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Written by

**Sarah Aderholdt**

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Copyright © 2016 Senserial Publishing

**All Rights Reserved**  
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from publisher.

First Published: **March 2013**

Auf dem Umgang 22-24  
65611, Niederbrechen, Germany

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**Episode 1**

"Don't worry you'll be fine," Jane said as she wrapped her hands in white cloth. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Uh, I could get knocked down on my butt in front of everyone." Candace sneered a reply. Jane didn't have nearly as much pressure on her to come out on top as Candace did, of course _she_ wasn't nervous.

"Don't be so negative, it's just a fight. Besides, it's the last one of our sophomore year."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Candace looked at the locker room floor and kicked a stray bottle cap with the toe of her tennis shoe, she was so anxious for the school year to be over. "What are you doing over the break?" She secretly hoped that her friend would stay with her during the next few weeks. The day of her shift wasn't for another thirteen days, but she could already feel the animal inside her churn in her gut. She wouldn't admit it, but she was scared.

As if reading her mind, Jane responded, "Relax, I'll be with you every step of the way. The shift isn't as painful as everyone makes it out to be." Jane tried to hide a grimace as she remembered the day of her own shift. It felt so unnatural as her whole body contracted into a big German Shepard. The pain was excruciating, but she wasn't about to tell her best friend that.

Suddenly, the locker room door burst open, and the room was filled with the rough voice of their teacher, "Candace!!! Jane!! What are you doing in there? You were supposed to be out here ten minutes ago!!"

"Be right there!" Jane shouted back.

The teacher replied with a grunt and the door slammed shut behind her with a bang. "I swear that woman is going to get an ulcer if she ever finds out about me and Robby." A wicked smile formed on Jane's face. Candace made a great show of gagging. Robby was Mrs. Ramon's son, and the stalky woman had no clue the two were going out.

Jane put both of her hands on Candace's knees and looked her in the eyes. Her eyes were the color of light almonds and sharply contrasted with Candace's light blue eyes. Candace always thought her own eyes made her look blind. "Just breathe. It will all be over a minute." Jane stood and led the way to the gym. She had never given Candace a reason to doubt her. Candace followed her friend's every step, trusting her as she always had.

Jane was up first. The gym was adorned in the schools colors. Black and red ribbon lined the walls. Years of football, volleyball, soccer, and basketball championships were celebrated with banners that hung from the ceiling. The schools mascot, a brown German Shepard, was painted on the far wall. Big letters were pasted under it spelling out 'Masters High School'. Jane's sleek figure looked so natural in the ring that was mounted in the middle of the basketball court, straddling the centerline. The door that led to the football field was opened and a cool breeze swarmed the gym. Candace took a deep breath and watched as Jane's long blonde hair blew freely with the flow of wind. A tall brunette joined Jane in the ring. The girl had at least six inches on Jane, but Candace already knew the outcome of this fight.

Jane and the girl faced each other. As they locked eyes, Jane's muscles twitched with anticipation. A man seated at the judging table counted down from three. Candace breathed the words with him. "Three. Two. One"

The brunette took a swing just as the countdown ended. As her right arm came forward, her body expected the impact. Jane leaped back quickly; her arms already up. She landed gracefully on her toes. The girl over swung and lost her footing. Jane took the opportunity to kick the girl in the ribs. The girl lurched, but was balanced again in an instant. As they faced off once again, Candace thought she saw something pass between them that resembled respect. Everyone in the school knew who Jane was, and everyone wanted to be her. She was the best, but Jane refused to accept the title. She always said that there was something about Candace that made her think otherwise.

Suddenly, Jane took a swing. Her power came from her entire body, and her fist struck the brunette squarely in the jaw. Blood gushed from her lip, but she wasn't about to call it quits. Jane was taken by surprise as the brunette swung her leg to the side and kicked the back of her knees, making her collapse. For a moment, everyone in the room stopped breathing. Everyone but Candace. She cracked a smile as she watched Jane's leg come back and catch the brunette in the chin. Just like that she was on the ground, and Jane moved to pin her down. The judge counted down from ten, and the crowd roared.

Candace didn't have time to congratulate her friend. It was her turn now. Each step felt agonizing as she approached the ring. Her small body slipped through the ropes effortlessly. Candace was well aware of her short stature, but she wouldn't let her insecurities take over her right now. It was time to fight.

Candace could feel her blood pulse through her neck. She knew she was more powerful than any human, but these weren't humans she was facing. She went to a school full of shape shifters, and she had to be careful not to underestimate any of them. That mistake could cost her the fight, or worse.

A redhead joined her in the ring. Candace knew this redhead. Her name was Grace, a girl from her homeroom, and Candace had no qualms about kicking her ass. Grace smirked at Candace, as if she was nothing to sniff at. The judge counted down from three, and this time Candace didn't dare breathe. She could see Jane standing on the sidelines out of the corner of her eye. She remembered what Jane had told her, and her whole body calmed.

"...One" She barely jumped out of the way as Grace threw a kick in her direction. It was obvious that Grace didn't have any problems with fighting her either. She may have been a royal brat, but that didn't mean she couldn't fight. Candace's arms went upas Grace looked for an opening. Candace wouldn't give it to her. She moved around the ring, and Grace followed her movements. Grace threw a punch and missed. The dance continued, and Candace wondered if she would ever get an opening. Finally! Grace's shoulder dropped an inch, and that was just enough for Candace to land a blow to her temple.

Grace barely swayed, but anger glinted in her green eyes. Anger was a dangerous thing during a fight; it could easily be used against you. Grace rushed forward and Candace saw her shot. She swiftly dodged the attack, and turned just in time to get an opening at the back of Grace's neck. And as her elbow struck Grace's spine, she heard a slight gasp. Grace crumpled, but only for a moment. As the girl started to stagger forward, Candace heard another gasp, only this time, it was her own. Her hands flew up to her head. What was going on? It felt like her skull was shattering. She forced herself to regain control in order to maintain consciousness. She was still in a fight. She would have finished Grace off if it weren't for her head. Her vision was blurred, but she could see Grace rush forward, and this time, Candace didn't have the presence of mind to avoid her advance. Instead she made an X with her arms in front of her and let them absorb the force of the impact. She needed to end this quickly. Candace didn't know how long she could keep this up. She quickly sidestepped to move out of Grace's punching range, but stumbled. Grace saw this as an opportunity and put her whole body into swing. Candace moved back and barely dodged the blow. She caught Grace's arm with her right hand, and elbowed her in the cheek with the other.

Grace was out. Her whole body crumpled again, but this time, she didn't move. Candace staggered out of the ropes. She barely avoided falling on her face when she jumped down from the ring. She saw Jane rush forward to greet her with a huge smile plastered on her face, but Candace wasn't smiling. Jane's outstretched arms were the last things she saw before everything went black.

"What on Earth could be wrong with her?" Candace heard Petunia's muffled voice as she came back into consciousness.

"We can't be sure until we've run all the tests, but I don't think it's anything to worry about." The doctor tried to sound assured, but his voice faltered slightly.

"What do you mean it's nothing to worry about? Her shift is in less than two weeks." said Petunia in a harsh whisper.

"You just need to calm down, ma'am." The doctor seemed agitated.

"No. I don't need to calm down! You just need to fix her." And with that, Candace could hear Petunia's heels click down the hall away from her room. 'Fix her'. Petunia said the words like she was some kind of machinery that had a glitch. Ever since Candace was three, Petunia had taken care of her. Although the lady was a harsh woman who had a distasteful sense of fashion, Candace had to respect her. The woman was powerful.

Although Petunia wasn't a shape shifter, she did belong to a species that used magic. Petunia was part of the Dragmon Order. It was a group of about two hundred magical beings that ruled over the magical realm. Each species had a role. Candace's role, like the other shape shifters, was to protect one of the rulers. Candace was assigned to Petunia when she was very young. Now with the rebellion in full gear, Petunia had a right to be worried. She couldn't protect herself without the help of Candace. The rebels would be targeting the rulers first, which put Petunia at a very great risk.

The Dragmon Order mandated that each shape shifter must take the form of a German Shepard in an attempt to portray conformity and command. Candace had never questioned the decisions of her masters. This was her world, and she accepted it. Her high school was made up of about one hundred and fifty shape shifters, one hundred fairies, whilethe other five hundred kidswere a mix of about thirty different magical species. There were no humans at the school, which was in their own best interest since about three different species at the school fed on human blood and spirit. Petunia and Candace's two aunts were furies. They could torment sinners, but they are very poor at defending themselves.

The return of Petunia's clicking heels brought Candace back from her trance. The door opened rapidly as the woman entered. "Good, your up." Petunia tossed a tee shirt and some jeans onto the bed. "Get dressed, we're leaving." The doctor entered suddenly with an exasperated expression.

"Miss, I strongly recommend that she stay in bed..."

"We don't have time to just sit about...she can rest at home." This seemed to appease the doctor a bit as he took the suggestion into consideration. Candace knew it wasn't simply a suggestion; it was a command. She jumped up quickly and walked swiftly into the bathroom.

When Candace and Petunia finally arrived home, night had fallen. The night's fresh air flooded Candace's lungs and gave her a sense of peace. She decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.

The manicured lawns were quiet, and the only noise came from the crickets. Her life was usually so hectic. Moments like this, when she could forget about her troubles, were precious. She still felt a little dizzy, but she pushed away any thought of worry. At the end of the neighborhood, the houses were replaced by the tallest of trees. They were spaced apart so that a person could walk through them. The forest was quiet and beautiful. The green leaves were tipped with red, and signaled that fall was approaching quickly. It was only September, but Candace felt the cold icy chill of winter in her veins. She loved snow, and waited eagerly for it every year. She would go to this part of the woods whenever she felt stressed, and all of her fears would evaporate.

As she entered the woods, she could hear the scurrying of little animals, and she could smell the bark of the pine trees. Candace was acutely aware of each and every noise, no matter how small. She walked by a tall oak tree and let her fingertips brush against the rough bark. She couldn't help but feel like a part of this forest. It was her salvation...the only place where she felt normal. She reached a clearing, and laid her brown jacket on the tall grass and curled up on the ground. The stars pierced the nighttime sky and shimmered. When Candace was small, she used to believe that the stars were her friends. She would talk to them, and would listen as if they had something to say back to her.

"Candace! Candace!" Petunia called from the edge of the forest. Petunia swore she would never enter the woods. Candace let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I'm here." She called. A slight tinge of annoyance hung in her words. She scrambled up and grabbed her jacket. She paused for a second and took a deep breath. "Alright." She whispered to herself and turned to leave.

Petunia looked scornfully at Candace. "You need to rest." Candace met her gaze and nodded. They both headed back to the house in silence.

The smell of grapefruit and peaches assaulted her as she threw open her bedroom door, and she cursed under her breath as she realized that Petunia had "freshened up" her room again. Candace tossed her backpack onto her bed and flung her pillows down on the floor in order to make room for herself on the over-decorated bed. The day had taken a toll on Candace's strength. It was as if all of her energy had been zapped right out of her. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the feeling of freedom from school take hold. She was already planning all of the shopping-filled trips she had yet to take with Jane. The nice part about guarding a ruler was the pay. Talk about a summer job. All she had to do was put up with the lady's mood swings, and she could afford all of the shoes she could ever want.

Candace's thoughts drifted to her sixteenth birthday that was only a little more than twelve days away. She was so nervous for her first shape shifting experience. What would she look like? Candace could imagine herself as a German Shepard with matted black fur. She had always hated her black hair, and sometimes wished she could just dye it. Petunia said that it was elegant and she forbade Candace to do anything to it.

Soon the world began to fade away as she drifted into a light slumber. Dreams overtook the darkness, and a man with a goatee stood over a girl and began to laugh. The laugh was soft at first but then it grew louder and louder. Candace heard a voice in the distance call her name. The voice sounded frantic as if it was trying to will the girl to live by sheer volume. The girl began to shake violently. Suddenly Candace was looking at the man from the girls eyes, and she reached up and grabbed his arm. She twisted it fiercely and the man flipped on his stomach in front of her.

Candace awoke to find Petunia sprawled out on the floor in shock. A glass of water lay on its side as it flowed onto the pearl white carpet. Candace leapt back against her bed frame. _What on Earth just happened_? The thought replayed again and again in her mind as Petunia began to stand.Candace's hands grasped the pink sheets as if she were trying to keep herself from falling. She had just attacked Petunia, the woman she had sworn to protect.

She expected to be scolded or even slapped, but Petunia had only a look of worry in her eyes as she approached the bedside. "Are...are you alright?" Candace managed to get the words out.

"Don't worry about me," Petunia spoke in a calm whisper, "I've had to deal with a lot more in my lifetime than you will ever know. I'll be fine, just get some rest." She knelt down to pick up the cup from the floor. She stopped at the doorway on her way out as if contemplating saying something. Her right hand rested softly on the doorframe. Finally, she turned and left Candace to her own worried thoughts. Candace closed her eyes, and wrapped her arms around her chest as if pulling herself into a hug. She felt as if she was letting Petunia down in some way. A silent tear crept from the corner of her eye, but she quickly brushed it away. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting this way? She was a warrior: she was strong, fast, powerful, and determined. But now... She never wanted a break more in her entire life. The events of the day had been overwhelming, and now Petunia was acting as if Candace was a fragile child. Of course, she was only trying to take care of Candace, but it was supposed to be the other way around. Candace had always been taught that sacrifice was necessary to preserve the greater cause, even if that meant sacrificing her own life. Now Petunia was worried about _her_? Ha! What kind of guardian was she?

The next morning, Candace awoke to the sound of Claire De Lune. Why would Jane be calling her this early, she wondered, as she reached over to her nightstand and fumbled for her phone. "Hellllooo!!" Jane cooed from the other end. "Has sleeping beauty awoken from her slumber?"

"Hi, Jane." Candace feigned annoyance at being woken up.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Any plans for the first day of break? Jamie is having a bonfire tonight...."

"No. Definitely not, Jane, come on... Remember what happened last time?" Candace had to shut her eyes as she remembered what had to be the most embarrassing moment of her entire life. She had stripped down to her bra and underwear and jumped in the creek next to the woods where Jamie was having one of his famous bonfires. She had emerged from the water safely, but her bra had not.

Jane began to giggle. "Yeah.... speaking of which.... Tommy still has the biggest crush on you." Candace blushed, but didn't respond. Jane continued, "Fine, we don't have to go, but you are not going to spend the day moping. Yesterday wasn't that bad. I wish you could have seen Grace after she woke up. I swear she had steam coming out of her ears."

"I really wish I had been there to see that."

"Yeah. So what do you say we celebrate by taking a shopping trip." Of course that would be Jane's Suggestion. Candace grinned.

"Alright. When do you want me to come get you?"

"Maybe six-ish?"

"Sounds good. Make sure you're ready by then."

Candace drove her orange Jeep to go pick up Jane. The trees zipped by as she passed the forest that ran along the road. The sun shone bright and made Candace squint, but the forest was dark and calm. It seemed welcoming to Candace as if beckoning to her. She spotted a deer darting through the brush and she wondered what it would be like to be free of her responsibilities. Free to run. Candace had to keep herself from becoming too distracted. She focused on the white lines that seemed to flow endlessly towards her destination, a destination that had been mapped out for her since birth. Fate had led her to Petunia, and the war. The rebellion had started before her birth. The rebels wanted to take over everything. They believed that, as magical creatures, they were stronger and more advanced than the human race. They wanted to control everything. Petunia's, and the Dragmon Orders' job was to make sure that didn't happen. Candace's job was to make sure Petunia stayed alive. She was a soldier.

Jane's house crept into view. It was a tall structure that stood in the middle of a lush green field. The forest outlined the field. There was no fence to keep the wildlife out, and nature was welcomed. An occasional fox could be seen prancing about on the grass, searching for its next meal. The driveway was long and thin and outlined by wildflowers. The front of the house was a dark grey, but the dark shade faded towards the back of the house. It looked ancient, and Candace was sometimes spooked by the old energy that flowed throughout it.

Jane stood by the front of the house. Her yellow sundress rippled with the light breeze. Her blonde hair glowed in the sunlight. She jogged up to the car when Candace approached. She quickly hopped in and Candace backed all the way out of the driveway. They talked about the events of yesterday. Jane told Candace about her most recent encounter with Robby.

"Are you still tired?" Jane asked when they neared the mall.

Candace was taken aback at the abruptness of Jane's question. "No. What makes you think that?"

"You're a horrible liar." Jane said after a moment. "I can see the bags under your eyes."

"Okay, maybe I am, but only a little." Candace felt like every second of the day was weighing down on her. She didn't know if she could take it any longer.

"What's wrong with you? You usually have enough energy to keep every kid in school going for an entire day." That was definitely an exaggeration, but Jane had a point. Candace felt like she could get all the sleep in the world and still feel exhausted. Something was definitely wrong with her, but she didn't want to worry anyone.

"Will you stop worrying about me?" Candace was tired of feeling like a burden to her friend. Candace put the car in park in the back of the mall's parking lot. She looked over at her friend. "Can we just pretend that I didn't pass out in front of everybody yesterday, and that I won't be morphing into a scruffy dog in less than two weeks. I just want to relax for a little bit without people watching me like I might break."

"OK. Fair enough. Now, let's hurry up and get inside. We get the mall all to ourselves since the _other_ teenagers will just be starting their school year, and I can already picture myself in those white wedges I've been eyeing." Jane winked and Candace rolled her eyes with as much exaggeration as she could manage. The two girls walked quickly towards the front doors. To the outside world, they looked like ordinary teenagers, but power, grace, and responsibility gleamed in their eyes.

"How about this one?" Candace held a red blouse up to her chest. Jane nodded and threw a white top at her.

"Try that one on too...." Suddenly Jane was cut off by an angry shriek coming from a clothing rack about ten feet away.

"Get your hand off me!" A middle-aged woman dressed in designer jeans and a flowing white blouse jerked away from one of the store employees. The employee looked flushed and irritated at the woman.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to call security." The employee began to speak into her radio.

"I cannot believe this! I will have you fired!" When the employee ignored her, she grabbed the radio from her and slammed it over her head. Candace rushed over and threw the woman up against a wall with a little more force than she had intended. As Candace pinned the woman, Jane helped the employee to her feet.

"Are you alright?" There was a long thick cut on her forehead that had a steady flow of blood coming from it.

"Um...Yeah. I think so."

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?" The girl looked horrified at Jane's suggestion. She shook her head fiercely.

"What did she do?" Jane motioned towards the woman still pinned against the wall.

"I saw her putting jewelry in her purse. She was trying to steal it." Candace smirked at Jane and rolled her eyes. People could be so superficial. They were so concerned with worldly things. Candace grew up in a world where she always had to check over her shoulder because the monster in the closet usually wasn't part of her imagination. People were after her, and Petunia.

When security arrived, Candace let go of the struggling woman. Jane joined her and the two girls returned to their clothing pile. "It's pretty ridiculous what people will do." Candace said a she rifled through another rack of clothing. She paused at a light blue dress. She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror. Her eyes stood out with the color.

"Yeah, I know... And I saw the jewelry. It wasn't event that cute." Jane said after a second. "That's a cute dress, you should try it on." Candace threw the garment into her accumulating pile. "I think this is enough for now."

"Alright I'll go grab a changing room." Candace walked over to the desk in front of the dressing rooms. A short woman sat at the desk. It took a moment for the woman to acknowledge that Candace was even there.

"How many?" The woman's voice was jagged, as if someone had seriously pissed her off recently.

"Umm..." Candace began to count the pile. The woman let out a large sigh and didn't even attempt to hide her annoyance, but when she finally looked up at Candace for the first time, her eyes became wide.

"Don't worry about it. Right this way." She unlocked one of the room doors and stumbled back to her desk as if in a daze. Candace didn't know why it happened, but sometimes people reacted like that to her. It was as if they sensed something predatory about her.

After trying on about three pairs of clothes, Candace's cell began to ring. She sighed. It was Petunia. "Hello?"

"Hey, a meeting's been called for tonight, I need you here in an hour."

"Alright, I'm on my way." She sighed and opened the dressing room door.

"That was Petunia, I take it?" Jane asked quietly.

"Yeah, I got to go. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Another time." Jane hugged Candace. "As for me," she continued, "I'm gonna keep shopping." She winked at Candace.

Candace and Petunia walked swiftly down the street. Candace walked just behind Petunia's right hip. She could sense something wasn't right, and she put her guard up. Maybe it was just a part of her imagination, but she swore she could feel something in the shadows.

"You know, I hate it when you wear that thing." Petunia spoke and broke Candace's trance. How could she not feel the impending danger as Candace could? Candace wore a brown sweatshirt from her school. It contrasted greatly with Petunias black blouse and business skirt. Usually Candace would respond with some trite remark, but right now she was all business. If she was right that they were being followed, than she could very soon be in the fight of her life.

Petunia didn't comment on Candace's lack of response. When they finally made it to the meeting, Candace let out a sigh of relief. The building was adorned in elegant furniture. Petunia's heels clicked against the gold speckled tile floor as she approached a room with huge wooden double doors, which had a lion and gazelle carved into them. The gazelle was sprinting, and the lion was posed just above it in mid-leap. There was something eerie about the image. As always, Candace was asked to wait outside. She sat on a black leather couch, and put her feet up on the ivory coffee table. Although Petunia was in the meeting surrounded by some of the most powerful creatures imaginable, Candace still felt uneasy. She watched the front door as if waiting for something to barge in. It was her job to keep Petunia safe, but she hadn't yet completed her shift, and she doubted her ability to protect Petunia as she was.

Time passed slowly and she looked around at the other guardians that sat around the room. They were almost all fairly young, only a few years older than Candace. She wished Jane was there, but Jane protected an elder who didn't attend the meetings,so Candace sat silently as the hours passed.

Petunia emerged from the meeting with tired eyes. She looked even more exhausted than Candace felt. As they started down the street, Candace could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Her adrenaline was pumping; preparing her for the evil that lurked in the shadows. "Someone's following us." She said it simply, and authoritatively. Now she knew. Something was tracking them, and Candace had to find out why.

"What? I think you're still a little out of it, Candace. There's nothing behind us." Petunia talked to Candace like she was a child, but Candace grabbed Petunia's wrist and yanked her to a stop. If they were going to make it out of this, Petunia had to understand that Candace was in charge now. Her one job was to save Petunia, and the understanding of that mission coursed through her blood.

Candace began to walk again, motioning for Petunia to do the same, and Petunia obeyed. Candace turned into an alleyway with a dead-end. It was dark and secluded, but she only had to watch the opening. Candace braced herself in front of Petunia. Whatever was coming, she would be ready. Petunia called for backup.

Just then, two men appeared in tattered jackets and blue jeans. They approached slowly, but Candace held her ground. Her arms quivered from the rush of adrenaline. She could feel her diaphragm tighten. She had to control her breathing. The man on the far right laughed at the sight of the young girl standing up to the two of them. The man on the left looked older and wearier, as if he knew not to underestimate her. It was Candace's turn to laugh. It didn't sound like her; it was dark and cruel. Petunia shot her a look of anxiety, and she did a very poor job of hiding her trembling.

"What do you want?" There was a bite to Candace's voice. She felt like she was ready to tear them to pieces.

"Just the woman. Give her to us and you can go." He said it slowly, and waited. His brown eyes were filled with hate. Candace cocked her head to the side, and a slight smirk played on her lips.

"Go to Hell." She spit the words out, and they advanced. The older man stayed slightly behind, but he shared the same malice as the other man did. He wouldn't hesitate in killing her. That was fine, neither would she. She rushed to them, and landed a blow to the younger man's tough jaw. She continued past him to the older man. She felt the younger man behind her and skidded to the ground. Her outstretched legs collided with the older man's, and all three of them went tumbling to the ground. Candace tried to get up quickly, but the younger man had her pinned before she could move. His knuckles crashed into her skull, and her vision became hazy. There was no pain, but she could tell she was injured. He stood up and kicked her in the ribs. She could feel a sharp pinch in her gut, but she paid no mind to it. She jumped up, and took the men by surprise. She slammed the older man's head into the wall. He crumpled to the ground out cold. She whipped her head around just in time to see an iron bar collide with her temple. Warm blood streamed down the side of her face, and she knelt to the ground. Her vision was completely clouded now. Her hands met the ground, and she expected another blow, but it never came. A van screeched to a halt outside of the alleyway. She could smell burning rubber. She rolled over on her side. "Grab Petunia!" A man's commanding voice echoed through the alleyway's brick walls.

"What about the girl?" Asked another man.

"Leave her. She's done her job. We just need to worry about Petunia right now." Candace knew she wasn't hearing this right. Leave her? She tried to yell, but she couldn't get the words out. How could they do this to her? Everything went quiet, except for the drops of water leaking from the pipes that lined the alleyway. Drip by drip, Candace listened until everything went black.

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**Episode 2**

Light seeped into the darkness of Candace's mind. She felt her soft brown hair against her cheeks. Her hands moved over the white linen sheets that covered a plush mattress. Where was she? How long had she been asleep? Candace looked up at the eggshell white ceiling. Her eyes scanned the walls and found only a picture of sunflowers in a vase. What an odd room. She turned her head toward the machine that sat next to her. It was a heart monitor. Why was she hooked up to a heart monitor?

The door began to creak open, and instinctively, Candace sat up. She felt a sharp pain pierce her chest. A man in a white coat rushed towards her and she jumped backwards in alarm. More pain erupted from her right arm. "Where am I?" The tone of her voice was exceedingly defensive.

"You're at the hospital." The man in the white coat stood still with his palms facing her in surrender, hoping to placate her into sitting still.

"What happened?" Candace winced. It felt like her whole body was broken.

"Well, we were hoping _you_ could tell us that. The cops found you unconscious in an alleyway." He looked concerned. His dark blue eyes looked kind, and the wrinkles in his forehead made his worry seem genuine. Candace decided she could trust him. "Can you tell me your name?" He asked slowly.

"It's...Umm...Oh my gosh. I just can't remember." She grasped her head as if simply trying to think was causing her pain. She tried to search her past, but what she found was nothing. It was all blank.

"It's alright. It may take time for you to get your memory back. It is not uncommon for people who have been through traumatic experiences to lose their memory. For now though, we found a bracelet with the name Candace on it. Does that sound familiar?" The doctor held up a blue and purple bracelet. The name Candace was sewn into it in bold black letters.

Candace wanted so badly for the name to spark something in her brain, but it was blank. All of it. "No. It doesn't ring a bell. Someone must be looking for me, right?"

"So far, there haven't been any missing person reports matching your description, but give it time." Time. Candace couldn't help but feel like she was running out of time. The feeling was strange and daunting. She forced herself to relax.

Just then, a pale woman with bright red hair wearing a black tailored suit walked in. She was pretty in a motherly sort of way. She wore no jewelry, and Candace could tell she was all business.

"Candace?" Her voice was soft, but firm.

"That's me...I think." Candace laughed at the strangeness of that statement. The woman tried to keep her face in something between warmth and sternness, but Candace could see a quick flash of humor in her eyes. No doubt, the woman was expecting Candace to be a little more dramatic and a little less composed about the whole situation.

"I'm Rene. I'm with social services. How are you doing?"

"Good, I guess." Candace smiled and dropped her eyes to the floor. She couldn't quite understand how she was handling this so well. She felt like she hadn't lost anything. It was like whatever was in her past was erased and now she had a fresh start. She should feel frightened, not comforted. "So am I just gonna stay at the hospital until someone comes to get me?"

"No. We've made temporary arrangements for you in a foster home. Since we have no idea what school you go to, you will start school at the local high school. The school year has just started so you shouldn't be too far behind." The woman sat in the chair across the room. Candace groaned, but she didn't know if it was from the pain in her hip, or the fact that she felt like the school year should already be over. "Mrs. Paton should be here shortly to pick you up." She continued. Candace was a little bit startled. She felt like everything was happening so fast.

"Why is no one looking for me?"

"Honestly? We don't know. It is really strange, but we have no record of a girl matching your description skipping classes at any of the local schools."

Candace nodded, and closed her eyes. Only five minutes had passed before the hospital room door opened once more. Rene stood up to greet the newcomer, "Mrs. Paton, hello. Thank you for helping out on such short notice."

"It's not a problem." Her smile was genuine and sweet. The woman was tall and her hair was black and pulled up into a neat bun. Her features were soft and her skin was a warm chocolate color. The dress she wore was long and flowing. She couldn't have been more than forty. She turned to Candace. "My name is Melanie Paton, but you can call me Melanie. You must be Candace." Candace smiled and nodded. "Well then, let's get out of this depressing room. It looks like the happiness has just been zapped right out of it." She threw Candace another one of her huge smiles.

The doctor spoke up suddenly and made Candace jump. She had almost forgotten he was there, "Ms. Paton, may I have a word with you in private?" Melanie nodded and the two exited the room. Candace could still hear their conversation loud and clear though. _That can_ _'_ _t be norma_ _l,_ she thought _._ She was debating on listening when suddenly Rene spoke up.

"I know this is hard, but if I have any advice to offer you, it would be to go with the flow. My department will work on tracking down your family. All you need to do is relax. I can tell you're a strong girl." Candace nodded, and Melanie walked back into the room, her face sullen.

Candace sat up slowly. She didn't know how her legs would respond to the pressure. When her feet touched the ground, she bit back a yelp. A searing pain went through her right leg. She clenched her teeth and stood shakily. "Are you alright?" Melanie asked with worry.

"Yeah, I'm great." Candace responded. The doctor had assured her that nothing was seriously wrong with her and she didn't want to seem like a complainer. Melanie led the way to her car and Candace followed.

The car ride to Melanie's house was long, but it gave Candace time to get some extra rest. She had a feeling she would need it. When they pulled up the stone path, Candace was stricken with surprise. She imagined a small house on a calm street, but this house was huge. It towered over the tall oak trees that grew in the green lawn and it had a beautiful antiquated elegance that made Candace feel small and insignificant. Grey stone lined the outside walls of the house. It seemed that each stone was a different shade, and the pattern turned the home into a beautiful piece of art. When the car finally came to a stop, Candace took a deep breath. She didn't know why, but she felt a familiar calm run through her veins. She was not a coward, that much she knew for sure. With Melanie by her side, Candace walked the cobblestone path up to the front door.

Her confidence faltered slightly as the doorknob turned, and the door was pushed in, revealing an even grander inside. The walls of the house were uniformly eggshell white and the floor was spotless. The furniture was solid black and slightly intimidating.

"Kevin!" Melanie's voice called out. Candace could hear the faint beat of music. She couldn't quite make out the song, but something about it sounded familiar. A louder thumping sound echoed throughout the house. Kevin nonchalantly bounded down the white-carpeted steps with green earphones dangling out of his Hollister jacket. Kevin looked decent enough. His bright green eyes met Candace's, and the two shared an equally puzzled expression.

"You must be Candace." The boy said after a moment.

"Kevin, can you show Candace around please?" Then Melanie turned to Candace, "I'm so sorry dear, but I have to go to a meeting right away."

"That's okay." Candace replied softly. Melanie smiled back and then fled out the front door.

"My mom was super excited about you staying with us. She wouldn't shut up about it." The corner of Kevin's mouth curled into an amused smile.

"Really? She barely said anything at all since we met." Candace found herself staring into the emerald green eyes of the teenager. His brown hair came down to his ears in waves. His olive skin was flawless. He reminded her of someone, but she couldn't quite put her finger on whom. The music was still thumping from the earphones dangling against his chest. "Music loud enough?" She could clearly hear the words from that strangely familiar song.

_Come break me down_

_Bury me, bury me_

_I am finished with you_

_Look in my eyes_

_You're killing me, killing me_

_All I wanted was you_

Kevin cocked his head to the side and gave her a quizzical look. He looked down at his iPod. The volume was on the second to the lowest setting. He couldn't hear anything. He didn't respond though.

"So you're a foster kid too?" Candace asked. He seemed to be very well adjusted to Melanie's home.

"Yeah... I've actually lived here for about four years now. Melanie is really cool. You're going to like her. Would you like me to show you around? I know my mom wanted me to, but I can tell you're tired." Candace paused at his offer. Truthfully, she just wanted to sleep, but she nodded hesitantly instead.

The house was even larger than she had imagined. There were a total of ten bedrooms, a family room, a decked out home theatre, two kitchens, and an office. Each room had the same black and white theme, and each room was spotless. Candace was thankful when they finally reached her bedroom. Unlike the other rooms, this room had a soft blue theme. The queen-sized bed had a tall, elegant ivory headboard. The blankets were different shades of blue and looked softer than anything she had seen in her damaged memory. She wanted to fall into them, even if it meant never finding her way back out of the huge mound of pillows at the head of the bed.

Kevin noticed her looking longingly at the bed. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll wake you up later for dinner." His voice was soft and kind. Candace was touched by his thoughtfulness. They had just met, and yet, Candace felt like they could be best friends.

"Thank you," she said simply. As she slipped off her tennis shoes, Kevin gently shut the door.

Sleep came quickly. Her dreams were filled with faces she couldn't quite make out. They were reaching out to her. _Remember_ , they pleaded with her. She tried, but the memories wouldn't come. The world in her dreams was a blur. All she could make out were her own hands reaching out around her as if she was searching for something, but what she was searching for couldn't be touched. Candace was blind to this world. She was cautious, as if one wrong move could get her killed in an instant.

Suddenly, the dream shifted. She felt strong hands around her neck shaking her. She fell limp at a man's feet. _Why couldn't she move?_ Although she felt an enormous amount of pain shoot up through her spine, it wasn't herself she was worried about. She could see the faint image of a woman backing up into the edge of a brick wall. Candace reached out to her, but she couldn't quite get to her. More pain erupted through Candace's limbs, and when she looked back down at them, they weren't human. She had paws. Paws! How could this be? The next thing she knew, she was at the man's throat.

Candace woke up with a start, and looked desperately down at her hands. She ran her right hand down her left arm. The dream had seemed so real. She winced as she remembered the excruciating pain that had torn through her. Suddenly, the house's air conditioning switched on and made a rumbling noise. The noise collapsed in on her eardrums. It seemed so loud, and Candace couldn't help but grip her ears. _What was happening to her?_ The pressure on her eardrums grew and grew. Candace pushed a pillow over her head and lay perfectly still. A silent tear rolled down her cheek as she wished for sleep.

By the time Candace awoke again, it was morning. The sun was just beginning to climb to the tops of the oak trees that stood behind the house. It was the first time that Candace really appreciated the view from her bedroom. She watched as the September sky's colors flew across the horizon, and sunk into the rich green grass and golden straw that formed the fields in the distance. Melanie had left a fresh set of clothes at the foot of her bed and Candace was grateful. The jeans and blouse fit her perfectly. As Candace looked in the ivory framed mirror mounted on her bedroom wall, she realized she had no idea how she usually wore her hair. She decided to scavenge the bathroom drawers for a ponytail, and finally found one with a tiny pink bow attached to it. Satisfied, she pulled her hair up as high as she could and secured it in place, but something about it seemed wrong. Everything seemed wrong. All she had to go by was her gut, and her gut was telling her that something extremely important was about to happen, and she needed to be prepared. That same question lurked in the back of her mind, and she feared that the answer might be terrifying. _Who am I?_

Candace traced the edge of the mirror with her small fingers. How delicate they seemed, but she could feel the power coursing through them. It was telling her that it was all a ruse. Her short stature and her delicate features were a lie. Candace could smell grapefruit body spray, and she could hear the distinctly light footsteps that belonged to Melanie. She could hear soft breathing as Melanie stood outside the door deliberating whether to knock, but the sound never came. Candace walked to the bedroom door and opened it slowly. "Good morning."

Melanie seemed caught off guard as the girl she had rescued from the jail in scrubs and slippers now stood before her in the brand new outfit that she had lain out for her the night before. She couldn't help but notice how normal Candace now looked, and she could now picture her at the mall with a group of other girls gossiping about new relationships. The image of her unconscious on the hospital bed now faded and she looked like could now resume to normalcy in the world. She knew she mustn't grow attached though, as the girl must surely have a family somewhere that feared for her safety. "If you're up for it, we could go check out the school. No pressure though. I don't want you to feel too stressed."

Candace was hesitant. "How would they even know what grade I'm in?"

"Hmm. Funny. I haven't even thought about that. They'll probably have you take some kind of standardized test to see what you know."

"If that's the case, I'll probably end up in middle school." Candace muttered.

Melanie laughed loudly. "Oh honey! I'm sure you're very bright." She chuckled once again and planted a swift kiss on the top of Candace's head. Candace froze in shock. She didn't know why the action was so startling to her. Despite her memory, most things still remained natural. The muscle memory actions like walking and talking were still there. Affection, on the other hand, seemed foreign. And she wondered if that was caused by her loss of memory, or if it was a learned reaction caused by the way she was raised.

Without missing a beat, Melanie took Candace's hand and she partly led and partly dragged Candace down the hall towards the garage. "Come on. We can just drive by and see it if you don't want to go in." Melanie flung the door to the garage open to reveal a new car Candace hadn't yet seen. The car's name was on the tip of Candace's tongue, but it wouldn't come to her. All she knew was that it was very expensive. She was surprised that Melanie was willing to let her even go near the thing, let alone ride in it. Candace went over to the passenger side as Melanie flipped the switch to the garage door. She could almost see her reflection in the polished orange paint. She gingerly put her hand on the silver handle and pulled the door open. The interior of the car smelled like new leather. It, like everything else Melanie owned, was flawless.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Candace noticed orange cones spread out along the front yard. As if reading her mind, Melanie explained, "Kevin practices a lot for football. The season just started. You should go to the games and watch him play!" Melanie turned out of the driveway and drove just over the speed limit all the way to the school.

The high school was much larger than Candace ever would have imagined. She was hoping that something about it would look familiar. Maybe she might have visited it at some point for a sports tournament, but nothing about the school struck her as familiar. She decided to give up on trying to find out who she was. She was going to take Rene's advice and just go with the flow.

Melanie parked the car at the front entrance and then turned her whole body to face Candace. She put both of her hands on Candace's and looked into her eyes. Surprisingly, Candace was becoming used to her intimate interactions with Melanie. "The moment of truth. We can go in and get this over with, or we can call it a day and go get something to eat." Candace took a deep breath and opened her door. Melanie clapped enthusiastically and opened her own door.

The school's office was cool and comfortable. Music was playing quietly, but Candace couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from. She took two steps towards the front desk before the overwhelming smell of mint gum assaulted her. A large woman with bright red hair was chewing wildly on the assailant. The woman glanced at the two of them, and a smile lit up on her face as she recognized Melanie. The woman stood up quickly and leaned over the counter to give Melanie a quick hug. "How are you? It's been so long!"

"I'm doing alright." Melanie responded and put her hand on Candace's shoulder. " I need to enroll Candace here."

"Oh, okay. Follow me." The red-haired woman led Candace and Melanie down a long set of hallways until they finally arrived at a door that said "Jenny Losinger: School Counselor".

"She will help you get everything set up," She then entered the small office and knocked on the already open door, "Mrs. Losinger, it seems we have a new student." The red-haired woman then smiled at them, turned, and walked away.

Candace entered the office tentatively. It was adorned in dream catchers. It seemed that some had been professionally made, while small children had made the others. "Welcome, welcome. Please have a seat. You can call me Jenny."

It felt odd to Candace that she was on a first name basis with a school employee, but as she explained her situation to the counselor, she realized that the woman's job required her to be on a very familiar basis with her students. While Candace explained her circumstances, Melanie sat and nodded in agreement as she confirmed Candace's story. Every so often, she chimed in with information that she deemed important. Candace watched as the counselor's expression changed from one of professional kindness to one of open curiosity.

"And you have no memory of anything prior to yesterday?" Without waiting for an answer, Jenny sat back in her chair and folded her hands. "Wow, that is quite remarkable." She looked at Candace for what felt like a full minute. Candace couldn't help but feel like a caged zoo animal, and all at once, she felt her legs grow more and more impatient as if they were ready to burst into a full out sprint. "Alright," the woman finally continued, "well, since we have no access to any prior education, you will have to take a placement test for each of your classes, as well as a mandatory fitness test. If you follow me, we can get you started on the academic portion of the tests. It should only take you about two hours at the most." The woman led the two of them down another labyrinth of hallways until Candace was sure they were going in circles.

Jenny finally unlocked a room that smelled of garlic and onions. The stench was so strong that Candace thought she might gag. Melanie shot her a pitying look, and it suddenly dawned on Candace that she would have to spend two hours in the room if she took her time, and so she resolved then and there to finish the tests as quickly as possible.

Melanie and Jenny left the room quietly as Candace began the tests. They stood just outside the door speaking quietly about nothing in particular. The stench was constantly in the back of Candace's mind. Her hand flew across the answer sheet as she desperately filled in the bubbles. She didn't bother double-checking her answers and she half walked; half ran out of the door.

The two women looked stunned as if a ghost just winked at them. "Do you need something, sweet heart?" Jenny asked kindly.

"I'm finished." Candace said desperately, hoping they wouldn't force her to go back and check her work.

"Are you sure? It's only been twenty minutes...you have plenty of time."

"Yes! I'm sure. "

"Alright, we'll get this graded..." Jenny spoke hesitantly and took the answer sheets. "There won't be any retakes." She warned.

"I understand." Candace spoke with assurance. She hadn't been guessing on the questions, and she was fairly certain that she got most of them right.

Jenny led them both back to the office. She motioned toward a man with a goatee and glasses. "Jerry will take you to your fitness examination outside. In the meantime, Ms. Paton, you may join me in getting these graded, or you can join them outside." She looked to Melanie for a response.

"I think I'll stay inside if that's all right with Candace..."

Candace nodded, and Jerry led the way outside to the football field. A gym class hovered around their teacher. It seemed to only be made up of guys. The teacher had to yell to get their attention. "I don't want to see you all just standing around! You all better be doing something by the time I count to five." The students began to scatter. Some grabbed footballs, some basketballs, and others simply began walking around the track.

"Okie dokie, Candace. All you have to do is run a mile in under thirteen minutes and you're golden. You get two attempts, so if you don't pass today, then you can come back tomorrow and try again. If you don't pass the second time, then you have to take a gym class. After you do the mile, you'll have to do push-ups and sit-ups. Sound good?" Candace was stunned at how fast the man spoke. He reminded her of an auctioneer, although she didn't know how she pulled the image of an auctioneer from out of her damaged memory. She nodded slowly, looking down at her scrappy tennis shoes.

"Can I run barefoot?"

"I wouldn't recommend it, but there is nothing in the school rules saying you can't."

Candace quickly slipped off her shoes. "I'm ready."

"Alright, go ahead. Remember to pace yourself."

Candace started out slow, waiting for a burning sensation in her legs. She expected her breathing to quicken, or to break out in a sweat, but after a full lap around the football field, she realized she was waiting for a pain that was never going to come. She felt free as she began to push herself faster and faster. Her bare feet barely touched the ground as she ran. Suddenly, she felt a familiar jump in adrenaline as she reached a full-on sprint. All too soon, she was coming to the end of the mile. She flew past the coach as she slowed to a stop. Her breathing was steady and comforting. She felt like another piece of herself had fallen into place. She loved to run.

When she turned to look at Jerry, she realized he was staring. Then she realized that everyone else was staring at her. Her heartbeat quickened, and her fingers tingled with another shot of adrenaline. She didn't like being the center of attention.

"That was incredible!" Jerry said so suddenly that it made Candace swirl back around to face him. She noticed the stopwatch in his hand still running. It read 7:32, and the seconds continued to flicker by.

"Thanks." Candace said simply as she slipped her socks and shoes back on. Something in the back of her mind was warning her to avoid unnecessary attention. "Now, I've got to do push-ups?" She wanted to change the subject.

"Umm... Yeah. You've got to do a minimum of ten."

She got in a push-up position and let her belly sink so that her form didn't look too perfect. She began slowly, and pretended to struggle. At the end of the tenth push-up, she fell to the ground as if she couldn't hold herself up any longer. Jerry looked disappointed as he scribbled a note on her evaluation sheet. Candace used the same strategy with the sit-ups. She was grateful when he informed her that she had passed and could go back to the office. "I've got to go speak with someone, but you can go on without me."

Candace wasn't sure whether she could find her way back at first, but after a few wrong turns, she was certain. She was lost. She looked for someone to give her directions, but the courtyard she was standing in was empty. "Can't you cut me a break," she said to nothing in particular. That's when she heard footsteps behind her.

Candace wheeled around until she was face to face with the most beautiful guy she had ever seen, or so she assumed. He must have been at least six foot five with blonde hair and gentle, blue eyes. He was gorgeous. Candace was at a loss for words, as she took in his full appearance. He had on a bicker jacket, combat boots, and black cargo pants. He smiled sweetly at her.

"I have imaginary friends too." He joked. He was mocking her! She glared at him.

"I'm trying to find the school's office." She said dryly.

"Ahh you're new...Go straight past the candy Cane forest, and hop on a fairy boat to cross the magic..."

Candace wasn't going to listen to the rest of what he had to say. She stalked off with her head held high.

"Wait! Wait." He ran up beside her. She kept walking. "I was only kidding. To show my remorse, I'll escort you to the office myself." Candace eyed the boy wearily. "Name's Jake." He said quickly.

She stopped.

"Candace."

"Nice to meet you, Candace. What brings you to this fine institution?"

"I lost my memory. No one's looking for me, so I'm here to take placement tests so they can guess what grade I'm supposed to be in." Humor danced in his eyes, and then as he realized she wasn't joking, they dimmed. He ran a hand through his smooth blonde hair.

"That sucks." He breathed. "Sorry." Candace was enchanted by his voice. It was soft, yet strong.

"It's fine." _Great_ _,_ she thought, _Now he thinks I'm a freak._

"Office is this way." He motioned towards the way she came from.

She trailed behind him as he led her through a maze of sidewalks that wound behind buildings and through courtyards. The school truly was huge. "You get used to it after a while." He said, as he saw the confused look on her face. "These paths are confusing at first, but it becomes easier to navigate them over time... Well, we're here." He said as he held a familiar door open for her. She could smell the faint odor of garlic and onions from the dreadful room down the hall.

She spotted Melanie and Jenny and walked over quickly. Jake followed behind her. Melanie and the woman both had big smile on their faces as they saw her. "Well I don't know how you did it." Jenny rose from where she was sitting.

"Did what?" Candace said innocently. She honestly had no idea what Melanie was talking about.

"You got perfect scores on all of your placement tests." Jenny's eyebrows rose as if she was looking for some kind of confession from Candace that she was a genius, or from another planet.

Candace shrugged and looked back at Jake. He had a crooked smile and he made no effort to hide that he was impressed.

"If we had her transcripts from her other schools, she might give you a run for your money, Jake." Jenny smiled and Jake laughed good-heartedly. "Jake is supposed to be valedictorian of his class this year." She explained.

"You're a senior?" Candace didn't know why she was surprised. Of course he was a senior. He was huge!

"It looks like you will be too." Melanie said. "Your test results were through the roof." Candace smiled with pride. So she was smart _and_ fit.

The bell rang abruptly.

"Looks like I've got to go." Jake said.

"Yes, you do. What were you doing out of class, anyway?" Jenny eyed him suspiciously.

"Research." Candace giggled at the lame excuse.

"Yeah, I bet." Jenny responded.

Before Jake left, he grabbed a sheet of notepaper from the desk and a pen with a flower taped to the end of it. Candace looked at him quizzically as he scribbled something onto the paper. He handed it to Candace. "Just in case you ever get lost again, Dorothy."

Candace looked down at the paper. It had a number written on it with 'The Wizard' written underneath. Confusion washed over her features. Dorothy? The Wizard? Suddenly Candace could hear Jake's sweet soft laughter under his breath "Sorry. I forgot you wouldn't know who they were. We'll have to watch The Wizard of Oz some time."

"Are you asking me out?" Candace asked in awe.

"Would you say yes?" He asked. For the first time, Candace could hear uncertainty in his voice.

"Definitely." She smiled.

All too soon, he turned his back to leave and Candace was left with a warm feeling swarming about her entire body.

Candace couldn't believe how well her day had gone. It was nearly perfect. She was going to make this her life. It didn't matter who she was, or who her family was before. It was quite obvious they didn't want or need her. She began to hope that her memories would never return, and that night, when she began to get ready for bed, she danced to her first song and dreamed of her first date. She was in a new world with new opportunities. She twirled and laughed and jumped. She bounded lightly down the hall, and came to a stop right outside Melanie's door. She was about to knock until she heard a man's voice echo out of a phone.

"The blood tests were positive.She must have been given it for weeks before the accident." The man said.

"Are you sure?" Melanie asked. "It just seems like an odd thing for a person to do... Candace is just a child." They were talking about her!

"We're sure. The drug would have caused Candace's brain to slowly reject its memories. She wouldn't have noticed right away. Whoever was responsible became impatient. The blow to her head was a catalyst for her complete memory loss."

"Should I tell her?" Melanie asked worriedly.

'"I definitely would not recommend it. Whoever was doing this to her may still be out there. It would just scare her." She finally recognized the voice as her doctor's.

Candace stood for a moment pondering over what she had just heard, and fear was not what she was feeling. She was irate. _So much for not caring about my_ _past_ , she thought. She was going to find out who did this to her, and most importantly she was going to find out why.

#

** **

**Episode 3**

The next few days passed uneventfully as Melanie helped Candace get prepared for school. The leaves began to change color as the flush land embraced autumn. The trees that surrounded Melanie's home were full of birds whose songs were bursting with warning. Winter was in just a few months.

A sliver of moon hung in the night sky, above fields of green. No owls, crickets or mice stirred in the meadow outside Melanie's house. Candace's bare feet padded silently towards the kitchen. A fresh pile of mail lay on the counter, and Candace leafed through it quietly for clues. She now knew she couldn't trust Melanie to tell her the truth, and she had to take matters into her own hands. There was nothing from the hospital, or from anywhere else that might be relevant to her. Candace ran her small fingers through her ruffled feathery hair. She braced herself against the counter, took a deep breath, and looked down at the floor. She knew she was in over her head now. Before, when she had her memory, she had the feeling she could take on almost anything. Now, she didn't know if she could find her way back to Melanie's place if she ever took a walk.

Candace heard movement above her. Someone had woken, and that someone was getting out of bed. Candace froze for a moment and listened. She could hear the two distinct heartbeats of both of the home's residents. And just like that, she knew it was Kevin who had awoken. His heartbeat was strong and steady, but faster than Melanie's. His feet hesitated at the edge of the staircase, but he continued lightly on his toes. Could he hear her? Candace quickly grabbed a glass from the kitchen cabinet and filled it with water.

"Candace?" Kevin whispered as he entered the kitchen, "Why are you up?"

"Couldn't sleep." It was the truth. Ever since she had found out that someone had purposefully discarded her memory, sleep had not come easily. All she could think about was finding out who had done this to her. She desperately wanted to find some answers, but she didn't know where to start. "Why are you up?"

"Same. You ready for school in the morning?"

"I think so. I'm not really sure what to expect, to be honest." Candace wasn't so sure she should be going to school so soon after losing her memory, but she really did need something to distract her from her obsession of trying to track down the people who did this to her. She wanted to confide in Kevin, but she didn't like the idea of dragging him into whatever she was involved in.

"You should probably try and get some sleep. Trust me, you'll need it if you're going to have Mr. Henson as your chemistry teacher." He laughed a soft laugh and put a gentle hand on Candace's shoulder. Candace couldn't believe how much like a real brother Kevin was beginning to become. She suddenly felt drowsy as she walked back up the staircase to her room.

Sleep came quickly, but so did the nightmares. Candace felt a metal collar around her neck, and once again, she wasn't human. Her bloody claws scraped mercilessly against the cement floor. Brick walls surrounded her on all sides and they felt as if they were closing in. She struggled against her bindings, but they wouldn't budge. Where was she and what did they want from her? She sniffed the air, but all she smelled was blood. Footsteps approached her cage. They were unbearably slow and they clicked with each step. The metal door to her room opened, the bottom scraping across the floor. The sound pierced Candace's ears. A woman stood above her in a brown dress. It looked as if she was about to attend a fancy dinner.

The woman reached out gingerly towards Candace and her arm froze in the air. Candace snapped wildly at the hand, but her bindings prevented her from getting close enough to do any damage at all. The woman's face turned up into a sadistic smile. She crouched down so that she was level with Candace. All at once, her arm flew out and struck Candace in the nose.

"Listen here, mutt. You are going to change back and tell us what we need to know." Candace didn't know what she meant, but she growled low in her throat. Whatever the woman wanted, Candace knew she wasn't going to give it to her. The woman's eyes flickered with cruelty. "I'm going to enjoy cutting it out of you." Her voice faded into laughter.

Candace awoke to the crack of thunder and the smell of rain. She slipped out of bed and walked to the window. She put her hand up against the frame, and stood so close that her breath began to fog up the glass. The dream had seemed so real. Everything in her life seemed so strange, like how she could hear the smallest of sounds.

Light began to rise from beyond, and the scarlet colors danced across the horizon. The oak trees glowed with new life as the sun emerged from the lush grass fields in the distance. The storm clouds retreated, and the rain began to slow. Leaves tipped with orange and red sparkled, settling as the wind evaporated, and calm took its place.

Candace approached her closet. Melanie had made sure that she had more than enough outfits for school. Candace peeled off her T-shirt and slipped on a grey V-neck. She grabbed a loose pair of jeans and hesitantly put them on. It was the first day of school and she had to decide what she wanted people to see her as. She finished buttoning up her jeans. She wanted to be invisible. She didn't need to draw any attention to herself. She put her brown hair into a simple ponytail. She looked into her mirror and decided she was satisfied.

Candace plopped back down on her bed, the blue ruffles engulfing her. This was it. She was going to be the new girl, and she didn't like the feeling. Kevin's alarm clock came to life with its own familiar jingle. Candace couldn't understand how he could sleep through the annoying thing for so long. It continued to ring for ten minutes until Kevin finally reached over to turn it off. Candace could hear him sit up and take a deep, ragged breath. She grabbed her brand new red backpack, which was bursting with school supplies, and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. She rifled through the fridge for breakfast, but nothing looked appetizing. Finally, she settled on a granola bar from the cabinet, and sat down on the black cushioned stools that lined the bar.

Kevin was downstairs within ten minutes of waking up. His hair was brushed back against his head. He mumbled a 'hello' and walked straight to the coffee machine at the end of the bar. He dumped a few spoonfuls of ground coffee into the machine, and filled it with two cups of water. He flipped the switch and grabbed a seat next to Candace.

"Sorry if I seem cranky, but I'm not really a morning person. You, on the other hand, look very chipper this morning." He put both of his elbows on the counter and leaned down to rest his head in his hands.

Candace rolled her eyes. "I'm really not. I'm just not tired, but I wouldn't mind some coffee."

"Sure, no problem. I should have offered you some." He tapped his finger lightly on the counter. "Man, Monday mornings really suck."

"I wouldn't know, this is the first one I can remember." She looked at him, and she could see sadness in his eyes. Why would he feel sorry for her? She was staying in a beautiful home with wonderful people. She sincerely doubted that he knew that her memory loss had been purposeful. She had no family to miss. Honestly, she wasn't sad about any of it. The only emotion she was feeling in regards to her past was anger.

"You know, we're going to find your family." He had sincerity in his eyes, but Candace could see a small hint of uncertainty. He looked up at the microwave clock. "We should go." They both poured some coffee. Kevin drank it black, but Candace had to put creamer and sugar in it. She could tell that drinking the coffee straight would be bad for her taste buds just by the smell alone.

Kevin's white truck was parked in the back of the house. Mud was splattered along the sides of it. It was tall, had four doors, and differed greatly from Melanie's small sports car. Candace could tell how well the truck matched his personality. When he turned the key, the truck immediately roared to life, and the radio kicked on. Country music filed the cabin of the truck.

"I thought you liked rock?" Candace inquired.

"I like pretty much anything as long as it's not rap or jazz." He looked at Candace for a second. "What kind..." He trailed off. Candace knew he was going to ask her what her favorite type of music was, but she had no idea.

Kevin put the car in drive and the two headed off toward the school. By the time they got there, the student parking lot was already almost full. Kevin parked his truck perfectly between the two white lines and hopped out. Candace followed.

"Heads up." A boy dressed in a varsity jacket and jeans called as a football came rocketing towards Kelvin's head. He caught it easily and tossed it back.

"What's up, Brian?"

"Aww, same old same old." There was a hint of a Western accent in the boy's voice. He glanced over at Candace and looked back at Kevin. "New girl?"

"I'm Candace." She reached her hand out confidently toward the approaching boy. He glanced at her from head to toe before taking her hand.

"Welcome. You should come to one of our games." He held up the football that lay perfectly in the palm of his hand. A soft smile played on his lips. Did he like her, or was it just her imagination? "See ya around. I have to make up a calculus quiz." An exaggerated grimace appeared on his face.

"Good luck." Candace and Kevin both said simultaneously.

"Jinx. You owe me a soda." Kevin said quickly.

"What?"

"Never mind. It's just a stupid game." He explained. It was funny how anything that personally related to Candace had been swiped from her memory, but facts and logic were still embedded in her unconscious brain. Kevin shook his head.

"What?" Candace asked.

"He was hitting on you,you know?" Kevin rolled his eyes. Candace smiled, but she had someone else on her mind. She had not forgotten about Jake, but had been hesitant about calling him. Was it really a good idea for her to get involved with someone given her current circumstances? Just as the thought passed through her mind, a tall boy in a biker jacket and torn jeans emerged from behind a black hummer. The car beeped in response to him locking it. He slung his backpack lightly over his shoulder and turned just in time to catch Candace's stare.

Jake changed directions and headed toward Candace. Candace couldn't help but blush as he approached the truck. Kevin looked between the two of them with curiosity shown plainly on his face.

"You two know each other already?" Kevin asked suspiciously. Candace only nodded. She was in a kind of trance.

"Hey." Jake said simply.

"Hi." She returned. He wore a grey V-neck underneath his jacket that plainly showed his muscles. His blue eyes shimmered as they looked into hers.

"I'm gonna go..." Kevin said hesitantly. "Can you find your way to your first class?"

Candace had to tear her eyes away from Jake, but she nodded.

"I'll make sure she gets there." Jake said with assurance "May I?" He reached for the folded schedule in her hand.

"Sure." He scanned the paper for classes they shared.

"Hmm. I guess we have a few classes together. Lets see...Calculus...Art... and AP Biology. You have Chemistry first. I'll show you there." Candace loved how confident he was. The walk from the parking lot to her first class was lengthy, but she didn't mind. It felt good to stretch her legs. Part of her wished that she had taken Physical Education. Her body always felt like it was ready to bolt. It was like a constant adrenaline rush.

When they finally arrived at the classroom, Candace was startled to see how many people had already gathered in the room. A few people were chatting with the teacher about last Friday's football game. The others were clustered in groups around the room. The lights in the class were painfully bright and Candace had to look down. Jake eyed her wearily.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I think I have a small migraine though." She lied. Everyone else seemed to be fine with the lighting. Her own freakishly enhanced senses were the problem, and she didn't want to seem like a drama queen to Jake.

"Mr. Mulligan, have you come to join us for another semester of chemistry?" The teacher asked. It took a moment for Candace to realize that he was speaking to Jake.

"No, sir," he responded, "I was just escorting Candace to class."

"Candace.... who?"

"She doesn't know."

"Excuse me?"

"She doesn't remember her last name. She lost her memory." Jake tried to keep his voice low, but that didn't keep people from overhearing. The whole room fell silent as people stopped what they were doing to stare at Candace. She hated the attention and her cheeks glowed scarlet. The bell rang and students scrambled in from all different directions. When Jake left, Candace felt overwhelmingly exposed. Now that the class knew that there was something wrong with her, she felt like a zoo animal. Candace was assigned a seat towards the front of the class and she could feel eyes on her throughout the entire class period.

When the bell finally rang again, Jake was already standing outside the door waiting for her. He stood out amongst the crowd of students trying to make it on time to their next classes. As they made their way to Art, a fight broke out in the courtyard. A circle formed around the fighting, and Jake broke away from Candace and pushed his way through the circle to intervene. He stepped in between the two guys in an attempt to separate them. One of the boys struck Jake's jaw with his elbow and knocked him back onto the ground. Candace moved forward with worry and before she knew it, she was inside the circle. Fists were flying and one of the two boys was shoved back. Candace managed to dodge him before he crashed into her, but the second boy was coming at her fast. Before she knew it, she was in the middle of the fight. One of the kids swung, but she deflected it with her wrist, and with her other hand, she grabbed his arm and twisted it until he was on the ground. The other boy backed up in a daze.

Jake scrambled up off the ground and walked over slowly. Candace let go of the kid's arm, and stepped back. All of a sudden, she felt very light. Everything had happened so fast. How had she done that? Instinct had taken over, and the rational side of her brain had been put on pause.

"You alright?" Jake asked slowly. One minute, Candace was deflecting punches and the next, she looked like she was going to faint. Campus security rushed over, but by the time they got there, the circle had dispersed and the two boys were gone.

"You two see what happened?" A woman dressed in a black security uniform asked.

"No." Candace responded coolly. Jake looked at her, but affirmed that he had not seen anything either.

The two of them barely made it inside the classroom before the late bell rang. Candace was allowed to sit anywhere, so she grabbed a seat next to Jake. He hadn't said anything since the fight, and she wondered what he thought of her now.

A woman in a flowery dress and high heels stood at the front of the class. Her lipstick was so bright that it distracted Candace from the rest of her face. "Please continue with your projects from last week. Jake, if you wouldn't mind, could you explain to our new student what we are doing and allow her to help finish your piece?" The woman's English accent was strong.

Jake looked at Candace. "Sorry."

"For what?" Candace was puzzled as Jake got up and walked over to a set of drawer. He pulled out a long piece of paper with cut out shapes of different colors glued to it.

"It kind of sucks." Candace chuckled. She liked his idea of using the shapes to form an image of a dog, but they all seemed to be clumped together. "Art is not exactly my strongest subject."

"It's okay. I think it just needs a bit of inspiration. Do you have a photograph of a dog that you're going off of?"

"It's supposed to be a wolf, but I'm kind of just making it up as I go."

"Why don't we go to the library some time to see if we can find some good photographs. I bet they have some really beautiful pictures in some of their nature books."

"That sounds good." He perked up. Candace hoped it was because he would get to be alone with her. "How's Thursday?"

Candace smiled and nodded. She couldn't get enough of the kid. He was charming, funny, and smart. Losing her memory was turning out to not be such a bad thing.

"About earlier..."

Candace looked down at the counter. She knew she couldn't prolong the inevitable. They were going to have to talk about the fight eventually.

"You were amazing. I would ask where you learned to fight like that but..."

Candace flexed her right hand. " I wish I knew." She couldn't ignore that she had probably been involved in something big with the skills she seemed to have. It was getting harder and harder for her to pretend that there was nothing different about her. She didn't want Jake to think she was a freak.

As if reading her mind, he whispered, "Trust me, I have seen stranger things than what you're going through. I know that may not make you feel any better, but your life could be stranger." Candace sincerely doubted that. The rest of the day went by slowly as she settled in to her classes.

Jake didn't bring up the fight anymore, and Candace was relieved. When she returned home, she used Melanie's computer to check a theory. When she was fighting, it felt so natural. Instinct had taken over and twisting that guy's arm behind his back felt as simple as brushing her teeth. She wondered if there was any record of her entering into a martial arts competition of some sort. She scrolled through all of the entries for multiple different competitions in different parts of the country. There were no Candace's listed on any of the rosters, and she was starting to doubt that she was even involved in the sport at all. Where had her skills come from then? Surely, she couldn't have learned how to fight on her own. After an hour of searching the web, she had gained as much information as she had started with. Nothing.

"Dillon told me what happened, you know." Kevin said. Candace immediately wheeled around in shock. How had he snuck up on her? Kevin snickered, "He said that you helped break up that fight at school today. He thought for sure that you were gonna get smashed when you got in between the two of them."

"Who's Dillon?" Candace asked exhausted.

"A friend..." He picked up a red stress ball off of the computer desk and started turning it in his hand. "So, is it true?" He continued.

"Yeah... It all happened really fast, you know?"

"Hmm... wouldn't have thought you had it in you." He gave her one of his crooked smiles.

"Yeah, me neither," Candace admitted.

"So, how was the rest of your day?" There was an odd, taunting note in his voice.

"It was fine..."

"So...You and Jake..."

Candace couldn't help but blush. There was definitely something between the two of them, but she didn't want to admit it just yet. Kevin smiled again, accepting her silence, and sat down against the far wall. He rested his arms on his knees and his head against the wall. The stress ball still turned in his hand.

"You all right?" Candace asked, suddenly concerned. He seemed drained, and on edge.

"Nah, it's just school stuff. No biggy." He shrugged. Candace knew that he was trying to get his grades up to keep his football scholarship, but she didn't realize how much stress it was causing him. "Speaking of which, I should probably finish up that project I've been working on for sociology." He stood up slowly, and walked back over towards the desk. He reached out like he was going to place the stress ball on the counter, but at the last moment, he flicked his wrist and sent it soaring at Candace's forehead. Her hand flew up and caught it in the air. Kevin didn't even blink.

"What was that?" She asked startled. Kevin had already started for the door.

"Just testing a theory. Nice catch." He winked and strolled out the door.

The next two days passed slowly, but by the time Thursday rolled around, Candace was excited. The sun crept up, and cast out the dark sky. Light exploded into every corner. Candace threw on her backpack and was out the door before Kevin could even grab his keys. The blacktop flew by underneath Kevin's white truck. He looked over at her with curiosity.

"You sure are bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning." He prompted. Candace looked up, startled.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Anything special happening today?"

"No... Just excited for school, I guess."

"Mm hmm." He didn't even try to hide his doubt. They were silent for a time before Candace spoke up again.

"Oh. I almost forgot...You don't have to give me a ride home tonight.. Jake and I are heading over to the library. He's going to give me a ride home." The biggest smile spread across Kevin's face.

"Just excited for school, huh?"

Candace softly punched his shoulder. She couldn't ignore the fact that he already felt so much like a big brother. The parking lot was once again almost full by the time they arrived. People gathered in groups discussing the latest episodes of their favorite shows, and desperately cramming for upcoming tests. When Candace closed the door to the truck, she noticed a girl from one of her classes heading towards her.

"Hi!" She called as she quickly closed the distance between them. "You're in my chemistry class. We should sit next to each other today. Mr. Mulligan isn't a big stickler for assigned seats." She spoke cheerfully.

"Yeah okay. That sounds good," Candace answered.

Jake suddenly appeared behind the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. The girl spun around and smiled a huge smile.

"I see you guys have met." He said coolly. "Jinny is a good friend of mine. Or at least, she'sa good friend if you can stand her. I guess you can say cheerfulness is in her bones."

Jinny elbowed him playfully. Candace was glad he used Jinny's name. She didn't want to seem rude by asking.

"So are we still on for tonight?" he asked Candace.

"Definitely." She tried to seem casual, but her heart was leaping. Kevin grinned.

The bell rang and students swarmed toward their respective classes. Candace saw Kevin across the parking lot tossing a football to one of his friends. Jinny grabbed Candace's hand and led her towards their chemistry class. They weaved in-between the mass of teenagers in the courtyard. When they finally arrived, they sat down towards the back of the class. Candace was thankful. She couldn't stand not being able to see who was behind her. It made her feel on edge to the point that she couldn't concentrate on the lecture. Candace took notes on the PowerPoint as the teacher rattled on about Boyle's law. She glanced over once to see Jinny drawing elegant pictures of flowers along the side of her notebook. She could see herself being friends with the girl. She kind of admired her carefree nature.

Mr. Mulligan let the class pack up early, and Jinny sighed with relief. "I didn't know if I could stand much more of that." She grinned. "I like the teacher, but chemistry is the most boring subject on the planet. So... Do you like him?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Who? The teacher?"

"Eww. No. I mean Jake. He seems into you." She grinned. Candace was hesitant to answer. She didn't know if she wanted that rumor spreading just yet. "Don't worry, I wont say anything. I swear." Something in her eyes told Candace that she could trust her.

"Yeah. I think I do." She whispered. Jinny clapped enthusiastically.

"Aww. You guys are gonna be so cute together." She kept her voice low and bit her bottom lip. The bell rang and Candace gathered her stuff. By the time she had everything packed up, Jake was at the door ready to escort her to her next class.

"One of these days, you're gonna have to let me try and find my way on my own, you know."

"You think I'm walking with you for your benefit?" He chuckled. His large boots fell silently with each step. Candace blushed, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Where have you applied for college so far?" She asked. All of the seniors were desperately trying to finish up their applications.

"Nowhere."

"Why not?" She was stunned. From what she had heard from the other students, they only had a few days left to get everything submitted.

"I'm not going to college. I guess you could say that I'm taking on the family business."

"Which is?" Candace couldn't believe that the valedictorian of the school wasn't going to college. He probably had several full scholarships offered to him. When he didn't answer, Candace had to force herself not to push the subject any further. It seemed like a waste to her. He was so bright.

The two didn't talk for a while after that. Candace's curiosity consumed her. What family job could possibly keep him from going to college? She could only assume that his parents were pressuring him and that was why he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't seem angry, and by the time they reached AP Biology, he was talking again.

"What was the biologist wearing on his first date?"

Candace rolled her eyes. "What?" She asked, playing along.

"Designer genes."

Candace tried to keep a straight face, but a smile broke through to her lips at his stupid joke. His blonde hair was tinted blue from the glow of the projector on the screen. They were supposed to be watching a video on Mitosis. Candace pulled her hair over her shoulder and began to braid it absent-mindedly.

"Hey, you got an eraser I could use?" Jake whispered, and showed her the end of his pencil that had been worn down to a nub.

"Yeah, no problem." She held out her own pencil. "Does it feel hot to you in here?" She asked.

"Yeah, it always does when the projectors' on. The thing uses enough energy in an hour to light an entire city for a day."

Candace couldn't help but notice that he hadn't taken his jacket off. In fact, she had never seen him with it off. She wanted to ask about it, but she didn't. There were a lot of things now that she was curious about, but she figured that she should probably get to know him better before she started pushing him for answers.

Candace's last class of the day came and went and it was time to meet Jake in the parking lot after school. She started to worry when he didn't arrive after ten minutes. She waited by his hummer and kicked a rock softly back and forth on the ground. When he finally arrived after twenty minutes, she was relieved.

"Sorry, I had to talk to a teacher about something." He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for her. "You ready?"

Candace hopped in and waited till he jumped into the driver seat and started the engine. "This is an awfully nice car." Candace ran her hand along the black leather seats.

Jake smiled. "Thanks. My parents bought it for me after my seventeenth birthday."

He drove through the now empty parking lot towards the exit. His blue eyes glowed as the sunlight struck them. The drive to the library was short. They parked under the sign that read Heward Memorial Library. It was huge, and bookcases filled all seven stories. People were scattered all around the building. Some were browsing, and others were reading silently on red velvet chairs. Jake led her up the stairs to the third floor, and meandered his way to the back of the stacks.

"I love it here. No one ever bothers you." He pulled out a rolled up paper from his backpack. "Let's go hunting for some books." He said with false enthusiasm.

Jake and Candace had to enlist the help of the librarian in order to find what they were looking for. She was an older woman with silver hair. She wore bright lipstick, and perky blue eye shadow. She was pleased when they asked for her help. She walked through the library like it was her own home. She stopped towards the end of a huge bookcase. She ran a finger along their spines as if she were looking for a specific one. Finally she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a dusty looking leather-bound book from the shelf.

"As it happens, this is one of my favorite photograph collections." She handed Jake the huge book. He flipped through it. The book was filled with pages and pages of wolves.

"This is perfect. Thank you." He gave her a genuine smile. After the woman left, he smiled at Candace. "That wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be."

"You thought it would be difficult?"

"Look at this place. I can never find anything I'm looking for here."

"Than why do you come here?" She asked curiously.

"I told you. Nobody ever disturbs me here. It's peaceful." Despite Candace's lack of memory, she felt like she would be able to relate. Ever since she had woken up in the hospital, she had felt an enormous amount of stress. She didn't know why, but it felt like the things she had forgotten could mean life or death.

When they got back to their quiet corner, they looked through the various pictures. They were all different, and they were all beautiful. Some were big, small, young, old, brown, grey, and red. The book had pictures from each of the different seasons. Jake flipped to a picture of a mother wolf surrounded by her pups. She was trying to take a nap as her babies were jumping all over her and nipping at each other's heels.

"She seems like she has a lot of patience." Jake spoke up.

"Yeah, I can't imagine."

Jake turned to their project and started peeling off some of the shapes. He pulled some different colored paper from his backpack as well as a glue stick and a pair of scissors. Candace continued to flip through the book. All of the wolves seemed so peaceful, but she knew any one of them could tear her throat out if they wanted to. Jake started to work on cutting out shapes of different colors. Candace looked at a photo of a huge wolf standing in a meadow. He looked terrifying and calm all at the same time. The pages scraped against the ridges in her fingers as she turned them. All of a sudden, she could hear Jake's heartbeat, and she could feel a shift in her temperature. Her body began to break out in chills. Candace turned the page once again and revealed a red wolf in a redwood forest. She ran her fingers gingerly along the page. She could feel her own heartbeat quicken. A cramp in her gut made her gasp and she clutched the table. Jake looked over in alarm, but she knew he couldn't help her. It was all she could do not to scream as her whole body began to shift forms.

#

** **

**Episode 4**

Candace didn't experience pain as her body transformed. It was as graceful as a human turning into an animal could be, and it felt natural. Candace, however, was trying to fight it so much that it became extremely uncomfortable. She sunk to the floor, unable to bear any weight on her legs. Her nose seemed to stretch, and her fingers curled and softened into paws. Her clothes seemed to melt into her skin as red fur appeared all over her body. Candace sprouted a red fluffy tail with a slightly lighter grey tone underneath.

At almost blinding speed, her body changed and all of Candace's limbs, her head and her torso, resembled that of the wolf in the image that she had seen only moments before. Candace fell backwards out of the chair and rolled over so that she was lying on her belly. She looked up in shock at Jake. His face did not look black and white to Candace, but rather she could see every color of blue in his eyes as they widened in shock.

"Holy..." He breathed. Candace looked down at her paws, and in newfound shock, she got up and ran sideways into a bookcase. She seemed off balance as she was not used to this body. She stumbled head first into the ground and flipped onto her back. Several books toppled onto her. She began to get up when she saw Jake with his hands up trying to placate her into standing still. Candace would have expected him to run. She could smell the fear coming off of his body, but he was still taking this much better than she was.

"Candace, you need to calm down." He said in a harsh whisper. He obviously didn't want the rest of the library coming to see what was wrong. Candace stilled, absorbed what he told her, and took a few deep breaths. Her rationality began to kick in, and she decided that if she had any chance of getting out of here without a tranquilizer dart in her side, it was with him. Jakes did not approach her, but confronted her from a distance. "Picture yourself as a human." He knelt down a few feet in front of her, although she could tell he was bracing himself to jump backwards at any moment. She tried to do as he asked. Several images of herself flashed in her mind, but she found it difficult to hold onto just one.Her memory was so limited, and she was finding it really hard to focus given her current circumstances.

She heard footsteps approaching from around one of the bookcases. Jake heard them too, but he kept his cool. Finally, she pictured the first time she and Jake had met. She had been so happy. In that moment, it was as if everything was going to be okay. Finally, her red coat began to recede and within moments, she was lying on the floor in front of Jake.

A man in a shirt and tie came out from behind the bookcase with a look of suspicion on his face.

"She fell." Jake said matter-of-factly. The man's face suddenly changed into one of worry. "She's fine." He continued.

"If there's anything..."

"She's fine." Jake repeated harshly. Candace could tell that Jake was angry about more than the man's persistence to help, but Candace wasn't really concerned about that at the moment. She had just changed into an animal. When the man left, Jake looked at Candace, but made no move to go over to her. He looked at her with disgust, and Candace felt tears welling up in her eyes. His face softened and Candace hoped it was because he realized that it was still her. None of this was her fault. She was a freak. He walked over to her, and a look of sorrow appeared on his face.

Candace's body shook violently. Jake wrapped his arms around her and held her until her body relaxed. "That...That, I was definitely not expecting." He laughed softly. Sadness still showed in his eyes. He let go of her so that he could sit her up against the bookcase. Jake sat next to her and leaned his head back against the bookcase. "You're a shifter." he said his voice soft. He sighed.

"I'm a what?" Candace asked in alarm. How did he know that? Fear built in Candace's chest as she registered the possibility that he could have been in on her memory loss. How else could he possibly know anything about what just happened to her. She felt like pulling away from him, but exhaustion won her over and she resigned to sitting still.

"You're a guardian, assigned to protect another magical being." He sighed again.

"How do you..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the question, and she was afraid of the answer. "Are you one, too?" She asked.

Jake laughed gently. "No. I'm human." He paused as if deliberating whether or not to explain himself. "I'm sort of a doctor for magical creatures. It's what my family does. It's what I do." He said this hesitantly, as if she might attack him at any moment.

"Do you not trust me?" She asked warily. Again, she didn't know if she wanted to know the answer.

He looked into her eyes and recognized the innocent and scared to death stare of the girl who had lost her memory. "Give me a second to think." He said slowly as he pushed himself up off the ground. He ran a hand through his hair and walked slowly back and forth. Candace could feel her heartbeat quicken with each second. After a moment, he sat down again. He placed his hand on hers and kneaded her palm with his fingers.

"The truth is, I don't know if I can trust you." He said slowly.

"Why not?" She asked. She could feel her heart beginning to break.

"Because if you ever do remember who you are, you will have to kill me, or risk becoming a traitor." He let the words sink in. Candace could feel the earth beneath her sink away, and the room began to spin. A traitor? To who? This was all becoming too much for her and she wanted more than anything to wake from this dream. She stood despite Jake's effort to keep her seated.

She stumbled towards the table and began to fall before she reached it. Her body began to shake once more and she stumbled down onto acarpet in front of her. As she tried desperately to catch her breath, Jake put his fingers to her neck to check her pulse, but dropped it after a few seconds and shook his head.

"What?" She asked weakly.

"It's nothing. I just don't know what your heart rate should be when it's normal. That's all."

"What should we do?" She asked

"You should go home and get some rest. I'm assuming this is the first time you have ever changed, because I don't know of any other shifters that are wolves."

Candace couldn't believe he was going to leave her alone with what had just happened, but again, she was too tired to do or say anything. He gathered their things and helped her to his car. The moon and the streetlights illuminated the parking lot. A soft breeze blew Candace's hair gently across her face. This was supposed to be the perfect night, but it turned into a nightmare. The hummer was one of only five cars left outside the library. Candace fell asleep before Jake even reached his side of the car.

It seemed like only seconds later when he put his hand on her arm. "You should go inside. I'll walk you." She looked up at Melanie's huge home. Candace looked over to Jake, but he wouldn't look her in the eyes. Suddenly, she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"That's okay. I'll be fine." Candace said quickly, and she opened the door.Shebegan to walk slowly up the path to the door, and could hear the footsteps behind her. Before she knew it, she had an arm around her own and it pulled her to a stop. She stiffened.

"I wont let you do this alone." He wasn't talking about the walk up to Melanie's front door. "Screw the rules. Just promise not to rip out my throat." He laughed good-naturedly.

Candace was relieved and laughed as well, but tears still rolled steadily out of her eyes. "I promise." They walked the rest of the way to the door. Candace opened it, but Jake stopped her and kissed her on the cheek.

"By the way, happy 16th birthday."Jake smiled mischievously.

"It's my...." She shook her head. She had a lot of questions for him, but those were going to have to wait for later. Exhaustion was taking its hold and Jake was right, she needed sleep. She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked inside the house.

Kevin was sitting on the couch scribbling into a notebook. His pen scratched against the fibers of the paper. He turned his head as Candace strolled into the living room. Kevin frowned.

"Have you been crying?" Kevin asked. Candace laughed so lightly that it was barely audible.

"I'm fine." She responded softly.

Kevin looked doubtful, but he brushed it off. "Just let me know if I need to beat anybody up."

Candace giggled again and smiled. She continued slowly up the stairs and her feet made a swooshing sound as she dragged them. She didn't even bother to take her shoes off before she flopped onto her bed. One arm dangled over the edge as she drifted into sleep.

No dreams disturbed Candace and she awoke to find herself feeling refreshed. It was Friday, and Candace was ready for the weekend. She swung her legs over the side of the mattress. Her brown hair fell around her face in soft waves, and she pulled it back with one hand. She walked to the bathroom and searched for a rubber band, but to no avail. Finally, she decided to wear it down for the day, and pulled on jean shorts and a purple T-shirt. She slipped on a pair of pink sandals that Melanie had picked out for her and headed for the stairs.

"Hey." Kevin called from down the hall, still in his PJ's.

"Good Morning." Candace swallowed a yawn.

"Can you start the coffee?" Kevin asked," I feel like I'm really going to need it today."

"What time did you go to bed?" Candace saw the bags under his eyes for the first time.

"Around four, I think." He gave her one of his crooked smiles. "I'll meet you downstairs." He headed to the bathroom as Candace walked down the steps.

She filled the coffee machine with water and added the ground coffee. She flipped on the switch and sat down at the counter. She was going to act like everything was normal until she could have Jake explain everything. There was no use worrying about what she didn't fully understand. Besides, she could handle anything as long as she had Jake.

Kevin bounded down the steps and poured himself a cup of coffee. The two headed out the door. The truck roared to life as they made their way to the school.

Jake was waiting for her by the time she arrived. He smiled, but there was something in his eyes that Candace couldn't quite put her finger on. He kept his distance as he walked her to her first class and Candace's heart began to sink. Maybe it wasn't all going to be ok.

"Hi!" Jenny exclaimed when she saw Candace.

Candace smiled in response. When she turned to say goodbye to Jake, he was already gone. She sighed and walked over to where Jenny was sitting.

"How'd it go with Jake last night?" She asked excitedly.

"It was...fun." She could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. She had held it together for too long, and now she felt as if she was going to crumble.

Before Jenny could comment, the teacher walked to the front of the class and began his lecture. Candace focused on taking notes even though she knew that all of this knowledge was useless. She wasn't even human. She was never going to have a normal future. Candace didn't make eye contact with Jenny for the rest of the class period, but she could sense the girl's glance in her direction every so often.

When the class ended, Candace stood up and walked out before Jake could get there. She didn't think that she could keep from crying if she saw him. Instead of going to her next class, she headed for the office. Soon, the bell rang and Candace knew she was going in circles. She still couldn't even find her way around. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulder. Candace found a shadowy corner and sunk to the floor. She began to weep quietly into her palms.

"Candace?" Jake put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up, but didn't look him in the eye.

"I don't want to see you right now." She said through exasperated breaths. She felt like she had been punched in the gut, and getting the sentence out was difficult.

Jake sighed, "I know."

"Then why are you here?" Candace asked cruelly. Deep down she knew that none of this was his fault, but it was easiest to blame him. "Please just go." She said and pointed out in front of her. When Jake flinched, she began crying harder.

"Candace. You have to understand. You and I are on two different sides."

Now Candace was angry. "I have no idea what you're even talking about! How can we possibly be on different sides? I don't even know who I am."

"We are at war, and what you are..."

Candace's face flushed scarlet. "Jake, I would never hurt you. I don't even know _how_ to hurt you."

"Yes, you do. Remember the fight on your first day of school?"

Yes, she did. And it made her wonder what she was capable of.

"You told me that you wouldn't let me do this alone." She said softly.

"And I wont." He put his hand on her knee. "But I need time to adjust. Okay?" He lifted her chin so that she was looking into his blue eyes.

Candace nodded and began to stand, but Jake pushed her back down gently.

"Lets just sit here until our next class starts." He sat next to her and pulled Candace's head against his shoulder. They sat silently as the building's tall shadow blanketed them.

Candace agreed to meet Jake after school. He was waiting by his car after the last bell rang. Her situation suddenly seemed so tragic as she realized how much she liked Jake. She wanted him to be hers, but she knew it could never be. She could sense the fear in him, and she wondered if he would ever really trust her. She was a freak and she knew it. She was doomed to spend her entire life fighting the past that was a mystery to her, and she wondered if at one point, it would all become too much for her. She felt like the skittish small animal that she was. Everything in her screamed to behave how a cornered animal would, and after the incident in the library, she was struggling not to succumb to her instinct.

The ride to Jake's home was a short one, but to Candace, it felt like an eternity. Jake's parent's eyes lit up when they saw Candace. They welcomed her with open arms, and Candace couldn't help but feel like she was betraying them in some way.

At dinner, Candace made small talk with Jake's family. Towards the end, however, she was anxious to talk to him alone.

"We were surprised when Jake told us you were coming over. After the... Incident...Jake never really went out much." The way his mom said that was so ominous that it made Candace curious to know what she had meant. The green beans sat untouched on her plate throughout the rest of the meal. Candace became even more desperate to talk to Jake alone.

"Mom, I think Candace and I are going to go upstairs and start working on our project now." He looked at Candace and she nodded to his mother in agreement. The two headed up the wooden stairs and down the hallway to Jake's room. He shut the door quietly and turned to face Candace. Before he even got a chance to get a word out, Candace was already asking questions.

"What did she mean by 'the incident'?"

Jake sat down on the bed and started to pull his jacket off. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." He said slowly. Candace saw his bare arms for the first time. She gasped as she saw a long scar that ran across his bicep, and a burn mark in the shape of a circle with an X through it.

"The symbol means I'm part of the rebellion." He said quietly. Candace ran her fingers along it softly.

"Did they do this?" She asked. It seemed so savage and cruel.

"Yes. They ambushed a group of us at one of our meetings. They brought me to their prison and... " He paused, but didn't finish his sentence. "Anyways, a few of the other rebels broke me out."

"How long were you there?" Candace couldn't imagine herself ever being a part of something like that.

"Only a few days...Look. I think we should tell my parents about you..." He changed the subject. Candace was suddenly on the defensive.

"What? Why?"

"They might be able to help you."

" Why in the world would they possibly want to help me...I'm one of them." She spat the last word out in disgust as if it tasted bad on her lips. She knew he was right though. They didn't know what they were doing. They needed people who were experienced. She could feel the wolf inside her scratching for the surface, and Candace didn't trust herself. "Okay." She said suddenly, and Jake looked up at her in shock.

"Well, you certainly changed your mind fast." He said. Candace looked into his blue eyes. She didn't want anything to happen to him because of her. She suddenly felt protective. _Besides_ , she reasoned to herself, _talking to his parent_ _s will most likely get me closer to the answers I_ _was looking for_.

Candace'sstomach was doing flips as they headed back downstairs to the living room where his parents sat. His dad was peering through his glasses at a newspaper and his mom was resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mom. Dad." Jake said, his voice was assertive and confident.

They looked up at him. "Done with your project already?" His dad asked as he looked up from his newspaper. His mom mimicked the action.

"Actually, we need to talk to you about something." His voice faltered slightly. Candace suddenly wondered if he was beginning to doubt his parents' ability to remain calm and cool about the situation.

His mom's face went white. "She's not pregnant, is she?"

"What? No!"

"Oh! Thank God. What is it then, Honey?" She asked.

"Candace is a shifter." He said. Candace was glad that he got it over with quickly. She couldn't bare the anticipation. After a moment, however, she wished Jake could take it back. Everyone went still, and Candace positioned herself behind Jake. It was Jake's dad's turn to speak.

"Maybe I heard you wrong..." His voice had harshness to it that Candace didn't think she would ever hear.

"No, Dad. You didn't." Jake stayed calm and cool, and Candace was glad he was the one talking.

"What are you doing with her?" His mom spoke as though Candace couldn't hear her and she was a stray pet that Jake had found on the street and brought home. Candace knew she was just being protective, but it stung a little.

"She lost her memory." It took a moment for his parents to comprehend what he was telling them.

"She doesn't remember anything about who she is? How did you find out she was a shifter then?" There was concern on her face with a hint of anger. She glanced over at Candace with a look of disgust.

"She accidently changed form in the library." His mom's mouth dropped open, but now there was more worry on her face than anger.

"Are you all right?" She still only addressed Jake.

"Yes, mom. I'm fine." Jake's voice had the same harshness as his dad's. Candace could tell he was becoming frustrated with his parents.

Jake's dad stood and walked over to them. Jake moved out from in front of Candace. Candace began to look down at the ground, but Jake's dad grabbed her chin and jerked it up so he could look into her eyes.Jake clenched his teeth, but didn't say anything. Candace could tell that he was appalled at the way his parents were treating her. Candace didn't know what Jake's dad was looking for, but she didn't really care. She was getting ready to bolt. Jake must have noticed her change in behavior because he reached out to touch her hand gently. Candace calmed slightly although adrenaline was still pouring into her veins.

Jake's dad reached into his pocket and he pulled out a keychain with a set of keys, a pocketknife, and a miniature flashlight. He still held her chin up, unaware or indifferent to the fact that Candace was extremely uncomfortable. She eyed the knife, and was relieved when he clicked on the flashlight. He moved the light in front of her eyes, and Candace pulled away from the brightness. He finally let go of her chin.

Jake's mom was looking almost as uncomfortable as Candace. It was obvious that the woman didn't want her anywhere near Jake. "You do know _what_ she is, right?" She spoke up. To Candace's amazement, Jake's dad shot her one of his harsh looks.

"Hon. The girl is obviously very scared and confused." He tried to reason on Candace's behalf.

"I don't care. You know what she is capable of! How many of our own have been shredded to pieces because of _creatures_ like her. How do you know that she hasn't already killed some of our people?"

"She hasn't." Jake spoke up. "I'm pretty sure that the other day in the library was the first time she's ever changed."

"How do you know that?" His dad asked curiously.

"Because she shifted into a wolf." Jake said, and Candace almost thought she saw his mom's face soften slightly.

"Candace, would you be willing to shift for us?" He finally addressed her. Candace was caught off guard.

"Uhh...I don't really know how." She said quietly. She had to bite back tears. This was all becoming too much for her.

"Just picture yourself in your other form." Jake's mom moved forward to stand in front of her. Candace looked back at Jake, and he nodded encouragingly.

"I'll be right here." He said softly.

Candace closed her eyes and tried to picture herself as that red wolf in the book. Her gut was telling her that changing forms in front of them would leave her vulnerable, but Candace drowned out any doubts she had. She could feel Jake next to her and she trusted him to keep her safe. Candace felt a familiar feeling churn in her stomach, and soon the sensation exploded throughout her limbs. It happened even faster than the last time, and before she knew it, she was on all fours.

Instead of being frightened, Jake's parents seemed to be in awe.

"Huh. That's very interesting."

Jake's dad leaned down to look into Candace's eyes. Candace remained perfectly still as the man reached out to run his hand along her right ear. All of a sudden, she felt a pressure on her back and before she could register what it was, she darted forward. Her nails dug into the kitchen rug with each step. When she reached the wood floor, however, she lost her balance and slid to a stop. It wasn't until after she turned to face them again did she realizethat the sensation on her back had just been Jake's hand.

"Sorry." He said apologetically. His mom gave him a harsh look.

For just a moment, Candace forgot all of her problems. She found humor in what had just happened. Jake's parents stiffened when she leaped up in the air and began wagging her tail. Her behavior seemed natural to her. She lowered her head underneath her shoulder blades so that they stuck out, and the front of her belly was touching the ground. She barked at Jake. His parents relaxed slightly when they realized that she was just playing, but they were still on guard. Jake smiled wildly and ran forward at her. Candace leaped for him and Jake put her in a headlock and dragged her to the ground. She was surprised at how strong he was. She struggled, but was unable to move. Suddenly she had an idea, and she fell limp in his arms. Concerned, he let go, and she whipped around and pounced on him. Her red tail swung behind her in a constant rhythm.

Jake looked up into her eyes, and Candace pulled back her lips into a mock growl.

"Wow. You've got really sharp teeth." Candace tilted her head to the side. She jumped down next to him and lay on the ground. She rested her head on his chest and looked at his parents when they began to speak.

"We can't take her to base. They might kill her if they knew what she was." Mr. Mulligan said.

"So are we going to keep her a secret from them?" She sounded like she was actually considering it. "What if she regains her memory? The Order will force her to kill us, or they'll kill her."

Candace closed her eyes and listened to Jake's heartbeat. Inside, she knew that she would never do anything to harm him. She couldn't change anything in that moment. So like any other teenage girl would do, she enjoyed how close she was to Jake in that moment. She wasn't hiding or pretending. This was who she was. She curled her tail around her side. Jake ran his fingers through the fur on her head.

"Candace."

She looked up at the sound of her name. Jake's parents looked at her curiously as she absentmindedly began wagging her tail at them.

"Ummm... Can you shift back for us?"

Candace was kind of disappointed. She was getting used to this wolf thing, but she did as she was asked and pushed herself up off the floor with her arms. Jake did the same.

"Candace, we are willing to help you understand what you are going through, but if we are going to help you, there are going to be a couple of conditions." His father said.

"Conditions?"

"Yes. There is a powerful group that is inevitably going to start looking for you if they haven't already. If they find you and you don't do what they ask, then your chance of survival is going to be slim. We want you to come to our base."

Jake's face went white. "But you said it yourself, they'll kill her..."

"Maybe, maybe not." His dad said.

"Maybe? You're kidding right?"

"Son. We have an obligation..."

"We are not going to just give her over..." Candace put her hand on his arm to stop him. He looked into her eyes as she nodded.

"It's okay. What is the other condition?" asked Candace.

"Don't go looking for trouble. And that means both of you."

Candace nodded and Jake mumbled a 'fine', but she knew that he was still upset about the situation. Candace didn't want to be more trouble than she was worth, and she definitely didn't want to get in between Jake and his parents.

Soon after their conversation, Jake took Candace home. The whole ride to her house, Jake was ranting about how unreasonable his parents were being. Candace just nodded every once in a while to show that she was listening, but she never contributed any of her own thoughts to the topic. She mostly just stared out the window, and like she had so often before, pictured herself free from this world. She wasn't sad, scared, or even angry. She was just tired. She was prepared to roll with the punches, but she wasn't going to throw any of her own.

Melanie was sitting on the porch when the two of them arrived. She was looking up at the stars, and she had the shimmer of a tear in her eye. Candace hopped out of the passenger seat and headed over to her cautiously.

"Melanie, are you ok?"

"Oh, hi. I didn't see you guys pull up."

Candace didn't know what to think about that. Melanie should have seen them coming from a mile away. Candace sat next to her and nodded to Jake that he could go. Candace didn't push for answers, but Melanie spoke on her own.

"My son was six when he passed away. I never even had a chance to say goodbye. A drunk driver hit the side of the car, and the next thing I knew, I was in a hospital." Melanie never once looked over to Candace. Her eyes were fixed on the stars.

"I'm sorry." Candace said. She didn't really know what else to say. She had never been told of Melanie's past.

"It's okay. It was years ago." Melanie wrapped her arm around Candace's shoulder. They both heard the door open behind them as Kevin walked out and sat on Melanie's other side. Melanie didn't say anything more, but Kevin's eyes were sad. Candace could tell that he already knew.

The world was harsh and unforgiving. Every time Candace felt like she had caught a break, some new obstacle appeared in her path. She wanted to rest, but in that moment, she realized that it could always be worse. Melanie had lost everything she cared about. There was no way for her life to ever be whole again.

The three of them sat like that on the front porch for hours. The front lights that were hooked up to motion sensors had gone out long ago, and darkness surrounded the three figures perched in the front of the house. For Melanie's sake, Candace hoped she would make it out of this mess alive. Candace didn't quite understand why, but she had to go to the rebel's base. She needed to know what she was up against. She felt like she was stuck in the middle of the entire war. Neither of the sides was likely to show her any mercy, but Candace didn't plan on just lying down and taking it. If it came down to a life or death situation, Candace knew that she had the strength to kill. She wasn't on either side, and all she truly wanted was to be left alone. She wanted out, and if a way out wasn't going to be given to her, she was going to take it.

By the time they went inside, it was well past midnight. Owls called out into the woods, and mice scurried among the brush. Candace peeled off her clothes and slipped into her warm fluffy PJ's that Melanie had bought for her. She didn't crawl under the blanket, but instead, she curled up on top. She tucked her knees into her chest and began to drift into a soft slumber. Her breathing was slow and steady, and her heart mimicked her breaths.

Candace had almost fallen asleep when a tapping sound made her jump. Something was at her window. All fell silent, but after a few seconds, the tapping resumed. Candace slipped out of bed and walked carefully over to the window ready to attack anything that moved. When she got there, however, she saw a girl she had never met before perched on the ledge. Candace wondered how anyone could possibly have gotten up that high. The ground was at least twenty feet below. She opened the window slowly, but blocked the entrance to the room with her body. Unexpectedly, the girl jumped and tackled Candace to the ground. Candace threw her elbow into the girl's cheek and she backed off to the other side of the room.

"Ow," She said and rubbed her jaw, "That hurt."

"Who are you?" Candace asked suspiciously.

The girl looked confused. "Candace, it's me."

"Who's 'me'?" Candace asked harshly.

The girl's face fell into a frown. A tear glistened on her skin as it rolled down her cheek. "I should have guessed. Of course. I'm so stupid. No wonder you weren't coming home. You lost your memory."

Candace's heart almost skipped a beat. This girl knew who she was before she'd lost her memory.

"Who are you?" She asked again.

"I'm Jane."

#

** **

**Episode 5**

Cold air filled the room as it poured in through the window. Candace still didn't entirely trust the girl standing before her. In fact, she was growing more and more apprehensive with each passing moment. Jane stood at least half a foot taller than Candace, and her golden blonde hair fell innocently to her shoulders. Despite her seemingly harmless figure, Candace knew this girl was anything but innocent. If she really did know who and what Candace was, than she would have doubtlessly been a part of the repulsive practices of the government that Jake had described to her. Candace desperately wanted to know the details of her past, but not if it meant compromising her own innocence.

"Leave. Now." Candace spit the words at the brown-eyed girl, who had backed off after Candace's preliminary assault. Candace's fury was building as she realized that this girl wasn't making any move whatsoever to depart.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Candace. I just want to talk." There was genuine concern in Jane's eyes. Candace was certain they had been friends, but she didn't care how well she used to know this girl. The old Candace had died, and hopefully every awful act that she had ever committed could die with her.

"I'm not going to tell you again." Candace's voice was filled with malice, but Jane had obviously picked up on the note of sadness as well, because her eyes softened. Both girls jumped as the door to the room began to open slowly.

"Candace, are you alright? I thought I heard..." Kevin stopped as he saw the blonde standing on the opposite side of the room. Candace's jaw tightened, but she didn't take her eyes off the girl. It was obvious to Kevin that they were not on friendly terms, and he began to move in front of Candace to protect her, but Candace grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"It's okay. We were just talking." Jane assured him. Unlike Candace, Jane was comfortable enough with the situation to break eye contact, and that made Candace relax slightly. Kevin looked to Candace for an affirmation, and reluctantly she nodded. She definitely did not want to put Kevin in the middle of this situation. Jane smiled slightly, realizing she had gained ground.

"Call if you need help." Kevin whispered into Candace's ear as he turned to leave. Candace knew full and well that Jane could hear every word. There was a kind of power and elegance that rolled off of Jane's skin. If Candace was ever certain of anything, it was that this girl was not human by any stretch of the imagination. For the first time, she broke eye contact with Jane and looked into Kevin's eyes. An unspoken agreement passed from her to him. As soon as the door shut behind him, Candace resumed her defensive position. To her astonishment, however, Jane bounded for the bed. She sat comfortably on the squishy mattress as if she were in her own bedroom. She patted the fluffy blue blanket beside her; beckoning for Candace to sit.

"I'll stand." Candace said cruelly. The statement brought an amused look to Jane's face as her eyebrows rose and disappeared underneath her golden bangs.

"Suit yourself. How have you been doing?" She asked.

"Fine." Candace returned. She may have been roped into a conversation with the girl, but short replies were all she was going to get.

Jane looked sincerely doubtful, and it occurred to Candace that she might have been aware of her incident in the library.

"So nothing interesting has happened..." Yep, she was definitely aware.

"I shifted." The words still seemed foreign on Candace's lips. She was disgusted at what she was, but Jane's eyes danced with laughter and excitement.

"Show me." Jane's excitement was evident, and Candace's repulsion grew to the point of rage.

"Trust me," a malicious smile built its way up through Candace's lips, "you would rather I didn't."

Jane's eyes flashed momentarily with unease, but she retained expert control of her features. The girl's small hands traced the intricate pattern woven into the blanket, and her soft brown eyes looked curiously around the room. Candace watched her eyes move from the soft carpet to the open closet, and Jane winced as she caught sight of Candace's wardrobe.

"Wow. That must have cost a fortune." Jane stood and walked slowly to the closet.

"What is it you want from me?" Candace asked impatiently. She didn't like the familiar feeling of friendship growing in her chest. In her heart, she knew that this girl was not the enemy.

"Well, for starters, I would love to borrow that sweater." She looked pointedly at a woven grey pullover that hung delicately at the end of the closet.

The word 'sure' almost leapt from her lips, and in that moment, she was positive that the old Candace wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to lend the girl her sweater. A feeling in Candace's bones told her that she would have given her life to protect her friend. She also had a strange feeling that her old self was somewhere deep inside her, trying to break free. Maybe the old Candace wasn't completely dead.

"I want to trust you...but what you're doing is wrong."

Jane's expression was puzzled.

"What are you talking about, Candace?" Jane's voice was gentle, but confused. She sounded like a therapist trying to evaluate a patient's mental condition.

"Do you know what The Order is doing?" Candace was slightly afraid that simply saying the name of the supernatural government would make her a part of it once again.

"Do _you_?" Jane looked slightly surprised as Candace mentioned the name of the government.

"Yes..." Candace said uncertainly as she realized that she really didn't. All she knew was that they had kept Jake prisoner and that was enough for her to condemn it.

"How?" Jane asked. Candace couldn't explain to Jane how she even knew about The Order without risking Jake or his family, so she changed the subject.

"So this shifting thing...does it make me like a werewolf?"

Jane laughed loudly at the question and Candace's cheeks flushed scarlet from embarrassment and anger.

"First of all, we are German shepherds, not wolves, and second of all..."

"I'm a wolf..." Candace interrupted indignantly. She liked that she was different from the rest of them. It gave her individuality and a sense of freedom. The Order didn't own her any longer, and she was going to make sure they knew it.

Jane stopped cold.

"What?" Her mouth hung open. Then she continued as she understood, "there was no one there to help you. You're lucky no one caught sight of you."

Actually, that wasn't true, Jake was with her, but she wasn't going to tell her that. Candace had already told her too much. She needed to be asking the questions and getting information, not the other way around.

"So you are like me." Candace had suspected it all along, but she wanted confirmation.

Jane nodded and dropped to all fours as a German Shepard in lightening speed. It took all of Candace's willpower not to attack her then and there. As a human, Candace left herself vulnerable.

"Don't..." Candace put her hands out in an effort to distance herself from the animal. "Please change back." She whispered through clenched teeth. The last thing she needed was for Jake or Melanie to become aware of what Candace really was.

In an instant, Jane was back on her feet. She jumped gracefully backwards onto the bed.

"You need to come home." Jane stretched her arms up in the air and yawned.

"They sent you to bring me back, didn't they?"

"No. They forbade me to look for you."

That surprised Candace.

"So you disobeyed because..."

"Like you could ever get rid of _me_ Candace. You may not remember, but we are a team, and you would have done the same for me if I went missing. I had to make sure you were okay." She looked over to the closet once again. "By the looks of it, you are more than ok.... Well, except for the whole memory loss thing."

"Yeah, except for _that_." Candace giggled. Suddenly a bright flash blinded her and it felt as if her skull was splitting open. A feeling that was becoming all too familiar. Everything went silent as images began to flash rapidly in her mind like a video on fast forward. And as if she had pressed play, everything slowed and Candace saw a younger version of herself and Jane walking along a cafeteria line.

_"Hmm...What's for lunch today?" Jane mused._

_"Macaroni and tomatoes..." Candace read the sign on the glass counter._

_"You can hardly call those tomatoes."_ _Jane's face pinched up in disgust as she looked at the sloppy contents of a metal container._

_"Come to think of it, I'm not really all that hungry." Candace said quietly._

_"Yeah, me neither." Jane agreed._

_They began to walk towards the closest open lunch table when a large brunette stuck her foot out from under a bench and tripped Candace. She went sprawling to the ground and her face heated with embarrassment. She looked up at her friend, but Jane had her eyes fixed fiercely on the brunette._

_"_ Linda." _Jane spa_ _t the word out as if it tasted worse than the rotting cafeteria food._ _She reached her hand down to help Candace up, but her eyes still seared into Linda's eyes as if she was daring her to make another move. Candace took Jane's hand and stood. She was beginning to worry that Jane might actually fight the girl._

_"Come on, Jane." Candace tugged at Jane's T-shirt. "She's not worth it."_

_Jane finally began to walk away with Candace reluctantly. Candace let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. If they had gotten into a fight...She shivered._

_"Aren't pixies supposed to be like, I don't know, friendly?" Jane remarked. "She's lucky we aren't allowed to fight her. One day, she might just find a fist in her face."_

_"Just ignore her." Candace pleaded. She was beginning to sincerely worry that Jane might actually snap one day. It really wasn't smart of Linda to taunt them like that. Jane sighed._

_"So what do you want to do this weekend?" Jane asked. Candace welcomed the change in conversation._

_"I have to run some errands for Petunia, but I'm free after that."_

_"We should go for a run."_

_"You hate running." Candace reminded her._

_"I just feel like I have too much energy."_

_"Yeah well, you haven't had gym yet. From what I've heard, Coach Peters is running everyone into the ground today."_

Candace had a faint sensation of a hand against her head, and she knew it was Jane's. She wanted to push her away, but she couldn't find the strength. The image began to fade from Candace's mind, and a new one began to take shape. All she could do was watch as the image in her mind darkened. This time, Candace and Jane were closer to the age they were now. They walked down a dark street, and Candace had a feeling they had just come from a party. The clicking of Jane's heels was rhythmic, and the sound echoed throughout Candace's mind.

_"Do you hear that?" Jane asked. Someone had yelled from around the corner in the alleyway._

_"It would be hard not to." They turned the corner and everything fell into an eerie quiet. Candace could faintly pick up the sound of three heartbeats. The two girls walked deliberately to the end of the alley and slowly rounded the corner. Candace did not feel fear or even worry. She and Jane walked purposefully towards the noise and prepared themselves for whatever they may find._

_A man in a black hoodie swung around and pointed his gun straight at Candace's heart. It was obvious that this man was trying to rob the couple that was standing behind him. They were covered in sweat, although their heartbeats were just as fast as the hooded man's. He was trembling, although Candace couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger, and was merely focused on the gun that he held in his hand. The safety was off, and one wrong move would land a bullet in her heart. Jane made the same evaluation, and her hand came up to Candace's shoulder._

_"Don't move!" The man yelled. He kept his gun pointed squarely at Candace's chest, and he clenched and unclenched his left fist. Candace knew what Jane wanted to do._

_"Don't." She whispered under her breath. She breathed slowly, trying to remain calm. Candace could tell that the man was getting ready to snap, and she didn't have much longer before he was going to pull the trigger on someone, accidentally or otherwise. His finger began to twitch on the trigger, and Candace felt as if she couldn't breathe. The man looked behind him for an instant and Jane's hand pushed Candace fiercely to the side. A loud 'bang' sounded throughout the neighborhood._ _Candace braced herself for the impact when she heard the shot. The hooded man took off at a sprint, and Candace pushed herself up off the ground and looked over to Jane who was sitting on the ground holding her right arm. Blood oozed from the wound._

_Candace had almost forgotten about the couple that looked panicked, but the man was composed enough to pick up his phone and dial 911._

_"I'm alright." Jane breathed as Candace moved beside her. "Don't let them take me to the hospital." Jane's fear of hospitals had kept her from going before, but the bleeding wasn't showing any signs of slowing._

_"Jane, you have to go to a hospital."_

_"No." Jane said simply. Candace raised her eyebrows at that._

_"Alright. Let's just walk home then." Candace said sarcastically. Jane huffed and began to stand. "You have got to be kidding me." Candace complained._

_"You have nurse Melrose's number, don't you?" Jane inquired. Jane needed a doctor, but both Candace and Jane knew that the school nurse was more than qualified to handle any serious, even life-threatening, injury. The school's special population had required a more immediate medical service to be at hand. "Nurse" Melrose had all of the qualifications of a practicing physician._

_"Yeah." Candace helped Jane stand._

_"Wait!" The woman called from behind them. "Are you leaving?" She asked in disbelief._

_"I'm not one for hospitals." Jane called back without turning around._

_"You were shot!"_

_"Yeah... But I'll be all right. Don't sweat it." Sirens screamed in the distance, and the two girls quickened their pace. Jane was putting more and more of her weight on Candace with each passing second._

_"You are ridiculous." Candace grumbled. "We don't know how serious your injury is."_

_"I'm not dying." Jane's voice was soft and quiet._

_"You sure about that?" Candace asked._

Candace's vision cleared. _What was that?_ She thought to herself. Jane was standing over her, her face full of worry and concern.

"What happened?" Candace asked.

"You tell me."

"I saw...us..." Candace explained.

"Saw us...where?" Jane prompted. She was trying to hide the agitation in her voice.

"At school, there was a girl named...Linda, and in an alleyway. You were shot."

Jane's eyes narrowed.

"Have you been getting flashbacks often?"

"It couldn't have been a flashback. You were shot. There is no way you could've been..."

Jane pulled her shirt down off of her shoulder to reveal a large scar. Candace gaped. What she had seen had been real, and it was becoming harder and harder to not trust this girl. She had, after all, saved Candace's life.

"Linda's the worst," Jane said with a joking smile, "but her brother, Robby..." Jane smiled, but this time she showed teeth as if she were remembering something.

"You have to come back with me." Jane continued.

"Assuming I do trust you...You said it yourself. You were forbidden to come find me. If they find out you did, they'll..."

"They'll what?" Jane asked daringly. "What are they going to do? Make me run laps?"

Candace looked confused. There was no way that The Dragmon Order Jake had described was going to let her off so easily. Jane recognized the look on Candace's face.

"Who has been talking to you about The Order?" Jane asked. She folded her arms across her chest indicating that the conversation was taking a much more serious turn.

"Hold on. A minute ago, I was having flashbacks, and now we're back to this Order stuff."

"Trust me. If we want to figure out what is going on in your head, then we have to get you back home, and whoever has been speaking to you has obviously made you afraid to go back."

"They aren't lying to me..." Candace said huffily.

"So I am?"

"No. Maybe you just don't know what is going on."

"You're joking." Her voice grew slightly louder. Her stress was evident. "You are the one who just lost your memory, and I'm the one who doesn't know what's going on?" Jane's fists clenched as the tension grew. Candace knew how strange and ridiculous she sounded, but Jake couldn't have been lying to her.

"Understand that it's going to take a little time for me to figure out what is going on."

"Yeah well, we may not have time."

"What do you mean?"

"All you need to know...all I can tell you... is that we need you back. Something big is about to go down."

"You need me?" Candace could not see herself fighting a war. What could she do that someone else couldn't?

"You're the best, and besides, everyone misses you." Jane seemed to almost be pleading with her. Almost.

"I'm sure you'll live." Candace almost felt bad talking to her like that, but she wasn't convinced that going back was the best option for her.

"Just come back, and if you don't want to stay, you don't have to." Jane insisted. Candace's curiosity was getting the better of her. If nothing else, Candace would go back simply to bring back information to Jake.

"Okay, but no one can see me."

"Deal."

Candace agreed to let Jane stay the night, although she found it hard to sleep in the same room as someone who was a potential enemy. Jane's light snoring was relaxed and Candace was jealous of how perfectly at ease she was. Most of the night, Candace looked up at the ceiling, and found patterns in the lines and bumps of the paint. Every so often, a car would drive by and cast shadows across her room. She silently wondered what she thought of those shadows as a child. Did she imagine monsters and ghosts? Did her knowledge of the supernatural make her more or less afraid of the dark?

Morning came with reluctance. The sun seemed to take forever to come up over the horizon. Candace already had her clothes packed into a single bag, and she waited for Jane to rouse from her beauty sleep.

When Jane finally awoke, she jumped when she saw Candace standing across the room. And then she remembered where she was.

"Good morning." Jane said cheerfully as she stretched her arms up over her head.

"Morning." Candace said simply.

"Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Candace had butterflies in her stomach, but she tried to remain relaxed. She began to head out of her bedroom door when Jane grabbed her arm. Candace could feel a jump in adrenaline.

"We should probably go out the window." Jane pointed to the other side of the room. Candace noticed Jane throw her a droll look, before turning and heading to the window. She climbed out onto the ledge and jumped. Candace groaned as she looked down at the ground. She closed her eyes and jumped.

Somehow, Candace's legs didn't collapse as she hit the ground. Her entire body coursed with adrenaline, and she looked up at the window two stories above where she was standing.

"You coming?" Jane asked. Her tall figure was a silhouette against the still-dark sky.

"Yeah." Candace replied. She took one final look up at her window and followed Jane to the road. Candace wondered how she was ever going to explain this to Melanie, but she forced herself not to think about the consequences. Right now, she had a single mission, and that was to find out more about her past. Jane and Candace walked about a mile before coming to a bus stop.

A strange silence surrounded Candace and Jane as they waited for the bus to arrive. Jane hummed, and Candace thought about what she was going to do once she arrived home. Home. What had her parents thought about her disappearance? They must be worried sick.

"Jane, what has my family been doing since I've been gone?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"Petunia's doing fine, although she's been on edge lately. She swears someone's gunning for her."

"Is Petunia my mom?" Candace asked. Jane looked down at the stained concrete.

"Your parents died when you were young." She explained softly. Candace waited for a feeling of grief, but the truth was, she didn't feel anything. It only seemed natural that her parents were gone.

"Who's Petunia?"

"She is part of the higher class of The Order. You protect her...or you're supposed to, at least."

A mechanical moaning sound approached from around the corner and Jane stood from where she was seated on the bench. A large black city bus came into view, and screeched to a stop in front of the two girls. A large man in jeans and a Coca Cola T-shirt was behind the wheel, and he never even glanced in their direction as Jane paid. The man started driving before they had a chance to sit, and Candace swayed on her feet. Jane, on the other hand, kept her balance perfectly and continued walking to the back of the bus. Candace grabbed onto one of the bars above her head in order to balance herself and followed.

"So where exactly are we going?" She asked.

"Portland." Jane replied.

It felt like an hour before they arrived at their destination. The two girls spent the time in silence once again. Jane jumped lightly off of the bus, and began to walk down the street. She didn't even glance back to see if Candace was following. Candace had to jog to catch up and she fell into step beside Jane. Walking down the street with Jane felt eerie. Somehow, it felt so familiar to be next to her. They passed identical green lawns as they walked down the road. Soon, the sidewalk turned into a dirt road that ran parallel to a colorful forest. Candace looked longingly at it and it beckoned to her. She could tell that this place had felt like home once. Jane looked over at her, and noticed her staring deep into the trees. She shook her head.

"What is it with you and that forest?" Jane asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You used to sneak away when you were younger and wander into it. One time, you were gone for three days before Petunia found you."

Candace shrugged her shoulders and pondered that. It was another clue to her past. Every time she decided that she was ready to start afresh and forget trying to find out about her past, another intriguing piece of her seemed to fall into place. Jane's face suddenly became expressionless, and her eyes looked off into the distance as if she were deep in thought. Her pace never faltered.

"We're being followed," she said.

"What?" Candace whipped her head around to see if anybody was behind them. She didn't see anything. "I think you're imagining things..." Before Candace could finish her thought, Jane grabbed her and pulled into the edge of the forest.

They waited there for no more than five minutes before Candace could hear the padding of tennis shoes on the dirt road. Jane gave Candace an I-told-you-so look, and Candace rolled her eyes. It was obvious that Jane was better at being covert than Candace was. She didn't need a reminder. The footsteps became slower and slower, as if the person making them was becoming confused. Soon, Candace could make out the built figure of a green eyed, brown haired boy.

"Kevin?!" Candace voice rang out from among the trees. Jane gave Candace a disapproving look as if she were embarrassed to even be seen with her.

"Well, our cover's blown." Jane muttered.

"Candace, what are you doing?" Kevin peered through the trees, and Candace stepped out to face him.

"Why are you following us?" Jane asked as she marched out of the woods. She was definitely not happy.

"You guys just took off. What was I supposed to do?" He defended.

"Go home." Jane snapped.

"I will as soon as you tell me what's going on."

Jane snorted and Candace could almost feel static in the air as Jane's impatience grew. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Jane's anger might accidentally cause her to shape shift.

"I'm taking Candace home." Jane said.

"Great. We can as soon as we let Candace's social worker know that we found her family." He replied angrily. Candace cringed. He was challenging Jane, and that could only end badly.

"Kevin, this is a little more complicated than that." Candace broke in.

"Alright. Then explain it to me." He looked betrayed and Candace suddenly felt ashamed for sneaking off after all he had done for her,

"I just need to figure a few things out. That's all." Candace said softly. She suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion creep up on her. Why couldn't things just work out for once?

"Who are your friends?" Jane asked Kevin.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin looked at Jane as if she were a psychopath.

"Someone else is following us." Jane explained. Kevin looked behind him and sighed.

"You are crazy." He said as if confirming a suspicion. _Here we go again_ , Candace thought to herself.

"Kevin, did someone drive you here?" Candace asked warily. She really hoped it wasn't Melanie, but she couldn't exactly picture the woman undercover. Jane's face looked ashen as a black van turned onto the road in the distance and approached them cautiously.

"That is definitely not good." Jane said. Kevin looked puzzled and began to walk forward as if ready to confront whoever was in the van. Candace didn't stop him, but walked up next to him. The van stopped in front of them, and three tall men stepped out.

"Who are you?" Jane asked immediately as if she were determined to speak first. The men didn't answer as they approached. Kevin looked puzzled, and Candace was thankful that he didn't rush them right then and there.

"You need to come with us." The tallest one spoke. He couldn't have been more than twenty, but his eyes looked as if he had seen a century's worth of grief.

"Uh Huh.... And why should we do that?" Kevin was the one to speak. The men exchanged puzzled looks as if noticing Kevin for the first time. A man with a goatee stepped forward towards Kevin and seemingly evaluated him like a patient in a hospital bed. Candace swore that she could see a look of pity cross his features as recognition flooded his eyes.

"You aren't one of them." He concluded.

"One of who?" Kevin asked harshly.

"He doesn't know." The tallest man spoke again in disbelief. He then looked away from Kevin as if disregarding him and turned his attention to Jane who he must have decided was the leader. "We don't want to hurt you, but we will if you make us."

"Alright," Jane said. Her voice was thick with disgust, "then we'll just go our separate ways then."

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen."

Jane assumed a defensive position, but Candace stepped in front of her.

"Okay, we'll go with you," she said decisively. She had to believe deep down that Jake was right about the rebels. He would explain her situation to her captors and get them out. Besides, she couldn't live with herself if anything happened to Kevin because of her.

After a quick argument, Jane and Kevin finally agreed to trust her. Jane was the hardest to convince of the decision, but she couldn't deny that the situation could only have ended badly. If Kevin hadn't been there, than Candace doubted that they would have gone without a fight.

"Where do you think they are taking us?" Kevin asked when they were in the back of the van. For someone who had no idea what was going on, Candace had to admit that he was actually doing fairly well.

"No idea." Candace responded. Hundreds of different scenarios were flying through her head, and she had to force herself to remain positive. She wished she could call Jake, but the men had destroyed their cell phones.

"So what are your names?" Candace asked through the small screen window that led to the front of the van. She figured that if her life was in these guys' hands, than she might as well be polite to them. She looked over to Jane who had her head rested against the edge of the van and her eyes were closed. Given the circumstances, she looked comfortable.

"Mark." The tallest man responded. The man with the goatee rolled his eyes, and didn't answer her question. The third man who was driving stayed quiet as well, and it was at this time that Candace realized that he hadn't said a single word the entire time.

"I'm Candace. Nice to meet you." That was a bit of an exaggeration, but she kept the angry bite out of her words. Mark grunted as if he thought that was amusing.

"I sincerely doubt it." He said.

"Yeah, I guess this isn't my best day ever." She agreed and leaned her head back against the side of the van as Jane had. She doubted she would be able to sleep, but she accepted that she had no control over the situation.

"So, who exactly are you guys?" Kevin asked. He wasn't as good as Candace at keeping the harsh note out of his voice.

"Ask her." Mark gestured towards Candace. Kevin looked suspiciously at Candace and raised his eyebrows. She opened her eyes, but wouldn't look him in the eyes. Instead she picked a spot across the van and fixed her eyes on it. The conversation was turning dangerous, and Candace was trying to fight the overwhelming feeling of being trapped. Her fingers began to tingle, and Candace had to make sure that they were still human. "She knows all of it." Mark continued. Candace wished he would just shut up. The only thing worse than being caged as a human was being caged as an animal, and she started feeling her human side slipping away, and her instincts beginning to take over. If she changed forms in the van, she didn't even want to think about what would happen.

"What is he talking about, Candace?" Kevin asked. Candace shot him a look that clearly meant 'stop', but secretly, she knew it wasn't fair of her to keep the truth from him. He meant so much to her, and she didn't want him to think of her as some freak. What would he say?

The van began to slow, and soon it jerked to a stop. Candace's shoulder hit the end of the van with a thud, and the silent driver came around to open the door.

"Out." It was the first word that Candace heard coming out of his mouth. He grabbed Candace and jerked her arm so hard that she went flying out of the van. The palms of her hands scraped against the rough asphalt. Time seemed to slow, and Candace saw the disaster that she couldn't stop. Jane's eyes opened, and then she wasn't Jane anymore. She was a one hundred and thirty pound German Shepherd. Jane shot forward so fast that the man couldn't even flinch. She latched onto his neck and took him down. Candace knew if she didn't stop Jane, that the man would probably be dead in moments. She grabbed the dog's shoulders and pulled back forcefully. The German Shepherd let go of the man's neck, and Candace wondered if she was too late as she saw blood oozing from the bite. Jane turned on Candace viciously and snapped at her. Candace's eyes met Jane's, and Jane backed off quickly as she realized who it was she had snapped at. Candace looked back at Kevin. His eyes were staring off into the distance as if he wasn't really seeing anything. She turned back around to see Jane back in her human form.

"Is he alive?" She asked sarcastically. She seemed unfazed by what had just occurred, and Candace decided that they would discuss it later. Mark and the goateed man grabbed the wounded man on the ground and pulled him up to examine his neck.

"Fool. We had it under control, and you had to go and make her mad." The goateed man led him away. Candace was thankful that they were blaming him. For some unknown reason, she was also thankful that Mark had been the one to stay. She figured that he would be the least likely to harm them.

"Candace." Kevin's voice was soft. Candace turned to look at him. His face was still white, but at least he didn't look like he was going to pass out. "What is she?"

#

** **

**Episode 6**

The words buried themselves deep inside Candace's gut and refused to emerge. _Not t_ _his. Not Kevin. Not now_. Her secret was out, and not even a grain of hope clung to the moment of covering up what he had seen with a lie. The truth, however, grated against her throat like sandpaper, and scathed her soul.

Kevin's face remained somberly composed, but his calm demeanor in itself screamed volumes. He, like Candace, wanted the truth to stay berried, but his fingertips quivered with dreadful anticipation. She wished she could tell him it was a mirage, an illusion, a prank, but Kevin wasn't an idiot and she wasn't going to insult him with another half-baked lie.

"She's a shape shifter." Candace said meekly, and the ache in her throat tore through her.

"I must be dreaming." His voice was still barely audible, and for a single moment, he was just the shadow of the strong football player that he was only a day ago. In this world, he was a mouse, and he knew it.

"I wish you were," she said, and oh, how true that statement was. Not only would he think of her as a freak for the rest of her pitiful existence, but she had also just dragged him from the safe and secure world he belonged to into a world of monsters and war. Yes, she definitely wished he were dreaming.

"Where do you come in to all of this?" He asked. The answer burned like fire in his eyes, but he wanted to hear it from her. This one question covered Candace's body like boiling oil.

"I'm like her," she said slowly, as if the answer were tar being poured down her throat. The confession wasn't just to him, but to her own self. Kevin put his head in his hands, as his entire reality was no doubt being heaved into question.

Mark spoke into his phone and motioned for the three of them to follow him into the building. It stood plainly against the flat land. Its white exterior was laden with patches of brown where the paint had peeled from years of neglect. Around the warehouse, the forest was cut back, and the bordering trees hung somberly. They too had been dealt a wicked hand. Jane went first while Candace and Kevin followed. Candace strolled behind Kevin protectively. If anyone dared lay a finger on Kevin, they wouldn't live long enough to scream.

Mark didn't bother to glance behind him. Where would they run? Mark spoke without turning around.

"I give you my word. No one will hurt you, as long as you behave."

"Too late." Jane laughed maliciously. Mark didn't even flinch.

"Jared had it coming to him."

Even Jane looked shocked. She had almost ripped the throat out of one of Mark's own. She wondered what the man possibly could have done to tick Mark off so bad.

Mark opened a large white door. Flakes of paint fell off as he turned the handle. Inside the building was a single large room. It smelled of dirt and cheap cigars. Lanterns hung on the far wall and bordered a huge black and white flag that was draped from the ceiling. The candlelight threw shadows across the room, but no one seemed to mind the darkness. About two dozen men and women in rugged military style uniforms attended to different tasks.

Candace barely noticed the dramatic nature of the structure as she entered the abandoned warehouse. Instead, her eye was drawn directly to the far corner of the building where a boy in cargo pants and a black T-shirt sat talking to the goateed man. Relief swept through her, and tears came to her eyes.

Jake looked up, and his eyes locked with hers. He stood and made his way over to her with suppressed caution in his step. Candace's hands trembled, and a feeling so powerful built up inside of her as if threatening to explode. In that moment she knew, no matter what was to come, that he would always be right around the corner to rescue her. Ever since that first day in the school courtyard, she knew. She wanted more than anything to rush forward to meet him, but she was sure that if she moved an inch, he would evaporate, or melt into the dark shadows of the room.

"Candace, are you ok?!" He sounded alarmed, and she wanted to comfort him and tell him she was fine; that she would see him in the morning after she awoke from this nightmare, but this moment wasn't a creation of her unconscious mind and she had to face the path ahead. She wanted to leap into his arms and stay with him forever, but in this moment, she was the enemy, and what she wanted didn't matter.

"I..." Candace looked around like a frightened child as she finally took in the scene. "I'm fine," she finally managed. Jake lifted his hand to Candace's cheek. His fingertips brushed softly against her skin. He ran his thumb underneath her eye to remove the tear that clung there. She wanted to pretend that everything bad in her life could disappear forever with that tear. That he would be hers, but that road would lead only to disappointment.

_STOP!!_ Her conscience warned her, and Jakes hand fell from her cheek. _No_. Another piece of her heart seemed to fall away with his hand.

"I'm glad." He smiled gently, but his eyes warned her that something was troubling him. "I didn't think that they would kidnap you when I...when I told them about you." He looked to the ground, ashamed. Somehow, even before Candace had arrived at the warehouse, she knew this was all his doing. The rational part of her brain wanted to scream at him, but her emotions wanted the complete opposite. Her skin cherished his touch, and her eyes traced his every movement.

"Why did you tell them?...I thought..."

"Something happened," he broke in, begging her to understand. His eyes looked sad once more, and Candace was suddenly concerned. "I think they were looking for you," he continued.

"Who?" Candace asked. Jake wasn't making any sense, and for some reason, he was hesitating to tell her the truth. Once again, Candace was reminded that she was the enemy.

"The Dragmon Order. They attacked a group of us on the other side of town. Two of our people died, and my father...He was helping an injured man..." Jake stopped. Candace's heart slowed so much she thought it might stop. "He might not make it."

"Jake...I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." He replied softly, but Candace knew it wasn't true. This whole mess was her fault.

Jake looked up at Kevin and Jane who had been too busy evaluating the situation to listen to their conversation. Candace was thankful. The last thing she needed was for them to speculate on her relationship with Jake, although at this point, she doubted that her feelings would be any secret to anyone who was actually paying attention. That raised an important question in Candace's mind: did Jake know? The first day they met, he had asked her out, but did he know how far she had fallen since then? With each second, she continued to fall for him deeper and deeper until she was sure she would never be able to find her way back out of that beautiful deep dark hole called Jake Mulligan. "Hey Kevin," Jake broke through Candace's thoughts. Kevin met Jake's eyes with a look of disgust as if he were less than human. No doubt he blamed him for this whole mess.

"Jake," he responded.

The one word reply was enough to make Candace defensive. There was something in his voice that made her wonder if Kevin was capable of murder. "Fancy meeting you here." He said after a second.

"And you are..." Jake began as he regarded Jane.

"Her best friend." Was Jane becoming defensive of _Candace?_

"Oh. I thought that was my role," he said with a hint of laughter.

"I mean _before_ Candace lost her memory." She made it sound like that made her relationship with Candace more significant somehow.

"Ohh," Jake considered that for a moment until a look of understanding crossed his face. "You're..."

"A shape shifter? Yeah."

Jane's attitude was growing as she became more and more impatient to figure out what was going on. Candace couldn't blame her. They still knew virtually nothing about the situation. The only thing that gave Candace solace was that they weren't in a cage somewhere.

"Okay. Here's the deal." Mark appeared from the darkness. How could Candace not have heard him approaching?

"We need to keep you here until this whole thing blows over. For some reason, they are desperate to find you, desperate enough to raid one of our bases."

"And you want to make sure they don't get what they want," Jane finished.

"No one is going to harm you," Mark assured them.

"So, we are basically prisoners." Kevin said apprehensively.

"If you want to look at it like that, than yeah, sure."

"Tell me one thing," Jane said, "why are you doing this?"

"I told you..."

"No, I mean fighting this war. What is this about to you?"

"Freedom." Mark replied gravely, and once again, grief shone in his eyes. Jane quieted, but Candace could tell that it wouldn't take long for the subject to come up again.

"What happened to Jared?" Candace asked, suddenly remembering the man who now had bite marks in his neck.

"He'll be fine." Mark said flatly. Jake looked confused.

"What's happened to Jared?" he asked.

"Lets just say that your friend here..." He motioned toward Jane.

"I'm not his friend," Jane added in quickly.

"Well anyways, we might have to check him for rabies," Mark said jokingly. Jane didn't think it was funny and she glared at him. Jake cringed as he realized what had happened. "He'll be fine," Mark added in quickly upon seeing the look on Jake's face.

"Candace!" A familiar voice rang and echoed throughout the hollowed warehouse. Jinny half jogged, half skipped over to where Candace was standing, and pulled her into a hug without hesitation.

"Jinny? What are you doing here?" Candace's shock was obvious, but she was somehow relieved that the vibrant girl was here. Jinny gave Candace a knowing look and a quirky smile. She took Candace's hand in her own and turned her palm over so that it was facing up. Dirt covered the surface and a large scrape was freckled with drying blood from when Jared had pulled her out of the van. It still stung and throbbed. Jinny closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the surface of Candace's marred skin. She breathed in deeply as if suddenly in pain, but she opened her eyes before Candace could respond.

"All better," she sang like a child. Candace looked down at her newly flawless hand.

"How...," she began, but Jinny's eyes suddenly erupted into glowing gold. Candace leapt back. "You're not human," she breathed. It wasn't a question. Jinny huffed.

"You should talk, mutt," she elbowed Candace playfully. The word wasn't meant to be taken as an insult. In fact, the way she said it made it sound like a term of endearment.

Kevin stared at Jinny. It wasn't the stare of a person who just found out that someone they thought they knew was a supernatural being. No, it was the stare of someone in despair and longing, like he had once stayed up night after night daydreaming about asking her out, but had given in to the reality that he would always be invisible to her. Jinny failed to notice, and Candace's heart ached for him. She knew all too well the feeling of wanting someone that she could never have.

Jane looked curiously at the girl, and cocked her head to the side.

"You're a healing fairy," she said, and Candace wondered at the respectful tone that Jane carried when addressing the girl.

"Yep, my name's Jinny," the girl's smile was welcoming. She extended her hand out to Jane who took it cautiously. Was that fear that glinted in Jane's eyes?

"What's a healing fairy?" Candace asked. Jinny's freckled face bloomed scarlet. Jane was the one to respond.

"She can heal anyone she wants, but she has to absorb the pain." Jane said the last part slowly. Candace looked over to the small girl in awe. She was taking away other people's pain, and making it her own. She understood the respect that Jane had for the girl. Jinny was so caring, and Candace wondered about how much pain she had experienced in her young life.

"I can't do much right now. Just small scrapes or broken bones, but I'm working my way up." Jinny blushed once more. Kevin tried to hide his admiration for her, but to Candace, the look was plain as day. She had seen that look in the mirror countless times during nights that she had thought of Jake.

Jake laughed under his breath as Jinny danced back into the shadows towards the other end of the room. Mark watched her go, and sadness filled his eyes.

"You're a healing fairy too, aren't you?" Candace asked as the realization hit her. Candace couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. The dark brown hair and freckles seemed to scream that Mark was Jinny's older brother.

"Not a very good one," he answered. "Jinny inherited most of our family's...talent."

There it was again. Mark's voice oozed pain, and although it wasn't obvious to the untrained ear, Candace could feel the tremor of every word.

The clang of metal sounded throughout the entire building as a hammer struck a piece of broken machinery. Jane clenched her teeth, and Candace's hands flew up to her ears. That was the worst part of Candace's enhanced senses; she couldn't turn them off. The sound rang again, and upon seeing the two girls' discomfort, Mark yelled for whoever was making the noise to stop. Everything fell completely silent.

"I meant the guy with the hammer!" he said, and the work began again. Jane raised her eyebrows and Candace knew exactly what she was thinking. He was obviously in a position of power to have that kind of response to his command.

So...uh, make yourselves at home," Jake seemed as uncomfortable with the situation as Candace was. His hand dangled close to hers, and she wanted so badly to take it into her own. To feel his skin....

_Stop!_ Her conscience yelled again, and it was like a blow to her heart. Jake turned on his heel, clapped his hands nervously, and walked away. _How do_ _you_ _not see it?_ _I'm already yours._ She knew that she couldn't say the words out loud, and she recognized she had more important things to worry about than her nonexistent love life.

"Is Jimmy back yet?" Mark called after him.

"Yeah, he's been back for a while," Jake called back as he continued towards the other corner of the room.

"Where's he at?" Mark asked, but the only reply was Jake's suppressed laugh. _Soft and sweet._

Mark's face showed an expression of friendly annoyance.

"Jimmy," he said just loud enough for the people within a few feet to hear. "I know you're there."

Maybe it was the unfamiliar setting, or the fact that she was distracted by Jake's mesmerizing voice, but when Candace felt an unseen force tug lightly on her brown hair, she lost it. In blinding speed, she whipped around, and a red wolf stood in her place with hackles raised. Candace was barely aware of her change as she braced herself for an attack, but none came. Then, ever so slowly, the shape of a young boy materialized. His eyes were wide with shock, and his mouth hung open in astonishment.

As the realization that this boy wasn't a threat to Candace took hold, She relaxed her shoulders and took a step back in awe. Mark took a few steps to the side so that he was standing close to Jimmy. It was obvious that he was ready to protect the boy if it came to that, but his eyes looked calm as if he knew Candace wouldn't hurt him. Candace backed away further to confirm that he was right. Jane tried to hide her smirk.

"Can you hear me?" Jake's voice was soft, but clear as a bell. Candace looked around to see where he was, but she saw only the busy rebels attending to their work. Her ears twitched, and settled on the light thumping of a steady heartbeat. His heartbeat. She knew it all too well. He was somewhere in the shadows across the room.

Mark and the others looked confused as Candace turned and trotted in the direction of the voice, but to her, they were just background _. I love you Jake_. The thought seemed to permanently reside in her brain. She struggled to keep control of her senses. They seemed to fluctuate from one extreme to the next. One moment she could hear Jake's sweet breath from across the room, and the next, she could hear only the collective rumbling of background noise.

"Over here," Jake's voice chanted. Candace stopped and turned. _How had he gotten past her?_ Frustrated, Candace let out a low rumbling sound from deep in her throat. A woman with her red hair pulled up in a messy bun gave Candace a wary look. Candace decided to stop pushing her luck and immediately turned back to her human form.

A knowing smile was plastered onto Jake's face as he materialized from among the shadows. Everyone else just looked at Candace as if she were crazy.

"I'm impressed." Jake's voice teased as he drew near.

"Why? I couldn't even find you," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but you _heard_ me." His fingers caressed her ear. That simple action sent shivers rolling along her skin, and throughout her entire body. Her heart was filled with that all too familiar mix of sweet sadness. She could never hold the moment. Time was destined to bring uncertainty.

Hours passed, and Candace decided to rest. Her head swam with the events of the day, and she came to the conclusion that everything had turned out all right. She was safe, but most importantly, Jake was safe. She wanted so badly for him to come to her and let her rest her head against his strong shoulder. Candace may have been stronger than him, but she somehow felt safe whenever he was around. She drifted into a lonely sleep, constantly wondering if he would ever truly be hers.

When Candace awoke, all was quiet. Sleeping bags blanketed the floor. Jared was not among the sleeping rebels, and Candace wondered for a single moment what had happened to the man, but she had soon decided that she really didn't care. The room was filled with the soft breaths of the rebels who Candace had come to trust. Candace was somewhat shocked to see Jane resting. It was apparent that she had also decided that the rebels were not a threat.

The next morning, Jake explained the plan to Candace for that night. After considerable begging from Candace, Mark had agreed to let her join them. Jane was quiet throughout the whole conversation. Although she trusted them, she didn't want to participate in the undoing of the only world she had ever known.

How quickly everything was changing. In the back of Candace's mind, she knew that trusting anybody would be a stupid and careless mistake, but she could not deny the obvious feeling of acceptance that she'd found among the rebels. It scared her to know that underneath it all, each and every one of them had a secret.

The little boy Jimmy was able to camouflage himself against his background. Candace had apologized to the boy for scaring him, and the two quickly became friends. It turned out that Jimmy had been abandoned by his parents at a young age, and had been adopted by one of the rebels.

She could feel how closely knit a community this was. She was sad that they had to sleep on the floor of the warehouse, but no one really seemed to mind. The best part of their day seemed to be when everyone returned back to the base safely after completing their missions.

By noon, Candace was having small conversations with everyone in the warehouse. A girl named Lilith, and her fiancé, Keith, talked about the child they were expecting. When their eyes connected, Candace could see a pure kind of love. A love that would never betray, never wound. Every once in a while, Candace could see Lilith's vision drift off into space as if she could already see her unborn child skipping around a playground in a world devoid of hurt and pain.

Candace was sure that that was the precise reason that Lilith was even in this war. She wanted her child to grow up believing that anything was possible. No one was going to decide her child's fate.

Later that night, Mark pulled the small group together that was to join the mission. Nervous anticipation filled Candace's movements. Jake put his hand on her shoulder to help her calm down, but the action made her even more edgy.

"Candace and Jimmy," Mark inclined his head towards them, "you will enter through the side gate." Mark listed off each of the pair's roles, and Candace felt like she would explode with eagerness. The plan was simple enough. Candace and Jimmy would take out the guards on one side of the building. Mark and Jake would take out the guards on the opposite side of the building, and then each of them would grab as many supplies as they possibly could.

Before they left, Mark caught Candace's arm. "Take care of him," he said somberly.

Candace nodded. It was obvious that the man cared a lot for the boy.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to take care of Jake." Mark gave Candace a knowing smile, and Candace couldn't help but return a soft 'thank you'. She had a kind of self-assurance that she could take whatever was thrown at her, but she couldn't protect Jake when she was so far away.

Candace sniffed the ground, and pointed towards the direction of the building with her paw. Jimmy walked alongside her with a slight bounce in his step. Candace flinched slightly every time his foot came down and crunched the dead leaves that lined the forest floor. They were getting closer and closer to the supply building, and Candace's anxiety was continuously growing.

She wondered if the confidence emanating from the young boy was due to self-assurance or naiveté. Either way, Candace wasn't going to let anything happen to him. The only reason he was coming along was because of his knack for cracking locks.

Candace's paws fell lightly among the dead foliage. She was becoming more and more comfortable in her alternate body. The red wolf was an extension of herself. She couldn't deny the feeling of raw power in the sleek body, or the dominance that her instinct had over her while she inhabited it.

A familiar smell assaulted her senses that she couldn't quite place as she drew near the supply building. The fur on her back stood on end, and her head dropped low. Jimmy didn't sense the change in Candace's behavior, and he continued to bounce forward. It was all the better for Candace though who didn't need the boy worried. Still, she didn't know what triggered her response and she feared the answer.

They came to the edge of the trees and came to a stop as they looked out over the clearing. The supply building stood firmly in the middle of the field with a tall fence surrounding it. Jimmy continued to scan the surrounding area, but Candace merely closed her eyes and listened for movement. She reached out to her surroundings with her senses. A squirrel shuffled along the forest floor. A robin in a faraway tree ruffled its feathers as it settled onto a branch. Farther ahead, in front of them, a small field mouse skittered among the overgrown grass. There was nothing to spark any rational worry from Candace, but a daunting feeling crept over her. Something wasn't right.

Mark's light whistle signaled to Candace that the coast was clear, but she still didn't trust that this raid would be as easy as they had expected. As she moved forward with Jimmy by her side, she sniffed out the guards inside the tall wooden fence. As they approached the gate, Jimmy drew a long metal wire from his green hoodie. His hands were steady as he began to pick the lock. As he worked the lock, he reminded Candace of someone much older.

Candace could smell the single guard, but nothing else indicated his presence. The wind began to pick up, and leaves fluttered down from colorful trees. Such a peaceful scene surrounded them, but Candace knew that this was not a peaceful place. Inside the building were weapons used to tear down the rebels' hope for freedom. Jimmy stood slowly after the lock popped open. His stance was cautious as he pushed open the gate slowly. Gravel surrounded the building on all sides. Candace was surprised at how easily she was able to pad over the jagged rocks.

A man in dark slacks and a long sleeved T-shirt sat on a white chair against the beige building with his arms crossed over his large chest. His head drooped low, and his breathing was soft and rhythmic. Candace hoped that maybe he would stay asleep long enough for them to secure him to the chair.

Suddenly, a strange feeling came over Candace and before she knew it, she was sitting cross-legged on the ground in her human form. When she realized what had happened, she let out a gasp. Jimmy looked at her with wide eyes as the sleeping guard began to stir.

The guard opened his eyes slowly. He shot up, startled, and reached for the large gun to his side. Candace sprung into action and knocked the gun away with her foot. The man reached out to grab Candace's arm, but she jerked back quickly.

"Who are you?" the man grumbled furiously. It was obvious that he didn't take Candace seriously by his stance. Candace was on the offensive, but the man was making no effort to guard himself.   
Instead of answering, Candace jumped and landed a swift kick to his side. The guard stumbled back in surprise, but he was obviously not hurt at all by the attack. He reached forward again in an effort to secure her, but Candace ducked underneath his arm and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was obviously not going to win the fight if she fought fairly. She held on tightly as he attempted to reach for her. Her arms squeezed tightly against his windpipe. He faltered as he began to run out of air. The man fell to his knees and made one last attempt to pull Candace off of his back before he fell on to his stomach, motionless. Candace removed her arms from his neck and he began to breathe once again, but he still did not stir from his unconscious state.

Candace turned to face Jimmy, and she was surprised to see him completely composed. His face portrayed all the seriousness of a soldier.

Mark's second whistle sounded to let Candace know that the guard on the other end was taken care of. Candace silently wondered if he was still alive. Jimmy removed a large duffle bag from inside his backpack. Candace's hands shook as she took it. They opened the storeroom door slowly and carefully crept inside. The light was dim, but Candace could see Mark and Jake enter from the other side of the building.

Candace's heart beat slightly faster as she caught sight of Jake. His serious look subsided into a soft smile as he met Candace's eyes. None of them spoke as they began to grab the weapons from the room. Candace was overly cautious when handling the guns, and when Mark noticed her unease, he directed her over to where the medical supplies were being kept. Relieved, Candace began to stuff the bag full of penicillin, ankle wraps, gauze, and tons of other useful medical supplies. Adrenaline coursed through her, and she enjoyed the feeling.

Each of them froze when they heard one of the doors closest to Candace open slowly. A flashlight beam reflected off of the windows. Candace crouched down and held her breath. How were they going to get out of this one?

Three men and one woman followed the man in, and they looked around cautiously. They looked around every corner and Candace's adrenaline spiked even more.

The woman began to draw closer to Jake, and Candace was ready to intercept her if she made a move for him. Candace froze as the familiar smell hit her once more. The woman was like her, and so was one of the other men. Before she knew what she was doing, Candace stumbled out of the shadows.

"Run. Run!" The word exploded from her mouth before she could stop herself, and the woman turned to face her. Mark grabbed Jimmy's arm and ran out of the building. Jake's wild eyes met Candace's. He took a small step back as if deliberating whether or not to stay. 'Go' Candace mouthed, and Jake nodded once before he turned and jogged out the door.

Candace focused her attention on the woman and the three men that were closing in on her. She wasn't going to give in without a fight. She quickly shifted into her wolf form and a quick look of surprise lit up on the woman's face before she herself transformed into a huge German Shepard. The animal had at least fifty pounds on Candace and its head dropped down between its shoulder blades.

Candace wasn't going to waste time. She leapt towards the Shepard and attempted to latch onto the dog's neck. Before she could, however, it sidestepped to the left, and Candace went tumbling into a pile of empty boxes. She rolled over and stood carefully, making sure she hadn't injured herself in the landing. She shook off the dust from her fur and it went up in a cloud of dirt and powder.

The four men just stood watching as if they were placing bets on a cockfight. Their grins were menacing. Candace pulled her attention away from them, and it suddenly dawned on her that she couldn't win this fight. At least she had bought time for Jake, Mark, and Jimmy to get out before they were captured. She only hoped that Jake didn't do something rash like try and save her.

Candace changed back to her human form. She held her hands up in surrender as the woman changed back as well. The woman began to approach Candace. She looked curiously at her and ran a long finger across Candace's chin. She tilted Candace's head back so that she was looking her directly in the eyes.

"Good choice."

The woman's voice was harsh, but low as if she didn't want the others to hear her. She stepped around so that she was standing behind Candace. She wrapped a long thin rope around Candace's wrists so that they were bound tightly together. Candace couldn't help but wince as the rope cut into her skin. The four men laughed maliciously as they approached Candace. One of them reached down and wrapped his hands tightly around a chunk of Candace's hair. He looked her up and down in a way that made Candace feel uncomfortable.

Not a word was said as they drove Candace away. She stared back at the building and put her hand on the window. Would she ever see Jake again? The thought of not being close to him scared her. He was her protector in this strange and confusing world. Now, she could only hope that the view from the back of the van wouldn't be her last.

The throbbing in her wrists began to subside into numbness as she drifted off into sleep. The hum of the rusty engine became a lullaby, and the hard plastic armrest became a soft pillow.

Candace's dreams were filled with images of a life she couldn't remember. A life that she was doubtlessly being pulled into once more with each passing moment. It was a life without Jake, or the hope of living the life she'd chosen for herself, not the life that she was born into.

A fierce yank of Candace's hair pulled her out of her dreams. Before she knew what was happening, a large needle was thrust into the back of her neck. She was too shocked to cry out in pain, and a tear slid out the side of her eye.

"Is this her?" a gruff voice said. His face was a blur to Candace as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Her description was a match," the woman said quickly.

"Good," the gruff voice answered slowly, "she will be very useful to us."

"You're not going to have her killed?" one of the men asked in disbelief.

"This is the daughter of Katrina Fenlick. She is royalty."

"She's not a shape shifter?" the woman asked in disbelief.

"No. She can do everything her mother could and much, much more."

#

** **

**Episode 7**

"Just like your mother." A man in dark glasses and a black business suit walked around the chair where Candace was seated. Her wrists were bound behind her, and her ankles were strapped to the chair. A throbbing resonated in her shoulder, and she desperately wanted to move it.

More than anything, confusion gripped her mind as she tried to make sense of what was happening. A large metal door creaked open behind where Candace was sitting, and slammed shut moments later with a thud. A boy around Candace's age in a long sleeved button up shirt appeared on Candace's periphery and approached the man slowly. A grin took shape on his face as he observed Candace's grimace. Candace thought she recognized the look in the boy's eyes. It was one she had seen many times in the mirror. Fear and frustration mixed with hope and faith. Candace immediately despised the boy. Either he pitied her and was too cowardly to do anything about it, or he was part of the very thing she was fighting to destroy. As for the man, she felt nothing. Maybe it was because there was obviously nothing worth saving in the dark eyes behind those glasses, but as for the boy, he was young. He, like her, had a choice to make in this battle.

"Who's she?" The question was directed to the large man that stood at least a foot taller than the boy.

"A traitor." The man replied with annoyance. It seemed the man had dealt with "traitors" like her before. There was no surprise in the boy's eyes, just the resignation to the cruelty of routine.

"Where am I?" Candace threw every ounce of bravery and confidence she had left into those three words. Her lips trembled and her gut clenched, but she did her best to remain composed. She had no hope of getting a true answer, and deep down she knew that, but she needed to ask. She needed to have a sense of being. Maybe if she could hold on to some idea of the situation she was in, she might be able to wiggle her way out of it.

"Why, you're home," the man replied with a hint of a smile. _Home._ She didn't doubt that she was back in the Order's hands where she started, but she now saw a different side of them. Reality betrayed the image of stability and nobility that she remembered from her dreams. Her memories had slowly returned to her in her sleep, but they were broken. To Candace, they didn't seem real. It was no longer the life she lived. This was not her home.

Part of her desperately wanted to break free and run as far as she could, but this man knew about her. His words echoed through her mind, _Just like your mother._ She did not have enough awareness before to truly make sense of it, but now they hit her like a freight train. He knew who she was. He knew what she was. The truth seemed so close she could taste it. Maybe something good might come out of this. Something she had been striving for from the moment she woke in the hospital next to Petunia.

"Where. Am. I." Candace repeated defiantly. Without warning, the man's hand flew towards her with blinding speed. The sharp pain shocked Candace, but there was an underlying feeling to the pain that Candace couldn't quite place. It made a chill go down her spine, and her stomach churned as if she might vomit. He smiled knowingly.

"That didn't feel so good, did it?" He touched her hand. Was she imagining the spark that flew from her fingertips? Candace shuddered from the pain. She began to feel lightheaded, and the voices from outside the room seemed much louder. It was as if her senses were becoming overloaded. She closed her eyes to shield them from the penetrating light coming off from the tall lamp in the corner of the room.

"Dad..." The boy said as he stepped closer to the man. His fathers eyebrows shot up as if questioning his son's ability to stomach what he was doubtlessly about to do. He drew a long thin blade out of his right breast pocket. Candace cringed as the man touched the knife to Candace's right temple.

"You know what we want." He told Candace, and she attempted to move her head away from the knife, but she was tied all too securely to the chair.

"Dad..." The boy repeated.

"We need answers." The words were directed to his son who looked down to the ground and took a small step back. Candace didn't know whether to be touched by the gesture of him standing up for her, or to laugh at his cowardice when confronted by his father. Either way, she wasn't getting out of the chair without giving the man the location of the rebels camp.

She quickly decided that she would rather be cut to pieces, at least,until they're given enough time to pack and change locations. She vaguely wondered what Jane was doing in the midst of all of this. Even though the last time she had seen Jane was the night before, it felt like a lifetime.

"Alright, why don't you just make this easy and give us what we need." The man said. Candace snorted, and the man's face fell into a frown.

"Why don't you just make this easy on _yourself_ and just kill me." Candace was surprised at the bravery she possessed. She would need each and every ounce of it if she were going to keep her mouth shut. She knew that the group was packing up and moving the base at that very moment, but she needed to buy them some time. Yes. She would give this man what he wanted, but not in time for it to make any difference.

"Oh don't you worry little girl, you're gonna survive this." The words weren't meant to be comforting. Candace cringed as she braced herself for the pain. The first cut burned like fire as the man slipped the knife down Candace's forearm. The boy left, and the man chuckled as if it amused him to see his son's discomfort.

Again, Candace's nerves carried with them a feeling of distasteful power, and left a bitter taste in her mouth. The pain from her arm began to dull, but she was still consumed with fear.

A knock sounded on the door, and the man turned towards it. He let out an annoyed grunt as he opened it.

"What?" He asked.

"Um... Sergeant Maller...Sir. The field is on fire." The man spoke hurriedly as if he were anxious to leave.

Maller gave him a droll stare and shook his head. He gave Candace a pointed look. "Don't worry. I'll be back."

Candace let out a sigh of relief. The tension remained in the room, but her fear eased when he left. It gave her time to think about how she would escape this. A rattling on the doorknob interrupted her thoughts, and she moaned in aggravation. Her eyes stared straight ahead as the doorknob behind her continued to rattle. When the noise finally stopped, Candace let out a sigh of relief, and closed her eyes.

All too soon, the door opened once more, and the man that went by the name Maller entered. His face was red, and his hair was disheveled. Black ash was smeared along the side of his face.

"I don't have time for this." His voice was much more desperate than before. "Tell me where they are!"

A smile crept to Candace's lips at the sight at his annoyance. He pulled out the blade once more, but this time the cut was to Candace's collarbone, and it was much deeper than before. She cried out from the pain, but she locked her teeth together in an effort to muffle the sound. She spit at Maller's feet, and he looked up at her slowly. She didn't even realize that he had lifted his hand before the pain came crashing into her. The chair fell over on its side, and Candace coughed out a cry. She was still strapped securely to the chair, and her head rested on the cement floor.

Maller jerked the chair upright, and Candace spit once again, but this time there was more blood than spit that landed at his feet. Her teeth were covered with blood as she opened her mouth into a big smile. His frustration was mounting, and she was enjoying watching him squirm.

"Why do you hate me so much?" She asked suddenly. This seemed to surprise Maller. He looked her in the eyes with curiosity, but didn't reply. She counted down the seconds silently until the moment she deemed that it would be okay to tell him where the base was. She imagined Jake arguing with Mark about whether they would attempt a rescue mission. She knew Mark's rationality would win out, and the group would move on, and she would remain a fond memory. She was thankful for that, but also sad. She desperately wanted to see Jake and the rest of them again, but she knew there was a very slim chance of that happening.

"I'm giving you one last chance." Maller said slowly. "Tell me where they are. Now."

Candace kept her teeth locked as blood streamed out the end of her mouth. "No."

Without hesitation, Maller's hand came up once more, but this time everything went black from the moment of impact.

His eyes glowed red as he wrapped his arms around her waist. A dangerous anger radiated through his skin as he lifted her in his arms. Time seemed to slow as she melted into the rhythm of his step.

"What's happening?" It was obvious she was dreaming.

"Shh."

Her skin tingled with warmth in that moment. Her marred flesh became new, and her hope was restored. "Where am I?" She asked with the most vulnerability she had shown since being captured.

The building's tall black ceiling opened up into a flawless blue sky. She sank to her knees in the tall, soft grass of a meadow. Flowers bloomed around her, but they couldn't distract her from the pain she felt. _Am I dead?_ The thought echoed throughout her mind, but there was no fear, no desperation, only the thought of freedom from the pain.

"No," said the familiar voice that seemed to hang in the air above her head. Had she said the words aloud? His skin smelled of cinnamon, and his hair fell to just below his ears in a beautiful mess. She still couldn't make out his facial features, but she was sure they were just as beautiful as the calm voice that mended her soul and made everything okay. Only one other person had made her feel this way, but he was gone, and she had gone to a place where her knight in shining armor could never find and save her.

A feeling of guilt and anguish suddenly broke through the trance she was in, and she struggled against her savior's soft grasp. _I can't be here._ She thought, and a single tear fell from her eyes. "I can't..." The words slipped from her mouth, and the flowers around her wilted as if in grief.

"Candace." The voice pleaded, and the sound of it sent a shiver through her spine. "Candace, please..." He cried out. She looked up at his face. She could make out the twisted expression, but that was all as he pulled away, and the pain returned to her limbs.

Her eyes shot open from the aching in her body, but it was much less than before. It was bearable. Something or someone had taken it away and healed her, but as she looked around the room, there was no sign that anyone had ever entered, save for the single lily that lay on her bedside table. She examined her surroundings. She was sure the bedroom door was locked from the outside, and she was trapped.

When morning came, the sergeant looked somewhat surprised by her fast recovery, but it was obvious that he attributed it to the fact that she had a supernatural power within her. Candace knew better, the boy from her dreams had healed her. She didn't know how, but she knew it was true. He sneered at her and she met his glare with a ferocious persistence.

Days passed and Candace stayed in her room. Maller seemed content with not knowing the location of the camp. He was smart enough to realize that they would have already moved on. Candace sat for hours staring at the door until one morning, Maller entered once again. He threw at her the bag that dangled from his side.

"Get dressed. You're going back to school. My son will keep an eye on you." What was his motive for sending her to school? Maybe he realized that keeping her isolated in the small room would drive her crazy in time. Even so, it was hard to believe that Maller would let his cowardice son watch over a goldfish, let alone his prisoner, but it was all the better. He was foolish to think she couldn't escape his son. This would be her big break, her way out.

Candace limped from the room once she was dressed. Her limbs ached, but she tried her best not to let the pain distract her from her goal. She would get out. She would find Jake, and she would make it all okay.

The sunlight blinded Candace as she stepped outside. She had spent so long in the darkness. The boy she had seen only nights before greeted her with a mocking smile. His eyes looked tired though, and he seemed uncomfortable. All the better. Candace felt no pity for the boy. As far as she was concerned, this boy was an accomplice to her pain.

"Get a good night's sleep?" He asked with laughter in his voice. How could he be so callous? So cruel?In that moment, Candace didn't doubt that she would tear him apart limb from limb given the chance.

"What happened to you?" Candace took a closer look at the boy's features. A light bruise had formed just above his eyes, and he grimaced as he walked, as if each step was painful. Candace wondered if his father had beaten him. A flash of pity swept through her, but she reminded herself that this boy was the enemy.

"What's it to you?" He returned with a bite. "I accept the fact that I have to babysit wolf girl, but please spare me from having to listen to you speak."

Candace ignored him and continued to walk towards the school. Both of them limped in rhythm and she laughed under her breath with cruel satisfaction.

The school was not the same as the oneshe had previously attended. The tall fences surrounded a large structure that reminded Candace more of a prison than a place for learning. Candace walked confidently towards the building, but on the inside, she was screaming at herself. The 'what if's' plagued her mind as she walked beside the boy she wished was Jake. She hadn't paid much attention to him, and didn't even know his name. He hadn't offered it to her, and she refused to ask. Now, she had to walk forward with all of the dignity she had left.

The classes were extremely formal, and never once was a student given permission to speak during class time. The time in between classes was spent quietly retrieving items from lockers, and moving on to more classes. People kept their heads and eyes low. While Candace was organizing her locker for the next day's classes, a large shoulder slammed into the metal that lined the locker next to hers.

"My names Landen, by the way." A mischievous smile formed on the boy's lips. Candace gave him a droll stare. Her eyes traced his face, but all she saw was the face of someone who stood by while she was tortured. She wanted to keep telling herself that she hated the boy, but she couldn't help feel a little sorry for him. Something told her that his relationship with his dad wasn't the best, and that the limp was probably the result of an argument they had gotten into.

Candace looked down at the ground but didn't respond. The air seemed to cool down suddenly around them, and the hair of her arms stood on end. She resumed organizing her locker in an effort to distract herself from the uncomfortable feeling that she got whenever she was around Landen. She couldn't tell if it was anger or fear that made her want to run whenever he came near her. Part of her wanted to ask him all of the questions that she had been longing to ask about herself and her past.

Landen turned just in time to avoid getting smashed into a locker by an out of control fight. The two boys wrestled against the lockers, and Candace flashed back to the memory of when she and Jake had broken up the fight in the school's courtyard, but she wasn't in the mood to break this one up. Landen took a couple of steps back and met Candace's eyes with a warning to stay out of it. Why did he care? By the time a teacher arrived, the two boys had blended back into the crowd and no one seemed willing to give up their identities. The teacher, whom Candace recognized as her middle aged English teacher, wore a threatening scowl. Her eyes shot daggers at the crowd. Candace vaguely wondered what the punishment for fighting was at the school, and shuddered as she shook the thought from her mind.

Suddenly, the locker door slammed shut forcefully. Landen's silver eyes pierced hers when they met. Behind the malicious look he gave her, it was as if he was pleading with her to understand. To acknowledge him in any way, even if it meant slapping him. She told herself that he was an attention-seeker, desperately trying to find a way into her life. She had tried so hard to ignore him. Sometimes she wanted to scream at him, and sometimes she wanted to break down and beg him to take the pain away. What his father had done to her was unforgivable, and he had been there. He had just stood and watched as each cut had been torn into her skin. She winced as the memories came flooding back to her.

The walk home was spent in awkward silence. Landen kept his hands tucked deep inside his pockets. His hair fell sloppily over his eyes as he looked down at the ground. Each step brought them closer and closer to the place that she dreaded. Candace couldn't help but notice how Landen looked twice as uncomfortable as she did.

When the two of them reached the road that would lead them back to Landen's prison of a home, he turned in the opposite direction. Candace was curious about where he was taking her, but decided to follow without questioning his intentions. The longer she was away from that place, the better.

They walked silently side by side for what seemed like forever. The wind began to pick up, and dogs barked from the yards of nearby houses.

"I never imagined I would still be here." His voice carried a new tone that shocked Candace for reasons she didn't quite understand. Every time he spoke, it was as if he was a different person. This was the first time he had confronted her with softness.

"What do you mean?" Candace asked hesitantly. She wanted to find an opening to talk about what he knew about who she was. Her voice was a pitch higher than she would have liked, but he didn't notice.

"I always dreamed of getting out; of running away. This was never the life I wanted, or planned for. My father...He hasn't always been like that you know..." Candace couldn't care less about Landen's father. He had, in fact, tortured her, after all.

"How did he used to be?" She asked, but it was difficult for her to make it sound like she cared.

He looked at her, but didn't answer. They continued their walk in silence. Candace watched her feet, and had the vague feeling of his eyes on her. They passed structures similar to that of Landen's home, dark and bleak. Soon, however, every trace of civilization began to fade from the scene until all that was left was a field. The concrete turned to gravel, and then to dirt. Candace told herself that she should run and get out of this place, but she worried about the fate of Landen if she did. She knew she would not be able to push away the feeling of guilt if something happened to him.

Finally, they came upon an old barn. The abandoned structure creaked and moaned in the wind. A large crow flew overhead with an unwelcoming squawk. The structure smelled of dirt and dried hay. Landen opened the door slowly, and it sent a large cloud of dust floating throughout the air. The sun was still high overhead, but the inside of the barn was dark with only small streams of light flowing in through the cracks in the ceiling.

Landen began to ascend a tall ladder that led to a small balcony just below the ceiling. It was obvious that he had been here before. Old couch cushions formed the seat where he rested. Candace was still apprehensive, but she decided that it wouldn't hurt to rest for a while, away from all of the craziness that she had been pulled into.

"You really can't remember any of it, can you?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "It must be hard." He looked down at the ground as if he was afraid that if he were to look at her, he would betray a small hint of pity. Candace could tell there was softness underneath his rough exterior. It was so hard to hate this boy.

"I think the hardest part about all of it is that there are no memories for me to pull strength from." She was surprised at her words. Not only was she surprised that she had let him in on a small piece of her pain, but she was also surprised that she had just confessed to him something that she didn't even know she felt. She had been so focused on not breaking. She had tried so hard to not succumb to the heartache of losing Jake, Jane, Mark, and the other rebels. She could only hope they were okay. Now, she was being honest to herself, not just Jake.

He rested his head back against the wooden shelf just above them. "Sometimes, I just close my eyes and imagine that everything was different, but it's always hard when I open them and realize that it was all a fantasy."

"I feel that way sometimes, too." She said.

He rolled his head toward her, and she had to keep from turning to look into his silvery eyes. In a way, she understood him. She understood why he had acted so cruel towards her the first time they had met. He had been trained to keep up a wall. It was obvious that he didn't know very many people with a good heart. His father was obviously not the best role model, and it didn't look like he had a mother in the picture at all.

"This war...I don't really know much about it. I certainly don't remember anything about it. I guess I have just picked the side that seemed the kindest." Candace laughed lightly at herself. It seemed so ridiculous to her that she had made the decision so easily.

"You know... I understand, I think. People just want to be loved." He shrugged,"to be honest, I think the whole thing is dumb. People killing each other for no reason. I say just let everyone do what they want."

"But that's what all the rebels are trying to do. They just want the freedom to live their own lives."

"I guess, but I wonder what our lives would be like without all of the fighting." Landen had a knowing look in his eyes.

"What would they be like?" Candace asked curiously.

"For one, my mother would still be alive. There is no excuse for what my father did to you, but he wasn't always that way. Before my mother died, he used to help me practice baseball. His eyes used to light up every time I hit the ball past the fence behind the bases. Now...I can't remember the last time I've seen him really smile."

Candace smiled. It was she could do. She couldn't pretend to understand the feeling of watching someone you loved slip away, or to be emotionally abandoned by someone else who claimed to love you.

Candace told him her fears and her hopes. She told him of the glimpses of her past that had been revealed to her through her dreams. She told him of Jake, and Mark. Most of all, she trusted him. It was as if the pain he had experienced in his life created a bond between the two of them.

The sun began to descend, and soon, it was touching the horizon. Candace and Landen sat and watched it, until it disappeared. Landen let out a soft sigh, and his facial features resumed that of the tough heartless boy that Candace now understood was just a front.

"We have to go." He said, and he held his hand out to Candace to help her down the ladders steps. She took it, and began to descend. Landen followed close behind, and neither one of them said a single word as they walked the road that led to Landen's home.

Candace learned that Landen's fathers name was Brant, and Brant certainly wasn't happy when the two arrived. Candace was locked away in the small bedroom down the hall from the bathroom. She placed her hand gingerly on the door, and then her forehead. She felt so powerless, but she could only hope Jake wasn't looking for her.The last thing she needed was to see him hurt.

Sleep didn't come easily. Candace struggled to keep her eyes shut as they flew open with each bump of the ceiling above her. When she was finally able to drift off into her dreams, they greatly resembled the one she had the night before.

"How are you feeling?" The soft voice asked.

"Better...I think." She replied shyly.

A hand came out and touched her throbbing shoulder, and the soreness seemed to flood out of it. The figure sucked in a sharp breath as if in pain.

"Are you..."

"I'm fine." The voice replied before she could finish her thought. "It's just..." He didn't continue, and instead placed his hand on her knee and took away more of her pain.

"Why can't I see your face?" She asked as she reached up to touch his cheek.

"You're dreaming." He replied tauntingly.

"No...you're real... I can feel it. I can feel you." He pulled back from her hand and grasped it with his own. No pain was left in her entire body. Whatever he was, he was taking it away.

"What are you?"

"No. The question is what are _you_?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, but only silence met her question. Candace cried out in frustration. The figure looked at her curiously.

"We are connected. The question is...why?"

"You're making no sense."

"I have never been able to do... _this_ before.... I have never been able to connect with someone so easily in their dreams."

"So you are real." Candace said teasingly. Her worries floated away when she was with him. He was a perfect stranger, and yet she felt so much like she knew him.

"Yes." He said sadly.

"Do I know you?"

A foggy grin appeared on his face. He seemed to enjoy knowing more than she did. Candace accepted that he wouldn't answer her question, so she moved on to the next one.

"You healed me, didn't you?"

"Yes. You have that ability, too."

He had a way of creating more questions with each one he answered, and Candace's curiosity was mounting.

"I can heal your mind and restore your memories, but only if you want me to."

"Yes!" She said quickly. "Do it!" Her pulse seemed to speed up rapidly. The world slowed down, and she stepped back in a daze.

"No. Not yet. Think carefully, and I will if it is what you really want. Think carefully about the consequences, Candace."

"What consequences?" She asked quickly, but he was gone. She kicked the ground in impatience. A puff of dirt went up in the air all at once, and Candace found herself coughing hysterically. Laughter came from the distance. It was soft and sweet, but sadness flowed with it. Candace looked up at her surroundings, and recognized the barn she had sat in with Landen only hours before.

It all seemed to come together, and Candace felt so stupid that she hadn't seen it before.

"Landen." It wasn't a question, and tears fell from her eyes as she realized who her hidden angel had been. The angel that had taken away all of her pain and had taken it on as his own was Landen and he could return her memories.

The next morning, Candace waited impatiently for her bedroom door to be unlocked. She wanted to confront Landen about her dreams, but was worried that he might think she was crazy. What if she was wrong? She quickly shooed the thought away. She knew what she felt. She had recognized that soft voice whispering into her ears. Before she would confront Landen, she first needed to make sense of what it was she was feeling. Was it gratitude for taking her pain away? Was it anger for being lied to? Was it happiness that she had found a friend in all of this, or was it regret for treating him the way she had?

Candace looked up into the small mirror that clung to the wall. She blocked out her image with her fingers. Again, she was riddled with all of her confused emotions.

More than anything, she decided, she wanted answers. She wanted to know what he had meant when he said that they were connected.

The lock finally turned in her bedroom door. It was all she could do to sit still on the bed. Landen's father was the one to greet her, and he handed her a fresh set of clothes. She couldn't help but look at him in a different light. She imagined him throwing the ball to Landen on a baseball field, and saying goodbye to his wife when she passed away. It was obvious that he felt what he was doing was right. The Order was no doubt an institution that had been around for a long time. Some people just could not accept change.

Candace dressed quickly once he left, and put her hair up into a messy bun. She waited once more for the door to be opened, and when it finally was, it was Landen standing on the other side. He smiled half-heartedly.

Once they were outside, and out of ears reach of Landen's father, Candace asked all at once, "It was you, wasn't it?"

"What was me?" He smiled in a way that made her furious. She pulled him to a stop.

"It was you last night, wasn't it?" She asked in a harsh whisper. Landen cringed and looked around him.

"Yes." He said quietly, and pulled himself from her grasp. He continued walking with his hands in his pocket and his eyes forward.

"Do you want to explain?" Candace asked as she jogged to his side. Her frustration was mounting.

"No."

"You said you could return my memories."

"I also said you should think on it. You caught on to me a lot faster than I anticipated."

"You said we were connected."

"I do recall."

"What does that even mean?" She asked in desperation.

It was Landen's turn to stop. Sadness gripped his expression, and he looked to the floor. "You look just like her, you know."

"Who?"

"Your mother. You know, you are a lot more powerful than you think."

"How...how do you know?"

Landen sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Candace knew that he was crossing a line by answering her question, and she didn't blame him for his hesitation, but she needed to know. She forced herself to take a breath and let Landen gather his thoughts.

"You're called a messenger. You can basically absorb the abilities of the people closest to you, which is probably why you grew up thinking you were a shape shifter."

"How do you know all of this?" She asked. Her blood pressure was rising. A voice in the back of her mind told her to stop asking questions, but she couldn't. She knew that the answers she uncovered might be dangerous, but she just didn't care.

"Because I'm like you." His shirt rippled in the wind, and raindrops began hitting the ground lightly. They ran down Candace's forehead, and her cheeks. She looked up at the sky in desperation as the rain began coming down harder and harder. Landen put his hand up over his head, and everything froze within a few feet of them.

Candace looked around in shock, and touched a drop that was suspended in mid air lightly with her finger. "That's amazing."

"You should have seen what my mother could do." He looked at Candace thoughtfully, and smiled as she looked around in awe.

"We're gonna be late." Candace said under her breath.

"Don't worry about it, I was planning on letting you go today, anyway." She looked at him in astonishment.

"What about you?"

"About that, I was kind of hoping I could go with you." He looked hopingly at her. Candace trusted him. She felt like she already knew him, but the rational side of her made her ask how much about him she really knew. She could be leading the Order straight to the rebel army. Could she really risk the chance that he wasn't the person she thought he was?

"How do I know I can trust you?" She asked quietly, afraid she would offend him. He looked at her with amusement.

"We have the same mother. Candace, I am your half brother."

#

** **

**Episode 8**

Candace lost her breath as she looked into Landen's eyes. It seemed impossible to her that he could be telling the truth, but then again, everything in her world seemed impossible. She stumbled back in a daze, and Landen's eyes deepened into a newfound sense of concern for Candace.

"You look like you're gonna be sick." He said with his hand out as if he were ready to catch her were she to fall. The world began to swarm around her. She should be used to surprises by now, shouldn't she? She grasped her head.

"I'll be fine," she said lightly, but she knew it wasn't true. She couldn't make sense of this world, and every time she thought she had a grasp on what was going on, she was caught up in a whole new situation. Landen was her brother, and now she had to make sense of what that really meant.

"Our parents?"

"We share the same mother, but not the same father."

"So that's why your dad hates me so much," she mused.

"Yeah, that's part of it." He snickered as if he were in on a secret joke. She couldn't understand how he could take in the whole situation so light heartedly, and for a moment, anger built up inside of her.

"Where is she? Who is my father?" She said with haste. Landen could sense the fire building up in her voice.

"I don't know where she is to be honest, and I don't know who your father is. All I know is that my dad always made such a big deal about our mother cheating on him. I've seen pictures. You look like her, you know." A car passed by and Candace jumped back unexpectedly, tripping over the curb. Landen jumped forward and caught her before she hit the ground. He sighed and stepped back as if urging her to stay calm.

Candace took a long moment to absorb everything he was saying. Landen stood with his hands tucked into his pockets and stared down at his feet absentmindedly. He wasn't impatient, but time seemed to go by slowly, and his stress was building.

"So now what?"

"What do you mean?" He looked confused as an elephant that was being asked to jump. It didn't occur to him to think of the consequences of telling her the truth. He knew he would help her if she asked him to, but he was afraid to take the first step. He needed her to ask.

"It wont be long until people come looking for us, and we have no idea where the other rebels have moved to. Where do we go from here?"

"One step at a time I guess." He replied.

"We should do something while we're here."

He sighed. "You're crazy. You were just tortured...You need to take some time to relax."

"And I'm better now, thanks to you." She nudged him. "Who is the leader of The Order?"

"We call her Queen Marie. If you're thinking about going after her, than you're crazy. She is insanely strong, and guards constantly surround her. I don't think you understand how big this government really is."

"The United States government has no idea they even exist?"

"Ohh... you're getting into major conspiracy territory. I personally think that it does, or at least a section of the government does, but I don't know for sure."

"They can't possibly approve of what's going on. What if we got their help?"

He laughed at her like she was a child with an irrational thought, and Candace's face grew red.

"How do you suppose we do that?" He dragged the words out.

Candace sat sown on the curb, and looked up at the sky. There had to be somebody that she could talk to; some way to get their attention...

"What if we got a newspaper to print a story?"

Landen raised his eyebrows. "What good would that do us? Everyone will think we are completely psycho."

"Exactly."

"You aren't making sense." He said slowly.

"If there really is a piece of the government that knows what's going on, than a story in the newspaper is bound to get their attention. Everyone else will blow it off as a conspiracy theory." Candace finished and it took a few minutes for Landen to respond.

"That's actually not a bad idea." He said slowly, although he knew the whole idea was a stretch.

Candace smiled proudly, "now, all we need is a newspaper that is willing to hear our story, let alone print it."

"Wait, hold on. Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" She asked harshly as if she were offended.

"Why do you care about The Order. No one will come looking for us if we bolt right now."

Candace thought about that for a moment. She had never considered running away. Everything she wanted was mixed up in the complexities of the war. Jake wouldn't leave, and neither would she.

"This is not about us." She said quietly. Landen sighed, and after a minute, he spoke again.

"I actually might know of a newspaper that will print our story. No promises, but the Newfield Inquirer prints crazy stories all the time. "

"Alright, lets start there." Candace said with a huge smile on her face. She had come out of the mess of being kidnapped and had found herself not only a brother, but most importantly, a new friend.

The walk downtown was long, but it gave Candace and Landen time to think about everything that was happening. Candace had found a long lost brother, had been tortured, and had devised a plot to take down a corrupted secret government all in a few short days. Despite the urgency of the situation, she and Landen talked of their favorite foods, television shows, and music. Once again, with him by her side, she felt a little less lonely in the world. She had someone who had had experiences similar to her own, and now the world seemed a whole lot smaller and more manageable.

They walked until the sun began to set, and when they finally arrived on a street corner, Landen picked up a newspaper from a basket outside of a tall building. The Newfield enquirers headquarters was a lot larger than she had imagined, and she walked cautiously through the revolving doors while skimming the article headlines: 'Cat may be a product of alien experimentation', and 'Man Claims to be Pregnant with a Litter of Mice'.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all..." She whispered.

"No, We're here. We have to go through with it." He said with a hint of laughter.

The two walked up to the front desk. A woman on the phone gave them a signal to sit down. Candace looked behind her to the waiting area where several people were sitting reading assorted magazines. A woman with a turkey bone sticking up out of her mess of hair looked up at Candace as she reluctantly took a seat next to the woman. Landen sat across from her with a large smirk plastered on his face. Candace could tell he was enjoying watching her squirm.

"Next!" The woman at the desk called, and a man stumbled forward from where he was seated. "Hello Marlin." The woman said to the man. It was obvious she had seen him several times before. "Lilia will be right with you."

One by one, people were called up, and taken to a room to their right. Soon, only Landen and Candace remained.

"Next!" The woman called once more, and Candace reluctantly rose from where she was seated. "Come on sweetheart, I don't have all day. Name please?"

"Uh...Candace..."

"Last name?" The woman asked. She didn't even attempt to mask the annoyance in her voice.

"Klein." Landen broke in.

"Alright, Candace _Klein_ _._ Chelsea will see you shortly."

Just like that, a door to their right opened, and a tall girl met them with a tired smile. She ushered Candace and Landen in.

The room felt confining to Candace, and she squirmed in her seat. Landen watched her, and laughed again under his breath. He understood the confined feeling that she felt.

"Candace and..." The girl motioned toward Landen.

"Landen."

"...Landen. I'm Chelsea. I am an intern here at the Newfield Inquirer. So I understand you have a story for me?"

She looked skeptically at them, like she had heard enough crazy stories to last a lifetime.

"We are trying to get the U.S governments attention in order to take down a supernatural government called 'The Order'," Candace practically spit out. Landen gave her a droll look.

Chelsea looked down at her notepad without writing a single word and sighed. "Why are you trying to take down 'The Order'?" She asked.

"Because it's corrupt. The whole system is falling apart. People are being forced into specific career positions based on the family they were born into." Landen spoke professionally, without a hint of insecurity. Candace looked at him with envy. She could not understand how he was so composed. They were diving headfirst into a war, and he had been full of laughs and smiles since they left his home.

"Alright, I'll take your story under consideration, and I'll give you a call if I decide to write it." She closed her notebook.

Candace slowly began to stand, but Landen remained seated. He looked Chelsea in the eyes, and all at once, his eyes began to glow blue. Candace was almost as shocked as Chelsea who stumbled back in confusion.

"What was that?" She asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, what was that?" Candace asked. Landen ignored her and focused on Chelsea.

"I'm telling you. This is real, and we can't do anything to assist a major revolution without your help."

Chelsea still looked skeptical as if she had just seen a rabbit pulled out of a hat, but she stayed and gave Landen the chance to explain.

"I know this is hard to believe, but my, err...sister and I are not exactly human."

"What are you?"

He told her of the different kinds of supernatural beings, and how he and Candace could absorb the abilities of others. All the while, Chelsea looked entertained, but not completely convinced. She resembled a writer who had stumbled onto a major story. Landen told her of how Candace had lost her memory, and to that, she gave Candace a look of sympathy. Landen also told her of how Candace was tortured and how the two of them came to meet.

"That certainly is a good story." She said when they were finished. She scribbled something down in her notebook, "but how much hard evidence do you have to back it up?"

"You printed a story about a cat who was created by aliens..."

"That wasn't me. That was some other writer. I do not plan on working for this hole in the wall for the rest of my life. I would like to keep some of my credibility for when I decide to find work elsewhere."

"This is important." Candace said flatly.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't." She opened the door, but before she could walk out, it slammed shut in front of her.

"What the?"

"What we are telling you is the truth." Landen said in annoyance. His hand was outstretched towards the door as if he were holding it shut, but he was standing seven feet away. Candace was just beginning to realize how powerful Landen really was. She wondered in the back of her mind if his father even knew what he could do. Part of her felt frightened that she might have that much power locked deep down inside of her.

Chelsea looked at him more with curiosity than fear, but Candace could tell she was frightened.

"We're not going to hurt you," she said softly, "we just want your help."

Landen dropped his hand and sat back down. He rested his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands.

"We just need you to print the story like we told it to you." A glint of worry that was rare for Landen glowed in his eyes.

Chelsea's eyes showed genuine belief as she took in the two of them as if for the first time.

"You two are for real, huh?"

Candace nodded.

She sat down in a daze and looked back and forth between Candace and Landen.

"Alright. I'll do it. Just promise me one thing..."

"Anything." Candace said with desperation.

"That I won't be assassinated or anything."

Landen looked at her and nodded. "I don't think they will hurt you, but if they try, we will make sure you are protected."

"You don't think they will try and hurt her, do you?" Candace asked Landen when they were once again outside the building.

"No, I don't, but they might try toapproach her if only to get to us."

Candace looked down at the ground. She didn't want anything to happen to the girl, but she knew it was a risk they had to take. Who knew how much time they all had before the rebel base was taken over and they were completely defeated? Would they execute those who had betrayed them? She didn't even want to think about them hurting Jake. She wanted The Order to be stripped of all its corrupted leaders and taken down to its foundation.

"So what do we do now?" She asked.

"Now, we wait for an answer."

The next few days passed by slowly until a new edition of the newspaper was finally published. Candace was amazed at how accurately Chelsea was able to tell their story. It was only a matter of time until someone came looking for the author of the article. Candace could only hope that whoever did was a friend and not an enemy.

Chelsea invited Candace and Landen to stay with her after the article was published. Candace could tell that she was worried about her safety, and although she was still skeptical about the entirety of their story, she didn't want to take the chance that they were right. She was clearly shaken by what she had discovered, but Candace was impressed at how composed she appeared.

"Make yourselves at home." Chelsea gestured at the apartment living room. Piles of books littered the ground. A single couch sat pointed towards an empty wall. Chelsea did not own a TV. She said she didn't believe in them.

Landen threw himself on her couch to take a nap. "Wake me if anything exciting happens," he said without opening his eyes.

Candace sighed as she sat cross-legged at Chelsea's kitchen table. The two girls spoke quietly about nothing in particular. Part of Candace wanted someone to come knocking at the front door in that very instant so the nervous feeling in her gut could subside, but she also enjoyed the friendly conversation she was having with Chelsea. Candace couldn't remember a time when she had a conversation that didn't involve spirit eaters, healers, or some other kind of being. She relished the normalcy of her conversation with Chelsea.

"How long have you wanted to be a writer?" She asked quietly.

"Since high school. I had an amazing English teacher who showed sincere interest in my future, which is more than I can say for my parents. She encouraged me every step of the way. We still talk today. I think what she really wanted to do with her life was become a writer of like, novels and stuff. I guess she never quite got there."

"Do you guys still talk?"

"Oh yeah! All the time! She just had a baby. She's so cute! I can't wait to babysit her." She looked off into the distance as if she were in another place and time. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a mother."

"I'm sure you would be a great mom." Candace said. She sincerely believed it too. Chelsea had a way of making people feel at ease. She was self assured, but not egotistical. Chelsea smiled at her and she had a glint in her eyes.

"So what do you want to do with your life?"

Candace was shocked at the question. She had never really thought about it. Her life had been so hectic; she never stopped to wonder what she would do when all of this chaos was over with.

"I don't know." She responded.

"Well, you could be anything. A teacher, a musician, a doctor..."

"I've never really thought about it. I guess teaching sounds cool, but I don't know how good I would be at it."

"Oh, just think of it," Chelsea said with that familiar glint in her eye, "you can be anything. The world is completely open to you. There are so many opportunities. So many paths you can take."

Candace smiled at the thought, but she still didn't really know what she was good at. This world was new to her, and that was part of the majesty of it.

A knock at the door broke through their conversation. Landen shot up from his place on the couch and headed cautiously towards the door. The three of them stood still for a long while. Landen held up a finger to silence them as he slowly turned the doorknob. Candace stood in front of Chelsea protectively.

"I'm looking for Chelsea Malrick." The gruff voice said from the door. He wore a short goatee and a long sleeve button up shirt. He spoke with a professional manner, but there was a dangerous vibe that radiated off of him. "It's about an article that was written this past Sunday."

"Who are you?" Landen asked roughly. He wasn't taking any chances with the guy.

"I would prefer to discuss the matter with Chelsea," He returned curtly.

Laden reluctantly motioned for him to enter. It was obvious that his guard was up. Candace had no doubt that Landen could detain him in seconds, so she stepped out from in front of Chelsea. She was prepared to launch herself at the man if he even looked at Chelsea the wrong way.

"I'm here to talk about an article that was published recently. You see, I work for a special division of the government that is interested in this particular...err... conspiracy theory."

"Can I see some I.D.?" Landen asked flatly. The man never broke eye contact with him as he handed Landen his I.D. When Landen looked up, he gave Candace a conformational glance.

"I just want to ask about your motivation for writing this article. My name is Greg Mar, and I am very interested in the story behind it."

Chelsea flushed, and her hands began to shake. Candace moved to stand next to her, and Chelsea noticeably relaxed.

Candace took a moment to study Greg. He had a short beard that was well kept. He was wearing a golden wedding ring, and had several wrinkles around his eyes. They were the kind someone might get from years of laughter, and although she couldn't necessarily see the man as anything other than stern, this fact made her relax slightly.

"If it's alright, might I talk to Chelsea alone?" He looked pointedly at Landen who was eyeing him cautiously.

"Fat chance." He grunted, but Chelsea broke in.

"It's okay." She said bravely.

"Are you sure?" Candace asked startled.

"Yeah." She put her hand on Candace's shoulder and slowly moved towards the door in the back of the room.

Landen and Candace were left in the kitchen, and they took a seat at the old wooden table that stood near the window. Landen fidgeted with agitation, and Candace sat still thinking about what they were going to do next. She began to have doubts about their plan. It just seemed all too convenient that only days after the story was published, someone came looking for the author.

"The badge said CIA." Landen said quietly.

Candace and Landen looked up suddenly as Chelsea and Greg entered the kitchen. Greg gave them a weary glance, and then left.

"What did you tell them?" Candace asked quickly.

"Everything." Chelsea responded quietly. Landen clenched his teeth. It was obvious that he was stressed out about the situation, but they really had no choice. Candace decided that Chelsea had made the right decision of telling Greg everything. He was their best shot if she was ever going to see Jake and the others again. Did they think she was dead? Were they safe? Did they have enough time to escape? The thoughts came rushing through her mind as she finally allowed the barrier that she had built in her mind to block out her worries to fall. Her fingers began to tremble uncontrollably. When Landen noticed, he reached across the table to place his hands on top of hers. He didn't ask questions. He knew better than to push her to talk.

Chelsea said nothing and sat down next to Candace. She let out a huff, and draped her hand behind Candace's neck. Candace's instincts told her to jerk away, but she managed to stay put. It was amazing how vulnerable she felt with the feeling of something behind her. It was a feeling that made her want to bolt.

"What did he say?" Candace asked finally.

"Not much." She said as she put her head in her hands."

"Are you feeling alright?" Candace asked with concern.

"I just have a small stress headache, but I'll live."

Landen moved his hands from Candace's and placed them on Chelsea's. She jumped with surprise, and Landen jerked back.

"Sorry." He said with a blush.

"How did you...Sorry, I shouldn't ask stupid questions."

"Is your headache gone?" Landen asked, and Chelsea nodded, her eyes wide with admiration. "So what exactly did he say?" Landen asked, obviously trying to change the subject. He seemed to be ashamed of his abilities, and that feeling was all too familiar to Candace who spent the majority of her time trying to ignore who she was.

"He said that what I had learned was very important. He especially wanted to know about the two of you. He asked why you were betraying 'your own kind.'" That offended Candace, but Landen obviously thought it was a legitimate question.

"You're not having any doubts, are you?" Candace asked Landen wearily. The last thing she wanted for him was to be put in a situation where he would have to do something he would regret.

"No." He said with enough certainty to put Candace's worry to rest. "I've just spent my whole life as one of 'them', it's about time I took a stand."

"Chelsea, you don't have to be part of this anymore." Candace said softly. "This war is probably not something you want to get mixed up in."

"Are you kidding me?" She asked. "I've finally found something important to be a part of. I am never going to write another lame story about a meat uprising, or a person who suspects their neighbor of being a zombie again."

"Alright," Candace said, slightly relieved, "then we're a team."

"You bet." Landen said. "One day, I am going to make up for all of the wrong I've done in my life." The words were sad, but hopeful.

"I wonder if any of us will ever have a normal life again." Candace wondered absentmindedly.

"We have to hope." Landen replied.

Night fell, and Chelsea pulled a couple of blankets out from her closet. Candace snuggled up on the couch in the living room while Landen took the floor. "Do you guys need anything else?" She asked.

Candace and Landen both shook their heads, and Chelsea closed her bedroom door softly. Candace and Landen didn't say a single word as they lay in the dark. They both felt a step closer to the end of their complex endeavors. They were finally able to take a breath of hope. Landen had spent his whole life standing by while his father herded around hundreds of people. While most of the people under the Order's control were oblivious to its abuse of power, he saw it firsthand. He didn't believe that the guilt he felt would ever go away, but he knew that there must be more to life than regret. In his heart, he hoped that his father wouldn't be hurt, but he knew he had to do whatever he had to do to right his wrongs.

Candace's thoughts trailed off into a different direction. She thought of the future she might have with Jake. She thought of Jane and how close she knew the two of them would become once again. She thought of her opportunity to restore her thoughts, and for the first time, she considered what it would be like to never remember. She was scared that with them, she wouldn't be the same person. She liked who she was now, and maybe, just maybe, she could be content the way she was.

That night, Landen entered her dreams, and it took a while for him to convince her that she was, in fact, dreaming. They sat on the edge of a cliff, looking over an ocean. It was incredible. The sun began to set.

"Are you controlling all of this?" Candace asked in awe.

"Yes." He said as he smiled. "I figured we both needed a bit of a break from the city. "

"Landen?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think life would be like if we had grown up together?"

He stayed quiet and Candace said nothing as she watched a single tear roll down his cheek.

The next morning, Candace and Landen woke to the smell of pancakes. Candace stretched her arms behind her back. She wouldn't admit it, but Chelsea's couch was really uncomfortable. Candace's mouth watered as she trotted over to where Chelsea was standing over the stove in the kitchen.

"Those look great!" Candace said with excitement.

Chelsea's smile was huge as she met Candace's eyes. "It's my grandma's recipe. Thanks." Landen walked coolly over to the kitchen, his bare feet padded softly on the wooden floor.

"Looks good." He said tiredly.

"How are you tired? You slept for like twelve hours."

He didn't respond, but instead glanced knowingly at Candace and let out a yawn. Chelsea glanced between the two of them, aware that they were sharing some kind of secret, but she decided not to ask.

"Do you think anyone else will show up today?" Candace asked.

Landen shrugged and moved for the fridge. He poured a glass of milk for each of them, and they each proceeded to sit at the table with their pancakes.

"I feel like I've known you forever." Candace mumbled through a full mouth to Chelsea who hadn't even started eating yet.

"I feel the same." She responded sweetly.

In the few days that they had spent together, Candace, Landen, and Chelsea had already been through emotional struggles – Chelsea had discovered a whole new world and Landen had discovered a sibling he had never known. They all felt a sense of purpose and belonging.

"What are we going to do after this whole mess is over?" Candace asked suddenly. The question seemed to come from nowhere, and even she was surprised by the sound of her voice echoing throughout the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Chelsea asked as she reached for a napkin.

"After this is all over and we're safe, I mean. Are we going to stay friends?"

"Of course." Landen said. He couldn't even think of losing the sister he had only just come to know. "We'll be free." He said quietly. He had grown up in a wealthy household and on the stronger side of the revolution, but he had always been deprived of making his own choices. His father always expected him to be a certain person.

Night fell once more, and Candace lay still on the couch staring up at the wall. Soon their fight would be over, and she just hoped they would all make it out alright.

The morning sun glowed bright against the window curtains. Candace and Landen slept soundly as Chelsea rose from bed. She looked over at them. They were two teenagers she really knew very little about. She had refused to question her decision to help them, but she wondered about the regret that she might feel if anything happened to them. Maybe she was handling the situation all wrong. Maybe they should all pack up and leave before more government officials showed up. She was, in fact, the adult in this situation, and she needed to protect them, right? She sighed as she remembered their bravery when confronting Greg. They were so assured of themselves and she admired that about them. They seemed older and wiser than she felt.

Candace was still in the midst of her dreams, and Landen's voice crept quietly into her mind. "I found him."

"Who?"

"Jake."

"What do you mean!?"

"He's asleep. It was difficult, but I found him."

"How?"

"He was dreaming about you." Landen spoke mockingly. "I can link your dreams, but only for a few moments."

"Thank you, Landen."

Landen's aura faded, and it was replaced with a softer spirit. "Jake?"

"Candace?" Jake sounded groggy as if he was waking from a dream.

"Where are you?" She asked.

"We are in this old abandoned farm close to where you left us."

"You're safe." Candace fell to her knees in relief.

Jake sunk to his knees in front of her and he wrapped his arms around her.

"This dream seems so real." He said sadly.

"Long story." Candace laughed, but he was already gone. Landen had lost a hold on his dream.

"Good morning." Chelsea smiled as Landen and Candace woke. "Sorry, I just thought I should wake you..."

"What! Why?" Candace's voice was harsh, and Landen burst out in laughter.

"She likes her sleep." He joked.

Chelsea looked at Candace uneasily, and then resumed speaking. "Someone's at the door."

Candace and Landen exchanged looks before getting up. Candace's hair fell in messy waves, and her red eyes had light circles underneath them. This time, it was she who moved to open the door. She stood on her tiptoes to glance through the peephole. Greg stood on the other side with his hands in his pockets and a solemn grin on his face.

Candace took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. Greg looked surprised that Candace was the one that stood before him this time. Landen sat nonchalantly on the couch with his legs folded and resting up on the worn down coffee table.

"Come on in." Candace said with a yawn.

"I have discussed your situation with my supervisors, and I have been appointed as the lead on this case."

"So you don't think we're crazy." Candace said.

Greg looked at Candace for a long moment and then shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I think you're absolutely insane, but my boss wants me to look into this case for some reason. Probably as punishment." He mumbled the last part under his breath. "So let me get this straight," he began, "you're some kind of werewolf," he gestured towards Candace and she blushed bright red, "and _you_ can move stuff with your mind." He looked pointedly at Landen who rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Look," Landen said, "we don't need you to believe us; that will come with time. All we need is resources."

"I am at your disposal." Greg bowed sarcastically.

Landen grumbled but kept his mouth shut. Chelsea stood with her arms crossed awkwardly over her chest. Both she and Landen were looking to Candace to take the lead.

"Alright. We need a plan." She said. "We should probably find Jake and the others first before we take any more major steps."

Greg sat on the couch across from Landen. "Well, I guess I should get comfortable then."

"Not too comfortable," Landen returned as he stood and walked over to Candace. He took her hand and walked into the other room.

"What are we doing," she asked warily.

"I think it's about time you learned a few tricks." Landen told her to sit down in the green fabric chair across from him. He placed his hand on Candace's. "The most important thing you need to remember about taking on someone's ability is that you always need to be in direct contact with the person, or else it will not work. We're gonna start with a simple one." Landen's eyes began to glow green once again. Candace could feel the energy flow through his hand into hers. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, and it made shivers go up her spine. "Remember how it feels." He slowly took his hands away, and Candace's eyes remained shut, but the energy still flowed through her body. She imagined it weaving through her limbs like bright ribbons, and when she finally opened her eyes, the room was bright. The sudden burst of light forced her to close her eyes, and Landen let out a joyful laugh. "Okay, now let the feeling subside."

Candace opened her eyes once more, and the room was back to normal. She looked inquisitively at Landen.

"Now you can see in the dark." He said with a smile. "It's not much of a trick, but it can get you out of a bind."

A scream echoed from the next room, followed by a large bang. Candace and Landen jumped towards the door.

Chelsea kneeled next to Greg, whose chest was bleeding heavily.

"What happened?" Candace asked desperately, but Chelsea didn't respond as she looked down at Greg in horror.

#

** **

**Episode 9**

Time has a habit of standing still in situations like the one Candace now found herself in. Blood. So much blood flooded out from Greg's wound. Chelsea had dialed 911, hadn't she? She could faintly hear the girl's exchange with the operator echoing through her mind. The world around her began to gain speed and soon the walls around her were moving. She wondered if they were in the middle of an earthquake until suddenly Candace realized she was the one moving, not the walls.

Landen had a firm grip on Candace's shoulders as he tried to get her to respond. He had shouted her name over and over, and now it was clear that Candace was in shock. He knew they had to leave. Whoever had shot Greg may not be gone. He was relieved when he heard the sirens from outside approaching fast.

Soon, footsteps approached from down the hall. The paramedics entered first and began assessing the state that Greg was in. Not too long after, a swarm of police officers entered. A few of them moved on down the hall to make sure that the shooter was not still in the building.

_He's gone._ The words formed in the periphery of Candace's mind. She was angry at herself for freezing up when her friends needed her the most. She should have tried to chase the man down. Now, all she could do was give her statement to one of the police officers and hope that they would be able to take care of the situation.

Soon, the chaos of the crime scene began to die down. Candace sat against the hallway wall with her knees tucked into her chest. She was still getting over the buzz of what had happened. In the periphery of her vision, she noticed a tall figure approaching from her left. He was different from the other officials in his dark suit and even darker tie. His face had a faint trace of stubble, but his hair was perfectly styled. He looked like a movie star to Candace.

When his eyes met hers, they did not look away. He knew her and it was her that he was here for. His gait slowed until he stood just two feet away from Candace. She had since looked away and now her gaze was fixed on the floor. She could sense his movement even though he didn't make a single sound as he knelt down next to her.

"You must be Candace." His voice was soft and sure.

"That's me." It was barely a whisper. Even Candace couldn't tell if she had said the words aloud. Her eyes flickered to her right where Landen stood speaking to a police officer. Chelsea was at his side. She was staying surprisingly calm for all that she had been through in the past few days. Her hand wrapped around the scarf at her neck so tightly that her knuckles gleamed white and sharply contrasted her tan complexion.

The man's hand hovered over her shoulder as if he was afraid she would attack him were he to touch her. Finally, his hand came down. Candace did not move. She did not breathe as she allowed him to comfort him. It was a strange feeling, being comforted by a stranger. He didn't feel like a stranger. She felt a strange connection to him as though she had known him her whole life.

"My name is Harvey. I am Greg's partner."

Candace shuddered at the mention of Greg's name.

"Who's this?" Candace looked up as Landen approached.

"Harvey." Her voice was only slightly more audible than before. Harvey stood slowly as if trying to search his memory for the name of the newcomer. His gaze sharpened suddenly.

"You must be Landen, Cara's son." At first, it didn't strike Candace as odd that Harvey knew the name of her mother. It seemed that nowadays everyone knew more than she did.

"How do you know my mom?"

"Let's go somewhere more private to discuss things." He looked pointedly at the cops that were still surrounding Chelsea's apartment.

Candace noticed Chelsea for the first time standing behind Landen. Chelsea as well as Candace looked to Landen for a decision regarding the stranger. Candace no longer trusted herself to make decisions, especially now when she could barely speak. She expected Landen to say no to Harvey, but she should have known that he would be as curious about their mother as she was.

"Where do you have in mind?"

Harvey led them to his car. They drove until they were just outside the city limits. Harvey pulled up beside a large trailer. Candace was thankful when the car stopped. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the stranger's car.

The trailer seemed even larger on the inside. It was complete with a kitchen, two beds, and a bathroom. Candace sat down on the soft cushions of the small kitchen table in the middle of the trailer. Landen sat down next to her and held her hand under the table. She had grown more aware since they left the apartment, but she still felt shaken up. Chelsea sat on the couch perpendicular to the table. Harvey sat across from Candace and Landen. He loosened his tie and sat back on his seat. He released a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I worked with your mother on exposing The Order," he said without opening his eyes. His words held with them a deep sadness and Candace wondered if his relationship with her mother had been more than he was letting on.

Landen's eyes held on to the man's features. They narrowed in on him as if in disbelief. When Harvey opened up his eyes, it was Candace he looked to.

"Your mother loved you very much."

"...but I never knew her." Candace couldn't believe that a woman who had abandoned her own daughter would be capable of any deep compassion whatsoever.

"She was protecting you."

"Why?"

"You have inherited her gifts, Candace. I know it's not easy for you to understand."

"What the Hell. That doesn't even make sense!" Landen broke in. It was clear he was frustrated. This whole time, Harvey had been speaking to Candace about her mother. Never once had he addressed Landen. It suddenly occurred to Candace that Harvey had no idea who Landen really was. He had no idea that he had also inherited their mother's 'gifts'.

"What part?" Harvey asked. It was clear that his annoyance with Landen was mounting. They hadn't gotten off to the best start so far.

"All of it. Why would she take Candace and not me?" Landen hadn't caught on that Harvey didn't know about him. Candace understood his frustration and hoped that his anger wouldn't take him over the edge.

Landen's reply seemed to stump Harvey for a moment as if he hadn't caught Landen's meaning. Comprehension flooded his features and he looked back and forth between Candace and Landen.

"You're Cara's son?" Disbelief fogged his voice.

"What? Of course I am! You're saying that you spent all of this time with my mom and she never once mentioned me?"

Harvey clearly didn't know how to respond to that. He dropped his hands to his lap and looked sympathetically at Landen.

Landen's hand hit the table hard and he pushed himself up into a standing position.

"Unbelievable." The word was so soft that Candace didn't doubt that she was the only one to have heard it.

Landen pushed the trailer door open and let it slam shut behind him. Worried, Candace stood up and followed him. "I'll talk to him." She said as she left the trailer.

Landen faced away from Candace and looked in the opposite direction of the city. The sun had all but set and Landen's face was covered in shadows that made him look twenty years older than he was.

"All of this time," Landen spoke without turning around, "I have been telling myself that she had no choice. She had to leave; there was no other way. All of this time and she never once thought of me."

"I'm sure that's not...."

"Don't you dare tell me that's not the truth," Landen wheeled around on her. His eyes shimmered with a layer of tears, but he held them back, forcing them not to fall.

"I'm not saying it's right, but maybe she had her reasons."

"How would you know? You barely even knew the woman...and now you can't remember anything. It's like you never even had a family."

That stung and Candace tried to retain her composure, but tears began to fall. "That's not true," she said softly.

"Is there some new development that I'm not aware of? I know some memories have come back to you, but you're not even sure those are memories. You're not sure of anything."

Candace could feel her temper rise. "You and Chelsea and Mark and Jake and Jane...You are my family. Maybe I can't remember _Her_ _,_ but it's the people I do remember that are important now. I can't change what has happened to me, but I can change what is happening right now." By the time Candace finished, she was yelling. Her face felt hot. Landen was left staring at her. A look of guilt consumed his face.

"Okay."

"What?"

"Okay, let's do it. We have a government to overthrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Candace smiled through her tears. Landen pulled her into a hug and she buried her face against his chest.

When they reentered the trailer, Chelsea was fast asleep and Harvey was glancing over some paperwork. A small lamp was positioned over the table and a white light spilled out over his papers. He looked up when they entered. He now looked at Landen in a new light. Although they had only met hours before, it was clear that he had already formed an opinion of each of them.

"Look..." Harvey began, but Landen held up a hand to silence him.

"It's fine," he said and sat down at the other end of the table.

"Okay then I guess we can move on from that. I have been thinking about how to handle our problem. I think it is best if we can keep the situation as contained as possible. Who knows what the public would do if they learned about a supernatural organization."

Candace shuddered at the thought of being ostracized by the human world. She had experienced the worst part of the world and didn't trust that people would so easily accept people who were different from them. Humanity had a history of destroying anything they didn't understand.

Landen looked as if he had the same train of thought and he nodded. "Do you think the U.S. government would keep it a secret?"

Harvey gave him a droll stare.

"Right." Landen said.

"Alright so it's my Job to see that your...situation doesn't get too out of hand as to start a war." Harvey explained.

"That's a lot of pressure for one guy," Candace mused.

Harvey gave her a soft smile, one that turned just one side of his lips up at the corner. He had dimples and they made him look younger than Candace had estimated.

"Well, Greg was supposed to share some of the responsibility, but that didn't turn out quite as expected." He drummed his fingers on the table. Harvey was contacted earlier by the hospital. They expected Greg to have a full recovery, although he would be on bed rest for quite a while.

Candace's stomach began to grumble andHarvey gave her a strong look. He raised one eyebrow. "Hungry?"

It had been a full day since Candace had eaten last and she suddenly realized how hungry she really was. The stress of the day had caused her to forget about her physical needs. Harvey looked pointedly at the fridge and Candace trotted over to it. She was surprised to find it was filled with food, and half of a pizza was still in the box. She immediately made up her mind to go for the pizza.

"It's from last night so it's still good," Harvey said.

The pizza smelled heavenly to Candace, even when it was cold. When she heated it up, however, she couldn't imagine anything smelling better. She took a large bite and ignored the pain in her mouth as the molten cheese stuck to the top of her mouth.

Landen stared at the pizza, but didn't make a move to heat up any of his own. Candace glanced at him worriedly for a moment. It had been just as long since he had eaten. She brushed off her concern. He had survived long enough without her, and by what she had seen of him, she knew he could take care of himself.

Candace finished off the last of the pizza and licked her fingers one by one. In the back of her mind, she wondered what they would think of her if she got more.

" So, about our mom...is she...?" Landen asked Harvey although his gaze stayed focused on Candace. Candace looked up hesitantly at Harvey. It was a question she had never even thought to ask. Without her mother in her life, Candace had always assumed she was dead.

A funny look crossed Harvey's face. "No...she's fine." He said the last word hesitantly and Candace sat back. She hadn't expected to be jumping with joy, but she didn't know whether she should be relieved or indifferent. It wasn't like she knew the woman all too well.

"So how are we going to take down the Order?" Landen's voice was calm and Candace could sense no emotion in the question. She had no idea how he was handling the information that their mother was alive.

"With your help, of course," Harvey responded. That response caught Candace off guard.

"If we could have taken them down ourselves, we would have. That's why we found you guys."

"We are going to back you up, but in the end, it's going to have to be you who takes down the Order. In the end, one of you is going to have to pick up the pieces and repair the social order....just like in any other civil war. We can't tear down a whole system of government and not have a plan for it after. People,er...like you won't respond well to the United States government suddenly stepping in and taking over."

Candace pondered that statement for a moment and then it struck her. "Whoa. Wait! You want one of us to take over the order?"

"Well, not you necessarily, but we are going to need somebody and fast. We are planning on infiltrating one of their meetings soon."

"How soon?"

"A week."

That night, Candace lay in the bed across from the kitchen, she thought about everything that was happening. She fell asleep with her mind still restless.

She found herself sitting on the top of a skyscraper, overlooking a city that vaguely reminded her of a picture she had seen of San Diego once. Landen sat next to her on the ledge and looked down at the people walking underneath. It took a moment for Candace to comprehend that she was dreaming.

"Why can't you just let me sleep?" She asked Landen. He frowned at her but said nothing in response."

"What are we doing here?" She asked with a voice thick with annoyance.

"I wanna teach you something." He didn't elaborate and Candace was growing more and more frustrated by the moment.

"You know this is an invasion of my privacy, right? You slipping into my dreams and all." She said haughtily. Landen didn't seem to be concerned with her anger.

"I want you to think of someone you know."

"Alright... now what?" She asked impatiently.

"No, I mean really think of them...What they smell like...What they sound like..."

Candace closed her eyes and thought of Jake. The day they first met, he had smelled like cinnamon.... All at once, she was pulled into a dark tunnel, but pulled back and much like a rubber band, snapped back to the skyscraper. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't fight it. You will enter their dream. It will be hard to maintain the connection at first, but the longer you stay with them, the easier it will be to control."

"What if he's not dreaming?"

Landen gave Candace a look like he wanted to ask who _he_ was, but decided against it.

"That's alright, people spend most of their time in complete darkness when they are asleep. If _he_ is dreaming, then you will pop into his dream, but if he isn't, then you can make up one of your own." Candace considered this, and then recalled the spicy scent of cinnamon and an underlying tone of shampoo, and just like that, the tunnel collapsed in on her once more. She fought to push it back, but it didn't budge. Then, all at once, it succumbed to her will and morphed into a beautiful field with a single tree. Jake now sat beneath that tree and looked troubled and confused.

"Hi," Candace spoke quietly. Jake looked up, startled.

"Hi," His voice was husky and sweet. His gaze was vulnerable as Candace approached him and sat down across from him. She took his hands in hers and moved her thumbs over his palms. He shuddered for a moment and sighed.

"What?" She asked softly. Candace didn't like to see him upset.

"You aren't real, this..." he gestured around him,"...it isn't real."

"Who says it's not?" She asked soothingly.

"I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone."

"Not gone...Just," She tried to think of what to say. Even if she could convince him that this really was her, he was still right. When he awoke, she wouldn't be there with him. They sat in silence a while longer. Candace toyed with her power over the environment. A brisk wind picked up and caused the fabric of her shirt to flutter. Jake's hair danced brilliantly, but he still wore the same sad expression. A bird landed next to them and took a few hops in their direction. Its head leaned to the side as if considering whether to come closer. Jake reached out his hand, and the bird jumped back startled.

"It's okay," she spoke and she realized she didn't know whether she was speaking to the bird or to Jake.

Jake looked up and met her eyes. His hand reached up to touch the side of her face. "You feel real." He let his hand drop and smiled. Candace's heart fluttered at the sight of that smile. She didn't know what it was about Jake, but no one had that much of an effect over her emotions before.

Just like that, the dream she had created was shattered. Candace forced her eyes to peel open. Chelsea stood over her. It was still dark outside, but everyone else was already up.

"What's going on?" She asked hesitantly. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep, although she didn't know if she could reestablish her connection with Jake without Landen's help.

None of them answered her; instead, Harvey told her to eat. She obliged without complaint. Candace changed into clothes that Chelsea had managed to gather before they left her home. As for Landen, he borrowed Harvey's clothes and Candace was surprised to see how well they fit him.

"We are going to meet up with the rest of the group assigned to our mission," he said finally.

Candace felt excitement buzz through her veins at the way he said "mission". It made her feel like she was part of some sort of action movie.

They loaded into the car once more. Chelsea and Harvey sat up front while Candace and Landen took the back seat. If Candace didn't know any better, she would have thought that Chelsea had a thing for their older guardian, Harvey. Candace felt herself slipping back into sleep, but she couldn't quite calm down enough to fully make the transition.

Harvey and Chelsea were chatting now. Their voices were kept low, and although it frustrated Candace that she couldn't hear exactly what they were talking about, it made her feel better that Chelsea was speaking to somebody. It had been obvious that the last few days had taken their toll on her, and Candace wondered if she might break. Now, however, she wore a light smile, and a blush crept up to her cheeks every once in a while. Landen seemed to notice as well because he cast Candace a knowing smile.

"Hey, thanks," she said suddenly as she remembered last night. "For helping me...connect." Landen nodded in understanding, although there was still that inquisitive look in his eyes.

The car turned into a seemingly abandoned dirt road. Candace figured that they must have been getting really close, but soon discovered that she wrong. The car bounced along, and with each bump, Candace's seatbelt locked up. She sighed when they hit another and her body jerked against the belt. Landen's eyes shone with laughter as she unbuckled herself and struggled to get the thing to release. For some unknown reason, he had been unaffected by the bumps.

"Want to trade seats?" Candace asked in a bitter voice.

"No, I'm good." His smile infuriated her and she finally gave up on trying to fix her seatbelt. She let it go and it slung back behind her.

After a whole hour on the road, they finally arrived at a tall fence. Barbed wire circled the top in loops. A guard nodded at Harvey as he opened the gate. It was then that Candace noticed the large gun at his side. It seemed extreme, but as Candace thought more and more about what had occurred the past few nights, she soon decided that it might very well be a necessary precaution.

After two more checkpoints, they finally reached the heart of the base. Candace suddenly felt intimidated as she looked around her. Instead of the camouflage she had expected, everyone around her was dressed in solid black. A mass of solid black huddled in a far corner, and suddenly, Candace realized they were awaiting their arrival.

No one smiled as Candace and Landen stepped out of the car. The group eyed them warily and Candace felt like she was under a microscope. It occurred to her that she wasn't like them and they knew it.

"They're a little young, don't you think?" A man shorter than Candace stepped out from among the crowd. He, like everyone else, wore the black uniform. Aside from that, he stood out with his goatee and soft eyes. Candace felt like she may feel more comfortable around him than the others; kind of like the feeling she had when first meeting Harvey.

He walked off to Harvey and gave him a firm handshake before launching into a conversation. Still talking, they began to walk and Candace quickly caught on that they were supposed to follow. There was no way she was going to be here alone with the scary group standing before them.

"Are we supposed to introduce ourselves?" Candace whispered quietly to Landen and Chelsea.

"Something tells me they know who we are," he lacked Candace's uneasiness and walked confidently in front of the group as Harvey led them to a large tent.

Inside, a large screen hung across from them with a projector. Several chairs sat facing it.

Besides the fact that they were in a tent, the room was fairly modernized. Several computers sat on either side of the projection screen. A soft carpet made it so they could walk on something other than dirt, and curtains blocked the inside of the tent to block out the intense sunlight.

The group of men, and a few women, soon entered the tent behind them. They began with formalities after everyone sat down. Everyone introduced themselves. No one looked too happy to be there. Candace suddenly felt very self-conscious and closed in. The man Harvey seemed to know introduced himself as Doug. He went over strategies and routines that Candace knew nothing about. After a while, she soon wondered why she was even there. None of this seemed to concern her. They were hardly going to let her carry a gun and go in fighting when they finally made a move on the Order.

Landen must have been thinking the same thing because the look on his face showed complete boredom. Candace thought it was ironic how she would have all of this raw potential power inside of her, and she had no idea how to use it. She felt useless. She wondered if Landen felt the same way, although it was obvious that he knew more than she did.

Soon, the group broke up and headed for lunch. Candace stayed close to Landen, and sat with him on a long wooden bench. No one seemed to be paying them too much attention and Candace was relieved. She hated feeling like a freak and these people were making no effort to hide that they really did think she was one.

"You know they are just gonna keep us locked up here. They aren't gonna let us do anything," Landen spoke up and took another nibble on his mashed potatoes. Candace hadn't known him for very long, but she knew he usually ate much more than this.

"Yeah, but to be honest, what can we really do?"

"You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. All of these people are trained. They know what they are doing. We...or at least, I know nothing compared to them."

"So why don't we learn?"

"We only have a week," Candace frowned. She really didn't think either of them could hold up in a fight.

"We have a huge advantage over them. They don't know what they're up against...not really."

"What do you suggest we do?" Candace asked. Landen gave her a sly grin. "You're planning something." It was more of a statement than a question. Landen had a sort of suspicious look in his eyes that told her he was going to do something drastic."

"First, I'm going to teach you everything I know, then..." He trailed off as he noticed two people from our group approaching. He watched them warily.

They looked uneasy as they sat next to Landen and Candace. Candace remembered their names as Joey and Kim. She offered them a shy smile, but silently cursed.

"So how are you two holding up?" Kim asked and immediately dug into her green beans.

"We're fine," Landen grumbled. Candace kicked him under the table and gave him a harsh glare. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who didn't welcome the company, but she still felt that they should at least be polite. Landen looked like he didn't agree.

"It's been a long few days," Candace explained.

"I bet," Joey's southern accent was thick, and Candace sort of liked it. He was busy chomping down on mystery meat and spoke between bites. "Greg...Man, I couldn't believe it when I heard. He can be a little oblivious sometimes though."

Candace suddenly wondered where Chelsea was, and it occurred to her that she hadn't seen her since they entered the tent. She looked around the room but didn't see her. She noticed Harvey wasn't there either, and decided that she must be with him.

"So thanks for helping us out," Candace suddenly blurted and immediately turned red. Joey and Kim gave her a puzzled look.

"You're helping us as much as we are helping you. A supernatural government conspiring to take over the US... It sounds crazy. They have done a good job at keeping it all a secret from the rest of the world. Without you two...we wouldn't even know where to start."

"Taking over the U.S.?" Candace asked. She hadn't heard that, although it did explain a lot about why the government was so ready to help them. She suddenly felt very out of the loop. Landen was doing his very best to hide his surprise. He was doing a pretty good job, but Candace knew it was a bluff.

When they finished their lunch, Candace and Landen snuck off to where part of the surrounding forest had been enclosed inside of the fence.

"Put your foot here and here." Landen pointed to the ground and Candace followed his instructions. She was curious about what Landen was trying to teach her, but didn't ask any questions. "Your head is going to feel a little light after this so try not to pass out." Thinking he was joking, Candace started to smile, but her smile faded after she realized that he wasn't.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea..."

"Just keep your balance and you'll be fine. Close your eyes. Now, draw all of your energy into one place in your body. Focus it. Imagine it flowing into a ball." Candace did her best to follow his instructions, but she didn't feel anything move inside her.

She opened one eye, "I don't feel any different."

"Keep trying," his voice was patient, and Candace relaxed a little. As soon as she did, she felt a heat rise in her body. She tried to control it and move it to her chest. It wanted to escape, and she struggled to keep her grip on it, but suddenly it all rushed outward. The force knocked Landen back. He lay on his back on the ground and burst into laughter. Candace's cheeks grew red, but she soon began laughing too. It was infectious. "Okay. That one needs a little bit of work," he sat up.

"Alright, sensei, what's next?" She was eager to learn more. She was beginning to realize that Landen had a lot of cool tricks up his sleeve.

Let's keep working on that one. It comes in handy during sticky situations. Candace focused again. This time, Landen stood a few feet back. Each time she thought she had a handle on that little ball of energy inside of her, she let it go. Candace was beginning to feel tired, but she didn't want to quit. In only a week's time, they would invade the Order.

This time, Candace really focused and the ball grew larger and larger. She pictured it expanding. This time she had it. This time...

"Candace?" A voice from behind her called. Startled, she spun around and she released the sphere of energy, sending it flying at whoever had called her name.

"I'm so sor..." She stopped as she recognized who lay on the ground before her. His stunned expression slowly turned into a smile as he met her eyes.

It was Jake.

#

** **

**Episode 10**

Candace knew she had a million things in her life to worry about right now, but at the moment, she couldn't think of a single one. Standing before her was her one salvation in all of this. Part of her had wondered if she would ever see him again, but now he was here.

She threw herself into his arms. She didn't know how long she stood like that with him holding her, but when they finally let go of each other, it was too soon.

"Hi," she said softly. A blush came to her cheeks. His blue eyes met hers.

"Hey," he responded back.

"Hey," Landen mocked as he walked up to Jake. Candace elbowed him.

"Jake, this is Landen...my half brother," Candace introduced them.

"So...this is the guy from last night, right? The one whose dream...." Candace shot him a warning glare that told him to be quiet. Jake didn't know that what he had dreamt last night had really happened. Candace didn't want him to think she was some sort of dream stalker.

Jake gave Candace a puzzled look, but didn't question it. Instead, he took hold of her hand. "I missed you."

"I'll be.... over there," Landen walked off, and Candace was grateful. She had a lot to catch up on with Jake. Although they had only been apart for a couple of weeks, it seemed like so much had happened.

"Look...I'm so sorry for what happened at the warehouse," he looked down as if ashamed.

"It wasn't your fault," she tried to reason, but he shook his head.

"I should have protected you."

"None of that matters now," and she knew how true those words were. The only thing that mattered now was that they were safe and together. She had never blamed him for what happened.

They walked out of the thick trees. He kept his hand around her shoulder. "Mark and the others are here, too." He told her about the events that occurred since she had left. She told him about meeting Chelsea, Landen, Greg, and Harvey.

A few hours passed before they were all called back into a single group. Although they were all working together, Mark's group stayed to one side while everyone else stayed to the other.

A short woman stood by Doug. Her posture was perfect and her hair was brushed back into a neat bun. She had startling blue eyes and dark raven-black hair. Her hands were folded behind her. Her eyes swept over the crowd without really looking directly at anybody. She looked small, but Candace knew not to underestimate her. It was clear that she had a lot of lean muscle underneath her fragile exterior.

Doug then spoke up. "Okay, here's how it's going to go. I am going to split you up into teams and assign each of you to a different directive." He proceeded with reading off names. Towards the end, Candace realized he wasn't going to call on her at all. What was she even doing here if they weren't going to let her help?

After Doug was done calling names, only four of them were left. Jake, Landen, Chelsea, and Candace stayed where they were, while everyone else split up into their assigned groups. It suddenly occurred to Candace that she hadn't seen Jane, Jinny, or Kevin anywhere. A short burst of fear coursed up through her spine. Jake gave Candace a quizzical look when he noticed her expression. It suddenly dawned on him that he hadn't told her about the others.

"Jane is sick. Kevin and Jinny are watching over them right now. I can walk you over to them if you want." Candace looked around. It didn't seem like they were going to be needed for anything, so she nodded. When they started walking away, however, she heard her name.

Candace spun around to meet the eyes of the blue eyed woman she had seen standing next to Doug. Her eyes were kind, but there was a seriousness to her look. Candace felt uneasy beneath her gaze.

"Yes?"   
"My name is Cara..." realization burned through Candace. Her balance faltered and she felt as if she were going to pass out. Standing before her was the woman who had abandoned her all of those years ago. Candace was speechless for a moment. She didn't know whether she was angry with the woman for giving her up, or happy that she finally got to meet her. "I heard what happened...with your memory...I'm sorry. I wish I could have been there for you. You must have been so scared."

Candace didn't know whether to be grateful for her words, or to be angry and scream and yell. That's why, when she burst out in laughter, it shocked her. Out of all the sane responses, she couldn't have just picked one. This made her laugh even more.

Jake looked confused, but didn't say a word. One hand brushed over his blonde hair while the other reached for Candace's hand. He may not have known what was going on, but he recognized that she was upset. She squeezed his hand back.

"Are you going to go introduce yourself to Landen now?" Candace knew her words were cruel, but she couldn't help it. In the back of her mind, there was a voice telling her to let her mother explain. She pushed the voice away.

Cara gave Candace an uneasy look. "Landen is here?" Her voice dropped so low, Candace could barely hear.

"Yeah, he was sitting over there," she pointed to the bench they had been sitting on, but Landen was already gone.

"Candace...you shouldn't...You should be careful around him...He's dangerous."

Candace couldn't believe what she was hearing. The woman wanted her to stay away from her own brother. He wasn't the enemy, she was. She started to walk away.

"Wait," Cara called after her and grabbed her by her free arm. Candace jerked it away. "Candace." Her voice was harsher, more urgent.

"Leave me alone," Candace wanted to get away from her. The lady was obviously nuts. She wanted to put as much distance between the two of them as possible.

Cara finally gave up on trying to talk to Candace, but she had a look like the conversation wasn't over.

"What was that about?" Jake asked as soon as they were out of earshot of Cara.

"She's my mom," the words hurt and Candace hadn't wanted to acknowledge her at all, but Jake had a right to know.

"Oh jeez, are you okay?" He asked with worry all over his face.

"I'm fine," Candace responded bitterly, but she knew she really wasn't. She had this violent darkness inside of her. She couldn't explain it, and she certainly didn't want to feel it, but it was all around her, consuming her. "I just need a breather." What she really wanted to do was go and punch something, but she didn't think that it would be the healthiest solution to her problem.

It was obvious that Jake wanted to say something, but he saw something in Candace's eyes that told him it was best to let it go. He wrapped his arm around her, and for a moment they just stood still. Candace looked to the ground. There was no way her mother could convince her to not trust Landen. Even though she had only known Landen for a couple of weeks, there was something about him that told her he would never do anything to hurt her. She trusted him, and until he did something to make her think otherwise, he was worthy of that trust.

Jane's face lit up when she saw Candace. There was so much love and friendship in her expression that Candace suddenly felt a little guilty for not initially remembering her. But since then, enough memories had come through to her that she could paint a picture of their friendship. It was a friendship that never faltered and had been cultivated through the course of her entire life. Candace gave Jane a big hug and took a step back. Jane's eyes were rimmed with a thin red line. It was obvious that she really wasn't feeling well, but she managed to not let her sickness impair her perkiness.

Kevin swept Candace up into a big hug. Jinny stood next to him with bright eyes. She smiled and gave Candace a small hug when Kevin let go of Candace.

The question was on everyone's mind, but no one dared ask it. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to Candace after she was captured. Candace didn't think she was ready to talk about it, and her friends seemed to sense that.

"So are we just going to hang out here, or are we gonna get to help?" Kevin asked eagerly. There was something different about him and Candace could sense it. He was ready for action.

"Yeah. What's up with that? Are they gonna let us help or not?" Jake spoke up. Jinny nodded in agreement.

"They can't just leave us here while they have all of the fun." She said.

Candace shrugged, but didn't say anything. She was thinking the same thing. What were they here for if not to help?

A hacking noise suddenly burst through the room. Everyone turned just in time to see Jane throw up. "I'm good." She waved them off.

"Gross," Jake said loudly. Candace elbowed him and gave him a disapproving look. He smirked.

Suddenly, the flap of the tent was pulled open and Doug walked through. He smiled genuinely, but there was a worried expression in his eyes.

"So, I hear you guys want to help," he said slowly.

Kevin gave him a look that said 'well no duh', but he didn't say anything.

"I don't know if I can justify putting a bunch of teenagers in harm's way..."

"I don't know if you've realized this, but we are a little different from 'normal' teenagers," Jane walked back from the corner of the tent and wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand.

Jake reached into his pocket. "Breath mint?" Jane nodded and Jake tossed her the mint. Jane caught it and popped it in her mouth.

"We can be useful if you let us," Jane continued.

"Yes. I understand that, but what real training do you have?" Doug replied.

Jane began to say that she had spent her whole life training, but as she looked around, she realized that not everyone in the room had gotten the same structured military style lessons that she and Candace had.

"Jane can help us train..." Jake began. Candace then realized that Doug might have a point. Jake, Jinny, Kevin, and Chelsea had never been trained to fight the way Candace and Jane had. If they tried to join the fight now, they would be at a greater risk than the rest of them.

"Doug's right." Candace said all at once, earning looks from her friends. "We can't risk one of you getting hurt... or killed." When she said the last word, a shiver went through her entire body. She would never be able to forgive herself if one of them was hurt because of her eagerness to fight.

Jake put a hand on her shoulder. "Candace, this isn't your decision to make. We can make the choice for ourselves. We know what the risks are." He was right and Candace knew it, but she still didn't like it.

"Alright, so we have a consensus," Doug said uneasily. It was obvious that he wasn't entirely happy with the decision that was made.

Candace and the others spent the rest of the day resting under the shade of the trees on the far corner of the base. No one bothered them. They were still outcasts, but it didn't bother them. They barely noticed as the soldiers attended to their own duties.

"So we start training tomorrow?" Jinny asked eagerly. Jane nodded, earning a huge smile from the girl.

Jane noticed Chelsea and Harvey walking together, and again, Candace smiled. There was too much hate in the world to postpone love. With that thought, she reached for Jake's hand. He squeezed back, not even questioning her touch. This was it. They could be together and nothing could stop them. Even with that thought though, fear crept into Candace's mind. What if something happened to one of them? No. She couldn't afford to think like that. Not now.

The next morning, Jane woke the group up bright and early, earning a few annoyed sighs from the others. Chelsea had joined them late last night, but she dragged herself from bed ready to face the day. "Stop complaining!" Jane yelled to the rest of them in her best imitation of a sergeant's voice as she ushered them out the door.

Jinny looked like she was still asleep as she stumbled out into the still-dark morning air. Once they reached an area of grass that Jane deemed fit to practice on, they stopped. Jinny immediately fell into a sitting position, earning a disappointed look from Jane. Candace felt a smile come to her lips. They were anything but soldiers. Even so, they had a bond and a hope for a brighter future. That, in itself, could be strong enough to defeat an entire army.

"Okay, Candace." Jane motioned for her to step forward. "Today, we are going to learn defense. Candace and I are going to show you how to perform a maneuver, and then you will pair off and try it yourself." The group nodded. "Alright Candace, show me what you remember."

What Jane didn't know was that, unlike the rest of her life, Candace remembered everything about fighting; it was an instinct.

Candace struck out towards Jane, knowing she wasn't going to land the hit. Jane moved to block the punch, but Candace had already drawn back. She crouched down and swept her leg underneath Jane. Candace knew that in any other circumstance, Jane wouldn't have fallen, but she was so caught off guard that she couldn't balance herself in time to land.

The group smiled, obviously enjoying the fact that Candace was beating Jane. Jane had been the one to wake them, and therefore, she was the enemy.

"Huh," Jane said as she picked herself up off the ground. "I guess I shouldn't have underestimated you." She quickly jumped into a kick before Candace could register what was going on, and knocked her back a few feet. Candace clutched her side. It hurt, but Jane hadn't intended to do any real damage.

Candace went on the offensive and struck out like she had before, only this time, she intended to land the punch. Jane was too fast and quickly sidestepped out of the way. Candace tried again and again. She was quickly becoming frustrated. Jane was just too fast.

Candace planted her feet and Jane gave her an odd look, although still on guard. Candace could feel the energy build up inside her. She hadn't meant to do this and she tried desperately to push it back down inside of her. Before she could stop herself, she outstretched her arm with her palm facing Jane, and a blue light burst from her hand, knocking Jane backwards.

It was obvious that Jane wasn't hurt, but she sat still on the ground where she had been thrown. No one said a word as they all stared at Candace. Only Landen and Chelsea didn't look surprised. Landen had a smug smile on his face. He was obviously enjoying knowing what the rest of them didn't.

"That was sooo cool!" Jinny shouted from where she was still seated on the ground.

"How did you...," Jake began. Candace hadn't explained her powers to Jake yet, and quickly regretted it when she saw the hurt expression on his face.

"I guess I have a lot to explain..." She began.

"You think?" Jane finally spoke.

Candace ran her hand through her hand, suddenly feeling on the spot. She felt guilty for taking away from the real purpose of their training.

We should probably focus on learning defense techniques," Candace suggested softly.

"She's right," Jake said.

Candace caught his eye.

He understood.

He knew that she didn't want to talk about this right now. She was grateful to him for saving her from an embarrassing and revealing conversation. She gave him a light smile, which he returned.

"Okay," Jane said unenthusiastically. Candace was thankful that she was willing to drop the subject...for now. "Just try not to blast me again." Candace actually felt bad for that. She hadn't meant to do it. She desperately needed to learn how to control her abilities, and she knew that was something she could only learn from Landen.

Jane showed the group a blocking technique meant to deflect a punch. Jinny was surprisingly the best at imitating what Jane taught. Chelsea was also pretty good, but when they formed pairs, she couldn't apply what she learned in a real scenario. Landen accidentally overshot his mark and hit her in the face.

Overall, by the end of the day, it seemed like the group would be decent in defending against punches and kicks. When the practice was finished, everyone sat on the grass. There was an unspoken agreement that they now expected Candace to explain herself about her newly found abilities.

Candace sighed, "For those of you who don't know, Landen is my half-brother." That earned her shocked looks from Jinny and Jane, but they said nothing and let her continue. "Apparently, I can absorb the abilities of others. It's not easy, but I'm practicing."

"What can you do so far?" Jinny broke in.

"Not very much. I can do that energy thing, obviously, and enter people's dreams..." Candace realized she probably shouldn't have said that last one. She really should have talked to Jake about all of this before she had to confess to the others about herself. She still remembered the other night when she had seen Jake in his dream. From the look on his face, he remembered it too. "Honestly, this is all still very new to me."

Jinny frowned. She wanted to know more, but Candace really didn't know much about herself. She wanted to tell Landen about Cara, but she decided that it would be better to save that conversation for when they were alone.

Jake caught her arm when they all stood up to leave. Candace looked back at him guiltily. "The other night...I had a dream...It felt so real..." He wanted to explain that he thought she may have really been there with him, but he couldn't find the words.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I was there...I'm sorry, I just wanted to see you." She looked down at the ground.

"Hey," he said softly, "You don't have to be sorry. It was sweet."

Candace felt like the dream thing was an invasion of privacy, so she couldn't help but blush. Jake, however, hadn't minded after all.

Candace jumped up and gave hima big hug. It was for more than him accepting her as a freak. It was for how much she had missed him when she was gone. Jake hugged her back just as aggressively without questioning it. "Let's stay here tonight," he said softly. The others had already left. Candace didn't catch his meaning at first, but then she understood.

"You mean out here...On the grass?"

"Yeah, why not?" A huge smile formed at his lips. She couldn't say no to that, could she?

"Should we tell the others? They'll worry."

"After your little show of power earlier, I don't think anyone's going to be worrying about you from now on. I'm pretty sure you'll be alright."

Candace blushed. As they sat down, Candace leaned into Jake's arms. He was right that she would be alright. She knew it with every piece of her soul, but it wasn't because she was some powerful soldier. As long as she had the ones she cared about most by her side, she knew nothing could ever touch her. When the sun began to set, they watched in silence. The world really was simple when you let it be. Colors danced across the sky and seemed to be bragging of their beauty.

Little by little, Candace and Jake began falling asleep. Candace still had her head on his chest, and she could hear every beat of his heart and every breath that he took. She could tell when he fell asleep, because his breathing became even and slow. It was almost like a lullaby. With Jake's arm wrapped around her, she drifted off into sleep.

"Finally!" A voice came from the corners of Candace's mind.

At first, she didn't recognize what was happening, but soon she realized that someone was in her dream, only it wasn't Landen. The voice that came through to her was too high pitched.

"What's going on?" Candace asked in the darkness.

"We need to talk, and because you won't listen to me in the real world, then I guess we'll just have to do it while you sleep."

When Candace realized who it was she was speaking with, she immediately tried to pull herself from the dream. She struggled against her mother's mental grip on her. Soon she gave up. It was obvious that Cara had been practicing this for a much longer time than Candace, and her control over the dream world was much stronger than her own.

"I don't want to talk to you!" Candace shouted back.

"So you're content being ignorant for the rest of your life? The truth is right here. All you need to do is listen."

"What makes you think that I'll believe anything you tell me?"

"Candace I am trying to protect you. All I want is to give you the information...You may do with it what you wish."

That seemed reasonable even to Candace. "Okay, but make it quick. I'm tired."

"Landen is dangerous, Candace. He has darkness in him, and he's bound to turn on you. He may not mean to, but it is in his nature." It took a great deal of effort for Candace to keep quiet. This woman didn't know Landen at all. If she did, she would realize how ridiculous her claims were. Landen was anything but evil. Cara continued, " A friend of mine...she's a seer. She can read people's fate. Candace...she has never been wrong. She was there when Landen was born. He will destroy all of us."

Cara's claims became more and more ludicrous by the second. She believed that Landen was evil due to some sort of fortune-teller. Anger began to build up within Candace. She abandoned her son because some woman claimed that Landen would be evil. Even if the woman was right, why not stay? She could have tried to help him. Candace would never abandon him, not after all he had done for her.

"Why wouldn't you just stay? You could have just helped him..."

"Candace, it is more complicated than that...no one can ever know he is my son. If they do, they will destroy him. That's why I had to leave. The Order had been informed that my son would turn out to be evil. If they knew who he was, they would kill him."

"Why did you leave him with your ex-husband then? Wouldn't they know that he would be your child if he stayed with his father?"

"What Landen knows about his father isn't entirely true. I was never married to him. We had a short affair, but that was all. No one ever knew about it. Before I left, his father agreed that he would never tell a single soul who Landen's mother was. Even though Landen's father may have a cruel heart towards people he determines are enemies, he would never do anything to jeopardize Landen."

Everything started making a lot more sense to Candace. She still didn't necessarily believe that Landen was fated to turn evil; she did believe that what her mother had done was in his best interest.

"Candace, giving you two up was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I had to do it. I hope you understand. I only wanted to protect you both."

"Why did you give me up, if Landen was the one in danger?"

"They would use you against me...it was the only way." _Of course_ , Candace thought, _it all makes sense now_.

"You still shouldn't treat Landen like he doesn't exist," Candace said hesitantly.

"You don't know how much it hurts me to stay away, but I can't get close to him. If I did and he does turn evil, well, I don't think that I can give him up twice." Those words obviously pained her mother and Candace suddenly had the urge to reach out to her if only to comfort her, but there was an abundance of black between them and her heart screamed at her fiercely. Although she now understood her mother, they could never be a family, and allowing herself to get close to Cara would only hurt her.

"I understand." She said simply. Candace didn't know that she could cry in her dreams, but in that moment, she did. Even when she felt her mother's presence evaporate from her dreams, she could not let herself move for fear that the pain would only grow worse.

When Candace awoke, her eyes flickered over to Jake's. She hadn't moved during the night, and her head was still pressed up against Jake's muscular chest. His breathing was quiet and strong, but Candace could tell he was awake.

"Good morning," she said. She lifted herself up into a sitting position and turned to face Jake. One eye flickered open and he smiled.

"How was your night?" He asked cheerfully.

"Informative." He gave her an odd look but said nothing.

"Hey, you didn't by any chance do your dream thing with me last night, did you?" She shook her head no and he continued, "I should have known. You never would have done what you did in real life." He gave her a teasing smile and she blushed as she caught his meaning.

Candace pushed him on his side, but before he could recover, she moved over top of him and kissed him hard on his lips. His breathing became ragged as he looked into her eyes. They stayed like that for a long moment. They were each waiting for the other to make the next move.

Jake wrapped his arm around her waist and puled her around so that she lay on her back. "I am not losing my virginity in a field." She said between kisses. Jake laughed, but nodded and resumed kissing her. He pulled her shirt up just enough to show the end of her bra. She caught his hand and rolled him onto his back...hard.

"You are really strong." He whispered. His eyes traced her lips and then moved down to where she straddled him. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her against him.

"Ahem..."

"Jane." Candace sighed and looked over to where her friend was standing between two large oak trees.

"I figured you two were out here, but I didn't expect to find you...like this." She gestured to them. Candace would have expected herself to become embarrassed in this type of circumstance, but she really didn't care. She had Jake and nothing would ever change that. Jane interrupting them, well...that was just a speed bump. "You're lucky that I stumbled across you two first. I think Jinny might have had a heart attack." She rubbed her hands together. "Anyway, we're going to start another practice session soon if you guys want to change."

She made a face, "Please do. I don't want the essence of what you were about to do getting all over me."

"We weren't going to do anything," Jake said, pushinghimself up from the ground. His hair was a mess and his forehead had a smudge of dirt smeared across it.

Jane gave him a look that said she obviously didn't believe him, but she let it go.

"Come on," she said, and motioned them forward with her hand. "The others are waiting and we wouldn't want them to make the right conclusions about what you two are doing out here." At least, Candace thought she had let it go. She suddenly worried that the girl would never let it go. She imagined Jane telling her future kids about this predicament. She wondered if she would still be with Jake when that time came, but quickly pushed the thought away. Right now, she knew she was in love and that was all that mattered. She wondered if he felt the same way...

They followed Jane back to where the rest of the group was waiting. Even that early in the morning, people were still walking back and forth to the positions they were assigned to and their regularly scheduled training. It was hard to believe that in less than a week, they would all be fighting against the very organization that had raised them.

She realized then how difficult it must be for Jane as well. By taking up arms against them, she would be fighting her friends and family. Standing up to the people you love is one of the hardest things to do, and Candace respected her for it. Jane was one of the strongest people she knew. It didn't seem possible that any war could defeat her. Just like a cat, she would always land on her feet. She would always be there for Candace when she needed someone to stand by her side. Candace and Jane's friendship had been tested, and in the end, their love for one another had won out.

The next few days went by seamlessly. Everyone was progressing at a rate that Candace didn't even know was possible. Jinny was even able to hold her own against Candace – without the use of powers, of course. Although Landen didn't see the point of him learning hand-to-hand combat with the rest of them, he obliged. After the practices were over, he and Candace would head out to a field and work on skills of their own. Mostly, Candace focused on being able to control the energy that she formed from inside her. They both decided that this would be the most useful tool for her to use in a fight, and it would take too long to learn any other skills.

"You have to focus!" Landen said with frustration.

"I can't focus with you screaming at me!" Candace yelled back. She tried to use the anger to form the energy, but it only resulted in an ugly brown ball that was unstable and quickly evaporated when it left her hands.

"Only use emotions you can control to form the ball. If not, your mind causes the energy to combust." Candace was quickly figuring that out on her own. She tried using love, but that emotion proved to be just as unstable as anger.

She tried to think about why she was fighting in the first place, then it came to her. Justice. She wanted justice so bad she could taste it, and when she moved the energy from that raw emotion, she found that it became a fierce and powerful weapon. Her sense of justice was what she needed to use in order to fight those who wanted to keep her subdued, and who ultimately wanted Landen dead.

Again, she wondered if she should tell him. Would it be too much of a distraction to think about that when they were supposed to be focused on the battle at hand? He had a right to know, didn't he? She wanted to tell him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She finally decided that she would wait until after they fought against the Order.

The night before they invaded the Order's territory, everyone, including the soldiers, gathered around a bonfire and rallied for the next day. Everyone tried to hide it, but Candace could tell they were nervous. Even the soldiers seemed antsy, but Candace kept her emotions in check and made herself remember what they were fighting for. It was freedom they wanted. It was in their blood to strive for their own unique identity.

When Candace went to sleep that night, she did so with a sense of peace. No matter what happened tomorrow, she would have a greater purpose in the world than she ever could have imagined. Tomorrow, she would be ready to fight.

#

** **

**Episode 11**

The morning was colder than the previous days. It seemed fitting to Candace that on a day like today, the sky would be covered in dark clouds. She laughed at the appropriateness of the weather. They were going to war, and even Mother Nature knew it.

The soldiers were adorned in black as usual, and there was an excitement in the air. Candace and Jane were the first ones up. One by one, they went around and roused the group from their sleep.

Candace knelt by Jinny's bed and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. Jinny stirred. Candace shook her gently and her eyes peeled open slowly.

"Five more minutes," she begged and Candace obliged. Who was she to deprive someone of five more minutes of sleep on a day like today?Jinny rolled over and closed her eyes. Candace was pretty sure she was asleep before they closed all of the way.

She walked over to Jake who was bracing himself against the bathroom sink and leaning over to look in the mirror. There were dark circles under his eyes, and Candace had no doubt that she was part of the reason he was worrying. It wasn't like Jake to care for himself more than those who were closest to him.

"How are you doing?" she asked, and placed her hand on his arm. She wasn't aware of how cold she was until her fingertips brushed his warm arm.

"I'm alright."

"You look exhausted..."

He looked into her eyes, and she immediately wanted to pick up from where they left off the other night. However, she restrained herself and cleared her throat. "Do I really look that bad?"

"You look gorgeous," she said, and he laughed. She hadn't been joking. Even stricken with worry, he still looked amazing as ever. Candace wished that she could have that kind of innate beauty.

They took another moment to stand there with each other. It's in moments like these, when staring in the face of mortality, that one begins to appreciate time. Ever since she met Jake, she had learned to develop a greater appreciation for each and every moment; particularly the ones she spent with him.

Jinny had finally pulled herself from her bed by the time Candace walked back into the bedroom. Jane sat across from her on her own bed and stared at the floor. She didn't look worried exactly, but more like she was focusing. Candace recalled how she and Jane would sit together in the locker room before a fight, and Jane would calm her down. Jane had been strong for both of them. Now, Candace needed to be strong for the rest of the group.

Although Jane had been appointed as the unofficial leader of the group, everyone looked to Candace for support. They looked to her for answers of morality. _This is the right thing to do_ , she thought as she took a seat on the ground by Jane's feet. She told herself that over and over again until she knew it was true. It was wrong to force people to live certain lives, and she was fighting to defend what she believed in.

She thought about how far she had come since that day she had lost her memory. Although it had been a horrible experience, she had discovered new friends, and a world beyond the one she had always known. It had opened her eyes to new possibilities, and because of that, she knew she would never change a single thing. She loved the people who had since come into her life with all her heart. They were always there for her even when the odds were not in her favor. Jane had given up her entire life because she trusted Candace as a friend. There was no bond stronger than the ones she shared with her friends.

"So, I've got to tell you guys...I'm dating Harvey," Chelsea said sheepishly.

"We know," everyone said in unison. Everyone began laughing, including Chelsea. After that, the mood lightened a bit.

When Harvey entered, Chelsea looked guiltily up at him. He caught her gaze with a questioning look. "Okay, are you guys ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"You know, its not too late to back out. I'm sure everyone will understand."

Candace silently wished that somebody would. Pretty much everyone she cared about in the entire world was sitting here in this room. After a patient moment with no one saying a word, Harvey sighed. He too wished that they would back out.

"Alright," he said and ran a hand through his hair. "Here's how it's going to go. Jane and Candace will be the leaders since they know the area better than anyone else here. The rest of you will follow their lead. We need you guys to go in first and take out the guards here, here, and here," he pointed on a map. "We don't want to cause enough attention that they know what's going on. The goal here is to be invisible. Once the guards are taken out, you will radio in to let us know how many people are in the building. Obviously, refrain from killing anyone if you can help it...that means you, Landen." He meant it jokingly, but those last words sent a chill through Candace's spine as she remembered her mother's words. _He will destroy all of us._ No one noticed Candace's sudden uneasiness, and Harvey continued speaking, unconsciously looking into Chelsea's eyes, "...and please, please, please be safe. Stick together and back each other up. There is no reason for you to separate."

They all loaded up into an inconspicuous white van, or as inconspicuous as a white van can be, and headed back down the bumpy road. This time, the seatbelt didn't lock up, and the bumps didn't cause nearly as much of an effect as they had during the ride in.

They were all making light conversation, but Candace found it hard to keep track of what was being said. She needed to relax. She needed to be ready to protect everyone when the time came.

Harvey parked them downhill from the building that the Order's meeting took place in. Candace hoped that Petunia wasn't there. If she were, then Candace would need to find a way to get her out safely.

Candace shuddered when she reached the outside of the Van. The familiar scene was a bit eerie. The sun hadn't yet come all the way up. Jane looked up at the building she had once sworn to protect. Her face was full of shadows, and no longer possessed that playful nature that Candace had seen in the days prior to their raid.

Jane led the way up the hill as they slowly approached the building. This was it and adrenaline soon overtook Candace's uneasiness. Now, it was just a matter of not being spotted.

The six of them stopped when they spotted the first guard at the entrance. Candace knew that once they got past this guard, they would have to take the guards in the circular hallway that lined the edge of the building.

"Let me take care of this one," Candace said quietly. "Back me up."

Candace crept along the side of the building. The guard only spotted her when she was three feet away, and by this time, it was too late. He could not radio in for help. He looked surprised to see her, and even with her aggressive stance, he did not expect her to attack him. Candace silently condemned his naiveté and shot forward. She knocked him back against the building's brick wall, and he hit it with a thud. Her elbow was tight against his chest. She knew what she had to do. The only way to ensure that he would not alert the other guards was to knock him out, but she hesitated.

The guard used this to his advantage and stepped forward from the wall. His fist came hurtling into her stomach. The punch knocked the breath out of Candace. She dropped to the floor in an effort to buy her some time to catch her breath as well as dodge his next blow. He kicked at her, but it was sloppy and Candace rolled out of the way. She quickly jumped up and used her momentum to throw her fist upward into his jaw. It was a really good hit, but he still wasn't out. She shook the pain from her hand and took another swing. It was harder than she had meant it to be, but it did the trick. He was definitely not waking up anytime soon.

Candace snatched the radio from the man's belt. The others ran up to join her. Landen gave her a quick high five, but Jane shook her head.

"You shouldn't have hesitated," she said in a low voice.

"I know. These guys are really well-trained."

Candace pushed the huge door open at the entrance of the building. She remembered the gold speckled floor from the last time she was here. It didn't seem so long ago that she was waiting for Petunia during an Order meeting. They walked the hallway, staying close to the inside wall as much as possible.

The group stopped when they heard footsteps approaching from around the hallway. Candace held up a finger to her lips. She looked to Jane and a silent understanding passed between them. They would have to take on two guards this time, and they would have to be as quiet as possible.

Jane was the first to confront them. One of the guards, a built woman, reached for their radio, but Candace swiftly kicked it from her hand. Her face turned beet red with anger... or was it fear? Candace didn't have time to analyze as the woman reached for what looked to be a long knife. Candace attempted to interrupt her, but the woman's hands were fast and she had the knife in her hand before Candace could reach her.

Jane was holding her own against a large male guard. She took a solid blow, but didn't even flinch. Blood trickled down from her forehead as she jumped and landed a kick right in the man's temple. He stumbled back and lost focus for only a moment, but it was a moment too long. Jane elbowed him on the other side of his head and he went down.

Meanwhile, Candace was trying to get the knife out of the woman's hands, but she obviously had gotten a lot of training. The woman didn't notice Jane as she crept up behind her. Candace stopped and her jaw dropped as she watched Jane swing a folding chair right into the woman's head.

"Was that really necessary?" Candace asked. Jane shrugged.

"You were taking too long," she said jokingly. Candace glared at her for a moment, but swallowed the retort she was ready to throw at the girl. This wasn't the time, nor was it the place.

"Wow, that was amazing," Jinny said from behind them.

Candace and Jane spun around simultaneously with their fingers to their lips. Someone else was coming around the hallway.

Worried that the guards suspected something, Candace ordered the rest of the group to go back the way they came and meet her on the other side of the building.

"Harvey told us not to split up," Jinny pointed out.

Candace wanted badly to stay with them and make sure they were safe, but she trusted Jane's ability to watch over them, and needed to take care of something first.

She began walking in the opposite direction before the others could protest. They let her go, although they certainly weren't happy about it. Candace couldn't hear the footsteps anymore and took a few more steps around the circular hallway until she saw a redhead leaning up against the wall. When Grace's eyes met Candace's, a look of shock crossed her face. It was obvious that she thought Candace was dead, and Candace realized the Order would let her believe it. It was clear that they had tried to make an example out of Candace.

Grace had grown taller since Candace had last fought her in the school ring. She had the same mean look in her eyes that Candace had always hated.

"You can't be here. You're... a traitor." The words came uneasily to Grace's lips as if she didn't really believe them.

"Grace, you need to listen to me. The people you are protecting...they are not good people."

A look of uneasy fury crossed Grace's face. Candace felt sorry for her. She was only doing her job. She didn't know the truth about the Order anymore than Candace had before she lost her memory.

"Candace, I don't want to fight you...." Grace said and took a step back. _That's a first_ , Candace thought. It wasn't fear that was keeping Grace from immediately attacking her, but rather, it was the sense of a bond. Even though they were enemies in school, in the real world, it didn't seem right. They had grown up together. This was a much bigger deal than pulling each other's hair in the second grade.

"You need to listen to me, Grace, they are not good people..."

"I can't just let you go..." Grace said in a small voice. "They'll kill me." Candace knew it was true. There was only one punishment fit for a traitor, and that was death.

"Then don't," Candace said.

Grace nodded in understanding. They would fight, but it would be like a fight in school when they weren't really trying to hurt each other.

Candace threw the first punch, which Grace blocked automatically. She was faster than Candace remembered. This would be interesting. Like a dance, they moved in a circle, tracing each other's movements and looking for an opening. Grace stumbled, and Candace saw her opportunity. Her fist came forward and met Grace's chin evenly. Grace went down on the ground, but Candace knew she hadn't been hurt enough to be knocked down. She was throwing the fight. Candace had the sneaking suspicion that she had also stumbled on purpose.

As Candace walked away, she whispered a quiet "thank you". It was almost silent, but Candace knew Grace could hear her. Candace continued down the long hallway, but was surprised to find that there were no more guards. Jane and the others had taken out the last of them while she was confronting Grace.

She met up with the others, and she could see Jake physically sigh with relief.

"Now what?" Jinny asked Candace as she began to heal Jane's forehead. Candace knew it must be painful for Jinny, but she was very good at hiding her pain. The cut soon healed and Jane thanked her.

"Now, we wait for Harvey," Candace replied.

They sat down and caught their breath. Candace leaned over to Jane and whispered in her ear, "I ran into Grace."

""What? What happened?"

"Nothing, she didn't want to fight," Candace responded and shrugged. "We fought enough to make it look like she had tried to stop us, but she went down before I could do any real damage." Jane looked skeptical but nodded. She would have done the same thing in Jane's position. Although they were loyal to The Order, the shape shifter guardians would always put each other first. That was what The Order didn't understand, and that would be their greatest weakness. In the end, if it came to a full out war between them and The Order, Candace knew that the other shape shifters would at least think twice about taking on one of their own. They had an instinct to protect each other that far outweighed their superficial guardian jobs. The strongest part of The Order was the group of shape shifters that protected it, and Candace had a feeling she could make her old friends see her side of things.

That was it. That was how they would take down this corrupt government. She needed to make them see that it wasn't what they thought it was. They would hear her out, and they would listen. Candace needed proof.

"I have an idea," she said to Jane.

"Please enlighten me," Jane threw up her hands. She was growing agitated from sitting around for so long. Harvey hadn't told them anything yet about when they would be ready to strike.

"We need to provoke The Order to expose themselves for what they truly are."

Jane looked curious, "How do we do that?"

"I'll turn myself in," Candace responded.

A look of horror crossed Jane's face. "No, no! They'll kill you, Candace. You can't..."

"You really think they'll kill me with all of those royal brats watching?" It was a rhetorical question; they both knew that the answer was no.

"I'll do it. I'll go in." Jane said and stood as if the decision was already made.

"Jane..."

"Don't argue with me, Candace, it was your idea. If you really think it's going to work, then I want to be the one to confront them."

Candace nodded. She needed to think of a way to record the confrontation without drawing too much attention. An idea sprung to mind, and she pulled out her cellphone.

"Landen, do you think you can levitate this?"

He gave her a droll stare like it was the stupidest question she had ever asked. She rolled her eyes and handed the phone to him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Jane's going to turn herself in," she said. He rolled his eyes like she was being a smart aleck, but quickly realized she was being serious.

"What? Why? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"We need physical proof that The Order isn't as trustworthy as people think. I need you to use that cellphone to record what happens when she goes in. "

Landen nodded, and fumbled to turn the video recorder on. "Okay, I'm ready whenever you are," he told Jane.

She stood and took a deep breath. She tried to hide it, but she was trembling. Candace put her hand on Jane's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked one last time. Jane nodded and opened the door to the meeting room.

Landen pushed the cellphone up over the crowd. No one noticed it flying through the air. All of their eyes were fixed solely on Jane. At first, they looked upset that a simple guardian would dare interrupt one of their meetings, but when they realized who it was, they turned furious."

"You dare step foot in here?" said one overly enthusiastic person.

"This is blasphemy!" said another.

"Please, listen!" Jane said through her teeth. Candace could tell it was hard for her to not start screaming at all of them. She watched through the crack in the door while Jane stepped forward. Candace was ready to jump in, in case anything unexpected happened.

A man in a long brown robe stepped forward. "Why have you come?" He asked harshly.

"I want to beg your forgivene...."

The man slapped her across the face before she could finish the sentence. Candace jumped forward, but Jake caught her by the arm and shook his head.

"She can take it," he said softly. He squeezed her hand and she nodded and turned her attention back to Jane.

"The punishment for treason is death. You will be shown no mercy here."

"Please!" Jane begged convincingly, "She forced me."

Candace smiled a little at that. As if she could force Jane to do anything she didn't want to...

"If we let her go, the other guardians will think they can do the same that she did. We will lose our power over them."

"Yes," the man said, "but if we execute her, then we will lose their loyalty."

"Don't tell them. They don't need to know," said another voice from the crowd.

That was it. They had it. It was all the proof they needed, but Candace realized something in that moment. Petunia wasn't in the crowd. She couldn't worry about that right now, though. Landen brought the phone back down. Although he acted like it was a piece of cake, Candace could tell that the act was physically demanding.

"You alright?" she asked. He gave her a wicked grin. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he was enjoying himself.

"Just glad to be of service," he finally said.

"Now, all we need to do is figure out a way to get this video out to the rest of the guardians..." Candace knew how before she even finished the thought. Grace. She needed to enlist Grace in their secret mission.

Candace stood and began walking in the direction in which she had left the girl. She was still on the ground where Candace had left her. Landen and Jinny followed.

Something wasn't right though. She could feel a static electricity in the air. She peeked around the long hallway where Grace still lay still on the floor. Five men stood around her. Candace immediately knew who they were. These men were part of the royal guard. They were ruthless, and they could harness electricity.

"What do we have here?" One of them said as they approached Candace. Landen immediately stepped in front of Jinny. She made an annoyed sound, but now was not the time for her to argue about safety. It seemed Landen had a pretty good idea who these men were, too.

Candace glanced at Grace. She prayed that the girl wouldn't move. If she tried to help Candace and the others, she would probably be killed. Shape shifters were no match for these beings. In fact, there were rumors that existed detailing the execution of guardians. These men were used to kill those who didn't comply with the Order.

Jinny broke around Landen's arm and stepped forward suddenly. "We can explain," she said slowly. Candace watched in horror as the girl stepped forward. She could sense one of the men's arms move. She didn't have time to think. She jumped forward and quickly pushed Jinny out of the way. She was just in time, but a bolt of electricity caught Candace in the chest.

The world moved slower after that. Jinny knelt at Candace's side and tried to get Candace to open her eyes. Candace could taste something warm in the back of her mouth. Blood?

She watched in a daze as Landen took on all five men at once. He was doing a hell of a job fighting back, and Candace suspected that he was using his anger at them to his advantage. Despite how well he was doing, he wouldn't last long.

Candace tried to move forward, and that was when the pain really hit her. She screamed out as the burning in her chest spread to her limbs.

"Let me help," Jinny said quietly and put her hands on Candace's cheeks. She could feel the tremors in the girl's small hands. Jinny had no doubt it was going to be painful for her.

"No." Candace said, and tried to stand once again.

Jinny didn't respond. She closed her eyes, and Candace could feel the pain rise up in her once again. She yelled out, but in a flash, the pain subsided into warmth.

Jinny immediately collapsed on the floor and moaned in pain. "Go," she breathed. It was barely audible. Candace wanted more than anything to stay with her and try to help, but there was nothing she could do, and Landen was struggling to continue fighting.

The electricity was terrifying and beautiful all at once. Landen never let it hit him. It seemed like he was controlling the electricity just enough to bend it away from himself. Candace would have to rely on her speed to dodge the electricity, but fast as lightning wasn't a saying anymore and she would have to be faster.

Landen threw a blue ball of energy back at the guards. They blasted it with electricity. It seemed they didn't know what else to do.

"Can you keep throwing those?" Candace asked. "I'm going to try to get close to them."

"Yeah, but I can't keep it up for long...so hurry."

Candace closed her eyes and imagined herself running through the woods by her old house. She had developed a better control over the wolf part of her, and she changed almost instantly.

She burst forward as Landen lay down to cover fire. She leaped at the one closest to her. Her jaws closed around his arm and he screamed in pain. She could taste blood in her mouth. It should have sickened her, but it didn't and she bit down harder until she was sure he wouldn't be able to use that hand again. The man lay on the ground in pain. He clutched his arm as he rolled onto his side.

Candace had a feeling he had never experienced real pain before. He had an ability that he had taken for granted. He had thought he was invincible. He was wrong.

Candace went for the next man, and as she did, she noticed that Landen's balls of energy were getting smaller by the second. She needed to move fast.

This man was bigger, but he put up about as much of a fight as the last man did. She took him out quickly. She started to go for the next man, but as she did, he threw a bolt of lightning at Landen. For a moment, Candace thought it would hit him, but when it reached his outstretched hand, it bent and flew back at his attacker.

She no longer needed to worry about that man. He was unconscious. Now, it was just two on two, and the two that were left looked afraid. They weren't out yet though and one of them threw a bolt at Candace. She tried to jump out of the way, but it grazed her tail and she yelped out in pain. She jumped so forcefully at the guard that he flew back when she made contact and his head slammed against the wall.

There was one left, and although Landen looked exhausted, he was still holding his own. The guard made one last move to strike, but nothing came from his hand. He was out of energy and he knew it. Candace walked up to him and punched him so hard that she thought she might have broken her own hand.

Five unconscious guards lay on the ground, but there was no time to celebrate. Landen picked up an unconscious Jinny and carried her back to the others.

Candace knelt by Grace's side. She hadn't moved the entire time. She probably had faith that Candace could take care of them on her own. Either that or she was too afraid of being discovered as a traitor. Either way, Candace didn't blame her. She had kept herself alive.

"Grace," she whispered, "I need your help."

Grace cracked one eye open and sighed. "I am going to regret this,aren't I? What do you need, Pixy." Pixy had been Candace's nickname in elementary school. Candace had hated it, which was primarily the reason Grace still called her by it. Now, however, it didn't bother her so much.

"I need you to get this video out to the rest of the guardians. Let them know we need help."

Grace looked skeptical, but took the phone. She clicked the play button, and her face fell as she watched. "So it's true." She didn't seem very surprised. Candace remembered hearing rumors about Grace's home life. Apparently, the member of The Order that she watched over wasn't particularly nice.

"Please hurry. We need to get Jane out of there before the soldiers storm this place."

"What? The military is involved?"

"Yes, it's a long story."

Grace nodded and proceededto send the video to every friend she had. Soon enough, every guardian would have seen it.

"Thank you," Candace said, and gave Grace a quick hug. Grace looked as if Candace had just thrown up an elephant. Before she could say anything, Candace headed back to the others.

When she reached them, they asked her if Grace had gotten the message out. Candace responded that she had.

"We need to stall. When those idiots finally wonder how she got past every single guard, they will know that there are more of us." Chelsea said.

Candace nodded. "They probably think Jane is just that good."

"Yeah, but could she take out ten trained guards on her own?"

Candace shrugged, "I've seen Jane fight. So have they. Jane maybe wouldn't have lasted in a fight against all of them, but they probably think she could have."

"Hello..." A voice suddenly came through the radio Harvey had given them, and Candace quickly covered the speaker with her hand. She walked away from the door and whispered a reply.

"Where are you guys?" He asked quickly.

"We are waiting for you."

"We can't get in. There is this huge group of teenagers....they just keep coming and coming." Candace and Landen quickly high fived each other.

"It's okay, they are on our side... they've come to rescue Jane."

"Rescue Jane?" Harvey almost shouted, "What happened to her?"

"She was sort of...captured," Candace lied.

"Is she okay?" He asked worriedly.

"She's fine..."

Just then, one of the members of the meeting stuck his head out of the door. They quickly shouted for guards, who, of course, didn't come. But soon, other members of the Order detained them and brought them into the meeting. One of them had to lift Jinny off the ground. Candace snarled at him, but there was nothing she could do.

Candace knew putting up a fight would be useless against this many people. She let them take her to the front of the room.

"We cannot have this. They must be punished immediately," one of the members yelled. The others agreed. They were looking for blood.

"What do you suppose we do," asked the man in the brown robe, "execute them right here in this room?" He didn't seem entirely against the idea. Candace's own mortality became very evident in that moment as well as that of her friends. She looked around at them. None of them looked afraid, and Candace silently whispered a prayer.

"Fine."

Candace now struggled against the grip that a large man had on her arms, but she couldn't wiggle herself free.

"Jane," he continued, "If you really are as loyal as you say you are, then you can do the honors."

"Go to hell," she said immediately. It took the man by surprise that she would answer so fast. Perhaps he believed everyone to be as self-centered as he was. The only emotion on Jane's face was anger. The man pushed her to her knees and drew a very old, very old-fashioned sword from his robe. "I hope you've sharpened that thing recently," she said and turned to spit at him. The words were morbid, but Candace was thinking the same thing. It didn't seem like the thing had been sharpened in a thousand year, and she doubted that it could cut anything. It would probably feel like someone taking a baseball bat to the back of her head.

The man reached back, ready to swing. Before Candace could think about what she was doing, she broke free of her currently distracted captor and summoned up all of the energy she had into one large blast which she sent flying towards the man.

He flew ten feet back, at least, and crashed into the wall. He fell into a heap onto the floor and didn't move. Candace honestly wondered whether she had killed the man. That was when all hell broke loose. The teenage guardians came storming into the room. The members of the Order, who tried to fight back, were quickly defeated. Candace grimaced as she thought about just how close they had been to being too late.

As soon as every member of The Order left the building, they were quickly arrested. Candace smiled as they left. They had won.

Now, she needed to find Petunia. She meandered through the crowd until she found the person she was looking for. The man in the Brown robe was lifted onto a stretcher. He looked incredibly silly now as he lay there with the cloth spilling around him on all sides. He looked like he was in a daze, but he was awake.

"Where is she?" Candace asked harshly. She didn't have time to play games.

"Where is who?" He responded in annoyance. Had he already forgotten what she just did to him?

"Petunia. Where is she?"

"You mean your wretched foster mother? She went looking for you a couple days ago. She's a traitor, too. You all are traitors. You all deserve to..." Medics began loading him up into the ambulance and interrupted his sentence. The man was pathetic.

Candace looked around her at the crowd of people that honestly didn't know what to do with themselves. They meandered around talking about the craziness of what just happened. To them, at the moment, it was just gossip, but Candace knew it was much more than that. Their whole world was about to change. Who would take over the leadership of The Order? Would they just go to normal high schools with normal people? What would the high schoolers do with their lives? They had been taught their whole lives to protect the very people who had just betrayed them.

Jinny was given medical attention, and they were told that she would be just fine with some rest.

Candace found Jake in the crowd and he wrapped his arms around her. It was a hug filled with relief, understanding, and love. Harvey gave Candace a sheepish grin when he walked up to them.

"I really wish you would have followed protocol," he said.

"You were taking too long and besides..." she motioned around her, "we gained all of their support." Harvey nodded.

"Good work, Candace," he said and walked away.

Jake held her hand as she walked though the crowd and reunited with friends she hadn't seen since before she had lost her memory. Everyone was very open and friendly. It didn't seem like anyone was holding a grudge against her. If anything, they were kinder to her now that they knew the reason behind her disappearance.

Candace spotted her mom on the outskirts of the crowd. She looked proud, and for a reason Candace couldn't quite understand, it made Candace feel good. Now that she knew the reasoning behind what her mother had done, it was a lot easier to forgive her for it. She still couldn't imagine Landen turning evil, but that didn't mean that he couldn't inadvertently cause their destruction.

Now, however, was a time to celebrate and she decided that she would not worry about such things yet.

#

** **

**Episode 12**

When they returned to the base for their last night, they stayed up late and talked quietly amongst themselves. Soon, only Candace and Jane were left awake.

"Can we take a walk?" she asked, "I'm feeling restless."

"What?" Candace asked, "You look exhausted." It was true. Jane's eyes were glazed over with red circles underneath. She looked much older than she actually was. Candace was concerned, and realized that this would be a perfect time for the two of them to talk.

Jane looked at her a moment longer as if trying to get Candace to understand.

"Alright," Candace stood and headed for the door. They were both very careful not to wake the others.

When they reached the edge of the base, Candace threw up her hands lightheartedly. "This is as far as we go."

She turned to face Jane, but as soon as she did, Jane's hand flew up and her fist met with Candace's nose. Blood immediately gushed from her nostrils.

"Hey! What the?!"

Candace was shocked, but she regained her composure enough to dodge the next hit. Jane was throwing all of her weight into her punches. She wasn't holding back. Candace's mind raced to try and remember if she had done anything for Jane to be so angry about.

Candace realized suddenly that something was really wrong with Jane. Her eyes weren't glazed over because she was tired. No. It was a form of compulsion. Someone was controlling her.

"Jane, snap out of it!" Candace shouted, suddenly panicked. The others were asleep, and she knew she wouldn't be able to defeat Jane alone without one of them becoming seriously injured. She didn't want to fight Jane. She wasn't herself. Candace was on the defensive as Jane continually threw attacks in her direction. Candace continued to dodge as Jane became even more vicious, rabid even. "It's me, Candace. We grew up together... Any of that ring a bell?"

It was no use. There wasn't even a flicker of a response from the real Jane. Candace couldn't keep up with dodging the attacks. At some point, she was going to have to fight back. Candace cringed as she threw her first punch. It made a sickening crunching sound as her knuckles met with Jane's jaw. Candace hadn't expected her punch to be that dead on. It seemed as though Jane's reflexes weren't as good through her compulsion.

Jane stumbled back, but the pain didn't seem to register for her. "Not good," Candace breathed. Jane spun around, and Candace couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Jane's leg came crashing into Candace's side. She heard the same crunching sound, but this time it was louder, and the pain was her own. Candace went down on one knee. She put her hand on the ground to stabilize herself. She could barely think though the pain, and she could taste blood rising up in the back of her mouth.

Jane stood for a moment. Candace looked up into her eyes, and for a moment she didn't seem fully awake. All too soon, Jane stepped forward, and Candace stumbled to her feet, backing away. Jane struck out again, and this time, when Candace dodged, it felt like someone was ripping out her stomach.

Candace sensed Landen before she saw him. He stood on the far side of the trees looking at them from across the field. He rubbed his eyelids as if trying to determine whether this was a dream or reality.

It finally occurred to him that something was seriously wrong. He ran up to them.

"What's going on?!" He asked.

"She's being compelled!" Candace gasped back. She couldn't breathe, and black dots began filling up her periphery. She couldn't do this any longer.

Landen looked up at Jane, and Jane paused to meet his gaze with a sickening glare.

Landen stepped forward, and before Candace could comprehend what he was doing, he kissed Jane. At first she struggled, but soon the kiss became more and more passionate, untilthe glaze over her eyes disappeared. Jane pulled back and stared at Landen. "What...What happened?"

Landen didn't answer.

"You were being compelled..." Candace said hesitantly. She sat down carefully, and the dots began to disappear. She was still trying to figure out what she had just witnessed.

Jane looked into Landen's eyes, and something passed between them. Jane blushed and pulled away. Jane looked like she had just learned to fly, but Landen didn't see it. He only felt embarrassed for what he had just done.

"Who compelled me?" Jane asked angrily.

"My bets are on the evil brown robe dude," Landen answered.

The truth was no one knew. They only hoped that it had happened before the Order's meeting was crashed. If it hadn't, then they were dealing with another threat.

Landen knelt next to Candace. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I will be," she responded. Then something occurred to her. "Don't tell Jinny. She will just want to heal me, and she's already been through enough."

Landen looked at her, and nodded slowly. He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. Candace gasped from pain, before it slowly ebbed away. Landen bit back his own pain. Candace still felt weak, but her ribs just felt bruised now.

"I'm not as good as Jinny, but I can do a little."

"Thank you," Candace said.

The three of them walked silently back to their room. Jane apologized profusely for attacking Candace. Candace kept reminding her that it wasn't her fault, but Jane still felt guilty.

It had been a long day, and all three of them were tired. Tomorrow would be a new day filled with new challenges. Tomorrow, they would have to face the repercussions of overthrowing a government, but tonight, they would rest.

Candace was the first to wake the following morning. The previous day seemed like a fuzzy dream, and Candace still couldn't wrap her head around what winning the revolution would actually mean for her. It would take years for the supernatural world to now recover. Before now, she didn't know much about others like her. Now, she discovered she would have to learn very fast. People would be looking to her and the others to make decisions about what to do next.

Candace walked out into the cloud-covered morning. The weather was growing colder, and Candace welcomed it. She needed change; they all needed change. Part of her wanted to let society recover on its own, but she feared that certain people might want to take advantage of the instability. The most destructive leaders in history have sprung up in the midst of turmoil; taking advantage of the confusion that seems to accompany these kinds of events. No. Candace wouldn't leave. She would stay to ensure that her friends and family would not fall prey to the workings of the cruel and selfish.

There was also still the issue of Landen. She wanted to confront this "seer" herself. It seemed crazy that anyone could predict the future, but then again, she lived in a crazy world. Landen had explained that she would grow stronger as she discovered new abilities and learned to control them. She was afraid of that power; afraid of what it might do to her.

She found a large oak tree and sat beneath it. She leaned up against the rough bark and pretended she was somewhere else; somewhere where there was no hate or fear or longing. It was her duty now to be a symbol of love. She could not expect everyone to agree with her, but with progress comes opposition. Beside, Candace was not alone in this mess. She had Landen, Chelsea, Jane, Jinny, Jake, and even Harvey by her side. Not to mention Petunia whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

Candace closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Her hair caught on the rough ridges of the bark, but she didn't mind. Soon, she was asleep. No one interrupted her dreams, and for once, she was at peace without worries. She dreamed that she was floating. Her arms were outstretched over the water and her hair coiled around her head like the soft grass of an overgrown field.

She looked up at the sky. There was no sun to blind her. There was light, but without a source. It was all around. The water was as light blue as her eyes. It was funny, really. She had never before considered the color pretty, only odd. Now, however, the crystal water seemed like the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

She needed this, a moment to herself. Candace had not considered the toll that the past few weeks had taken on her. She needed a moment to breathe and relax, even if it was just in this dream world.

Soon, she heard her name from the edges of her mind, and her dream was shattered. She didn't mind though, because the voice was soft and caring. It was a voice she could listen to for the rest of her life. Candace's eyes opened, and she smiled as she met Jake's gaze. He sat down next to her without a word. He didn't need to speak. Not now, anyway. His presence was enough. Soon, they would be gathering their things. The question was, would they go their separate ways or would they stay close together. Distance was not an issue. Wherever they chose to live, she would always be his. They would make it work.

"Everyone's awake. They're gathering their things." He told her in a soft voice. Of course they were, she thought sadly. Happiness and change are almost always accompanied by a sentimental sadness. She wished things could somehow stay the same, although she wouldn't miss the chaos of fighting. She needed her friends. She had relied on them for so much.

Jake leaned down, and his lips brushed against Candace's. "We did it," he breathed. She let her forehead against his. They had, but she couldn't shake the thought of the struggles that were to come. Jake stood and reached his hand down to her. She let him pull her to her feet, although she thought that she could sit against that tree forever. It was so simple. This should be simple.

"Hey!" Landen called from across the field from where the tents were. "Can I talk to you?"

Candace gave Jake a rueful smile and looked back to Landen with a nod. Jake walked away with his hands in his pockets as he stared at the ground.

"What's up?" Candace asked Landen when he grew near.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," he said. "A lot happened yesterday, and you weren't there when I woke up..."

"I just needed a moment," she said a little too enthusiastically.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" he sat cross-legged on the ground. And ran his fingers through the long grass. Candace thought about how young and innocent he looked just then. Landen was anything but innocent. He was sarcastic and infuriating at times. He had more power inside of him than she or he could even begin to comprehend.

She sat next to him, and let herself pretend they had grown up together. It felt like that sometimes. They had grown so close. It was like they had never been separated to begin with. "Its strange," he said without looking up. "Everything will be so different now. Hopefully, we can focus on enjoying the good now instead of correcting the bad..."

Candace felt a tinge of guilt in that last statement. Should she tell him now? He deserved to know, didn't he? Yes, he did. If she were in the same position, she would expect him to tell her the truth.

"Landen, our mother...she was here." Landen looked at her with a confused expression. "The woman with Doug the other day, that was her. She told me something. She told me something about you."

"What did she say?" Landen asked. He spoke like he was trying to speak over a lump in his throat.

"She said she had spoken to someone who could predict the future...She said you were supposed to turn...bad." Candace suddenly laughed at how strange that sounded coming out of her own mouth. What Landen said next, however, stopped her in her tracks.

"I know."

"Wait, what?"

"I've known ever since I was a little kid. My father...he blamed me for her leaving. He said it was all my fault, and I guess it kind of was." Candace was shocked, and saddened. He had known since he was a child? What kind of childhood would that havebeen like? To grow up thinking that you were going to become some kind of disaster... Candace couldn't even imagine how lonely that must have felt.

"I don't believe it," she said, and in that moment, she knew she was telling the truth. Landen would not turn evil...at least, not by his own doing.

"I do," he said. "I need to believe it if I want to prevent it from happening...whatever _it_ is."

"You know I'll be there for you," she looked into his eyes, and he smiled. The smile was not convincing, and Candace knew he didn't believe her. _Sooner or later_ _,_ _everyone leaves_. Candace didn't know where the thought had come from. It was like it hadn't originated out of her own mind.

"I won't leave," she said and it was as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"You won't, will you?" Candace shook her head slowly. Landen leaned his head on her shoulder. It showed just how vulnerable and afraid he really was. This was not a life he had chosen. Candace made up her mind that as soon as they cleaned up this mess, she would leave the world of the supernatural. She was sure that Jake would come with her.

They stayed like that for a while. Landen didn't move, and the only reason Candace knew he wasn't asleep was because every now and then, he shuddered involuntarily.

When they finally reunited with the others, Candace had found that Jake had packed her things for her. Harvey was standing by the same car they had used to drive in, and Candace groaned, anticipating having to confront her foe: the seatbelt. It was a relatively short ride though, and Candace slept the whole way.

The community hadn't changed since the events of yesterday; at least, not visibly. Most of the residents stayed inside as if they were expecting some kind of aftershock. Maybe people who had supported the Order would rise up against them and take control. That wasn't going to happen. Candace and the others would make sure of it.

A young boy walked down the street with his hands shoved firmly in his pockets. He was trying constantly not to step on the cracks. At first, when he saw the car pass, he simply looked up into the windows, but recognition soon glowed in his eyes and he ran to catch up with the car. Each little foot smacked on the pavement. _Where were his parents?_ Candace thought as she looked back at him through the window. Soon, he disappeared from her sight.

Candace was ready to reach their destination. Although the car ride had been relatively short, fitting all of them in was a bit of a problem. Candace was smashed between Chelsea and Jake. Jake looked as if he didn't mind, and kept reaching for her leg playfully. Candace had a flashback to the other night. She had said nothing was going to happen, but she wondered if that were really true. If Landen had not interrupted them, she wasn't sure how far it would have gone. Candace slapped Jake's hand away once more, and he looked at her with a suspicious grin.

Two small houses sat side by side. They were small, but nice. A small green lawn sat in front of each. Harvey pulled up to the curb in front of the house on the left.

"Here we are," Harvey said to them. "Girls are in the house here, and the boys are one house over. I don't want to catch you guys sneaking over to each other's houses." Candace thought that was odd of him to say, but then she realized it was a joke. Given by the way he looked at her, it was at her expense.

Before she could catch herself, she said, "Don't look at me. It's you and Chelsea we should be worried about."

Chelsea's cheeks burned so red that for a moment, Candace worried that she might pass out. Harvey didn't look embarrassed whatsoever though. "We," he pointed between himself and Chelsea, "are adults. You are teenagers."

"Hey," Landen spoke up, "us teenagers just took down a corrupt government...without your help"

"Speaking of which," Harvey said, "you did so by disobeying orders. You could have easily gotten yourself killed."

"But we didn't," Jane said just as defiantly.

"You did well," Harvey agreed, and everyone gave him a disbelieving look as if he were about to add something sarcastic at the end. He didn't, and Candace felt a little bit of pride build up in her chest. Pride could be a dangerous thing, and Candace knew that more than anything; but this was special. This pride was earned, and no one would dispute her right to it. "Candace, I have a surprise for you. It's in the house." And with that, he opened the car door and stepped out. Candace wondered what it could be, but she didn't ask questions.

Harvey handed her a silver key. There was nothing special about it, but it felt good in her hands. This was her home now, at least, for a while.

She turned the lock, and the warm air rushed at her as she stepped inside. It felt good as it brushed her skin. The house was completely furnished. It was complete with a television and furniture in the bedrooms. It had a small fireplace in the dining room. When Candace reached the kitchen, however, she immediately realized what the surprise was.

Petunia sat at a bar stool with her hands on the counter. It was apparent that she hadn't heard Candace enter. When she heard footsteps behind her, she jumped and looked around. When her eyes met Candace's, her hand flew to her mouth and she began to cry. She wrapped her arms around her and squeezed. Candace returned the embrace feeling tears of her own well up inside of her eyes.

This was the woman she had resented for so long. Candace knew in that moment that this woman cared more for her than she could ever understand. This was her mother. The one who had raised her. She was the one who had taught Candace morals. She had helped her with her homework on school nights. She had reprimanded her when she made mistakes, and she complimented her when she had done something worthy of praise.

Candace didn't necessarily dismiss Cara as her mother completely, but Petunia was the woman she had grown to love.

"Okay, that's enough of that," Petunia said as she stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Where have you been? I have been worried sick!"

Candace smiled. Yes. This was the woman she had come to know very well.

The others entered one by one. Everyone was surprised to find Petunia there. Everyone but Jane and Harvey introduced themselves. It was apparent that she and Harvey had met before.

"I'm so, so sorry Candace. I never would have thought all of this..." Petunia looked down, and didn't finish.

"What?" Candace asked. She didn't understand.

"It was me, I wanted you to be safe. The Order found out about you and what you could do. I had to find a way to get you out of there, but I knew you would never leave on your own. I knew about the ambush before it happened. It wasn't the hit that caused you to lose your memory...I never would have risked that...I drugged you."

Petunia pulled her hands up to her face. She cried softly into them. The old Candace would have been furious, but she didn't feel as mad as she should have. She was tired of feeling angry; tired of looking at everything as if it were some kind of threat. Maybe Petunia didn't handle the situation as well as she should have, but she meant well.

"It's okay." Candace said as she put her hand on Petunia's shoulder. Petunia looked up and smiled uneasily. Even she hadn't expected Candace to forgive her that easily.

Candace still had a lot of questions for Petunia, like where had she been all of this time, but she decided that they could wait for later.

Candace, Chelsea, Jane, and Jinny raced upstairs like little children and tried to find the best room. It was exciting to be in a new house, and Candace was excited to be living with friends. Petunia was invited to live with them, but decided against it. She felt that it would be for the best to give Candace a little space.

Landen and Jake's home was just as furnished, but it wasn't as bright as the girls, and they had one floor instead of two. Landen and Jake fought for the same room, but when Landen threatened to haunt his dreams every night, Jake backed off. Candace felt like that was probably the right move. She didn't doubt that Landen would follow through with the threat.

" _You_ can haunt my dreams anytime," Jake whispered to Candace when the others moved on to the rest of the house.

"I heard that!" Jane yelled from the other side of the house. Of course she had. Candace snorted, and it was an ugly sound, but Jake caught her chin and kissed her on the lips.

Candace had never thought of herself as the type to fall into some cheesy love story, but here she was. She quickly decided that being Cinderella had its perks.

"We should adopt a puppy," Landen said when he rejoined the group.

"No," Jinny said, "What are you going to do with a puppy?"

Of all people, Candace had figured Jinny to be the one to jump at the idea.

"You guys have one...two, if you count Canda..." Landen couldn't get the last word out. As soon as Jane realized what he had meant, she punched him in the arm...hard. The others laughed, and soon Jane joined in.

"So what's the plan?" Candace asked Harvey.

"There is no plan. Just go to school, and you can do pretty much whatever you want. But no drinking and no drugs...or sex."

Candace rolled her eyes. It would be nice to just worry about school for a change. She was tired of fighting and tired of worrying. She felt old and worn down. Staying in these houses was like a mini vacation, but Candace expected there was an ulterior motive to keeping them all in the same place. She assumed it was in case Harvey needed them again.

They were kind of like law enforcement now...or at least, that's how it felt. There were people out there still who weren't entirely happy that the Order no longer existed. Candace had no doubt that those people might decide to act out. If that happened, they would be ready.

A few weeks went by, and everyone settled into their new living arrangements. An advantage of living so close together was that it was very easy for someone to...say sneak into the other house...which Jake did a lot.

Candace began to get nightmares frequently and so instead of dealing with her own mind, she would jump into Jake's. There, she could create any scenario she wanted, which usually resulted in an overgrown garden or something of the sort. Jake complained about that a lot and asked why she couldn'tcreate some monster truck rally. It was _his_ head, he argued. He had a point, but there was enough violence and destruction in the world. Candace figured it would be nice to create something that was simply pure.

When school started for the rest of them, Chelsea started a new job at a local newspaper company that was taking off. Candace was happy for her. She was now able to write the stories she wanted to the write instead of the ones she was told to. With the Order gone, Jake was able to attend the same school as Candace. Because Jake wasn't able to finish his senior year, he had to start over. As for Candace, she had to start back at her junior year since she had been a sophomore the year before. The school board didn't take her recent grade jump into account.

Candace didn't really mind that much. She was appreciating being a kid more and more. It had its perks. She was sad that Jake would be in college while she was still in high school, but he promised that he wouldn't go too far.

The school board no longer made it mandatory for shape shifters to take fighting classes, but it was offered as an elective. Candace took the class along with Jake, Jane, and Jinny. Landen claimed he didn't need it. He and Candace soon found someone to help them develop their abilities. Candace liked fighting more, however, and stuck mainly to that. She figured she would end up being some bodyguard when she got older. She didn't know if she could find much work in that field, however, due to the stereotypes about girls, but anyone with a brain could tell that she was a good fighter if they ever gave her a chance to show them.

Jinny also found someone to help her with her gift. She wanted to go into the medical field. Although Candace was concerned with the toll that healing a lot of people might take on the girl, Jinny's trainer assured her that she would be able to control the pain.

Candace didn't hear much from Cara, but every once in a while, she would get a card from different locations around the world. Apparently, her mother had taken to traveling. Candace was happy for her. It seemed like everyone was finally figuring out what they wanted from life.

Landen, however, was tricky. He was still convinced that he would cause them all to be destroyed in some freak comic book apocalypse. He seemed to be dealing with that though, and tried not to think too much about it. There would be time to worry, and now was not that time.

Now was the time, however, to throw ridiculous house parties. No parents meant they were legends around the school. Candace and Jane, in particular, were legends because of how well they fought during class. To the incoming freshman, they were like gods.

Landen and Candace kept their powers a secret, mainly because it simplified things. The supernatural world, in particular, wasn't ready to accept the fact that two people had more power than any one government could control. It seemed the others in the group either forgot about it or just ignored it. Candace and Landen, however, would regularly find a place back in the woods to practice.

Every once in a while, Candace would sneak off alone in the forest and change into her wolf form. She would run and run through the trees just as she had imagined she would before she turned. It felt good to be in her animal form. She felt free and wild. She didn't care about her other abilities. She would always be a shape shifter, and in one way or another, she would always be a guardian.

Petunia worked at the school, much to Candace's dismay. Although Candace didn't like the feeling of Petunia keeping an eye on her, it felt good having her around. She didn't admit that of course, and she never would.

Candace wasn't treated any differently from the other students, but every once in a while, she would catch a teacher staring at her. They would look away quickly and pretend it had never had happened. Once, she had even heard a conversation about her between two of her teachers.

"I always thought she was a trouble-maker," one said.

"I know, who would have thought she would be the one to overthrow the Order?"

"It was reckless."

"It was amazing."

They both seemed to agree on that last statement and it made Candace smile.

The biggest change, however, was Grace. Candace, Jane, and Grace were now very close, and the school seemed to be in shock more because of that than the revolution that had just occurred. They had always been the worst of enemies, and now, here they were always at each other's sides. It seemed to inspire a kind of unspoken hope that maybe there could be peace in the world. Fighting was still necessary, but there could be peace if one could reason with words.

Candace noticed someone in a dark suit stopping by every now and then. She knew they were from the government. They were probably checking up on the school. It was clear that they were afraid that the kids would become too powerful. The truth was, they were. Candace could feel it as she walked through the halls. These were the people who were truly powerful, not those royal brats from the Order.

No one seemed to want to disturb the peace. These were teenagers. They were content with staying out too late on school nights, and partying a little too much. They weren't power hungry.

Candace was proud of her generation. They could see the mistakes that their parents had made. They knew the importance of peace, and they didn't take it for granted. They especially didn't take their freedom for granted. Almost every shape shifter in the school planned on doing something that didn't involve fighting.

Candace, on the other hand, loved to fight. It was in her blood. She loved the thrill of it. Many kids who hadn't had a chance to take fighting classes decided to give it a try. This made it difficult for Candace to find a good sparring partner at times, but she didn't mind. It made her a better teacher anyways, and she made a lot of friends because of it.

"Hey Candace!" Landen shouted from where he was sitting in the cafeteria. "Grab me a milk!"

Candace rolled her eyes. She stood in line with Jane and they had been talking about school gossip.

"So do you like anyone...?" Candace prompted. Jane blushed and shook her head. It wasn't like Jane to blush, and Candace suspected something. She had her suspicions about her and Landen, but she didn't know if they were correct.

"Landen is a nice guy..." Candace reassured her.

"What? No! Landen...psh...Okay, you can't tell him!!"

"Whoa, don't worry I won't say anything." Candace replied, satisfied that she had gotten a reaction. "Hey Landen, Jane likes you," she said as soon as they reached the table.

"Candace!!!" Jane yelled. "I thought you were my friend!"

"I am. I did this in your best interest. That's what a true friend is for."

If Landen was surprised, he didn't show it. "It's okay, I know I'm popular with the ladies. It's hard not to be attracted to this," he pointed at himself.

Jane looked at Candace. "Okay. I'm over him." Landen's face fell for just a moment and then he looked serious.

"Jane, will you go out with me?" he asked. His eyes looked sincere, and it caught Jane off guard.

She was trying to decide if she should say yes, and Candace quickly nudged her. "Yes," she said, "I will go out with you."

Everyone at the table clapped and made a big show of it. Candace just sat and smiled. She was glad that her friends were happy. Jake held her hand throughout the rest of the lunch period.

After school, they headed home. When Chelsea got back from work, they all sat around the table and played spoons. They ended up tackling each other and laughing. The laughter was contagious, and soon all of them were drunk off of their own joy.

_This is what life should be like_ , Candace thought. Never again would she take her friends for granted. No matter what happened in the future, she knew they would always be right by her side.

Candace stayed up a little later than usual and talked quietly to Jake. Most of what they talked about was related to school. Life seemed so much easier with just one thing to worry about. School had seemed like a burden before, but now it seemed like a release.

Candace found herself resting her head on Jake's chest as he breathed in and out. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but soon sleep overtook her. Even in sleep, she never had to be without Jake. He fell asleep soon after she did, and she immediately jumped into his head. They sat at the top of a baseball stadium that she had once seen in a photograph.

"This is more my scene," Jake said, and kissed Candace gently on the lips.

Candace preferred nature, but as his soft lips met hers, she decided that she really didn't mind.

#

**Credits**

Written by

**Sarah Aderholdt**

Producer

**Christian Jorda**

Executive Producer

**Manja Haensel**

Technical Director

**Alexey Morozov**

Music

**Peter Nickalls**

Editorial

**Kate Teng**

Art Director

**Abner Dumandan Jr**

Marketing

**Liliya Dimitrova**

Customer Support

**Erin Bell**

Voice over

**Eric Saint John**

Production Management

**Christian Jorda**

**Manja** **Haensel**

WebAPP Development

**Dengo Systems**
