a crooked smile that makes him look that much more handsome. "I figure it is if you'd like it to be."

I think about it for a few moments. I don't know if I'm ready for dating yet. "Maybe we can call it that. I mean you did cook for me and all. As long as we take things slow, like a sloth crossing the street kind of slow."

He laughs at my analogy. "Yeah, that can be a-rr-a-n-g-e-d," he says in a slow motion voice.

I slap him on the hand and we both chuckle. We talk more about our childhood while we finish the incredible desert. I go back for seconds, not caring if I look like a glutton.

After dinner, Tony tells me to sit on the couch. I watch him run up the stairs. He returns a minute later with a six-string guitar in his hand.

"Oh, you're that guy?" I joke aloud.

Tony arches his eyebrow. "What kind of guy are you referring to?"

"You know, the guy who can do everything. Cook, draw, play instruments, kick butt and everything else under the sun. Not only are you unbelievably good looking but you have to have all of this talent too? I feel a little inadequate."

Tony smiles and seems to chew on it for a few seconds before he says, "Sometimes I snore, I absolutely loath doing the dishes, I can't sing a note, I have a double cowlick so if I don't keep my hair cut short my hair will stand pitch straight on the back of my head and I don't really like cats. I mean, I love kittens, but cats kind of creep me out."

I can't help but grin from ear to ear. "Oh, so there is a chink in all of that armor?" I laugh. "By the way, cats kind of creep me out too. I mean, one second they are loving on you and the next they try to scratch out your eyeballs."

Tony laughs. "Yep!" He grins and sits down on the hearth of the fireplace with his guitar on his lap. "So back to your original statement... you think I'm good looking?"

Duh! He looks extremely hot with his guitar and his messy copper hair. "I think you know very well that the looks decent wagon didn't pass you by."

He smiles. "Well, since we are being honest, I have to admit that I think you are so beautiful and sometimes when I look at you, you take my breath away." He gives me a sobered expression that melts my insides.

I open my mouth but no words come out. I hold his gaze and then, feeling a little intimidated, I look down at my fingernails. Tony starts strumming the guitar and I sway to the sound of the strings.

We talk a little more throughout the night and when I start to get sleepy, Tony begins playing his guitar again while I curl up on the couch. I fall asleep to the gentle, strumming lullaby.

# CHAPTER 6

### Changes

I can't breathe! The fact that I'm suffocating, pulls me from the dreamy state I was in. My eyes shoot open and my hands flail out. When I recognize Tony on top of me with his hands clenched hard around my neck, my heart starts hammering. The red in his eyes is swirling like torpedoes, going this way and that. His expression is that of someone not fully connected with reality, as he does his best to block off my airway.

I throw my hands over his and try to pull them away from my neck but no luck; he's much stronger than I am. Stars dance across my eyes as the edge of my vision begins to blur. My lungs beg for air and I try fighting harder. I dig my nails into the skin of his hands. He doesn't flinch. Tears come to my eyes as I realize my time is dwindling down. I can't get him off me and I can't breathe! "Please stop Tony! Please!" I beg.

His grip loosens a little and I think maybe some part of him deep inside, may have heard my plea. I breathe what little air I can through the small airway he's allowed with his lightened grip. It's barely enough to fill half of my lungs before he tightens down once more. He cocks his head to the side and sneers at me. "What? You don't like this, sugar?"

The realization that Tony would never in his right mind call me sugar, sends me into full fledge panic mode. I try to kick and claw at him as he squeezes my throat tighter. I swear, I can feel my vocal cords crush from the force. Stars burst forth like fireworks in my vision and a black fog starts rolling in as I continue to struggle with no real momentum, until eventually the whole world turns dark and I drift away.

I dart up, sucking in air as if it's going out of style. I look around the dark room, lit only by some dying embers in the fireplace. It takes me a few minutes to realize I'm alive and in Tony's living room. When he stirs, I turn and look down at him sleeping peacefully on the couch beside me.

What was that? A dream? A premonition? I get up, careful not to wake Tony. I make my way over to my backpack in the dark, unzipping it quietly, and grab a flashlight. I take it to the downstairs powder bath and shine it just enough to see my eyes in the mirror. They are the color of a copper penny. My heart starts beating double time as I realize that what I just went through was no dream. It's about to become a reality. I push a shaky hand through my hair.

I can't let that happen. I've never tried to change a future outcome, but I have to now! I take the flashlight and place it back inside my bag. I quietly grab my pistol from the front pocket and do my best to load a round in the chamber without waking him, and then I make my way back to the couch. I sit down on the floor facing Tony, placing the gun on the floor aimed away from me.

Closing my eyes, I focus my healing abilities. I have to heal Tony. I can't let this happen to him or to me. I place my hands gently on his chest and concentrate. I can feel a small current running from me into him. I stay there for what seems to be at least a half an hour focused completely on healing Tony.

Eventually he stirs some more and opens his eyes. He seems startled to see me sitting over him. He sits up on his elbow and my hands fall down to my knees. I feel too tired to do much of anything else with them.

"Willow? Are you okay?" he asks.

I blink a few times and then nod. "Couldn't sleep." I search his eyes for any sign of the red torpedoes but all I see is the beautiful neon yellow. Maybe it worked, I think to myself as my eyelids become heavy.

"You need to get some rest, Willow. The sun isn't even out." He pats the couch next to him and I second-guess whether the healing worked. "I'm not going to bite," Tony jokes, not knowing how scary his humor is after I just had that premonition.

Not sure what else to do, I slide onto the couch in front of him. I pull the gun towards me so it's sitting just beneath the sofa, within my reach.

Tony puts his arm around me and I tense up. He quickly throws his hand in the air. "Sorry. Are you okay, Willow?" He sounds utterly confused.

No, I'm not okay, but I don't want him to know what happened in my premonition. If I told him, he would surely run off to protect me. I know that if he were away from me, he wouldn't stand a chance. He'd turn quickly and I wouldn't have the opportunity to stop it from happening. "Sorry, I just had a nightmare." I take his hand in mine and pull it back around me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he whispers.

"Not tonight. I just want to sleep." I say with a yawn. I lie wide-awake until I hear Tony fall asleep. With our hands interlocked, I focus some more on healing him. I keep working on it until my eyes finally droop closed and I fall asleep too.

# CHAPTER 7

### Amends

I wake up to the sun streaming in through the windows. It takes me a moment to open my eyes. I look around for Tony since he isn't behind me. I find him packing some items into a bag.

He stops packing and smiles at me. "Good morning, sunshine."

"Morning," I say a little groggily. With the memories of last night's premonition still on the forefront of my mind, I take a few moments to try to examine him closely. From this distance, I can't see any red. Hopefully, the healing worked. If only I can heal him permanently. There has to be a way. If I can stave off this onset of the change with my healing, there has to be a way I can ramp it up to stop it for good.

I stand up and stretch my arms overhead with a yawn. "So, what's the plan?" I ask, pointing at the bag he's packing.

He looks up from what he's doing. "I'm just gathering some more supplies to take back to the safe house. Including Ramen." He holds up a couple packets to show me before he stuffs them back into the bag.

"Are we heading back today?" I ask, not sure if I really like that idea even though I know it's necessary.

"I think we ought to go let your dad know that you're safe. I'm sure he must be a nervous wreck."

My heart lurches at the thought. I hadn't really considered the worry that my absence may have caused my dad. "You're right. How far is the safe house from here?" Since I was pretty far out of it when we left the prison, I didn't get a chance to memorize the path here.

"About a half day's trip. We could get there quicker if we use our abilities." He hands me a pair of jeans, a white cotton top, and a belt. "These were my mom's. I figure you can use a change of clothes. They may be a little loose but the belt should keep everything in place.

I take the clothes and hug them to my chest. "Thanks." I wonder if it's hard for him to hand me his mom's clothes. I can't imagine handing anything that belonged to my mom to anyone else right now. Not when the loss is still so fresh.

I go to the powder room to change. When I pick up the jeans that I'd been wearing to fold them, I notice the letter in the back pocket. I had nearly forgotten it was there. I slip the envelope out and stare at it in my hands. I don't know what is inside but I still can't bring myself to open it. Opening it seems like such a final thing to do. My heart just isn't ready for it yet. I slip it into the back pocket of the new jeans. "Sorry, Mom," I whisper before heading back to find Tony.

He zips up his bag and looks up at me with a sweet smile. "You look nice."

I pull down on my unruly curls. "Thanks."

"You ready?" He hands me a bag.

"Yes," I say. I remember the gun I had placed under the couch. I wait until Tony is preoccupied before I retrieve it. I un-chamber the bullet, put the safety on, and place it in my bag before he can notice anything out of place. I'm getting pretty good at this weapon stuff.

When we walk out of the house, I take a moment to commit the gorgeous lake view to my memory. "Do you think we will ever come back here?"

"Definitely." He takes my hand in his and we begin our long walk to the safe house.

For the most part we walk in silence, stopping only to take a sip of water. We try to keep quiet in case there are any Reapers around. We still have no idea what ever became of the Reapers out on the mountainside after Dr. Hastings turned on that noise signal.

"What about Zack?" I ask Tony.

"If you want to go after him we can." He doesn't stop and look at me, but he squeezes my hand for reassurance.

I don't know if I want to go after Zack. Killing Dr. Hastings didn't bring my mom back. I don't think taking Zack's life will do anything for me. I want to let everything stand the way it is, but I can't help but wonder if Zack may know a way to fix Tony. Perhaps I can make him tell me. Maybe now that his dad is gone and no longer controlling him, he would be willing to change like his sister. I make a note to find Candy when we get back to the safe house.

"Do you want to go after him?" he asks again since I haven't answered.

"I think I'd like to find him and talk to him. I don't want to kill him. I just want to know if he has any clue as to his father's motives for giving us all these abilities. I really want to know what he's done with all of the prisoners too. We still have a duty to help them," I answer.

We come to a place where we have to climb a small ways. Tony turns around and gives me his hand to help me up the steep hill. I accept and he helps me to the top with ease. When we are safe at the top of the hill, he says, "I think that's a wise idea. We definitely need to help the others. I can only hope that the death of Dr. Hastings could be the end of whatever evil motives he may have had."

"I hope so too." I don't have a great feeling about it though.

We run the rest of the way to the safe house in silence. We arrive right as dinner preparations are being made. We go straight to my father's room first. I knock on the door and when he opens it, he pulls me into a strong hug.

"Willow!" he says in such relief that you can hear the worry melting away. He pulls back, keeping his hands on my shoulders to examine me and make sure I'm intact.

"Yes, I told you I'd come back." I try to smile but I can't. The look of sadness and pain is still etched across his features. He looks like he hasn't eaten since I left. His eyes are bloodshot from crying.

"That you did," he says, pulling me into one last hug. He lets me go and turns to Tony, holding out his hand. Tony shakes his hand and my dad tells him, "Thank you, son. Thank you for bringing my daughter back home safely."

"Your daughter is a very strong woman. I don't deserve much credit in bringing her home safely. She actually saved my life," Tony tells my dad.

"Is that so?" My dad turns his attention on me.

I don't answer, so Tony speaks for me. "We ran into Dr. Hastings..." My dad tenses up hearing that name. "One of his guards came in behind Willow. I took him out but Dr. Hastings made a move and Willow proved to be much faster than him. She shot him. He's dead."

My dad runs his hand through his greying hair. "He's dead?" he asks shakily.

"Yes sir," Tony tells him.

My dad stares at his feet silently for several seconds. I start to worry that maybe he's mad or disappointed that I took a life. He finally looks up at me and says, "Thank you, Willow."

My eyes water in response to those words and my shoulders drop. "I don't think I should be thanked for killing a man."

My dad puts his hands on my shoulders and forces me to look him in the eyes. "Dr. Hastings was a very bad man. He took more lives than just your mother's. Back in the shelter, we are confident that he was experimenting on some of the lower class. Many people turned up missing but none of the officials would acknowledge anything. That was the driving force of the rebellion that was beginning inside the shelter..." My father's face starts turning red. "Then, what he did to us in that clearing and in the prison... that man was a monster. He deserved to die!" He takes a deep breath then apologizes for raising his voice. "You did the right thing. You had no choice. It was either his life or Tony's."

I look from my dad to Tony and I know deep down that I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if need be. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too." He gives me another hug.

"How is Sebastian?" I ask him.

"He's coping. He's so young so I don't think he fully understands what this means to his little world. Thankfully, children are pretty resilient. I think he'll make it through this," my dad says.

I put my hands on my dad's shoulders and make him look at me just like he did earlier, when the roles were reversed. "And you? How are you doing?"

He takes a shaky breath and his eyes water. He tries to blink back the tears but a few escape. I hate seeing such a strong man cry. I wait patiently for his response. "I'm trying, Willow. It's just so hard. Sometimes I feel like I can't take it. I feel like my heart is going to give out on me, and part of me wishes it would, so I can be with her again," he admits honestly. I don't think I've ever heard him bare his soul before.

"I feel the same way sometimes." I pull him into a hug.

He sniffs and says, "We'll get through this."

"I know, Dad, I know." I give him a gentle squeeze and let him go.

"You should go see your brother. He'll be happy that you're back," he says.

"I will. Is he still in class?" I ask, since Sebastian has been sharing a room with my dad and he's obviously not here.

"Yes, he should be downstairs with the teachers in the small conference room."

I give my dad another hug. Tony and my dad say goodbye and we leave the room in search of Sabby.

I find Sabby hunched up in a corner of the classroom. He's curled into a ball and far away from any of his other classmates. My heart goes out to him and Tony puts his arm around me. I'm not sure what to say or do so I just knock softly on the door and let myself in.

Sebastian doesn't look up from the far corner. I smile kindly at the teachers and they give me a sympathetic smile back. I walk over and crouch down low next to him. "Sabby," I whisper and touch his arm. There are tearstains running down his delicate skin.

He slowly brings his head up and as soon as he sees it's me he wraps his arms firmly around my middle, burying his head in my chest. I caress his soft curls with my hand comforting him.

"I missed you, Wello," Sabby says. He always knows what to say to bring a smile to my lips.

"I missed you too, Sabby," I say back to him. "How about we go and get something sweet from the kitchen?"

His face perks up and he nods his head. I take his hand in mine... his soft pudgy hand. My heart breaks knowing he's going through losing our mother at such a young age. He didn't get near the amount of time I got with her. For some reason this makes me feel guilty, like I did something wrong.

I walk Sebastian over to one of the teachers and tell her I'm going to be taking him for a little bit. She pats me on the shoulder and tells us to take our time.

As I leave through the main exit, Tony is perched against a wall waiting. I crouch down to Sebastian's level. "You remember Tony, don't you?" I introduce them.

Sebastian nods his head.

"Tony's a very good friend of mine and he's going to go with us to find something sweet, okay?"

He ponders this for a moment. "Is he a very good friend like Alec is a very good friend?"

My eyes go wide with shock and my mouth falls open.

Tony snickers beside me. "You could say that," he replies for me.

I can't help but let out a small giggle.

The three of us walk to the kitchen, which is deserted except for us. I'm thankful for the emptiness. It seems like every other time I've been here it's been bustling. We begin rummaging through the cabinets and come up with a jar of honey and some spoons.

"I guess this'll have to work," I tell him. I sit Sabby on the counter and Tony and I jump up with him. We dip our spoons into the honey and eat it lick by lick, savoring the sweetness.

"Mommy liked honey," Sabby says, breaking the silence.

"She sure did. You know what else mommy liked?" I ask him giving him a small poke in his side.

He laughs. "Wello! What else do mommy like?"

"Mommy liked things that were bright and beautiful music. She liked seeing the wind blow through the trees. She loved watching us play when we built tent houses back home. She liked to cook a big meal, even if it was only for the four of us and it was burnt to a crisp. And you know what she liked most of all?" I ask him.

He shakes his head as a drop of honey lands on his knee.

"She liked it when you smiled. It was her favorite thing in the world!" His eyes get really big.

"Weally?" he asks me.

I nod my head. "Uh-huh! She always said that you were what gave her the sparkle in her eyes."

His head drops. "I miss mommy," he says quietly.

I wrap my arm around him. "I know, Sabby, I know. I miss her too." We sit in quiet for a few moments. "But, you know what? Mommy isn't really gone. We just can't see her for a while. In fact, she's here with us right now, sitting by our side. And someday, when it's our time to go too, we'll get to see mommy again in a place where there is no more pain and no more sadness or tears." I give him a moment to let his four-year-old mind wrap around it.

His dimples show themselves as he puts a smile on his face. "I'm so happy that someday I can see mommy again," he says stumbling over his words.

"Me too, kiddo, me too."

I get Sabby cleaned up and take him back to school. He doesn't return to the corner and yet, he doesn't join the other kids right away either. One of the teachers sees him and offers to hold him. He gladly accepts and is picked up into her arms. Together they go sit down in a rocking chair and she reads him a story.

I give the room a once over before leaving. There are so many children, at least sixty in this room alone. I notice a headful of long red hair at one of the tables. Her face is set in a serious concentrating expression as she searches for the perfect piece. Lily looks like she's going to be okay. I wasn't sure how hard it would be for her to cope with her ability. It's a hard one to understand and turn off. Feeling another person's emotions is intense. I'm just glad to see her up an about since the last time I saw her she was passed out.

I look back over at Tony. He stands beside me, watching the teacher read to Sabby.

I say to him, "I hope what I said to my brother made a difference."

He touches my cheek softly. "You made all the difference in the world."

I let out a small smile, one that doesn't quite reach my eyes. "I hope so," I say as we leave.

Tony stops outside in the hall. "I need to go find Lee. We need to attempt to rescue the prisoners again... before it's too late."

"I agree." It makes me feel good knowing that we are on the same page.

"Do you want to go with me?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No, I need to take care of a few things."

"Okay." He gives me a hug that lasts a few seconds too long... not that I'm complaining, and we part ways for the afternoon.

My first stop, find Alec.

I find him in his room reading a book. His door has been left open a few inches. I knock a few times and open it a little bit more. He gives me a comforting smile and invites me in. He places his book down, tepee style, on his bed.

I walk over to a chair in the corner of his room by his bed. "Mind if I sit?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "No, of course not."

I sit down and the comfort and familiarity of being around him warms me. I don't know exactly why I wanted to seek out Alec, so I sit there in silence for a few moments.

Alec breaks the quiet moment by asking, "How are you doing, Willow?"

"I'm fine..." I say, looking down at my hands.

Alec sits up and leans closer to me. He grabs my hands in his and looks me in the eyes. "No you aren't." He pushes my hair from my face and my heart melts in response. My eyes water and I try my best to blink the tears away. "Hey, it's okay, Willow. I know you're strong, but things have to be tough for you right now." He pulls me into a hug.

Being in his arms feels comfortable and normal. Nothing has seemed right these past few days but being in his arms brings back that normalcy I've been craving. I let out a few tears, then take a deep breath and back away. "You're right. Things are kind of messed up right now." I sit back down.

Alec sits at the edge of his bed so that he's still within arm's reach of me. "I know. I'm so sorry. I hate this, Willow! I hate that I wasn't the one to comfort you when you needed me. It's been eating me alive. I am such a fool. I should have understood that you needed to help your parents. I should have trusted that what you felt for me was real. I let the insecurities dig in deep. I..."

I put my hand on his arm to stop him from his deep confessions. Knowing that Alec has been feeling this guilty these past two days hurts. "Don't be sorry Alec. I understand now. I know I lied and I don't know why I didn't trust you or take you along. In a way, I was trying to protect you and there's also something deep down that tells me there was another motive. I'm not in touch with myself enough right now to fully understand that motive but I know that it hurt you. I'm so sorry."

He inches closer to me and puts his hand on my knee. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have broken up with you. Not like that. You just lost your parents and your... your friend." His hand clenches a little but he forces it to relax again. "I was just upset and I didn't really think everything through. I just reacted. When I heard you calling for him in your sleep, I couldn't take it and I snapped. It was wrong."

I look away. What can I say to that? "You weren't wrong. Please don't be sorry," I whisper.

He gently guides my chin with his fingers until I'm facing him again. "Please let me help you. I want to be there for you this time."

A stray tear falls down my cheek and he wipes it away gently. He leans in and places his lips on mine. I close my eyes and try to pretend like I'm back in the shelter. That things are normal and my life isn't broken. That both my parents are still alive.

Without breaking the kiss, Alec pulls me up from the chair and while we're both standing, he pulls me so close to him that we could almost be one. His gentle kiss deepens with an urgency that tells me it's been too long since we've been together. His left hand is warm against my lower back. He runs his right hand through my hair. I hold on tightly to him as I'm swept up in the whirlwind of warmth and safety that he exuberates. I want that safety; I crave that normalcy. If only our kiss could take us back in time to when my life wasn't torn into pieces. If only...The mirage fades away before me as I come to my senses. I put my hand on his chest and pull back, breaking the kiss. I shake my head. "I can't."

Disappointment flashes in his navy eyes. "I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking." He runs his hands through his dark hair and stands up. He walks over to the window.

I take a deep breath and then I stand up and join him. This safe house is located right next to the woods and the window in this room looks over a row of tall evergreens.

"It's okay. I just can't do this right now though. Too much has happened. I'm different now. I don't think I will ever be the same." I bite my lower lip. I don't want things to be awkward between us.

He turns around and looks at me. "Don't be sorry, Willow. I just wish I knew what I can do for you."

"You can be my friend. I really need my friends right now." My heart stops in anticipation of what his answer will be. I can tell now that being friends is not what he wanted. He wanted to go back to the way things were. I wish we could but I'm just not the same now.

He puts his palm on my cheek and smiles softly. "We were pretty good friends. I think I can do that." He kisses me on the forehead and drops his hand.

"Thank you," I mouth to him, feeling relieved. Deep down I don't kid myself. I know he may not be satisfied with friendship and perhaps this isn't the last time we will talk about this. For now though, I will accept what I can get, as long as I don't lose Alec too. I need him in my life. My friends mean too much to me. They are like my family.

"Well then, as our first act as friends, maybe we ought to go find Connor and Claire and see if there is any trouble to be found in this hotel." He watches me for a response.

I give him a half smile, which must be satisfactory enough for him. He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door. "Maybe we should hold off on the trouble though." I add.

He squeezes my hand, "Deal."

I let him lead me down the hall and up two flights of stairs. We find Connor and Claire in a small room labeled: Recreation Center. Alec opens the door for me and I get a good look at a Ping-Pong table and a pool table before Claire attacks me in a full-fledged hug.

"Willow!" she exclaims. She hugs me tightly and I revel in the comfort my best friend brings me.

I hold on tight. A minute later I feel the wetness soak through the shoulder of my shirt. I pull away from Claire and find her crying. "Claire," I say with worry.

That causes her tears to fall even more freely. She hunches over crying heavily with her hands covering her face. I pull her to me again. Connor looks on worriedly from the corner.

As I hold her, I close my eyes and open my emotions up. I feel Claire's relief that I returned. How much it ate her up inside not knowing if I would make it back alive. I also feel the hurt and her sense of loss. She had grown to love my mom. Everyone dies on her.

"I'm back, Claire. We are all safe now." Although I know one person is excluded. I pull her back so I can see her. I catch the reflection of my black irises through her eyes. "I'm sorry, Claire. I know that you loved my mom."

She looks ashamed and I can feel the emotions as if they were my own. She wipes at her eyes and says, "I just feel like it's wrong for me to feel sad. You are the one who's mourning for your mother. You shouldn't need to comfort me... I have no right to feel this way." She darts her purple eyes away from mine.

I put my hands on her shoulders and shake her lightly. "No, Claire. You have every right to feel sad. I am not the only one who mourns for her. We can remember her together."

Claire looks at me uncertainly and I pull her into another hug. "It's okay. We are going to be okay." I pat her back. Saying those comforting words to my best friend actually allows the words to sink into my heart. As I look around at my friends together in this room, I know that things will be okay. Maybe not right away...but eventually.

Connor comes up behind Claire and wraps his big lanky arms around us. "Group hug!"

That earns a soft giggle from us. Connor is great at breaking tensions, I'm so grateful to have him as a friend. Alec comes and joins in on the hug too and eventually we are a mixture of limbs with Claire and me sandwiched in the middle.

When we break apart, our eyes are dry and our hearts are just a little bit less broken. "We are all together." I look at each of them. "And with that, I have to tell you that I think I'm going to need your help." I hadn't thought of including them before, but these are my friends. What makes me think that they are any less capable of completing a rescue mission than I am? I look at Connor first, "Connor, you still want to find your parents right?" I'm not sure if his parents could be prisoners but one way or another I am determined to help him figure out what happened to them.

He nods his head. "Yes, Lily has been having a hard time adjusting. I need to find them for her."

"We will find them," I tell him. Then I add, "I saw her in the classroom earlier. She was putting a puzzle together."

He smiles proudly. "Yeah, she's a smart cookie. Though the teacher's say she won't let any of the other kids too close to her. She hasn't made any friends here."

"It'll take some time. Reading emotions is a hard ability for a child to possess. However, children are so much more flexible than we are. I think we underestimate just how much they can handle," I tell him.

"That's true." Connor seems as if he hadn't really thought of it that way.

I look to Alec next. "What about your dad?" I can't believe I hadn't thought about his dad before now. He is probably among one of the taken prisoners... that is if he was lucky enough to survive the Reaper attacks.

"I do need to find him. He may have been a Class A Jerk but he's still my dad," Alec says.

A thought occurs to me. The old me would have kept it to myself but the new Willow is determined to be honest with her friends. "Are you prepared to handle it if he was in cahoots with Dr. Hastings?"

Alec's eyes turn dark as he considers it for a moment. He nods, "If that was the choice he made then there will be consequences."

I nod firmly and then address all of them. "If you all are up for it, I would like your help in saving the rest of the prisoners..." I bite my lip. "I have to admit though that I don't know where they are. When we went back after Dr. Hastings, the prisoners had been moved."

Alec looks confused. "You went after Dr. Hastings?"

I realize I hadn't told them where I was going when I left with Tony. I just assumed that my dad would clue them in. I look over at Claire who has a guilty expression on her face.

"You told me that she went to find supplies," Alec addresses Claire.

She avoids eye contact when she says, "I'm so sorry, Alec. You were just so torn up about not being able to help Willow after her mom died..."

I look at Alec in surprise. He quickly averts his gaze from mine but not before I see the truth in them.

Claire continues, "When Willow's dad told me that she went after Dr. Hastings, I knew that it would tear you up inside with worry. I couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth." She looks over at Connor. "I'm sorry, Connor, I shouldn't have lied." Her eyes tear up and I can see the fear in them. She's worried she messed up big time. I can totally understand that feeling since I've for sure been there and done that...more than once.

Connor grabs her hand and squeezes it. "You were just trying to protect your friend. I'm not mad at you. I love you babe." He gives her a light kiss.

Claire turns to Alec. She fidgets with her nails as she waits for his anger to turn on her. "I'm so sorry, Alec."

When he meets her eyes, he says, "I forgive you. I understand that you were trying to protect me but I want you to be honest with me in the future. I can handle the truth."

Claire nods her head. "Most definitely. I will. I'm sorry again."

Alec gives her a half smile. "I'm not mad at you. I will be if you say you are sorry one more time though." He tries to play off lightening the mood. He turns his attention towards me. "So you went after Dr. Hastings? How did that go?"

My face turns serious as I say soberly, "I killed him." The audible sound of the three of them gasping in unison would almost be funny if it weren't for the situation. "I didn't really have a choice. He was going to kill Tony and it was either his life or Tony's."

"You made the right decision," Claire assures me. The others agree as well, even though I can see the jealousy flash across Alec's eyes.

"What about Zack?" Connor asks.

I shake my head. "He wasn't there so I don't really know."

"So he may not know about his dad? Or who killed him?" Alec asks with worry in his expression.

"I have no idea. It probably won't be long before he finds out that his father is dead. I honestly don't know how he'll react to the news. I do need to find Candy though. Maybe she can help us," I say.

"Yes! Maybe Zack will release the prisoners now that his dad's out of power." Claire sounds idealistic.

I wish I could believe that, but I have a gnawing feeling that Zack may have turned into something even darker than his father. Either way, I need to find him alive so I can find out if he knows a cure that will prevent Tony from turning into a Reaper.

"So how can we help?" Connor asks.

I shrug my shoulders because I don't have a plan yet. "Tony is meeting with Lee and some others. Hopefully, they will work on ironing out a rescue mission. If you are willing to help with it then I know your abilities can be utilized. Are you all in?"

"Yes!" they say in unison.

Connor puts his hand in the middle of our group, waiting for us to place our hands on top of his to do some type of rally chant. We leave him hanging and he sulks while he drops his hand to his side again. Alec gives him a consolatory pat on the back and he lightens up.

"We should go find Candy. Will you go with me, Claire?" I ask, figuring that having her along will help me. I have no idea how Candy will react when I tell her that I killed her father. I try to put myself in her shoes and that makes me cringe. Could I still be friends with someone if they killed one of my parents? Even if my parent was evil? I run my hands over my face. It's like an impossible question in which no answer could exist.

We leave the guys in the rec room and head out in search of Candy.

I have to ask around but eventually we find Candy hanging out in Jake's room. I had nearly forgotten about the beefy blonde boy she met at the bonfire a few nights ago. The door to his room is open and when we approach, we find her sitting next to him laughing. She runs her hand through her long blonde hair. Her baby blue eyes are brightly lit and for the first time in a while, she looks genuinely happy.

I don't want to be the one to take that from her. I consider whether I should just leave and allow her to stay peacefully unaware of her father's death and her brother's crossover into possible evil-dom. She has a right to know, I tell myself. I gather the courage and knock on the door.

Both Candy and Jake turn to look at me. Candy jumps up and comes to my side. "Willow." Her eyes look sympathetic as she asks, "How are you doing?"

It's still so odd to see Candy caring. I know it's the absence of her father's pull that allows her to be free to care about other people. I bite my lip and wonder again if this will be good news or bad. "I'm hanging in there," I say honestly. "Um, can we maybe have a word with you in private?"

Candy looks a bit surprised but only takes a second before she turns around and tells Jake, "I'll be back in just a sec, K?"

"I'll be waiting." He smiles.

Candy giggles and, for once, the sound of her laugh doesn't sound like nails to a chalkboard. It sounds like happiness. My heart starts accelerating and my nerves work in overdrive as I lead her and Claire to my room.

Once the door is closed and we all take a seat, Candy asks, "What's going on?"

"Willow needs to talk to you," Claire tells her.

"Then why are you here?" Candy doesn't sound accusatory, just inquisitive.

As a buffer in case you don't like what you hear, I think. "I asked her to be here for both you and me when we have this talk." I take a deep breath.

Candy's eyes dart between the two of us and she starts clasping and unclasping her hands out of nervousness. "So, this isn't going to be a good talk, is it?"

I shake my head slowly. I really dread what I'm about to tell her. "I know you were at the funeral and you are aware of my mom's death..." I look away and I have to force myself to breathe because just talking about my mom hurts. Especially when I have to use past tense. "Has anyone told you how she died?"

I look up to find Candy's eyes starting to water. She nods her head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Willow. Yes, I know that my father was responsible. I don't know what to say... I'm just so sorry," she says, stuttering while trying to find the right words. She looks at me with worry. It hadn't occurred to me that she could be just as nervous about talking to me about this as I am with her. "My father has a way of taking away the things we care about most." A tear escapes as she recalls her own mother's death.

"I don't blame you at all, Candy, please don't think that." I watch the relief flood across her features. "But, that's not really what I wanted to talk to you about."

Candy straightens up a little and wipes the tear away with the back of her hand. "What do you need to talk about?"

"Tony and I went back to the prison and..." I judge from Candy's expression that she wants me to just get on with it. Say what I came here to say. "We found your father. Some things happened and I didn't have a choice. He was going to kill Tony and I couldn't let that happen..." The lump in my throat makes it almost unbearable to speak the next words. "I feel like you need to hear this from me first..." I look away, not ready to see the judgment in her eyes. "I killed your father."

She gasps and when I force myself to look her in the eyes, she's looking away and her expression is blank. Needing to know her feelings, I open up the part of me that will let them in.

I feel the shock of my words bouncing across her mind like an echo. The mixed emotions of sadness for the loss of the father who gave her life, and relief that he can no longer cause any more pain, tear at her like a rope in tug-o-war. There's an underlying piece in her that feels like her mother has finally been avenged. Then there is a feeling of loss, grief and worry for what her future will be like now that she is parentless.

Her eyes meet mine as she thinks of her brother. Her expression hardens. I know she hates it when I invade her privacy with my gifts, she's told me before. She knows when I do it.

"I'm sorry," I tell her, not needing to be more specific. She already knows that I am. I just need to know now if she hates me.

She forces her to push away the anger that was building because of my intrusion into her private feelings. "What about my brother?"

"He wasn't there," I tell her. "I don't know where he is."

Candy stands up and heads towards the door. "I have to find him. He'll need me."

I jump up from the bed where I'd been sitting. "Wait. There's more..." Candy stops and gives me her attention so I continue. "We are going back for the prisoners. You can come with us, but you need to know that your brother is different."

"What do you mean he's different?" Her blue eyes are open wide.

I don't care for the way she said different either. "I don't know the extent of it, but I believe he was helping your father with whatever plan they were trying to commence. He helped your father take the prisoners."

"My father would have forced him to do that. Now that he's gone, he is free too. He will do the right thing and hand over the prisoners," Candy says assuredly.

Claire chimes in. "Tell her about his eyes," she urges me.

Candy looks at Claire for a moment, and then turns her attention to me in question.

"A lot has changed with your brother. He's not the same anymore; his eyes are different. He has a lot of colors like mine in them but half of his iris is red." I tell her.

Her lower lip falls open. "Like a Reaper?" she asks.

I nod my head. "He's not full blown Reaper but there is something not right with him. I don't know to what extent he has changed because of these powers, but I don't believe he is on the side of good."

Candy shakes her head in denial. "No, he could be just like you Willow. I don't know how he got all of the colors like you have but that doesn't make him bad. Just like it doesn't make you bad. I mean, you obviously have some red in your eyes too."

Sure I have a speck of red but half of my eye isn't that color, I think to myself but don't say aloud. I want to tell her about my witnessing Zack inject Tony with the red shot. I don't believe that if Zack were like me, he would have knowingly tried to take a person's life like that. Even if it wasn't technically a death shot, he knew what it would turn Tony into. Who knows how many other's he injected with the same thing. The thought sends chills down my spine. I can't tell Candy though. I'm the only one who knows about it. Instead, I say, "Look, you're right. He may have just been under your father's influence. In fact, I would love it if that is the case." Because if he's good, he might tell me how to help Tony. "But you need to go into this with an open mind. You need to be prepared to deal with it if your brother has truly taken a turn for the worse..." I take a step closer to Candy to better illustrate my upcoming question. "Are you ready to deal with that?"

She takes a few moments to question it, biting her lip in thought. I make sure that I don't invade her privacy while she thinks. Finally, she says, "Yes. I'm ready."

"Good. We'll need to meet downstairs in an hour with the others. They're ironing out the details of the mission," I tell her and Claire.

"The mission?" Candy asks.

"To rescue the prisoners," I tell her. Because she's still worried I add, "That is if your brother doesn't automatically release them to us."

She nods stoically.

Claire puts her hand on Candy's back. "Maybe he will. Maybe we will get there and he will have already freed them all." Leave it to Claire to always believe the best in people.

Candy gives Claire an appreciative smile and then leaves the room. I'm glad I brought Claire with me. I honestly wish I could believe that things will end perfectly with one big bright happy ending. But these last few days have taught me that life isn't made up of shiny moments. Life is hard; it's gritty. One day you are filled with joy and the next, you are crawling through the muddy trenches with no inkling of when you might be able to climb your way back up again.

"Thanks for your help," I tell Claire.

"Anytime." She puts her hand around my shoulder knowing that I need the comfort too. "Let's go find our... I mean, the guys."

I nod my head as we leave the room. I wonder how Claire feels about Alec and me breaking up. Both of us dating best friends was an ideal set up. I can't help but wonder what she thinks of Tony and me.

The guys haven't left the rec room so they are easy to find. Claire kisses Connor immediately when we enter the room. Alec and I both look away at the same time and end up making eye contact. I can see the fire in his eyes that tells me he is not letting go even if I say we need to just be friends.

My cheeks heat and I feign interest in a game on the table. Just like the others in the old safe house, this one is a board game. It's called Trivial Pursuit. Giving Claire and Connor some much-needed privacy, I open the box to look at it closer. I find a bunch of pie shaped wheels and several little colored pie slices that I think are supposed to fill the wheel. I pull out one of the cards from the deck and read it. I've played trivia games like this on my tablet before, but I can't answer this question for the life of me.

I didn't realize Alec had come up behind me until he snatches the card from my fingers and reads it aloud. "Name the phrase coined for the infection a fan obsessed with junior pop artist, Justin Bieber, has."

I look at him like he's crazy. "Who's Justin Bieber?" And how on earth would he infect someone?

Alec shrugs his shoulders. "I have no earthly idea." He turns the card over in his hand to read the answer. "I know it's killing you and you just have to know the answer..." I laugh. He continues, "Bieber Fever."

I shake my head. "That is so... weird." We both laugh.

To pass the time before our meeting, Alec and I sit down at the table and look through some more of the cards. I can't answer any of them. It seems the one's we keep picking up have to do with entertainment stars or sports stars from the past. We can't help but laugh at all of the silly questions that make no sense. There was one about a pop star who wears a dress made out of raw meat. The answer was Lady Gaga. How absurd! A footnote said she asked someone named Cher to hold her meat purse. I mean, would a purse made of meat really be of any use? Maybe it was made of jerky...

I laugh hard enough that tears come to my eyes. Laughing feels good. It's been a while and it's another thing that gives me the sense of normalcy I've been craving. In my fit of laughter, I hadn't noticed that someone entered the room until Tony comes to stand beside me.

I look up at him and see a mixture of hurt and jealousy in his expression. All humor dies within me melting like snow under a heat lamp. I swallow hard, "Hi, Tony."

He looks from me to Alec and then back at me. "Are you having fun?"

The tone in Tony's words stings and I open my mouth to respond but Alec distracts me by standing up quickly. The sound of his chair screeching against the tile floor hurts my ears.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Alec asks with a little too much machismo. I really hope this isn't a pissing contest in the making.

My eyes open wide as I look at Tony's expression. He looks none too happy. He doesn't let it get to him though. Instead, he tries to go the cool route. "No. Willow's happiness is important to me. If she was having fun, then by all means, I don't mean to interrupt."

"Ouch," I think. Tony's eyes dart to mine and I realize he's heard me. "This is not what you think it is."

"What do you think I think it is?" he asks in a tongue-tying thought.

"I don't know. We are just hanging out as friends, nothing more." I don't know why I feel the need to further clarify that. It's not like I'm Tony's girlfriend or anything like that. I don't mention or think about the kiss Alec and I shared. My heart does double time worrying that I've messed up something with Tony... something that isn't even there yet.

"Am I interrupting something?" Alec asks, seemingly annoyed.

I realize that obviously within the time we've been having this inner monologue conversation, it seems like we are just staring at each other in silence.

"No," Tony says quickly. "I was just coming to tell Willow that we're ready for her to come down."

My being around Alec has hurt Tony. I realize this, but he's going to have to find a way to get used to it. Because I plan on keeping my friendship with both of them, no matter what happens. "Okay. I'm ready." I move from the table and realize I need to clue Tony in. "My friends are coming on the mission with us too."

Tony flashes his yellow eyes at me. "Absolutely not!"

"They can help!" I steady my stare, letting him know I'm not going to waver.

"They are a liability! They aren't even trained to fight," he demands.

"They have been training every day since we've come here." He shakes his head and I can see from Alec's expression that he's thoroughly confused by whatever is going down between Tony and me. I finalize my demand by telling Tony, "This isn't up for discussion. They are coming."

Tony turns abruptly and stomps out of the room. Not before throwing one last thought in my direction, "Fine, if they get hurt then it's on you."

Those words pierce the worst. I throw up an invisible wall in my mind so Tony can't hear or feel the hurt. It doesn't matter anyhow because he's already walked out of the room.

Alec puts his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asks sincerely.

"Yes," I whisper, not entirely sure that I'm being honest. I don't want to talk about it. "We'd better get down there." Connor and Claire walk up and the four of us head downstairs to the meeting point.

# CHAPTER 8

### Leading

We meet the others downstairs. It looks as if about twenty or so people are waiting for us. I look around and a lump forms in my throat. Old habits die hard, I realize as I admit to myself I am looking for my mother to start the debriefing. I begin to wonder who's going to be leading the group now that she's gone.

Mr. Leroy stands on a crate and clears his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Thank you all for being here." He looks around the room at each of our faces. "Due to the absence of one of our former leaders, the need has arisen to appoint a new leader for this mission. This person will lead alongside me. Is there anyone here that wishes to nominate someone for this position? Please take into consideration the characteristics this person needs to possess for this role." He takes a dramatic pause looking around the room. His gaze lands on me and stays there for several uncomfortable seconds. "Willow," he says aloud. "I nominate Willow."

My eyes get round as saucers. I can't be a leader! I'm only sixteen! Before I can say 'no', Alec chimes in. "I second that nomination."

Before I can let this sink in, one person after another agrees with Mr. Leroy's nomination. My heart threatens to beat out of my chest. Oh. My. Gosh, I think to myself.

My wall must not have worked well enough because Tony has heard my nervous cries. "Consider it an honor, Willow. If you deny these people what they want, you can expect them to be wary. They need to have the leader they desire. Apparently, that person is you." I didn't even realize he had walked up right next to me. He gives my hand a squeeze of reassurance and lets it go again.

I give him a sideways look. How can Tony go so quickly from cold to hot? Was he not just yelling at me a few minutes ago? Now he thinks I should lead these people... I let out a deep breath. I look around as more people step forward and agree that I should take my mother's place. "Tony, I am only sixteen! I can't do this! Everyone is crazy."

"Josiah became King of Judah at the age of eight. Joan of Arc led the French Army at nineteen. King Tut led all of Egypt at age nine. Age isn't everything you think it is. Your heart and your spirit speak more than a simple candle count on your birthday cake," Tony encourages me.

I give him a sideways glance. Who knew Tony was so passionate about history? Or so good at giving pep talks.

Unable to avoid eye contact any further, Mr. Leroy motions for me to come forward. My feet feel like lead as I move to the front of the room. He puts his arm around me and gives it a squeeze. Normally this would make me extremely uncomfortable, but right now, I feel like he's grounding me to the earth. He leans in and whispers in my ear, "They remember your mother. You are her blood; you were born to lead."

Tears threaten to escape. I feel like her death is so final, like I'm here to take her place. Like she never existed... Tony's right though. If I don't accept, we could fall apart. I am my mother's daughter, I think to myself over and over again.

Tony must hear me because I can see him smiling through the crowd as he says to me, "Yes you are." His smile beams at me. He couldn't be more proud. After all, I am pretty much his protégé. Perhaps this makes up for him being so pissed at me for hanging out with Alec... and the fact that I invited them to come along with us on this mission.

I look around the room at some of the familiar faces and some of those who are still strangers to me. Somewhere deep within, I find the strength. The strength I was born from, that I never knew I possessed. The quiet crowd stands in anticipation, waiting to hear my decision. I take a deep breath, readying myself for something that's about to change my life forever. I swallow hard. "I'm not sure what you all see in me that would consider me leader material. I never thought of myself in this way before. However, I am my mother's daughter; that is something I'm very proud of. It's in her memory that I accept your nomination. I know I'm only sixteen, but I plan on making you proud." I pause, gauging their reactions. The only feeling I get back is pride and loyalty. I turn to Mr. Leroy. "I look forward to leading alongside you." Nods and mumblings of approval emanate from the crowd. "I'd like Tony to be my second in command. My mother appointed him to be my protector and I trust her judgment that he is an integral part of these missions. He's never failed me before." The real reason lies buried deep down inside. I have to keep Tony near me or else... I don't even want to think about it. I can't let him become a Reaper. I care too much for him. I need to be there in case he needs healing.

"Thank you," I hear Tony say, cutting through my thoughts.

I see Alec from across the room and open myself up to his feelings. Jealousy and hurt emanate from him. I don't know if it's from the fact that I'm asking to have Tony work at my side or if it's because he expected me to choose him or something. I feel horrible, but it's what's necessary. I know I've made the best and only decision that makes sense right now.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity," I say to the crowd. They start clapping and I turn to Mr. Leroy, looking a bit lost. I don't know what to do next.

"We better grab your second in command and go hash out the details." He gestures with his hand for me to lead the way out of the room. The crowd parts for us like the Red Sea and Tony, Mr. Leroy, and I make our way into an adjoining room that has been set up as a command post. I never got the opportunity to see inside the command post when my mother lead. I am quite impressed by the efficiency of the data laid out before us.

Tony closes the door behind him. My heart rate begins returning to normal, thankful for the retreat from the spotlight. I look around, taking everything in. There are several hand-drawn maps lining the walls. It looks to me like it's the handy work of Tony. I don't even have to ask him if he drew them, he tells me through his thoughts.

A pad of paper sits on the table with several different colored pens to the side. I pick up the paper and immediately recognize my mother's handwriting. I smile at her memory, seeing her doodles on the side margins. I can remember her doing the exact same thing at home. Anytime she would write anything, from a grocery list to a note, it would have doodles in the margins. I trace my fingers over a smiley face she'd drawn. I rip the page out and fold it, putting it in my pocket; filing it with the letter my mother wrote me that I'm too scared to open. Good grief, I think to myself. I'm too chicken to open a letter, but I'm now these people's leader...

Tony chimes in. "You'll do wonderful, Willow."

I smile at him. "Thanks," I say aloud.

Mr. Leroy checks his pockets. "I forgot something. I'll be right back," he says before exiting the room, closing the door snugly behind him.

Tony wastes no time grabbing me and pushing me against the wall. His actions take me completely by surprise and my stomach rolls in a strange excitement. "You have no idea the effect you have on me, Willow," he whispers into my ear. My toes curl at the huskiness in his voice. I wrap my hands around him and hold him tightly to me. There is something different about Tony, he never acts this brusque, but I'm not complaining.

"I'm sorry I reacted the way I did earlier when you were with Alec. It's just... I can't help but feel jealous when I see you with him. Especially since you have a history, a history that is deeper than ours." I feel his breath against my skin in the fold between my shoulder and neck. Goosebumps form along my arms, sending electric tingles running down my legs.

I try to find my voice. Having him this close doesn't help my mind to form clear thoughts. "I accept your apology," I say awkwardly.

"Now that that's out of the way... Do you know how badly I want to kiss you?" he asks me.

I close my eyes reveling in his touch. "Not as badly as I want to kiss you," I say to him in my mind.

He leans back a fraction of an inch so that our noses are touching. His lips are so close, yet too far away. He leans in and our lips meet at the same instant the door handle turns to open.

As quick as lightning, Tony dashes to the other side of the room leaving me breathless and a hot mess. I try to compose myself but to no avail. Tony has an uncanny ability lately to catch me off guard whenever he's near.

I clear my throat as Mr. Leroy enters the room. He must notice my heavy breathing but doesn't mention it. I guess there's some perks about being a leader. He wouldn't question his suspicions... at least not out loud. I don't try to listen to his thoughts because truth be told, I don't really want to know what he's thinking.

Mr. Leroy clears his throat. He reaches for a map and unrolls it on the table. Several dots on it indicate different locations. I run my finger along the circles recognizing the mountain where we used to live, the prison, the safe houses, etc.

"Our informants got back late last night. They were finally able to locate the other prisoners but weren't able to tell us much more about what's going on without putting themselves in danger."

I nod my head. "To be very clear," I say. "Safety of all individuals and soldiers is my number one priority."

Mr. Leroy looks up from the map and nods his head. "It was your mother's too," he says simply.

I give him a small smile that doesn't quite reach my eyes. It's bittersweet hearing of someone else's memories of my mother and the good nature of her personality. I'm honored to be carrying on her legacy.

Mr. Leroy points to a location that doesn't have a marker on it. "This is where they're being held," he says, pulling out a sticker from his pocket. I guess that is what he initially forgot. I hope he forgets something else... He places a sticker on the spot and looks at me again. I take a closer look at the location and see they've been taken to the maze ruins.

"The maze ruins?" I question aloud. I don't even have to wonder why they'd been taken there. It's genius. The maze ruins are an old amusement park that was shut down after multiple people went missing. It's literally a giant maze created from bushes, cornfields, and small buildings. It's an eerie labyrinth of confusion that was created to be fun. My mother and father took Sabby and me there when we were younger. We had to wear special masks because we were out in public. My mother was getting cabin fever and she insisted we all go on a day trip. What was meant to be an hour-long outing, turned into ten hours of being lost. By the time we found our way out of the maze we were so hungry and above all, tired and relieved. I vowed never to revisit that place. I guess I'll be breaking that promise.

"Willow," Mr. Leroy says. "I must warn you that there is something strange going on right now. When the soldiers got back from staking out the area, they recounted some disturbing details. I want you to know what they are so you'll be prepared to deal with them when the time comes."

I gulp rather loudly and nod my head.

Mr. Leroy walks to the door and opens it a quarter of an inch. "We're ready for her," he says and closes the door.

Not sure what to say to Mr. Leroy, Tony and I wait in silence. "Have you ever been to the maze ruins?" I ask Tony in my mind.

He shakes his head. "They're creepy and I'm really not looking forward to it, that's for sure." He gives me a look of surprise. "You've been there?"

I nod my head. "When I was young," I finish the thought as the door opens. A young woman, who looks to be about my age, enters with a pink scarf around her neck. I notice this first since it's not the least bit cold outside...at least not cold enough for a scarf. She's a few inches shorter than me with strawberry blonde hair. I have to admit that she's very beautiful. It's strange when a small ounce of jealousy runs through me as I hope that Tony doesn't find her as attractive as she obviously is. I push that away, knowing how absurd such a feeling is.

Her eyes dart around the room and she seems on high alert, waiting for something bad to happen. I'm not sure why I do it but I use my power of controlling emotions. I'm sure as rain that my eyes are black right now. I use this power to calm the poor girl. Chances are, if she can chill out, she'll be far more helpful to us. It doesn't take but a second before I see her visibly relax.

She gets further into the room and I notice her eyes are golden. They glimmer in the most interesting way... like they're flecked with pure gold.

My heart begins to race knowing I'm about to receive a new power. I walk over to her and extend my hand. "Hello, my name's Willow. And we're all glad you're here."

She reaches out her hand and hesitantly takes mine in hers. "I'm Marya, it's nice to meet you."

Marya. It's such a unique and beautiful name. I like the way it rolls off my tongue. "Please, have a seat." I pull out a chair for her. She sits down and places her hands in her lap.

"We rescued Marya from the maze ruins. You may notice the scarf she wears around her neck," Mr. Leroy says. Marya's hand instinctively reaches up towards her neck. Tony and I nod our heads. "Marya, would you mind removing the scarf?" Mr. Leroy asks politely.

She hesitates for a moment but then begins loosening the fabric. I inadvertently gasp when the scarf comes off. I place my hand over my mouth, praying I didn't offend her. She stares at the floor in obvious shame. My heart goes out to this dear girl. Her neck is raw and red. Several puncture wounds are spaced about one inch apart around the circumference of her neck.

I kneel down next to her chair and look her in the eye. "Marya, I don't know what happened yet but anyone that can do this to a girl like you ought to have a death sentence. I give you my word we will take care of you and put an end to whoever did this." I know I don't exactly know what happened but rage has already taken over my reasoning.

She gives me a small smile and looks back down at her hands.

"Do you mind if I ask you what power you possess?" I hope she doesn't mind my asking.

"Telekinesis," she says simply. My eyes go round with shock.

I instinctively look up to see what Tony's reaction is. He looks like a deer in headlights. It's most definitely because he knows that now I'm going to have that gift too.

"This should be interesting," I say to myself and Tony. His thoughts come back to me in a jumbled mess. My guess is he's trying to let it sink in. To be able to move objects with my mind has to be the most powerful gift I've seen as of yet. I truly can't fathom it.

I focus my attention back to the girl. "Marya," I say hoping I can get her full attention. She has the information that could make or break our next mission. "Can you tell me what happened to your neck and any other information you feel is important. We're about to send a team that way to try to rescue the other people that you were with. Anything you tell us, no matter how small, may be key to a successful reconnaissance."

She seems to ponder this for a moment before answering. She takes a deep breath and looks me dead straight in the eyes. "My neck is like this because of the collar. All of us had one. They are used to control us and to keep us sedated so we can't use our gifts to escape. I was completely out of it when I was rescued. All I remember was the pain around my neck as they were trying to remove the collar. But even then I couldn't understand the pain." She stops momentarily, gathering her thoughts. "The leader...he's...ruthless. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants."

I put my hand on hers in a comforting gesture. "Do you know who the leader is and what he or she's after?" I have a horrible suspicion already of course; I just want to hear it come from her.

She purses her lips together looking me dead on. "Power. He wants power. As to who it is, I'm not sure, but they do refer to the person as a 'he'. It doesn't seem like anyone knows his real name. One person will say one name; another one will say a different one. Whoever it is, is after one thing and one thing only... gifts. He wants them all and right now he can't have them all. It's been rumored that there's only one person who can give him what he wants and that person isn't there. That the only reason we were being held captive is to lure that person to him so he can collect what he supposedly deserves."

Mr. Leroy and Tony share a look and then they both turn their attention to me. "You're not going," Tony tells me telepathically.

I stand to my feet. "Darn right I'm going!" I yell a little too loudly. I may be a liability... but I'm the only hope of getting those people out of there. "You see this woman's neck... these people are being treated like barbarians! I can't just sit around on the sidelines twiddling my thumbs while you all risk your lives! None of this would have even happened if it wasn't for me..." My voice gets softer as the guilt sinks in. I hate that so much of this happened because of my accidental injection of the red serum. If I could only go back in time... my thoughts wander. I get up and pace the room trying to sift through this new information. I feel like this is all a big puzzle and we're missing some of the corner pieces. I know she didn't directly say Zack is involved but I'd put money on it! The question is, how in the world does he think I can help him get powers? I think back to his dad asking for my blood in return for my mother's life. The rage starts filling me as I consider the demand. It makes no sense! Zack took my blood back in the shelter and said the tests were inconclusive. What does he expect to find with more of my blood? What would he need with an entire pint of it instead of just a tube or two? I shake my head. Too many questions and nothing adds up. Unless he's just trying to lure me there to kill me since I took his father's life...

Tony starts pacing the room, looking very agitated. I'm sure his mind is considering ways to keep me here, to keep me safe. Mr. Leroy looks back and forth between the two of us. Confusion in his eyes is shortly replaced with a realization that there might be more to our friendship than meets the eye. "Do you mind telling me what's going on between the two of you?"

"Yes, I do!" Tony spins on his heel and directs his frustration at Mr. Leroy. "This mission is too dangerous for Willow. She shouldn't be able to go."

Mr. Leroy seems to ponder it for a moment and for a second I worry that he's going to take Tony's side. Then he says, "We need her on this mission. Her powers are beyond the most powerful weapon we could go into this mission with. Plus, she can flush the leader out if it is in fact her that he wants."

"So you want to use her as bait?" Tony spits, looking none too pleased.

His tone breaks Lee's cool. His face reddens and he opens his mouth. I cut him off before he can give Tony a reprimand for speaking to his superior in such a way. "If I have to dangle myself in the water like a freaking minnow, I will. Those people don't deserve this type of treatment." I point to Marya's neck for emphasis. She looks down timidly and I turn back to Tony. "I will not stand by any longer and let those people suffer because someone thinks I am some freaking key to unlocking a universe of powers."

Its Tony's turn to turn red. He's livid and I can feel it rolling off of him in waves. He doesn't want me to go flitting around in front of Zack, putting my life on the line. "Fine, you want to risk your neck so be it." He stomps out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

I'm left feeling cold and a bit terrified at the upcoming mission. I don't understand how Tony can think that I would just sit down and let other people do the dirty work. Does he not know me? He can't expect me to do anything other than what he would do if he were in my place. I look to Marya, who is still sitting in the chair calmly. The use of my power over her emotions seems to have worked unbelievably well. I wonder how much further I can use the gift. "I apologize that you had to see this. We are going to get the others out, I promise."

She nods her head. "Thank you." She stands up to walk towards the door. "I better get back downstairs. My cousin is waiting for me."

I wonder who her cousin is, but I figure that I will have to get to know her better when this mission is completed. "Thank you for the information," I tell her sincerely.

"Good luck on your mission." She walks to the door and pauses for a moment staring at the closed door. Without reaching for the knob, the door swings open.

I look to Lee with surprise. He nods his head. "It's a powerful gift," he says.

"It sure is." I think of how many times I used to lie in bed not wanting to get up to grab my tablet or the remote control. How I'd think how cool it would be to be able to just make it come to me with my mind. How completely odd it is that now someone can actually do that. And I will be able to do it soon as well.

"How did they get the collar off her?" I ask Mr. Leroy.

"It was actually her cousin who did it. He's one of our guys. When he saw her, he refused to leave without saving her. He found a button on the back of the collar. It came off as easily as pushing the button. The problem is though, that the people wearing it are either too medicated or they are being controlled in some way that makes it to where they don't even think about taking the thing off," he answers.

Wow, I'm amazed that the solution to removing such an atrocity would be a single button release lever. I assumed it would have been something tricky or nearly impossible to remove. That tells me how much control the medication or mind control has over the prisoners. "We need to make sure everyone else knows about this button so we are prepared to save the others."

"The teams are being briefed on it as we speak," Lee says. "We better get down there and join the others."

I follow him downstairs. In the briefing, we discuss team assignments and the general layout of the facility; although we don't know the exact layout of the maze itself, I hope I will remember some details from the past when I enter it. After more discussion and planning, we head to the cafeteria for dinner. Personally, I wish we would leave for the mission tonight. The others who had done the reconnaissance urged us to leave at first light tomorrow. They said that the maze ruins are not well lit and a nighttime mission would probably leave us at a greater disadvantage.

I eat dinner with my friends, sans Tony. I'm not sure where he stomped off to. He wasn't even at the meeting. After dinner, I stop in to my dad's room and spend an hour with Sebastian and him. I read Sabby a story and then kiss them goodnight. I can feel the nerves rolling off my dad about my upcoming mission. I do my best to assure him that all will turn out alright. Then I head to my room.

I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

# CHAPTER 9

### Harbinger

The next morning I'm jostled from my sleep by a soft rapping on the door. Half asleep, I roll over and pull the covers over my head. "One more hour," I mumble to whoever is trying to interrupt my beauty sleep.

A few more seconds pass and another knock raps on the door. I grumble under my breath. It feels like it's still dark outside... at least light isn't coming in through the windows. "What is it?" I say loud enough that the person on the other side of the door can hear me. Not that I really want to hear what they have to say at this ungodly hour.

The door creaks open and then closes. I hear footsteps heading to my bed and immediately I can tell it's Tony. "Good morning, sunshine," he tells me in my head.

I grumble some more under my breath and pull the covers down from my head. He brushes some of the hair away from my face with the tips of his fingers. I melt inside just a little at his touch.

"We need to get up and get breakfast if we want to make good time out of here," he says to me. I rub my eyes trying to wake up. I hate mornings. Tony smiles at my obvious sleepy attitude. "I'll give you a few minutes to get ready," he says. "Meet me downstairs in ten?"

I nod my head. He lightly kisses my forehead and then leaves the room.

As soon as I hear the door catch, I place my hand on the spot where he placed his lips. It might just be my imagination but it feels warm and tingly. Somewhere deep inside I kind of wish it wasn't my head he kissed... What I still can't understand though is how Tony can switch gears so fast. Yesterday he stormed away and didn't even show up to dinner. Then this morning he's all lovey-dovey? His hot and cold mood swings are giving me whiplash. I can't help but wonder if any of this has to do with the change that's coming.

I roll out of bed and stumble around getting ready, still half asleep. I put my hair up in a messy bun and brush my teeth. That's about all I feel up to doing so I head downstairs.

I find Claire on the way downstairs and she waits for me. "Mornin', Claire Bear," I say.

She snickers. "Mornin' yourself. Sleep okay?"

I nod my head. "Slept like a rock." We continue the small talk until we reach the dining hall. Tony, Connor, and Alec wave us over to a table in the far corner. Seeing Tony with Alec seems bizarre but gives me a small inkling of hope that maybe, just maybe, we could all be friends. Candy joins us with Jake a few moments later and we end up having to pull a few more chairs up. Jokes and laughter fill the room as we act our age. It feels nice to act carefree and enjoy my friends, even if for only a little while.

Tony is the first one done. He tells me he needs to go take care of a few things before we leave and asks me to meet him at the Command Post when I'm finished eating. He gives my shoulder a squeeze and leaves.

I can't help but feel the jealousy emanating from Alec. I brush it off and give him a smile. Breakfast this morning was fun and light. There's no need to make it more complicated. I know things are awkward right now. Perhaps if I just came out and said that I think I may be falling for Tony, it would add some closure. I just don't feel as though I can break that kind of news to Alec just yet. I mean, it's only been a few days. Can those types of feelings truly build in such a short period of time? I may have had to grow up rather quickly, but I'm still extremely immature in the love department. I will always love Alec though, that will never change. I don't want him to hurt. A small part deep inside me also tells me that I don't necessarily want to close that chapter just yet, even though I know it's for the best.

By the time I leave breakfast, my sides hurt from laughing so much. Connor was laughing so hard his drink came out of his nose, landing on Claire's food. The look she gave Connor was priceless! Leave it to Connor to provide the comedic relief. I give everyone a hug before I leave, just in case I don't get an opportunity to before we all head out on the mission. Alec's hug seems to last a bit longer than the others, but maybe it's just me.

I stop by my dad's room. Sabby and him haven't woken up for the day. I tiptoe in and give each of them a kiss on the forehead. I whisper, "I love you," before leaving the room again.

I meet Mr. Leroy and Tony in the makeshift command center. They are going over some more hand drawn maps. We further lay out our plans. We will have two different teams going in and another team will stay along the perimeter. One will start at the end of the maze and the other team will start at the beginning. The goal will be to find Zack and trap him in the middle. We will have to contain him until Candy can get there. We are hoping she will be able to get through to him. She still believes there is good in him. I can only hope that she's right, but chances are she's not. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt, even when it seems senseless.

After we plan some of the more grueling details, we head out into the conference room. The room is full to the brim with at least a hundred people. Unlike times in the past, I am not looking out at a sea of only yellow eyes. Instead, there are a myriad of different shades present. Everyone is talking amongst themselves but once Mr. Leroy and I stand up at the podium, they quiet down.

"We want to thank you all in advance for being here. This won't be an easy mission and the number of volunteers for this particular one is phenomenal. We will be going over team assignments first, and then you will break away with your team leaders, who will outfit you with the appropriate gear and weapons. Our goal is to run this mission so smoothly that no lives will be lost..." Mr. Leroy continues hashing out the plan and calling out assignments. Since Tony refuses to be on a different team than me, he announces that Tom will be leading the third team who will be patrolling the perimeter. Knowing the details of the mission, I take the time to memorize each person's face. I heed the fact that these soldier's lives will be partially my responsibility. I refuse to take that responsibility lightly.

I don't realize Mr. Leroy has finished talking until all eyes turn on me.

"Willow, would you like to add anything?" Lee asks me.

I wasn't aware that I'd be talking. I feel ill prepared. I stand up anyway and take his place in front of the podium. "Thank you, Lee..." At first, I'm not sure what to say, but then it hits me. I swallow back the emotion that threatens to overcome me. "Seeing all of you, who have volunteered to go on this mission, it's quite moving. We all know how dangerous this undertaking is. Some of you have friends and family who are being held prisoner that you want to save. Some of you don't know anyone in there but you are going on this mission to save the lives of strangers because it's the right thing to do. Every one of you has counted the cost and realizes that this assignment is going to be tough and that it could cost you your life, yet you still stand with us. When I look out at this sea of dedicated soldiers, I can't help but feel the pride that my mom must have felt each time she stood before you. I know that had she been here today, she would be immensely proud, just as I am. Thank you for your service."

I hadn't realized that I closed my eyes the second I brought up my mom. I open my eyes to see several tear-filled ones staring back at me. Then everyone starts clapping and cheering each other on. I smile and step away from the podium.

Mr. Leroy's face is filled with pride and before he steps back up, he quiets the crowd. "Thank you, Willow, for those moving thoughts. I know that your mother would be very proud of you as well." He looks to me and I have to force the tears back to keep them from falling. He turns to address the soldiers. "Please regroup with your designated leaders now. You are dismissed."

Everyone starts walking this way and that. Tony and I head to the far corner of the room where our team has planned to meet. My friends, including Candy and Jake, are on my team as well as another thirty soldiers. We will be going into the maze ruins at the beginning. I lay out some directives and plans. Due to the number of turn offs in the maze, we will be taking each twist in groups of three. I break them all off, making sure I have at least one person with strength for each group. Tony had asked at the beginning for Alec to be assigned to the two of us. At first I didn't like the idea, as I wasn't sure if it would complicate matters. Tony makes a good point though; we need a strong healer with us in case anything happens. I essentially could be using so many other powers that having to fully heal someone who is critically injured would take too much from me. I also justify to myself that not only will I be able to make sure Alec stays safe, perhaps Alec can help me if anything goes wrong with Tony. Maybe the two of us healing him at the same time will have a greater effect of keeping him from turning into a Reaper. I don't want to tell Alec about any of this unless absolutely necessary so I keep the idea in my head... where it belongs. Tony hasn't had any relapses in the past twenty-four hours. Maybe my healing back at the cabin worked. Deep down inside though, I don't believe it.

I go over with the team once again on how to remove the collars; then Tony works on handing out weapons and supplies. Once everyone is comfortable with their weapons and the action plan, we meet with the other teams outside.

We convene once more as a whole and go over the details one last time. You can never be too prepared on an action plan. Then we head out.

The trip to the maze ruins takes around three hours. Throughout the trip we have to not only be aware of any of Zack's soldiers, but we also have to watch out for Reapers. Like before, we run into no signs of Reapers. If there are any out there, I doubt they would attempt to take on a group of our size anyhow, unless they had enough of them to actually do some damage, which is doubtful.

When we reach the point in which the land slopes downwards into a valley, we see our first glimpse of the maze ruins. It doesn't look anything like I remember. The once brightly painted buildings are now faded and years of inattention have caused them to dilapidate. Now they just look eerie and sad. The cornhusks are surprisingly quite tall. The land was still being used to process corn for cattle feed even when the amusement park was closed down. We are too far off to fully judge, but I can only guess that the husks will reach well above our heads. They are no longer green and full of life though, they are dried and brown, far past the time of harvest. The rows of thorny bushes still seem to be in decent shape as they are the only things looking lively down there.

I stand up on my tiptoes even though it does no good. If only we were higher up. Then perhaps I could visually see the correct route through the maze. I guess it doesn't really matter anyway, since our goal is to find each prisoner and, technically, they could be held anywhere throughout the twists and turns.

"Creepy looking, huh?" Alec asks from close behind me.

I nod my head and then turn to him with my finger over my lips. He's obviously had a momentary lapse in memory and forgotten our total silence rule. We need the best advantage we can get. It's awkward not having spoken for so long so I smile, making light of his slip-up.

He sticks his tongue out at me, which makes my smile that much brighter. I catch Tony looking at us from the side and I quickly avert my gaze and focus on the task at hand.

Before making our way down into the valley, we implement the next part of the plan. Every person who can turn invisible is called to action. Surprisingly, those with this power make up nearly one third of our people. Other than those with yellow eyes, they are the next majority in our group.

The people with this skill make their way to the outside of each team. The rest of us are to hold onto them and allow them to keep us invisible until we are at our points of entry. The people on the outside perimeter duty will remain invisible for as long as possible unless they are able to find places to hide. I grab onto Claire's arm. I give Tony a funny look as I do. I wanted to offer my use of the power but once again, Tony thinks it's best that I save my strength. I hate it when he has to make sense.

Together as one large, invisible army, we make our way down through the valley. It only takes twenty minutes for us to reach the outside of the maze. As instructed prior, my group separates from the others. We head to the front entrance. When we get there, I look up at the old sign that states: Maze Ruins- Enter If You Dare. Someone came back with a can of red spray paint and covered the sign with the word CLOSED. The paint has faded to a salmon pink color and looks oddly childlike.

A creepy looking clown face that's weathered from the elements looks down at us as we reach the front gate. A shiver runs up my spine; I've always hated clowns. A rusted chain and padlock keep trespassers out. I wonder how Zack got everyone in so easily without breaking the padlock. I let go of Claire, becoming the first person visible. I feel slightly vulnerable. Tony is at my side, out in the open, before I know it though. We inspect the lock and sure enough, the lock has been cut. Zack, or whoever else, must have put it back up just for appearances. We pull it off and do our best to remove the chain quietly. The clanking sounds make me cringe and I half expect an army to come running out from around the corner. Eventually we're able to get it off.

Seamlessly and without any words, we break apart into our groups. Those that have a person who can use invisibility stay connected. They will have better chances of not being seen that way. Since those teams don't have healers, that's their best line of defense.

Tony walks to my left and Alec to my right. All three of us have our pistols drawn and ready. We take the first split off. I vaguely remember this being one of the correct ways to go. It was so long ago that I was here last but I chose this route for us anyhow.

My hand shakes a little with nerves as we come upon the first rows of dried, dead corn. I was right that it does reach up over our heads. It looms over us, caging us in to the left and the right. I wonder how this plays in with Tony's claustrophobia. It can't be pleasant for him. I squeeze his hand and he squeezes back, letting me know he's dealing with it the best he can.

So much of the corn is starting to break down, that every once in a while I can look through it and into another row of the maze. That's when I see my first glimpse of bright red hair blowing gently in the wind. I can't see entirely through the husks, but I can tell that the person is lying on the ground and barely moving.

Without thinking, I grab both Tony and Alec's hands and pull them through the corn, using my powers. I'm sure we could have just hacked our way through the dead sea of husks, but this way is faster and much more quiet.

"Is she...?" My heart starts accelerating.

"No, I think she's still breathing," he assures me. We run to her. She's lying on her side and her long red hair is covering her back.

I bend down to where I can see her face. Her eyes are open but her expression is vacant. Nausea rolls in my stomach and my chest tightens up as I see the collar first hand. It's black with small, clear vial studs in quarter inch increments all around it. Inside the see through vials, you can see a substance that's looks clear like water. This one is running low but the liquid is still noticeable. I've never seen anything so horrendously clever in all of my life. A neck collar filled with needles, how could anyone make something like this?

I force myself to look away as Tony and Alec work on finding the button to remove the collar. I look into the woman's vacant eyes. They are a unique shade of grey. Unlike most grey eyes that can be almost another form of blue, these have no blue tint in them. They are a perfectly stunning shade of grey with a hint of metallic silver around the edges.

I hear the grotesque sound of each vial losing suction as they remove the collar slowly.

"Carefully," Tony tells Alec as he starts removing his side. Alec looks down at the needles protruding. There are four small needles for each vial. He nods his head realizing that Tony means for Alec to be careful to not prick himself with one.

It takes them about a minute to successfully remove the entire collar. Much like Marya, this woman's neck is covered in red splotches. The part where each vial sat is bruised as if the collar was pulled way too tightly against her skin. Alec places his hands on the woman's neck. I watch him as he concentrates on healing her. I realize that I've never really watched Alec using his powers. It's amazing the concentration and dedication that flashes across his features as he focuses all he can on helping this woman. I begin to wonder if that's how I look when I heal. After a few seconds, Alec sways a little. I grab ahold of his arm to keep him steady. His eyes look a little glassy. He removes his hand from the woman's neck and takes some deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" I whisper worriedly.

He takes a second before nodding. Then he shakes his head as if to clear his mind. "It's weird, it's like I could feel some of the effects of the drugs as I was healing her."

I know personally that at times when I've healed people, especially when they are close to death, I have felt the smallest portion of the pain that I assume they must have been feeling. I don't know if it goes hand and hand with the gift or not. It's usually only in the most extreme cases. "Those drugs must be very powerful." I put my hand on his leg.

He runs his hands through his hair and then notices my hand on his thigh. I focus on giving him some strength. He notices my eyes turn navy. "You need to save your strength."

"Not at the detriment of your safety," I tell him quietly. I'm not going to just sit around and let him turn all loopy every time he helps someone. Alec and I exchange a long, silent stare until Tony interrupts us.

"She's coming to," Tony tells me.

I look back at her and find her stirring. Tony helps the woman sit up. I move from Alec's side so that I can be right in front of her. I look into her eyes. "Are you okay?" It's a silly question and I realize it only after I've already asked it. Of course she's not okay. Her eyes go wide and she doesn't answer me. "We are here to help you. You're safe now." She starts looking around wildly. I grab her chin and force her to look into my eyes. "You will calm down and follow our orders. We are going to get you out of here. Do you know who put you here?"

Her eyes don't glaze over as they should when I use compulsion. Instead, she looks much more freaked out. She jerks her head out of my grip and I look at her stunned. I was able to fend off some of Zack's compulsion back when he used it. I assumed that was because I had the same gift and I was able to manipulate it in a way to make sure it didn't fully work on me. But her eyes aren't hazel like that of someone who can use compulsion.

I try to open up my mind to hear what she's thinking. Tony eyes me when he sees my eyes turn green. I don't hear anything though. It's like her mind is completely clear of all thoughts. I try to feel her emotions and I feel nothing. Nothing is working on her. How bizarre.

Tony takes over in trying to calm the woman down now that she's looking at me like I'm completely nuts. "We aren't going to hurt you. If you want us to help you get out of here alive, you will have to follow our directions. Do you want to?" He adds again, "Get out of here alive?"

She thinks about it for a second before nodding her head. Finally, she speaks and her voice is hoarse. "Yes."

"What's your name?" he asks.

"Jennifer," she says.

"Okay, Jennifer. I'm Tony, this is Alec, and this is Willow. We are all going to help get you out of here. First, is there anything you can tell me about why you are here, why they put those collars on you?" he asks.

"No, we don't know anything. We just know that the one who did this is looking for someone," she says.

My stomach flips and my hands shake.

Tony's eyes find mine before he continues. "Okay, thank you. You are safe. When we run into another group, we will hand you off to them and they will get you out of here. For the meantime, stay close to us." We all stand up. Tony holds out his hand and helps her to her feet.

Curiosity has me asking the next question. "What powers do you have?"

She gives me a look that tells me she doesn't trust me. Then she shakes her head. "I don't know. I saw the ones who had... special abilities, out at the mountain. Then when those men took me to the prison with the others they pulled me aside and questioned me. They kept trying to get me to tell them what I could do, what my powers were. I don't know what powers they are talking about."

"Have your eyes always been grey then?" I ask.

Her eyes bug open and her hands instinctually reach up to her eyes. Great, I freaked her out. Tony steps in and puts his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. Don't worry about it. We have all had changes in our eye color. We will look into it further when we are all out of here safe. Okay?"

She looks torn between wanting to comply and listen to Tony and wanting to run far away from us freaks. She finally nods.

We take that as a cue to start moving again. Thankfully, we haven't run into any guards even though it seems like we were there helping this woman for several minutes.

We walk down the new row of dead corn. I draw my pistol back out as I hear someone around the corner. I turn to Jennifer with my finger over my mouth, telling her to stay silent. She nods and then I turn myself invisible. I take a chance by peeking around the corner. I let out a sigh of relief and let go of my invisibility when I see another one of our teams. I gesture them to us. This team is invisible, but I can still see them.

I whisper to them, "I've found someone. You need to get her out of here. Will you take her out to the team on the perimeter before you continue your search?"

"Yes ma'am," a guy with yellow eyes says.

"Do you remember your way back?" I ask them.

"Yes ma'am," he says.

"Good," I say. I turn to find Tony at my side. "You talk to her," I tell him, since Jennifer obviously warmed up to him a lot more than me. I don't know the best way to tell her that she's going to need to trust some people she can't see. I wonder if their gift of invisibility will even work. I think about Alec healing her. That worked, yet nothing I tried did. How weird.

I overhear Tony whispering to her, "You can trust these people. I know that you can't see them but if you can trust them, they can turn you invisible so nobody can see you. They can get you out of here."

Jennifer looks around and doesn't see anyone. I can tell by her expressions that she's freaking out.

"Can you let her see you?" I ask the team.

They let go of their invisibility, and when Jennifer spots them, her eyes widen. Then realization sets in and she says to Tony, "Thank you. I'll go with them."

"Good. They'll keep you safe," he tells her.

She walks towards the group. An older woman with purple eyes smiles sweetly and then holds her hand out. Jennifer accepts it. I watch as they slowly turn invisible.

I can see them all as usual, so when Tony says aloud, "It's not working. She's not turning invisible." I realize it didn't work.

I think about it for a moment. How was Alec able to use his gift? Then I walk up to Jennifer. I tell her, "I know you have no reason to trust me. But, if you can just trust these people, they can help get you out of here. If they can turn you invisible it would be much easier to get you to safety. I think though, that something is keeping you from allowing their gifts to work. I think it's a matter of trust. You have to open up and trust them."

Jennifer looks from me to the older woman at her side. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. I watch as her eyes open and she looks down and examines her hands and then her arms. Her eyes are wide with awe.

Tony tells me, "It worked. Good job, Willow."

"No, you did a great job calming her down. Thank you, Tony. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He gives me a smoldering look that tells me he feels the same way towards me.

Alec is standing to my other side. He gives me a strange look. I'm sure Tony and my awkward silences must seem extremely weird since he doesn't know we talk to each other with our minds. The three of us turn our attention to the team as they leave. Then we start moving again.

After one more row of dead corn, we land in the overgrown thorny bushes. I remember hating this section when I was younger. If you lean into them, the thorns prick your skin all over. It's quite uncomfortable. I wonder if I imagined that they were worse than they truly are when I was a kid. I reach my hand out and touch a leaf. "Ouch!" I yell in my head. I examine my finger. There is a pinprick of blood. Yeah, I still hate these things, I think to myself as I put my finger in my mouth.

Unlike the openings in the rows of corn, these overgrown prickly bushes provide no visibility through them. We make our way quietly down one row and come to a fork in the path. I go with my gut and decide to take the left trail. I assume it would be the best path to lead towards the center of the maze. We start walking and, up ahead, I catch a glimpse of another one of our groups. They are huddled at the end of the row around a figure on the ground.

"They must have found another one," Alec whispers. He starts moving quickly towards them since now we can tell that this is Connor and Claire's group. They are teamed up with Josh, the guy who I tricked into telling me where the prison was.

"We pulled him from the bushes," Claire tells me when I reach them.

I look down to see a boy around thirteen or so lying on the ground looking dazed. His eyes are the same color gold as Marya's are. The collar is already off of him. His neck looks worse than Jennifer's. I wonder if he had an allergic reaction to something on the collar, or in the medication, because his face and neck all the way down to his arms is covered in a light red rash. I kneel down to inspect it further and realize that it's not a rash. There are dozens of small scrapes and cuts, probably from the bushes.

Anger at whoever would do this to a kid starts to ebb away at my calm. "Can you help him?" I ask Alec.

Alec nods his head. Not concerned at all about what happened a few minutes ago when he healed Jennifer, he places his hands over the boy's neck. I watch as the tiny scrapes heal up. When the little puncture marks start closing and fading slightly, I put my hand on Alec's shoulder.

"I think he's good, you can stop," I tell him.

Alec lets go. "I didn't feel the same thing this time. It was there in the background but it was nowhere near as strong as with the girl."

That's strange, but a good strange. I'm glad it didn't affect Alec the same way.

We wait for a moment until the boy starts coming to. Like Jennifer, he starts freaking out. He scoots back from us so fast that we can't stop him from running his back into the bushes. He winces in pain and has no choice but to move forward again. Although there is the worry inside me that says he won't be susceptible to my powers, I still attempt to help him. First, I use my emotion ability to make him feel calm. He noticeably relaxes.

I let out the breath I'd been holding and move towards him so that he can see my eyes. I use my compulsion. "You are safe. We are going to help you. What's your name?"

"John," he says as his eyes glaze over, submitting to my abilities.

"Nice to meet you, John. I'm Willow. These are my friends." I gesture behind me. "We're going to get you out of here. First, can you tell me anything about why you're here? Do you know who did this to you?"

"I don't know who did this. I was with the others in the building. Then early this morning some guy came in looking all pissed off. He looked at all of our eyes and then singled me out. He jerked me up and put the collar on so fast that I didn't know what to do. He dragged me out here and left me. I thought I was going to get away. Then something started stabbing at my neck. I felt sick and fell into the bushes. That was the last thing I remembered."

"Why would they have dragged him all the way out here though?" I wonder.

"Bait," Tony says.

I ignore him because I know he's right. "I'm sorry that this has happened to you, John. What about the others? You said you were in the building with the others."

John nods his head. "Yes, there are a lot of us; in a building somewhere down there." He points towards the middle of the maze where the old buildings are incorporated.

"Are they all in one room? Are they being medicated?" I ask, hoping he can answer the question.

"Yes, we were all in a large room. I was pretty out of it back there so I assume everyone was. It wasn't as bad as when he put that collar on me. That was crazy. At least with the other stuff I still knew I existed. Out here, I thought I was lost forever. I was sure I was as good as dead," he answers honestly. The calming sensation I washed over him must be working because nobody who went through something like this would be able to answer without totally losing it. I personally want to lose it just hearing what happened to him.

"Thank you. Your information has been very helpful," I tell him. "We are going to get you to safety now." I reach my hand out and help the boy up.

I ask Josh, Connor, and Claire to get him to the team on the perimeter. They don't seem happy about my orders, but I don't care. Part of me knows that things are about to get really bad, really quick. I can't help but feeling better, knowing some of my friends are outside of this maze. I give Connor and Claire a hug before they head out with Josh and John in tow.

When we're alone again, with only Tony and Alec, we start moving.

"Do you find it strange that we haven't run into a single guard?" Alec wonders aloud.

"Yes, it is odd. I don't like it," Tony says eyeing me out of the corner of his eye. "What I really don't like is the convenience we've had in saving both Jennifer and John. Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that last night Marya was rescued and this morning they replace her with someone that has the same eye color."

Ice runs up my spine. "I thought of that too." I just wished I knew exactly why. For what purpose... none of this makes much sense. I get the sneaking suspicion though that it will all add up to some huge diabolical plan. The key is to crack the code before Zack, or whoever's in charge, figures out we know.

We keep walking, following the row of bushes. We make a few turns and, eventually, I see the dilapidated buildings come into view. The windows of the old buildings have been broken out here and there. The paint is peeling and some boards are hanging by their last nail. We walk out of the row of bushes into a large open space. Nobody is in sight! This is absolutely not right.

Tony puts his arm out, keeping me from walking further. We stop and listen. I hear a high-pitch scream coming from inside the building and start running.

"Wait!" Tony yells after me. I can hear him on my heels. I turn to see him next to me. Alec is way far behind without the strength of speed on his side. I consider stopping but then Candy, Jake, and another guy with purple eyes step out from the bushes. He'll be safe with them. At least he's not alone.

Without pausing, I run into the first building to my right. That's where I assume the scream came from. I stop cold when I am faced with nothing but mirrors. There has to be hundreds of mirrors lining the room and they create hallways that lead this way and that. I feel disoriented when I see my reflection and Tony's shooting up all around us. I sway a little and I watch a dozen of Tony's arms reach out to help steady all of the reflected versions of me. I close my eyes to make the sensation that this room is causing cease. I totally forgot about this room. When I was here last with my family, it was one of the funnier moments. Since Sabby was still a baby, he laughed his little cheeks off when he saw himself in all of the mirrors. It was so freaking adorable... nothing like this time.

I open my eyes and look around again. Some of the mirrors are cracked or all out broken. I try to make my way from broken mirror to broken mirror since it helps me get reoriented. I allow myself a moment at each to stare at the empty black frames. Shattered mirror pieces are scattered about on the floor.

I hear another scream so I start running again.

"You can't just run in there blind. Slow down!" Tony yells inside my head.

I don't answer. I keep running. I crash into a mirror. I hear it break apart into a million little pieces. The slicing pain doesn't hit me until a second later. I grab at my forehead and my hand comes away covered in blood. I look into an adjoining mirror and see the blood pouring off my forehead and down the side of my face. There is so much blood in the many reflections of myself that it makes me woozy.

I see Tony coming up behind me in the reflection of the mirror. He's looking down and I wonder if he's hurt. Then I hear, "Did you hurt yourself, sugar?" He looks up and my stomach lurches when I see a dozen pairs of red eyes staring back at me.

My heart works double time and I turn around so fast that it makes me dizzy. The real Tony isn't there; instead, I am faced with another mirror. I catch my reflection in it and see that he's still behind me. I turn again and reach out to the mirror to feel its cold surface; he's not there. I'm totally freaking out when I turn around again and again, not finding the real Tony, just his reflection. I end up turning so quickly that I can no longer keep my balance and I fall to the ground.

My hands get sliced apart against the shattered mirror pieces. I back away with my feet and hands, not caring about the cuts. I look around for Tony, who I can't see in the mirrors anymore. That's when I finally hear the crunch of glass under foot. With the dizzy sensation abated, I stand up quickly. I move backwards until I finally feel a mirror against my back. At least he can't sneak up on me.

I wait until I hear the crunching sound again. Then his laugh sets my blood boiling. I wait until he steps out into view before my suspicions are confirmed.

"Hello, sugar." Zack stares at me with evil eyes. The colors of his eyes are no longer the vibrant mixture of colors they once were. Instead, they are mostly hazel with a small fading trace of the other colors, including the red.

I look at him incredulously. "Your eyes." Of all of the things I could say... that I wanted to say! Instead, I say that?

He laughs evilly. "Yes, my eyes are... fading. Aren't they?" His expression turns angry. "Thanks to you," he spits.

My eyes open wide. "What do I have to do with your eyes?" I ask.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Tell me this, Willow; do you think you're better than me because of all of the gifts you possess?"

I raise my eyebrow. My heart is beating so loudly, I worry it might stop cold from the pressure. "No, I don't, Zack."

He stares at me for several seconds. He opens his mouth to respond but the sound of Candy calling him stops him.

"Zack!" She runs into a few mirrors as she makes her way to where we are. "Zack, you're okay," she says with relief.

"He's dangerous, Candy!" I warn her as she reaches his side.

She rolls her eyes at me and grabs her brother's arm. He faces her and gives her a fake smile. "Sister."

"He's gone, Zack. We can go now. He has no control over us any longer," she urges him, obviously talking about her dad.

Zack's expression hardens, "Yes, he's gone." He turns to me and adds, "Willow murdered him."

Candy looks taken aback. Not by his proclamation since she knows I killed her dad, but by the fact that Zack seems mad about it. "You hated him." She jerks at Zack's hand forcing him to look at her.

Zack looks at her like she's a stupid child. "Yes, but he owed me! He was supposed to give me the powers I deserve. Now he's gone because of her," he says so harshly that I can see the spit spray from his mouth.

I watch Candy wipe at her face with a gross expression. "Who cares about powers, Zack? We don't have to do anything for him anymore. He killed our mom; he deserved to die."

"Does it look like I care about that, Candy? It's not my fault that mom wasn't strong enough to withstand the immunization. It should have made her strong but she was just too weak," he says coldly.

Candy looks like a puppy that's been kicked. It takes her only a second to truly understand how cold and lost her brother is. When she does, she surprises us all. She makes a fist, cocks her elbow back, and punches him square in the jaw with all her strength. "You bastard! You don't talk about our mom like that!" she cries out.

Zack wipes his hair out of his face and then he backhands his sister so hard that it sends her flying back into the mirrors. The glass crashes down around her. Jake and Alec finally find us and they both go running to her side to help her.

Zack turns his anger and wrath on me. "You're coming with me. You're now the only person who can give me what I need."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I yell at him furiously. I watch Alec from the corner of my eye, working on healing Candy. The glass has cut her badly. I look around wondering where Tony is.

"Yes you are." He snaps his fingers and two Reapers come out from hiding. They start to approach me. "I need your blood," he yells at me.

"What do you need with my blood?" I yell back at him. "Have you turned into a sparkly vampire overnight or something?"

He holds his hands up to keep the Reapers from advancing. I forgot Zack's flair for the melodramatic. He likes to make a scene, so asking him such a question allows him to play his cards perfectly, which in turn, buys me some time. He says, "I still don't know what makes you so special that you get to have all of the powers. I told you that your blood tests back in the shelter were inconclusive and they were... in a way. You see, Willow, while I can't figure out how to recreate a shot that will allow me to have your abilities, I can inject your blood into my bloodstream to get similar results. See the problem is the results faded after a while. Father was supposed to find another way to make it permanent. We considered a blood transfusion but we don't know if that would be a permanent fix. For the mean time, I think having regular injections will have to do."

My stomach turns so badly that I end up vomiting up my breakfast. Zack laughs as I stand doubled over, heaving out the contents of my stomach. He is injecting my blood into him? The thought of it is so incredulous and so grotesquely ridiculous that it makes my stomach roll. I quickly stand back up. He looks at me with an expression of pure delight. My reaction was all that he could have hoped for. I look up and spit towards him. He doesn't flinch. I yell, "You are sick and twisted!"

He smiles as if I've just given him a compliment, "Yes I am."

I notice then that another Reaper has approached Candy, Jake, and Alec. He holds a gun pointed at them. I need to buy some more time. "Where are you, Tony?" I don't hear a response. I look at Zack. "Why did you host such an elaborate trap then? Why place the prisoners where we can easily find them?"

Zack looks more than happy that I asked this question; he is overjoyed. "Ah, Willow. You are quite smart. I always thought that you are possibly one of the only girls with a brain capability close to mine. Not quite as amazing as mine, but close..." He holds out his hands, "You see, when I injected your blood into me I only got the powers you had up until the point I took your blood. I want all of the powers, not just some..."

The realization hits hard and I raise my upper lip in disgust. "You wanted me to run into those people so I'd get their powers. Then you could take my blood and have all of them!" It comes out more of a question than a statement.

Zack starts clapping loudly. "Bravo, Willow, Bravo!"

"Then what did you inject Tony with? Why did you make him a Reaper?" I yell.

"I didn't make him a Reaper." Zack laughs.

Huh? "If you didn't inject him with something to turn him into a Reaper, then what did you do to him?"

He raises his lip in a half smile. "I need an army. He'll be one of my soldiers."

"No! He will not!" I yell. My fists are clenched and the anger is tearing at my vision until the edges blur with red. Or is it gold?

"Yes he will. Come on out, Tony," he calls behind him. I watch in horror as Tony steps out from behind a mirror upon command. His eyes are red and he complies.

"Tony, help me. You have to snap out of this," I beg him.

"No, sugar. He can't snap out of this... unless, of course, you want to give yourself up freely. Then maybe I can change him back," Tony says to me, but I know it's not Tony. It's really Zack.

"Let my friends go," I point to Candy, Alec, and Jake.

Zack looks at me like I'm crazy for wanting to help them. Then he shrugs and says, "Why not." He turns to the guys who I thought were Reapers. "Let them go."

I wait until they are gone and then I say, "You will have to kill me before I go anywhere with you." I smile snidely in the same way he has been doing to me. Then I raise my gun to my forehead.

The Reapers, or whatever they are, start advancing. "Stop!" Zack yells. He turns his glaring eyes at me. "Two can play at this game. Tony, shoot yourself."

My hand starts shaking as I see Tony slowly raise his gun up towards his own head.

"No!!!" "No!" I yell aloud and inside Tony's head. Then the anger that had been threatening overcomes me. The edges of my vision seem to fill with a golden haze. My arms shake and the gun falls from my hands. I clench my fists and the anger pours through my veins. I can feel it flooding over me.

The mirrors start bursting forth. The glass shatters everywhere like silver confetti. The lights overhead explode, sending down fireworks of red ember sparks. The ground shakes. An earthquake is tearing at the building but I don't care. I aim my anger at Zack. His eyes turn from shock to fear and he begins backing away. A beam from the ceiling lands behind him. I realize then that I caused it to fall. I'm causing this building to shake. I hold out my hands and watch as pieces of the ceiling break through and fall to the ground. They crush the mirrors behind Zack and block his escape route. More beams fall and the ground trembles. I realize in horror that I can't control whatever is happening. The ceiling starts caving in and I look up to find a beam hanging dangerously low above my head.

Suddenly, Tony snaps out of it. His eyes turn yellow and I look at him with some relief. "You have to stop, Willow!"

"I can't!" I realize that I have no control over this power I'm yielding.

Zack has backed up and is trying to get away through another corridor. I throw a beam in his way and he falls back on his butt.

Then the air is whooshed out of me as Tony grabs me over his shoulder so quickly that in the next second we are outside. We escape just in time; right before the entire ceiling comes crashing down.

# CHAPTER 10

### Shatter

It takes me a moment before I catch my breath and my heartbeat returns to normal. Tony holds onto me for a few seconds longer and then puts me down carefully. "Are you okay?" he asks me in our own internal language.

I look up at the neon yellow eyes of the man I can't help but find myself falling for. I nod my head. My body is still shaking and the gold is fading away from my field of sight. "Yes, thank you. I didn't think I could stop... It just kept coming down. I wanted it all to come down." I find myself frightened by the power of this new gift. I could have kept going and buried us all if Tony had not stepped in and saved me.

Tony sees the fear in my eyes. He lifts his hand to my cheek, "I will never let anything happen to you." My heart starts accelerating, but not because of fear this time. I lean my cheek further into his hand, accepting the warmth and security he provides me with.

Screams and shouts in the distance pull me from my stupor. I turn around and see just how far Tony had taken me from the ruined building. We are well over a hundred yards away, but I can still see all of my friends looking through the heaping remains. They haven't noticed Tony and me yet and they cry out my name over and over.

Realizing what they must be thinking, I dash towards them.

"No!" Alec yells as he digs in the pile of rubble. He begins pulling off brick after brick, digging... calling my name.

My heart drops and I sprint the last few yards to his side. "Alec, Alec, I'm right here!" I yell, feeling horrible that he thinks something bad has happened to me. It's not until I place my hands on his shoulders that he finally understands that I'm not buried in the pile of debris.

He pulls me into him tightly, holding onto me for dear life. I can hear his heart still beating fast from the adrenaline. "Willow, I was so scared," he says to me in a shaky whisper. I rub his back to comfort him, not caring that Tony is probably glaring behind me. A handful more seconds pass and he finally lets out a deep breath. He holds me at arm's length. "If anything were to happen to you..." He shakes his head in disbelief, not being able to finish the sentence.

Claire and Connor, who have been standing next to us, join in on the hug. The relief is apparent in their tear-filled eyes. We hold onto each other in one large bear hug on this tall pile of rubble.

"I told you to go to the perimeter. It wasn't safe here," I say to Claire and Connor.

"Yeah, we know what you told us but there was no way we were leaving you three to deal with Zack alone," Connor states.

"We dropped the boy off and then we heard the screaming. Connor just pulled me through the maze walls. Then we saw Alec and Candy and the building falling in on itself." She hits me in the arm. "Don't ever do that to me again!" she yells at me while wiping the tears off her cheeks.

I rub my arm even though it didn't really hurt. "I certainly wasn't trying to do anything!" With her hand on her tiny hip and that mama bear expression of hers, I can't help but smile. "Okay, I promise that I will never do that to you again... intentionally." I have to add the last part because there's no way for me to truly promise that I won't run into danger in the future. I can't sit on the sidelines and let things happen; it's just not in my nature.

She raises one eyebrow and then pulls me into another quick hug. "Fair enough."

We both laugh at that. I look over Claire's shoulder and notice that Candy is sitting by herself, hugging her legs tightly to her chest. She looks small and scared. Jake is standing behind her looking like he wants to help her but he can't. She must have told him to leave her alone or something. I excuse myself from my friends.

I walk over to Candy and crouch down at her side. "Hey," I say simply.

Her head lifts up a few inches. She stares at the rubble behind me. Her blue eyes are rimmed with unshed tears. "Do you think he's dead?"

I look back at the mess that was once a building. If he's not dead, then I have no idea how he would have gotten out. There doesn't seem to be a beam standing in the place. "I don't know. We can look if you'd like."

She shakes her head much to my relief. "No, we need to get these people out of here."

I nod my head, not really sure what to say. I can't imagine the internal struggle that declaration must cause her. I can only guess that part of her justification is that if she doesn't find him then at least she can hope that the last of her family isn't dead.

She forces herself to look away from the wreckage and into my eyes. "Hey..." she hesitates a few seconds. "Willow, I just want to tell you how sorry I am. I'm just... so sorry I didn't believe you. I really thought he had changed... that he hadn't fallen under our dad's spell." Her eyes are rimmed in red and I can tell it's tearing her up inside. Having not only lost her father but now losing her brother in a matter of days... even if he's still alive, he's lost to her.

I put my arm around her, comforting her. "He's your blood, Candy. You had every right to think the best of him. That's what families do," I say, trying to give her peace of mind. "No one will hold it against you or tell you, 'I told you so'."

She sniffles. "Thanks," she says simply. "I guess I just don't know what to do from here. I feel so isolated... like I've lost everything important to me. Who am I supposed to be if I'm all alone?"

I listen with an open heart. I can feel her loss and pain. "You'll always have us," I tell her. "And no matter what, you will always be you. Family doesn't define who you are. They mold and shape you when you are young and pliable but eventually it is up to us all to define ourselves. You have already grown so much on your own without the help of your dad or brother. You'll continue along that path to become the amazing woman you are supposed to be. I believe in you, Candy." I watch her eyes light up a little. I don't know where those words came from. Part of me wants to think that my mother somehow spoke through me because it's definitely something she would say.

Candy gives me a small smile and nods in understanding. "You're right, I am amazing." I can't contain the laugh that comes from that. She laughs lightly in return before her expression turns somber again. She holds her hand over her heart and clenches the fabric of her shirt. "No, seriously. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. My heart is aching so badly that I wish I could just turn it off and not feel. I do know though, that you guys are here for me. I know I will make it past all of this pain. I just have to keep going."

I can understand the way she feels, so completely that it brings back the ache in my chest from my own loss. I nod my head, "Yes, just keep going. That's all any of us could expect or ask of you. It will get better. I'm not sure how soon, but it will." I help her to her feet and together we join the others. I smile as she allows Jake to pull her into his arms. I know he will be an integral part in this healing process.

Tony comes to my side and he and Alec share one of those macho handshakes. A smile flitters on my face, thankful they've put their differences and jealousy aside... at least for now.

"Alright," I say. "We still have a lot of work ahead of us. We need to go help find the others," I say, hoping there are other's to be saved.

We spend the next several hours walking the maze. We run into the other groups along the way who have found a few of the prisoners. When we find Mr. Leroy, he tells us that they've already found the group of prisoners that had been stashed in one of the buildings like John said. It seems like that is where most of them were hidden. We find nearly a hundred people in all. It's not as many as we had hoped for, but it's better than none. I groan in frustration as I realize there are more out there somewhere. In our best estimate, we believe that at least fifty more people from the shelter are still missing.

We don't have any luck finding Alec's dad. On the flip side, we do find Connor's parents. It is quite surprising that they are here since they weren't in the shelter or with my mom's people. I wouldn't have guessed that they would have been on the mountainside that day since they weren't accepted into the shelter to begin with. I put the idea aside for now.

Their neon yellow eyes are bright and tearful as they cling to Connor. He assures them that Lily is safe and sound. Their reunion is a tearful one. I'll admit I let more than one tear fall watching them together.

We find out that Connor's parents had been keeping a close eye on the shelter and when they saw the attack, they ran out in hopes of saving Connor and Lily. Before that, they had been hiding out in the cellar of a house not far from there. Apparently, the previous owners of the home, who we assume had been accepted into the shelter, had stocked it with several months of rations and everything they needed to survive. I had heard about dooms day shelters in the past, I just didn't know any still existed. We allow them a few minutes to reconnect before we get moving again.

We make it out of the Maze Ruins without losing anyone. We convene with everyone else and do a quick debriefing before we head back to the safe house. We arrive back late at night. As always, the adults have held off on dinner until our return. They come piling out when our mighty big group walks up. It's a happy reunion, full of joy. We lost no one and brought back nearly a hundred more. I can't help but smile as many families are reunited.

As tradition goes, after dinner someone starts a bonfire and pulls out the S'mores. The music begins playing and we take the time to forget all of our hardship and just have fun. I find my dad and Sabby in the throng of people. They are standing in line to get marshmallows. "Hey there guys," I call to them.

My dad turns around and smiles at me. "Hey honey," he says.

"Look, Wello!" Sabby turns to me with his skewer filled to the brim with four large marshmallows.

"Wow, Sabby!" I point to the girl standing at the table handing out the sugary treats. "That girl over there must have thought you were the most handsome man here to have given you that many marshmallows," I kid with him.

He shrugs his shoulders and grins. "I am hansome, Wello!"

We all giggle. My dad turns his attention to me and repeats what he's been saying repeatedly since I returned. "I'm so proud of you, Willow."

"Ize proud of you too!" Sabby hugs my leg and nearly pokes my dad in the stomach with his marshmallow skewer.

"Thanks guys." I smile. Looking at my dad and my baby brother, something tells me that things may turn out okay after all. I still have family left on this Earth and I plan on making the most of this life I've been blessed with. I plan to make my mother proud.

We laugh as we toast marshmallows and listen to Sabby tell us a new joke he learned today that makes absolutely no sense. The smiles and laughter aren't exactly what they'd been in the past, but they are a start towards the long journey of healing.

Alec comes to my side and asks me for a dance. I accept and allow him to pull me out to the dance floor.

"Are we okay?" Alec asks me.

I look up at him. "Yes, why do you ask?"

He shakes his head. "I just want to make sure. Today has really left me thinking. I can't imagine my life without you in it." My mouth drops slightly and I get ready to say something but he continues before I can. "I just want to be in it, Willow. If that's as your friend, we will have to make it work."

"I know," I tell him. "We will." I smile up at him.

His face turns serious as he asks me, "Are you falling for him?"

I look up at him like a deer caught in headlights. "I..."

He holds his hand out. "Wait, don't answer that. Not yet at least. I'm sorry I asked."

I sigh and lean my forehead against his chest. "Okay," I say, not sure where to go from here. I can feel it in every ounce of my being what Alec wanted me to say. He wanted me to tell him no, I'm not falling for Tony, but that would have been a lie.

We finish dancing to the song in silence and then Claire pulls me away from Alec. "My turn!" she says mischievously.

I mouth, "thank you," to Claire. A fast song is playing and we dance to it. Candy walks by and Claire pulls her into our circle. We laugh and twirl around to a few more songs while singing the ones we know. We kick off our shoes and dance barefoot after a while. For those few songs, we pretend like life isn't the crazy tilt-o-whirl that it's become. We pretend that we are just teenage girls who haven't a care in the world.

When a slow song begins to play, I step away to catch my breath. I push my sweaty hair from out of my eyes and lean up against the courtyard wall.

A few seconds later, Tony is at my side. "May I have this dance?" he asks, holding out his hand. I give him an embarrassed smile, what with him catching me completely off guard. I hadn't seen him all night. I put my hand in his and he leads me to the center of the party where other couples have gathered to dance.

I spy Connor and Claire a few yards away, dancing and gazing in each other's eyes sweetly. Tony twirls me around, then places one arm on the small of my back and the other in my hand. I rest my head on his shoulder and sway with the music. He twirls me a few times intermittently and I smile in delight.

"I'd say things went pretty well today, wouldn't you?" I ask Tony.

He gives me his manly half smile. "I'd say you're right."

I place my head back on his shoulder and let him lead me in the dance. My hand begins cramping and I try letting go but can't. I lift my head from his shoulder and look at him worriedly. "Tony, can you let my hand go? It's starting to hurt." He's squeezing it tightly.

He's looking away. From this point of view, I can see that his gaze is distant, focused on nothing in particular. "Tony," I say a little more forcefully, while trying to jerk my hand away.

He finally looks back at me, red eyes in tow. I suck in a breath, being taken completely off guard. I panic, not wanting everyone around me to know what's happening. Before I can begin healing him, he speaks. "You think you've won now... I've only just begun. Your precious Tony is about to become my little puppet. I'd take this time to say goodbye if I were you, because there's nothing you can do about this, sugar."

I involuntarily shudder at Zack's pet name for me. I don't waste any more time before I go into full-blown healing mode. I heal like I've never healed before. The only other time I let myself go this far was when I healed my mom at the side of the mountain.

A few minutes pass before I finally feel my hand release from his grip. I look up at Tony with droopy eyes. He looks confused. He must not remember any of these episodes.

"Sorry, I'm tired all the sudden. Do you mind walking me back to my room?" I ask. His confusion doesn't waver but he agrees. I say goodbye to my friends, who happen to be in the path between where I was standing and the door. I'm so weak my legs can barely carry me.

# CHAPTER 11

### Responsibilities

I wake in the middle of the night not quite sure how I got to my bed. I sit up rubbing my eyes. Thoughts from last night haunt my memory. "Tony," I say instinctively. I can feel it deep down inside me that his days are numbered. If only I knew exactly how many days I had left with him... or could it be just hours? The gift I have of seeing a short distance into the future isn't very helpful with that. Especially since the visions only come here and there. Unlike the other powers, I haven't been able to find a way to control that one.

I don't need to see the future though to know I need to get Tony out of here. I wish I could say that we need to leave so that these last few days can be ones of peace and tranquility for him. But the truth of the matter is, I have to get him away from all of these innocent people. I am now one of their leaders and I can't allow anything to happen to them.

I get out a pencil and paper from the nightstand next to me and write a note.

* * *

_Dear Dad,_

_I'm going somewhere for a few days. Please don't worry; I'll be okay. There are just a few things I need to take care of. Give Sabby a hug for me and I'll see you soon._

_Love Always,_

_Willow_

* * *

It's not much, but I hope it'll help him not to worry while I'm gone. I gather up a few essential items from my room and cram them into a backpack. I change into a pair of cut-off shorts and a white shirt and then head out. I get out to the hallway and realize I don't know where Tony's room is. I grit my teeth in frustration. I have all these gifts at my disposal but I can't find someone's room. It seems ridiculous. I'm pretty sure he's in this hallway, but this is a huge building. In reality, he could be anywhere!

"Where do you think you're going?" someone questions behind me. I turn around, startled. One of the older women, who I think must mistake me for a younger kid, stares me down with a questioning look.

"Umm," I stammer, trying to figure out what to say to her. Then, against my better judgment, I use my compulsion. "Tell me where Tony's room is." As always, her eyes glaze over and she goes into robot mode.

"Tony who?" she asks. I didn't realize someone could ask a question under compulsion. I guess if they don't know the answer to something they can. I'll play around with that later.

"Tony, the one who is my second in command."

She looks at me as if just now realizing who I am. Then she immediately answers. "Floor three, room 315."

I thank her and ask another question. "Why do our noses run and our feet smell?"

Her expression is priceless. She just gives me a blank stare; my guess is that she's searching the far recesses of her brain to come up with an answer. "I. Don't. Know," she says awkwardly.

"Thank you for your help," I tell her before I take off for the stairs. I'm on floor two so Tony's just one floor above me. It only takes me a few moments to find his room but when I get there, I just stop and stare at the door. What if he's not dressed? What if he's not alone...? I push the goofy thoughts aside and knock softly. When he doesn't answer, I gather enough guts to enter. I find it locked so I move through the door.

His room is illuminated by the soft light of the moon and stars that trickles in through the open window. Tony's fast asleep, wearing his pajama bottoms... and no shirt. I can feel my face go red. It just feels wrong watching him sleeping, so intimate.

I swallow the lump in my throat and give him a light shake. "Tony," I whisper.

He doesn't respond so I repeat my actions. The third time, I really shake him and his eyes flutter open. Once he realizes it's me, he bolts upright throwing me off-guard. "Willow, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

I nod my head. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just..." Sheeze. How do I ask him this? "I just wanted to see if you'll do me a favor."

He rubs his eyes, looking slightly confused. My eyes wander in his silence. I try not looking at his perfectly sculpted chest but I find myself losing the battle. He's just so... utterly beautiful. He raises his eyebrows at me and I purse my lips.

"Like what you see?" he asks me playfully.

I turn a hundred shades of red and look away. "Yes," I say bashfully. "I'll just wait outside the door."

A minute or so goes by before he quietly opens the door and meets me in the hall. Thankfully, this time, he's wearing a shirt. Now at least I'll be able to look him in the eyes without being distracted.

"You know how you said back at the cabin that you'd do anything for me?"

He gives me a look that says 'Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into.' "MmHm," he mutters.

"Well, I want you to take me somewhere; away from here."

I guess he realizes it isn't as bad as he thought. He gives me a slight head nod. "And, how long is this little excursion going to be?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, a few days? We'd have to leave now though," I say, hoping he'll say yes.

He stares at me for quite a long time, but I don't dare look away. Finally, he agrees. "Let me just get a few things together. I'll meet you at your room in ten."

I'm surprised he's not asking more questions. Grateful, I nod my head and walk back to my room to wait.

When I get back to my room, I find the note my mother wrote me in the back pocket of my old jeans. I can't believe I almost forgot it! I've decided that I'm going to open it with Tony. Maybe tomorrow. It seems like every time I think about opening it, I chicken out. It just seems so final to me. Like her death is a done deal. It's with this letter that I hold onto the last bit of her that's still alive in my heart. I squeeze the note in my hand. "I love you, Mom," I say , hoping that she can still hear me. I stick the letter into the back pocket of my jean shorts.

A knock raps on the door and I get up and answer it. Tony stands at the door leaning against the frame. "So, where to?" he asks. He's dressed in jeans that fall low on the hips and a white shirt. Yum.

"I want to go back to your place," I answer nervously. As soon as I say it out loud, I realize how that sounded. Tony stifles a laugh as I rush to explain myself. "No! That's totally not what I meant!"

He can't suppress the laugh anymore. So he doesn't wake up the entire hall he lets himself in my room and shuts the door. "So, you want to go back to my place, yet we haven't actually defined our relationship."

I punch him playfully in the chest. "You know that's not what I meant!" He grins and I bite my lip. "Well... that's the one place where we can forget all of this," I say, gesturing to our surroundings with my hand. "I just need to get away for a while is all."

He seems to ponder what I said for a second, and then he agrees. "Did you let your dad know?"

I show him the note. "Alright then. Your wish is my command," he says. I smile brightly, and then pick up my backpack off the floor. "But, no funny business," Tony adds playfully.

I stifle a laugh and off we go.

We decide to run for it. Tony holds my hand as we run and he helps me dodge the trees. It's crazy how good his reflexes are. When I duck under a fallen branch, I realize mine aren't too shabby either.

We get to Tony's cabin right before dawn. He makes us some hot tea and we sit out on the porch swing with a thick quilt and watch the sun rise. Tony wraps his arm around me and I can't help but feel unbelievably safe in his embrace. I nestle into him and sip the hot tea.

Tony kisses me on the top of my head. "We have some unfinished business to take care of."

I get goose bumps along my arms. "We do?" I ask, lost. A thousand things roll through my mind.

"MmHm," he murmurs. "Our earlier conversation brought something to light. We haven't defined our relationship. And... I don't know about you, but I'm eager to do so."

My stomach erupts in butterflies. I really like Tony. Like, really like him. But, I know what's about to happen to him. And I don't know if I can handle losing somebody else right now. On the flip side, I've vowed to make these last, however many, days some of his best. If that includes letting him call me his girlfriend, then so be it. I lift my head upwards to face him.

He gazes down at me and gives me a smile that warms my blood and melts my heart. "Willow Mosby, will you do the honor of being my girlfriend?"

It's either the way he phrases it so simply or the fact that he's so cute, that causes me to giggle.

"What?" He pokes me in the ribs, causing me to squirm.

"Watch it!" I giggle, trying not to spill my tea. I reach down, setting it on the ground.

Tony sits up, letting his yellow eyes rest on mine. He takes my hands in his and I savor the warmth that flows from him into me. "I'm being serious, Willow. There was... is something about you that makes me want to be a better man. I was honored when your mother asked me to be your protector and I took my job seriously. Still do! It's just—I've always wanted something more. I wanted the right to hold your hand in public, for everyone to know that you were mine and I was yours. Maybe it sounds cheesy, but I'd love to be your boyfriend. I promise I'd treat you right and always keep you safe. I'll never mistreat you or give you any less than you deserve. You just don't know how long I've waited for someone like you."

My breath catches, realizing his profession of love for me. He may not have said those three words, but I can feel it on his mind. My heart aches knowing what is to come. I push the thoughts of his imminent future aside and figure to live in the now. I remember the quote my mother liked to tell me. 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.' I smile up at Tony and squeeze his hand. "I'd be honored," I answer with a sincere smile.

I can see the visible relief in his expression at my answer. He smiles and pushes the hair out of my eyes. He closes his eyes and leans in to kiss me. I close my eyes and then... I'm running! I'm taken to the night where I'm running down the dark street. Buildings blur as I run so fast that my heart is beating uncontrollably fast. He's not far behind me now and I know it's only a matter of time before I reach the point where I turn down the dead end alley. I can hear his shoes pounding against the pavement only a few feet from me. Something hot hits my legs and I feel the burn seeping across my skin.

He calls to me hauntingly just like before, "Willow!" I don't look back; I keep running. I've had this vision before. I know what happens; he will catch me. I don't know what happens after that, but it's inevitable. The ground starts shaking and I feel my body moving uncontrollably back and forth. "Willow!" My legs are burnt and the shaking makes it worse, but I feel my healing working. "Willow!"

Like a flash, I'm out of the night, out of the vision. I open my eyes to the light.

Tony stops shaking me. He stares at me with a look of concern and fear in his eyes. "What happened? What did you see?"

I look at him, taken aback. I'm still a little disoriented.

"Your eyes are copper, what did you see?" he asks me. I can't bring myself to answer him. He looks down at my legs, "Crap!" He jumps up from the swing and runs inside. In less than five seconds, he's back at my side with a damp cloth.

I look down before he places it on my leg. I must have dropped my cup of hot tea. The teacup is shattered on the ground at my feet and my leg is red and swelling from where the scalding hot water hit it.

Tony places the cloth on my skin and I grimace at the pain. I can feel myself healing, but it's slow. The thing I hate most about burns are that it's not a singular pain, it's like your skin keeps burning after the fact. I imagine in all actuality it kind of does. I close my eyes and focus on healing to help speed up the process and usher the pain away. A minute or two later, I open my eyes and look at Tony with relief. "Thanks."

Tony still looks concerned. "What did you see? By the way your entire pallor went ghost white, I can only assume it wasn't good."

I can't tell him what I saw without revealing the truth. How do I? Can I take this little bit of time away from him?

"You need to be honest with me, Willow," he tells me in the way only the two of us can communicate.

"I can't." How would I tell him something like this? I look away from his demanding eyes.

He reaches up, places his hand under my chin, and guides my gaze back to his. "You need to tell me." I plead with him using my eyes but he doesn't waver. "I deserve to know what the truth is. You can't hold back on me."

I know he's right. Would I want to know ahead of time what's about to happen? I can only imagine that I would. I close my eyes for a second to muster up the courage. He drops his hand, knowing that I'm about to relent. I open my eyes and take a deep breath. "I was in the room before you awoke back at the prison." I don't know exactly where to start, except for the beginning.

He looks at me in confusion so I continue. "I watched Zack inject you with something before you woke up. I would have stopped him but I couldn't. I didn't want to lose the chance of getting you free and I... I should have stopped him. I didn't know at first what it was or that it was you behind the curtain... Either way, I should have saved you!" Tears blur my vision. I know what I'm saying makes no sense, but I don't know how to tell him this.

Tony's hands go up to my shoulders and he looks at me strongly. "What do you mean, Willow? What did he inject me with?"

I shake my head, my words are lost, and the tears fall down my cheeks. A few land on my bare legs.

"Look, no matter what it's not your fault. You couldn't have taken Zack on, not with that army backing him. But you need to tell me, what did he inject me with?"

"The red shot," I barely manage to tell him with my mind.

At first he looks confused, then his look turns to pure horror. He jumps out of the porch swing so quickly that it sends it and me rocking fast. He runs his hands through his copper hair and pulls at the ends. He takes a few steps and whispers, "No..."

I jump out of the swing and put my hand on his back. I can't imagine what he's feeling. "I shouldn't have told you. I'm so sorry."

He turns on me so quickly that I nearly fall back. I right myself and accept the stare down that he's aiming my way. "How could you keep this from me?" His voice is filled with so much hurt that I don't know what to say.

I shake my head and stammer, "I... I don't know. I thought it was best. I thought I could heal you. I tried so many times..."

His eyes harden. "What do you mean, you tried so many times?"

I cringe and step back. My stomach feels like lead. I'm filled with so much dread that I can barely stand underneath its weight. "There have been some incidents. But, I was able to heal you and it was okay. You came back to me."

He looks horrified and disgusted. "There were incidents?" He runs his hand through his hair again and doubles over, looking at the ground. I can't imagine the inner turmoil he's struggling with right now. He stands back up and looks at me. "What kind of incidents? Did I hurt you?"

I can't go over them. No, he would surely send me away or he would leave me himself. He needs these last few days of humanity... I need these last few days with him. I shake my head. "It was okay. You were okay after I healed you. Please don't hate me. I just wanted to see if I could help you. Even though I haven't been able to stop it, I wanted you to have these last days. I didn't want you to be like this, to know what would eventually happen. It's not fair." I wipe away at the tears.

He looks away from me. I feel then that he will just walk away. He will leave me standing in the dust. I didn't tell him something he had every right to know. I kept it from him, even if I thought I was doing the right thing. He turns back and looks at me with his bright yellow eyes. The only eye color I want to remember him having. "I need to leave. I need to get you back to the safe house and leave." Realization creeps across his expression with those words. "Is that why you wanted me to come here with you?"

I stare at him, not knowing how to answer that question. I feel like someone has pulled the foundation away from my house of cards and they are toppling inward, slowly onto me. "I wanted to have these last few days with you." Be honest, Willow, I tell myself. "And I wanted to protect the others in case... or when the time comes for the change to take its full effect."

Tony's expression is so conflicted and wounded that it breaks me. I feel like I've caused this even though in all actuality Zack caused these events to be set in motion. I've only been treading water trying to stay afloat in the aftermath. Tony doesn't say anything more. He turns from me and walks away. He leaves me standing on his porch as I watch him disappear into the woods.

# CHAPTER 12

### Falling

I am not sure if Tony will return. I wait though. I don't leave the porch. Not when the sun meets the highest point in the sky and not when it begins its decent over the horizon. I sit on the porch swing, staring off at the lake and the mountains in the distance. The water looks ablaze with the yellows and oranges reflecting wildly against its surface. The mountains have the smallest peaks of white at their tips. The weather has turned cooler and the fact that snow has hit their tops, tells me that we may see a change in seasons coming soon, despite Project ELE.

I hug my legs into my body, trying to make myself smaller. My insides feel broken. I realize Tony isn't coming back. I don't know if I would either, if the roles were reversed. My foot has fallen asleep so I shuffle to a new position on the porch swing. The sound of rustling paper calls my attention. I reach into my back pocket and pull out the envelope with my mother's letter in it. It's crinkled and worn from my travels over the past few days.

I wish you were here, Mom. I don't stop the tear from falling down my cheek. I know it's probably a mind trick but I feel the paper warm in my hands as if my mother is telling me, "I am here, honey."

I look around. The wind rustles the leaves on the trees and somewhere in the distance I can hear the sound of birds chirping. I look back down at the letter in my hand. I close my eyes and try to feel my mom's spirit, her presence. I need her. I open my eyes and slowly work on the seal of the envelope with my fingers. When I've opened it, I pull out the sheets of paper. Time stops the moment I unfold it. All noise is silenced, and the world around me pauses, as I read my mother's final words to me.

* * *

_My Dearest Willow,_

_If you are reading this, then I am gone. I didn't mean to leave you, my love, but I had no choice. Your life is far more valuable than mine. I don't know if you will ever truly understand that conviction until you lay eyes on your first child. Then it will click. You will fully understand why I did all that I've done. Until then, I can only attempt to explain my choice._

_When your Father told me his vision, I knew I couldn't allow it to happen. I would lay my life down a million times before I would allow any of my children to die. You know very well from the testing back before the shelter, that I could never stand to outlive any of my children. You see, my dearest Willow, if I hadn't sacrificed my life, your father's vision would have become a reality._

_He had seen us standing outside of prison walls, surrounded by a crowd of people we've never seen before. Dr. Hastings and his son were trying to get you to reveal yourself by using us as bait._

_I know you love us and there has never been any doubt of that love. If there had ever been an inkling, it would have been wiped away with that vision. I know how completely that love flows from you because of what your father saw. I only tell you this next part because I feel as if you need to fully understand all of the circumstances._

_You accepted the bait and came forward. In that instant, Tony dashed out before you and shot Dr. Hastings dead. Another soldier shot Tony from behind. Your father told me how bravely you turned and lifted the pistol in your hands to take out the soldier behind you, but it wasn't quick enough. He shot you point blank in the forehead before you could pull the trigger._

_Your father watched you die in that vision. I've never seen your father lose it like that before. I didn't think he would ever be right again. He could barely breathe; barely function with the knowledge of the future. After he told me the truth of what he saw, I felt the same way. That is why we both wrote you a letter. We did not know who would have the opportunity to save your life and give their life in return for so great a cause. I gave your father this letter and if you are reading this today, I am probably buried with the letter he wrote._

_I don't know how I died, nor is that the point. I want you to know though, that there was a purpose in my death. That purpose is you. I've always known that you will accomplish great things, my child. I have no doubt that nothing will hold you back, not even the loss of your mother. I urge you to find a way to let me go, to know that I am in a better place. I want you to have the life your father and I have always dreamt of you having. A life after the virus, after these wars. A life that is filled with love and hope._

_Willow, I know that you will find these things. You have already grown into a young woman whom I am so proud to call my daughter. You are strong, you are loving, and you are loyal, beautiful, caring and smart. You are going to make a great leader in my absence. Please don't freak out, but I told Mr. Leroy a while ago that you are the one who should take my place if anything were to happen to me. I don't know if he will accept my recommendation, but I know in my heart he would be stupid not to. If you are asked, be courageous, as I know you will be. You may think you are too young, too inexperienced, too weak, but you are none of those things. You are my daughter and age and experience are nothing except something you will grow into. You will be a fine leader; I have no doubt of that._

_I love you so very much, my darling. When you miss me, look to the sky and know that I am watching you and that I love you and that I am so very proud of you. Please take care of your father and take care of Sebastian. He looks up to you so much and he is blessed to have such a great sister in you._

_I love you with all of my heart and soul forever and ever. Death cannot take that away. Don't ever give up and always love, no matter what._

_Love,_

_Mom_

* * *

I stare at the last two words for what seems like hours. The sun has gone and the stars have taken its place.

_Love,_

_Mom_

My tears fall onto the paper, marking it with dark, wet circles. I can't bring myself to look away from the paper even though I can barely see it now in the moonlight. My mom gave her life for me. She knew it was going to happen in advance. She knew that either she or my dad would be taking my place.

My heart feels exposed and my chest feels heavy. I had not known how to completely process the fact that my mom had injected herself with that poison. I always wondered, what if... What if she had just waited? Maybe I could have saved her. What if I stepped forward and just gave them what they wanted, would she have survived?

Those questions are laid to rest with the words in this letter. My mom gave her life for me because if she had not, I would be gone. I look at the words, my mother's handwriting. I pull the letter against my chest and that's when it happens. I break down so completely that I crumple into the porch swing. I cry so hard that my sobs make it sway. The tears flow so freely that with every breath I feel as if a thousand weights are laid against my chest.

"Willow!" I hear my name called from afar.

Then a moment later, I'm pulled from the swing and I'm curled in his arms. He holds me tightly against him while he moves to sit with me in his lap. My mother's letter is crumpled between us. I duck my head into his chest and allow myself to lose it, to let it all out. He rubs my back and holds me securely against him. We stay like that for I don't know how long.

When the tears stop, I sit up and look at Tony. In his eyes, I see how he feels. I know that I have his heart; he's given it to me for safekeeping. I think perhaps, he may have mine too.

He pulls me into a hug and then he helps me to my feet. Without a word, he grabs my hand and takes me into the cabin.

He has me sit on the couch. Then, he lights a few lamps and begins working on making me something to eat. When he returns a little while later, he has two bowls of hot Ramen in his hands. He hands me one and then takes a seat next to me.

We eat in silence. After we finish, he puts the dishes away and lights a fire. We don't say anything to each other that night. He knows I read my mom's letter. He doesn't ask me what it said. I know he must still be hurt that I kept the facts about the shot away from him, but I don't ask him how he feels. I lie on the couch in his arms and watch the flames of the fire devour the wood until eventually my eyelids become heavy and I fall asleep.

# CHAPTER 13

### Transformation

I awake sometime after the sun has risen. The embers are still glowing in the fireplace. Tony is already awake and making something that smells wonderful. I sit up and brush at my wild curls. My mother's letter is sitting on the floor beside the sofa. I gently pick it up and fold it neatly, then stick it back in my pocket.

"Good morning," Tony calls to me from the kitchen.

I stand up and walk over to him. He's changed into a tank top and sport shorts. He hands me a cup of tea. "Morning," I say groggily. My eyes feel heavy from all of the crying yesterday.

We sit down and eat a quiet breakfast made up of corn beef hash and canned potatoes. I've never had it before and while it looks unappetizingly disgusting, it tastes wonderful.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Tony asks me.

I nod my head. "Yes, I'd like that very much." I'm still not sure where we stand. I know yesterday that he wanted me to be his girlfriend but did the fact that I kept the truth from him change the way he feels?

We clean up our breakfast dishes, and then we leave the cabin. We walk down the steps and towards the lake. The sun is making its way above the mountain peaks to the east of the lake.

We don't talk but Tony does grab my hand. He squeezes it softly and leads me to the edge of the water. We walk around, along the shore for a ways. I watch the ripples of the water. Every once in a while a bird will fly low enough to touch the waves or a fish will jump into the air.

We make our way around a small bend on the shore. The grass had grown so high that I had not seen the small canoe that it hides. I look at it and then up to Tony.

"Okay, well maybe not so much as a walk than a sail," he says, breaking the silence. He tries to smile but it's hard for him to do. "Are you scared of the water?"

I shake my head. "No, I love the water." I have only been on a canoe once. It was before Sabby was born and when I was much younger. My parents took me out on a river during our summer vacation. I remember watching the Daddy-Long-Legs climbing all over the trees that lined the riverbanks. We had stopped to fish and I caught my first small trout. My mom and dad had made such a huge deal of it. They took a thousand pictures and I got mad because I wanted them to hurry so I could put the fish back where it belonged, in the water.

"Good." Tony pulls the canoe out of the tall grass without difficulty and flips it over on his own. He opens up his bag, pulls out a towel, and begins wiping out the inside of the boat. No doubt a legion of spiders are being removed from the home they've made theirs over these past several months.

I find two small oars in the grass next to where the boat was stored. I grab them as Tony starts to push the canoe into the water. He stops it halfway. "After you." He holds out his hand for me. I place the oars in the boat and then accept his hand. He helps me step in. The boat rocks as I make my way slowly to the other end.

He pushes the boat into the water as far as he can, before he jumps in and takes a seat on the bench facing me. He grabs an oar and hands one to me. He takes the other one and works on pushing us away from the shore.

The wind whips at my hair as we glide across the lake's surface. I close my eyes and feel the cool breeze against my skin. The air smells crisp and clean. The sun works counteractively against the coolness that the water-chilled wind brings. I savor the mix of cool and warmth. I open my eyes to find Tony staring at me. The heat in his eyes tells me that he hasn't completely written me off yet.

"I'm so sorry, Tony," I whisper, breaking the silence we've done so well to maintain.

This time he closes his eyes. He opens them a second later. "I can understand why you didn't tell me. I can only imagine that had the roles been reversed, I would have done the same."

Relief floods through me. "Even still, I'm so very sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop it and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you."

Tony shakes his head. "You couldn't have stopped it from happening, Willow. That was out of your control. Yes, you could have told me about it afterwards, but I know why you didn't. For what it's worth, I forgive you completely."

I let out an audible breath. "Thank you," I whisper.

He nods once and then we go back to paddling. We make our way to the middle of the lake. Once we are at the point in which the mountains cast their image over our boat and past us into the water, we put down our oars. Tony rocks the canoe slightly as he moves off the bench and sits on the bottom of the boat between our two seats. He pats the narrow space next to him.

Not sure if I will fit, but not caring anyway, I move off my bench and sit beside him. The space between the two seats is enough for us to lie down if we keep our knees bent. He lies down first and then I lie down and rest my head on his chest.

My arm rests on top of his. I can hear his heart beating in my ears. It sounds beautiful. I close my eyes and savor the memory. The way he smells of grass and soap, the way the air feels against our skin, the gentle swaying of the boat against the lake's water... everything.

We lay like that for a while. Eventually I turn so that I can watch the white puffs of cumulous clouds float across the sky. We take turns calling out shapes in the clouds that our imagination has conjured up. The clouds look like huge pillows of white that tower up into Heaven. I like to imagine that my mom is up there looking down at us. I wonder what she would think of me being here with Tony. Would she approve of my choice between the two guys?

"Willow..." Tony says softly to get my attention.

"Mmhm?" I answer lazily.

"What are you thinking?"

I turn my head up so I can see his yellow eyes and answer. "About my mom. I wonder if she can see me."

He gently brushes my hair back as he says, "I'm sure she can."

I smile lightly and turn my eyes back to the sky. "What are you thinking?" I ask him in return.

"About you," he says warmly.

My stomach flutters. I look back up at him and he continues. "Yesterday, I was going to leave. I did make it as far as the empty prison yard before I turned back. I knew that the best thing would be for me to get as far away from you as I could, that it was the right thing to do."

I look at him worriedly and hold my breath, not sure where he's going with this.

"But I am a selfish man, Willow. I couldn't leave. I know that it's safer for you if I did... leave. But, if I'm going to lose myself soon, I don't want to do it until I've found myself first." He runs his fingers across my hand. "I felt like a shell before I met you. I went through the motions, I did my duty to serve and protect, but I didn't know who I was. When I first saw you on that mountainside, something in me changed. Time stopped and at that moment, I was torn between my duty to protect your mother and my desire to help you. You looked so scared and lost."

I think back to that day that wasn't too long ago. "You were going to shoot me," I joke.

He shakes his head. "I don't know if I would have been able to. If any other set of eyes had looked up at me, I wouldn't have hesitated. I never hesitated, before I met you."

I stare into his eyes, not sure what to say to such an honest sentiment.

"Willow Mosby, when I look at you, all of the broken pieces fit back together. I know I should leave and never come back, but I can't without telling you how I really feel. I can't imagine ever losing touch with who I am so much so that I wouldn't recognize what you mean to me. I know they say that..." he swallows and looks away, "Reapers, aren't in touch with their humanity," he looks back at me, his eyes full with emotion. "But, I will never forget that I am so in love with you that sometimes it hurts."

My breath catches as I stare into his eyes.

"Even if I don't remember this tomorrow, I couldn't bring myself to leave without telling you how much you mean to me and how I really feel. I love you and I will never stop loving you no matter how I change or who I become." He sits up on his elbow so that he's leaning slightly over me.

I can see the clouds behind him floating in the distance like a beautiful backdrop to a perfect picture. I look into Tony's eyes, mesmerized by the warmth and love conveyed in those yellow irises. My eyes wander down to his lips.

Tony lifts his hand and gently grazes it across my cheek. I close my eyes, savoring in his touch and the warmth that the sunshine brings. When I open them again, I see his eyes staring at my lips in return. His gaze is filled with heat that sends a warm tingling sensation through my veins. My stomach dances as he moves in and kisses my forehead gently. I take a deep breath and hold it, not sure if that is all he was moving in for. He then kisses the bridge of my nose.

He pauses and I open my eyes to meet his. He looks at me; his eyes are asking me if it's okay. "I love you," he whispers in my mind. He leans in, his eyes close and so do mine, and then, after what seems like an eternity of waiting, his lips touch mine. A spiraling sensation flutters throughout me as my blood pumps wildly. He kisses me gently and everything inside me tells me that this is right. How I feel can't be put into words. I wrap my hands around his neck and pull him closer to me. Our kiss grows stronger and I run my hands through his hair. Fireworks burst forth behind my eyes and my toes curl as I allow the love to flow through me.

I feel the boat sway as our lips part and he sits up slightly. I don't want to open my eyes. I want to savor in the warmth and the feeling of electricity that course through me and touches every nerve ending in my body. I smile and take a deep breath. Then I open my eyes groggily. I stare up at the man that I very well may be falling in love with.

Tony stares back at me with a smile across his lips. He gently brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear and then his hand freezes. His posture stiffens and his back goes rigid. Then before my eyes, I watch the eclipse happen in slow motion. My heart jumps and the panic takes hold as I look on with pure dread. Like storm clouds moving in to cover the sun, his eyes fade from the bright, beautiful yellow that I adore into a deep, crimson red. Without thinking, I place my hands on his chest and focus my healing energies on him, desperately trying to save him. Seconds turn to minutes. He hasn't moved. He just sits upright staring at me with those eerie red eyes that only moments ago held a profession of love.

I feel my body going weak as I exert all the power I can on healing Tony. This time seems different though. This time it doesn't seem to be working. A tear slips down my cheek as I realize this may be it. How can such a loving moment turn into terror so quickly? Saving the last drop of energy, I release my hand from his chest.

An elfish grin encompasses his face; an expression I've never seen him make. I move away from him and scoot back as far as I can until I hit the back of the boat. Tony's lips part, "It's my turn now, sugar."

# Also by Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels

**The ELE Series**

Book 1: Project ELE

Book 2: Finding ELE

Book 3: Exposing ELE

Book 4: Surviving ELE

Book 5: Ending ELE

* * *

**Night Marchers Series**

Night Marchers

Redemption

# Eye Colors and Their Meanings

**Dark Green** \- Ability to read minds and hear thoughts. (Willow's first gift. Willow's original eye color: brown. Willow also absorbs other people's gifts when she is around them for a certain period of time. They still don't know how this is possible but some believe it's because she has a bit of Reaper in her. However, there is one major difference between Willow and a Reaper: Willow is still in touch with her humanity.)

**Dark Blue** \- Ability to heal. (Alec's gift. Alec's original eye color: Emerald Green)

**Hazel-yellow/green** \- Ability to compel people and make them do or believe what you tell them. (Zack's gift. Zack's original eye color: light brown)

**Purple** \- Ability to turn invisible (Claire's gift. Claire's original eye color: icy blue)

**Brown** \- Ability to change molecular structure and walk or pass through objects. (Connor's gift. Connor's original eye color- black)

**Light Blue** \- Ability to see through people's abilities or see when someone is using a gift. (Candy's gift. Candy's original eye color: light brown)

**Neon Yellow** \- Ability to possess great strength, speed, agility and immunity. Rarely, if ever, does someone with this ability get sick. (Willow's mom whose name is Alice, Sebastian and Tony's gift. As well as everyone else in the first compound. Alice and Sebastian's original eye color: Baby Blue. Tony's original eye color: Hazel Green.)

**Copper Orange** \- Ability to see visions of the near future. This is an ability that is new to everyone. Nobody know's how far in the future this ability will allow its possessor to see, but currently Willow's dad has only been able to see a few minutes and no more than an hour ahead of time. In addition, with the knowledge of what lies ahead, they have been able to change the future outcome. For example, Willow didn't die during the attack on the hotel like the dad foresaw. (Willow's dad: Henry's gift.)

**Black** \- Ability to read other people's emotions and intentions. In addition this ability allows the possessor to control the emotions of others. (Erik's gift.)

**Red** \- Reapers, steal other people's abilities and drain their life from them. Not a lot is known about this power. Some believe that once a Reaper takes from someone that they only possess the ability for a limited period of time. This requires them to continually search for abilities to consume or in other words to help them power up. Because the process of reaping takes a lot of energy and a few minutes to completely drain a person, they don't bother using their powers on the people with yellow eyes. After all, the Reapers currently possess this ability since it was their first gift before they took the red shot that was supposed to cause instant death. Instead that shot caused the death of their humanity.

# About the Authors

Rebecca and Courtney are down-home country girls powered by chocolate and other random late night cravings. Coined in southern twang they bring new meaning to the word y'all. BFI's since the 6th grade, with a knack for getting into sticky situations, has resulted in countless ideas to write about for years to come.

_We would love to hear from you!_

www.eleseries.com

rebeccacourtney@hotmail.com

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