 
# Activate

## Crystal Perkins user119504

### Contents

Untitled

Copyright

About Activate

Dedication

The Creator

The Decision is Made

The Last 24

Untitled

How it Began

Trigger Happy...or Sad

Untitled

All Together Now

History is Upon Us

Five on the Island

Michaela

Hinton

Sabrina

Abigail

Coalton

Abigail

Hinton

Michaela

Sabrina

Hinton

Coalton

Michaela

Sabrina

Abigail

Nine and the Cities

Hinton

Michaela

Abigail

Coalton

Sabrina

Abigail

Hinton

Sabrina

Michaela

Coalton

Sabrina

Abigail

Hinton

Michaela

The Muses

Unexpected Visitors

The City of Love...and Death

The Truth is Relative

Mind Controls It All

Alien Versus Human

After

Hinton

Michaela

Coalton

Sabrina

Michaela

Hinton

Coalton

Sabrina

Acknowledgments

About the Author

1. www.crystalperkinsauthor.com
**Activate**

**By Crystal Perkins**
Copyright © 2016 by Crystal Perkins

Cover Design by Helen Williams

**www.allbookedout.com**

All trademarks are owned by their respective companies and are denoted by the use of proper capitalization of the company and/or brand. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This young adult novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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# About Activate

**C heerleader. Jock. Good Girl. Class Clown. Charmer.**

* * *

Five teenagers are oblivious to their true origins, until the day they are "activated" by the government, and learn they were part of a secret experiment. They're not like anyone else, and now they're being sent into a war even the most seasoned soldier couldn't survive.

* * *

**F ighter. Telepath. Super-soldier. Leader. Empath.**

* * *

They know they've been given the skills of the great detectives and spies from literature, movies, and TV, but there's more. Is their government "Creator" really trying to get them to fulfill their destiny, or is their mission more personal?

* * *

**H ate. Loyalty. Anger. Compassion. Love.**

* * *

When the truth is revealed, they'll discover their heritage, and the real reason they were born. Will they continue on the path that's been set for them, or will their emotions cause them to fight for a new future?

* * *

**S aving the world is their destiny. Saving themselves is their choice.**
**_For my original Adults Who Love YA Book Club. We've changed our name, and branched out to different genres, but we still love YA._**

## Part I

# The Creator

# The Decision is Made

We have watched them for sixteen years. Watched and waited, hoping we wouldn't have to flip their switches, but also hoping that we would. With the world in turmoil, the time has come.

"Are we sure? There's no other option?" the President of the United States asks me.

"I'm sure. The attacks are too wide spread, and encompass too many areas of expertise. Why comb through the resources of law enforcement when we have the perfect experts who can help us immediately?"

"You know why. My predecessors and I had all hoped it would be at least a few more years before this had to happen."

"There were never any guarantees of a time frame. This could've happened years ago. At least now, it won't look so suspicious."

"How will it not look suspicious?"

"They look like adults."

"They may look like them, but they're not. These five are still children. We should be protecting them. Instead we are getting ready to send them into battle."

"We both know they are more ready than any elite soldier, or top analyst. They were made for this, and the time has come to let them be who we created them to be. Sign the orders, Mr. President. It's the only way."

"God help us all if this fails."

"If _they_ fail, there will be nothing left of us, or anyone else, to help."

"Then make sure they don't. Seventeen years ago, you were entrusted with the creation of these five. Now, I'm entrusting you with keeping them safe."

"You have my word. I'll be watching over them. Always."

He looks conflicted for a moment more, but then he signs the papers. I whisk them off his desk before he can change his mind, and walk briskly out the door. It's done. There's no going back now.

"Wait," he says, running out of the room after me. "One more day. Give them one more day of normal. It's the least we can do for them."

I don't like it, and because I've got the signed orders in my hand, I don't technically have to abide by his request, even if he is President. However, I need his approval for much more than this one directive, and angering him now won't help me later. That doesn't mean I won't try to change his mind.

"We both know that seconds can change the course of history. A full day could allow our enemies—whoever they are—to cause more harm than the five can undo."

"That's a chance we'll have to take."

"Sir, I urge you to reconsider."

"I'm going to have a hard enough time living with myself after they're put into service. Giving them one day seems minor. It's in my power to give it, and so I am. Have the security agencies be extra vigilant during the next 24 hours. I don't want more attacks on our computer systems, or national monuments, but I won't back down about this. Give the children one more day to be normal teenagers."

"You're the boss."

"Yes I am. I think you forget that sometimes, ," he says, walking away and effectively dismissing me.

He's wrong. I don't forget that he's in charge. How could I possibly forget that? I know he's the wrong person to be leading our country, but he was elected by the people, so what choice do I have but to obey his every order and wish? For now, I have none. Those kids will get their 24 hours, but after that, they will once again belong to the United States of America—and me.

# The Last 24

**A bigail**

* * *

She's the cheerleader. The peppy one, who has a smile for everyone she meets. It's not a question of nature versus nurture. Abigail's personality is a product of genetics. Could she have grown into someone different than we intended? It's possible, I guess, but highly unlikely.

The men in charge of the eggs that were harvested knew what they were doing. They'd been working on genetic manipulation for decades. Nothing like what we'd proposed, of course, but playing with DNA was second nature to all of them by the time we got our hands on them. I have no doubt that we'll get the desired results from this girl tomorrow.

Today, she is still just a teenager, worrying about clothes, boys, and maybe her classes. In that order.

"Mom, have you seen my flowered dress?"

"Which one?"

She sighs dramatically. "My new one. The one with the red flowers."

"Oh. No. I haven't seen it since we bought it. Did you check your trunk?"

"Duh? I never brought it in," she says with a laugh, before kissing her mother on the cheek. "You're the best, Mom."

She runs outside, and my cameras see her open the trunk and pull out a bag from a popular teen shop. She practically dances back inside, and up to her room. I turn off the monitor before she lifts her sleepshirt over her head, because I'm not a pervert. The cameras will still keep rolling in case something happens that we need to see, but none of us will look.

I pick her up again twenty minutes later as she bounds down the stairs in a white dress with red flowers, her hair in a complicated braid, and red ballet flats on her feet. She kisses her mother again, grabs an apple from the bowl on the counter, and practically runs to her car.

Exactly eleven minutes later, she pulls into the school parking lot, parks in the spot that the entire school knows is "hers" even though that's not really allowed, and flips her hair once more before greeting her adoring public. She's popular and flighty, but not mean, which goes a long way with her classmates. She scores just high enough on her tests, quizzes, and essays to retain a respectable grade point average, but not so high that she's intimidating to anyone else. That's not a coincidence either. She _has_ to be liked by everyone, because in essence, Abigail is the key to everything.

* * *

**C oalton**

* * *

The jock. Pick a sport, and he will not only play it, but excel at it. I don't need to tell you how or why, because you're smart enough to figure that out. Where Abigail is the golden girl of the school, Coalton is the golden boy. If you think they're a couple, think again.

The five have absolutely no romantic interest in each other, and never will. In fact, while they aren't openly hostile to each other, they aren't friendly either. At least not yet.

Like Abigail, he has fans who flock to him as he exits his car, but unlike her, he's not nice. Far from it, in fact. We made him cocky and some might even say, mean. Not quite a bully, but he's blunt and honest to a fault. If a teammate doesn't play well, he'll tell him. If something his father cooks for him tastes bad, he'll say so. He has no choice, and there's really no point in dwelling on it, or in me trying to explain why we did what we did. It will be revealed soon enough to those who need to know.

I watch him through the various cameras as he leads his pack through the halls, with a stop at his locker, and then a mock salute as he enters his first class—late, of course.

"So nice of you to join us, Coalton," his U.S. Government teacher tells him, looking anything but nice at the moment.

"I'm sure I didn't miss anything," he says without hesitation. There's that brutal honesty. His teacher is retiring after this year, and checked out long ago. No one else would say it, but Coalton is compelled to.

"To the dean's office. Now!" the teacher yells. He hasn't checked out enough to let the insult slide.

Coalton salutes him as he struts out the door. I watch him tilt his head from side to side, and roll his shoulders as he walks. He's thinking about how to get out of this. Because if he doesn't, he might not be able to play in the football game this week. His team needs him. He knows it, and with a smile I see him realize that the dean will know it, too. I'm not sure he'll be able to hold back from blurting out that he knows, but that's not my problem. Yet.

* * *

**S abrina**

* * *

Sabrina is the girl who can't be beat. She has won every election since elementary school. By a landslide. She's a natural-born politician. Well, if she was conceived and born naturally, she would be. Regardless, she always knows what to do and say to sway a crowd her way.

It's not even just school elections. If there's a side to take, or a debate to win, she can read a crowd and know which one they'd rather go with. Then she picks that side. Simple, right?

Sometimes it is, but sometimes she has to choose something she would never believe in, or want, and fight for it. She has no choice. She has to win. It has gained her some enemies, but most people are simply in awe of her.

Right now she is in science class. Her teacher has just posed the question about whether people behave the way they do because they are born that way, or because they are conditioned by society to act a certain way. This should be good.

Sabrina glances around the room, and narrows her eyes. Once she has looked at everyone there, she speaks up.

"Society. It's society who makes us who we are."

She is so wrong, but as usual, she has read her classmates right. Most of them jump in to agree, while those who don't are quickly silenced by everyone else. The teacher looks resigned to what has happened, and barely tries to explain both sides. After seeing Sabrina in action over the past few years, he knows there's no point in trying to argue. She's won over the class, just like the rest of the school. And soon, she'll win over the world.
**H inton**

* * *

Every class needs a clown, and Hinton fills that role perfectly. He's always got a comeback, or remark that leaves his fellow students smiling. He literally lives to entertain. After years of watching him, I'm not affected by his humor, but everyone around him is. He distracts them with his humor.

"You girls all love that One Direction, right?"

The girl next to him rolls her eyes. "Why?"

"I know all their names."

"You do?" she asks, perking up.

"Yep. Harry, Kermit, Jon Snow, Liam, and Spock."

"You're an idiot."

He wiggles his eyebrows. "A loveable idiot, though."

She smiles, and bites her lip in response. "Maybe." There's no maybe. She can't resist his humor.

"Did you have something to share with the class?" his teacher asks.

"Nothing worth mentioning," he replies with a smirk.

His teachers, and classmates, see him as just a fun-loving guy, but his "parents" and I know the difference. Distraction is powerful. Hinton is powerful, and even he isn't aware of just how much that power will be tested soon.

* * *

**M ichaela**

* * *

Michaela is the prodigy. Our genius. She can learn anything in under sixty seconds, literally. Math, science, languages, and even though she doesn't know it yet, weapons and warfare. Her mind is so strong that we almost lost her as a baby. Her brain had trouble processing everything. Luckily, we still had the Muse then, the one who helped us create them all. The comfort of having a biological parent nearby calmed her, allowed her brain to acclimate. It would've been a shame to have lost her.

Her brilliance has isolated her all her life, but she likes it that way. She prefers her studies to the humans around her. She is so insular, though, that even her teachers have become annoyed with her anti-social behavior. It's a source of pride for them. How dare this small girl think she's better than them?

"Michaela, are you ready for your presentation?" her English teacher asks, the glee at hurting her student shining in her eyes.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not presenting today."

"I told you it's half your grade."

"I'll still pass the class if I fail this assignment," she says, quietly as the teacher seethes.

She may be quiet and a loner, but she isn't necessarily shy. She will stand up for herself, and because of that, she has never really been a victim of bullying. It's no fun to pick on someone who doesn't really care, and she truly doesn't.

Emotions don't come into play for her, which makes her the perfect killing machine. She may be more brains than brawn, but she's also the one we can count on to pull the trigger with no remorse. We built her that way, and I can't wait to unleash her.

# How it Began

In order to understand what's about to happen, I need to let you know how it started. Or at least what we told the "parents." Let me take you back, not to tell you, but to show you what it was like. Go into my mind as I gave ten people their dreams, and also their worst nightmares.

* * *

_S eventeen years ago_

I walk into the room, feeling like God, because right now, I am. I'm giving the gift of life to these five couples. Couples who want a child more than they want their next breath. They have tried anything, and everything to conceive, with no success. No one else has been able to give them what they want, what they need, but today I will offer it to them. There will be conditions, of course. I have no doubt they'll agree to the terms. Having a child for a potentially small amount of time is better than not having one at all.

"Thank you all for coming today," I tell them, looking out at their hopeful faces.

"You've been selected to participate in something monumental. This project has the potential to one day save us all."

"Change the world? We thought this was a fertility trial," one of the woman says, and I see them all nod in agreement.

"In a sense, it is. We are prepared to let you borrow a child. It could be for a year, or it could be for a lifetime."

"What? Borrow? We don't want to borrow a child!" One of the men exclaims.

I couldn't tell you his name right now, because I don't really care. I know all their names, but I don't know who's who. The children are all that matters. Yes, I need to get these people to agree to participate, but I don't have to care about them. I'll match faces to names once they sign the contracts.

"You have had no success conceiving a child—or in some of your cases—carrying a child to term. I know those tests and procedures have depleted all of your finances to the point that surrogacy and adoption are not options for you now, either. What the U.S. Government is proposing is a way for you to have the child you want. With conditions."

"What are the conditions?" one of the women asks.

I look her in the eye, and then make eye contact with everyone else in this room. "What I am going to tell you can never leave this room. If your repeat what I tell you, you will be killed. The safety of our country demands it."

I let that sink in, and wait to see if any of them run for the door. I don't really expect them to, and I'm not wrong. They're desperate, which is exactly the way I need them to be. It'll be easier to manipulate them this way.

"There will come a time in the future when our country will be under siege. We don't know when this will occur, but we need to be prepared. Our scientists have spliced DNA, and other genes, creating perfect specimens, perfect geniuses and soldiers.

"The children we're creating will be brilliant, persuasive, athletic, entertaining, and charming. Beside the gene splicing from the DNA, we have also created something special. We will be conditioning them with deductive skills from all the great fictional detectives. Our scientists have used artificial intelligence to create a program that will allow them to learn while sleeping, as well as while they're awake.

"Three times a week, starting when they are born, you will bring them here to be conditioned. Every night, you will use a word we give you that will put them to sleep, and then you will hook them up to a small device that will impart knowledge into their brains. They will not remember this, and you will never tell them. When the time comes, and they are needed, you will use other words to activate them. They could be a toddler, or they could be an adult when this happens, but it _will_ happen. You must be prepared for it."

"What if someone says the words to them, and they're 'activated' early?" another man asks.

"We will be monitoring them—and you—every minute of the day. There are two words for each child, and they have to be said together, in a specific sentence. We will put a stop to anyone else saying the full sentence to them. I don't anticipate it happening, but we have safeguards in place, in the event that it does."

"You said you might put them into service as toddlers?" the first woman asks, a look of horror on her face.

"These will not be normal toddlers. They are being genetically engineered to be a combination of the greatest minds, and the greatest soldiers that have ever been born."

"When can my baby come home with me?" asks the youngest woman here with a smile on her face.

"Exactly nine months from when you sign these papers," I tell her, holding up one of the packets.

They all stand up and move towards me. I force my smile to seem friendly, and not as predatory as I feel. None of them know exactly what's in store for them. I told them what I needed them to know, and nothing more. If they read the contracts, they'll know the rest, but I don't think any of them will stop to do that. They're desperate for a child, so desperate that they'll do anything. Which is what I was counting on.

# Trigger Happy...or Sad

_P resent Day_

The five have one class, and one class only, together. I've made sure it's never been more than one. Although they should have no knowledge of being related, I couldn't take a chance that they wouldn't recognize something in each other. That's why I gave them such distinct, almost stereotypical, personalities. Other than Abigail and Coalton, there's no reason for any of them to interact much with each other. We conditioned the two of them to have a mistrust of each other, so there's no chance of a problem with them. We could've conditioned everyone else, too, but it was more fun to see nature take its course with the cliques and clashes of a normal teenage life taking over.

Today, in this English class, the foundation for their coming together is being laid. As their teacher outlines their new assignment, I smile, knowing this all my idea.

"You will all need to ask your parents who their favorite mystery or thriller author is, and then read a book by that author, and write about the traits of the main character," Mrs. Fitz tells them.

"What if they don't like mystery books?" Abigail asks.

"You won't know until you ask."

"Someone's cranky today," Coalton says.

"How many times have you been to the dean's office this week? Because I'd love to send you there again."

"We won't know if they have a favorite until we ask," Sabrina says, and no one else speaks up after that.

Coalton wasn't wrong—his teacher is cranky. She didn't like having her normal lesson plan upset for this, but she was given no choice. There's no stopping what's been put in motion. I watch them all through the rest of the day, but nothing eventful occurs. It's when they get home that the fun begins.
**H inton**

Hinton gets home first since he has no after-school activities. "Mom, who's your favorite mystery writer?"

His mother drops the glass of milk and plate of cookies she was carrying to him. They crash to the floor as she looks at him in horror. He rushes forward, but she puts up her hand. "My favorite mystery author is Agatha Christie."

He startles, and then his smile is gone. "I'm ready," he says, walking past her like she's not there. She starts to cry as he climbs the stairs. Her fun-loving boy is gone forever, and it will only get worse for her from here on out.

* * *

**S abrina**

Sabrina is next. She gets home at the same time as her father. They smile at each other as they walk inside, and greet her mother.

"Oh, hey. We have this new English assignment. Do either of you read mystery books? Or have you? I've never seen any around, but we're supposed to ask."

Her parents look at each other, and then her father speaks. "I do. My favorite mystery author is Robert Ludlum."

Like Hinton, she bounces a little on her feet as the trigger does its job. "I'm ready," she says, walking to her room. Sabrina's parents don't cry, because they don't know yet just what they've lot. They'll realize soon enough.

* * *

**M ichaela**

When Michaela walks into her house, the first thing she notices is that her mother has been crying. Her father has his arm around her, and Michaela rushes over to the two of them.

"What's wrong?"

"We just got some bad news today."

Ah. I haven't been watching the home feeds. The parents have apparently started talking to each other. Not against the rules, and not entirely surprising either. Just makes this a little less fun for me as I know the remaining three couples won't be as shocked as the first two.

"What is it? What's the news?" Michaela looks so concerned, and now I know this will indeed be entertaining.

"It's nothing we can't handle." They're so very wrong.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now tell us about school," her mother says. Brave woman right there.

"It was pretty good. I have an assignment for English class I need to ask you about. Do either of you have a favorite mystery author?"

"Yes," her father says. "My favorite mystery author is Ian Fleming."

As with the others, Michaela has the same reaction. As she walks away, her parents don't crumple. I can see in their eyes that they're devastated, but they stand tall, holding hands as they watch her walk away. They'll need each other in the coming months.

* * *

**C oalton**

Coalton has dinner with his friends at a local fast food place before heading home. His father is pretending to watch TV when he comes in the front door. It would be out of character for him to get up and greet his son, so he stays frozen where he is, waiting for the proverbial ax to fall.

"Hey dad. We have this stupid English assignment. You don't read mystery books, do you?"

"I used to," he says, and I can hear the controlled rage in his voice. "Before your mother died."

He's going off script, and if he doesn't play his part, his fate will be the same as his wife's. I'm not sure he cares about his life. I certainly don't. He does care about his son, though, so I'm not too worried yet.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bring it up," Coalton tells him, sounded sad. This will not do at all.

"I'm not going to tell you my favorite author, because I think you should hear your mother's instead. If she was here, she would say 'my favorite mystery author is Carolyn Keene.'"

Smart man. He played his part exactly as told. He'll live to see another day. He may not want to live much longer than that, but I may just keep him alive for fun.

* * *

**A bigail**

Abigail is the last one home. She was shopping with her friends until the mall closed. Her parents are in the kitchen, sharing a pot of coffee and pretending this is just another day. Or I should say, trying to pretend. They're failing miserably, but none of that will matter in a few minutes.

"Coffee? It's a little late for that, isn't it?" Abigail asks them with a touch of concern in her voice.

"We had some things to talk over. How was shopping?" her father asks.

She looks down at her bags and smiles. "Well, you don't have to take out a second mortgage, but I got some nice things."

Her parents try to chuckle, but manage only sad smiles. They have plenty of money.

All five families do; although, some were warned to keep that more quiet than others. Abigail's family had been allowed to show their wealth, and she's enjoyed every moment of that for her entire life.

"I'm going to head up to bed," she tells them when they don't say anything else.

"Goodnight," her mother tells her, sounding relived.

Wait for it...

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask you if you have a favorite mystery author."

Neither one answers, and I'm gripping the desk in front of me so tightly my knuckles are turning white.

"Hello, anyone? No?"

I _will_ kill these two if they don't answer in the next sixty seconds.

"My favorite mystery author is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," her mother says, looking towards the ceiling for help. Abigail immediately reacts.

"I'm ready." Yes, she is.

# All Together Now

As directed by their triggers, the five slept for a full eight hours after being activated. In the morning, I watch them all walk out of their houses. They'll never return, and as they ignore their parents who have followed them outside, those nine people realize it. Some collapse into each other, and some burn with a rage they can't hide on their faces. It doesn't matter what reaction they have. It's not like I'm going to send them back. They're finally coming home where they belong.

I wait for them at the entrance to the lab. This is the building where they were created, and also where their fate was decided. It's where their "parents" traded their nightmares for temporary dreams. And now it is where they'll work together to save this country.

"Welcome, my children," I tell them, once they've all joined me in the command center. "I am your Creator. The United States is under attack, and only the five of you can save us.

"This is what you were born for, _created_ for. You all possess more knowledge and skills than our entire military and intelligence communities combined. Your DNA is infused with super-strength and intelligence. From the time you were born, you've all been given the knowledge of every great detective or spy from literature, television, and the movies. This is so you can think outside of normal parameters. You have the abilities of the best fighters who ever lived, and now you must use what you've been given. Your country needs you, and you will fulfill your destiny.

"Do what you must. Take what you need. Let no one stand in your way."

With those three additional triggers, they fan out into the room. They take five seats, pulling analysts from chairs when they don't move fast enough. I smirk as their fingers fly over the keyboards, all of them looking for what no one else could find.

I sit and watch them for most of the afternoon. As analysts come and go from the room, giving my five a wide berth. Now that they have been activated, all pretense of them being normal, stereotypical teens is gone. They don't need to eat, and they won't need sleep, either. I need both, so I start to call them in one at a time to give me updates. I'll sleep in my office here while they work through the night, but I need to know that they've figured some things out already, or none of this will be worth it.

* * *

**S abrina**

Sabrina is the first to enter my office. Her personality, pre-activation, was a direct result of bring infused with the charm of Charlie's Angels. Those women could get in and out of any situation they needed to, and so can she. She's going to be a little more like Wonder Woman, but not quite Diana Prince. She now knows she has the wisdom, and strength of an Amazon, but she doesn't have

that pesky thing called compassion to get in her way.

"Sit down, my dear, and tell me what you've learned."

She flips a chair around and straddles it, fully abandoning the girl she was just yesterday. "They're good. Better than anyone on our government's payroll."

"Better than you?"

"I'm not on the payroll," she reminds me with a cruel smile. I didn't need the reminder, but I wanted to hear her say it.

"Go on."

"They've infiltrated more than just the computer systems. They are integrated into every major organization and business in this country. They hid their digital footprints well enough for amateurs to miss, but I spotted them easily. Pinging off of satellites all over the world is child's play. What that tells me is they didn't think you had people smart enough to find them."

"We didn't, until yesterday."

"Well, now you do. I have a program going that is slowly pulling the names and photos of everyone involved in the computer attacks and hacking."

"What about the monuments, and everything else?"

"You know that's not what I'm here for. This is just a game. My skills will be useful once I'm in the room with these monsters. I'll sway them to our side, and then you can destroy them."

"Once we get the information we need, they will indeed be dealt with. I had thought you might like a turn with them, Sabrina."

"I'll leave that to her," she says, looking out to Michaela with a smirk.

"She will enjoy it," I agree. "You may go back out to your desk. Please send Coalton in next."

"Will do," she tells me with a salute. She's no longer the "good girl" she was before. She's better, and I almost feel bad that no one will ever know.

* * *

**C oalton**

Coalton walks in, and the change in him is so drastic that I'm almost speechless. I knew the change would come—I orchestrated it—but it is still shocking. Gone is the cocky athlete. He's now in a button down shirt and slacks, looking like any computer nerd in the U.S.

His former persona was based on Tony Stark, a character who is always brutally honest, yet charismatic at the same time. Now, he's like Jason Bourne come to life. A super-spy, who really has no knowledge of his past, but can do anything he needs to, including killing his enemies by any means necessary.

"Hello, Sir. I think I found something."

"You think?" I challenge him, wanting to see if he has truly accepted his real personality.

"I _have_ found something," he says, standing up taller.

Good. He won't be so brutally honest anymore,

because I don't want him offending anyone who might be an ally, but I need him to show confidence at all times, especially with his new computer skills.

"Tell me."

"There is a pattern to these attacks, but the other technicians out there are saying they can't see it, even when I try to show it to them."

They're not lying—I'm quite sure they really _can't_ see it. "Never mind them. You just keep doing what you need to in order to contain it."

"It's not as easy as you make it sound."

"If it was easy, I wouldn't need you."

He nods. "I'm on it," he says, turning to walk back out.

Oh, I have no doubt about that.

* * *

**H inton**

Hinton visits me next. He hasn't been summoned, but while his fun-loving side is gone, his inherent need to test authority is not. He will be a little harder to contain, but I'm not worried.

We knew we wanted someone to keep everyone entertained, and who better than Austin Powers?

As Hinton got older, we played with his DNA and added in some Shawn Spencer, trying to balance him out from being so wild. Now, he's going to be more like Ethan Hunt, able to blend in, and fight for us from the inside. I'll miss some of his old humor, but not enough to let him keep it.

"We need to move out now."

"There is still more to learn. Your sisters and brother have more information to gather."

"Let them gather it while I go."

I lean back in my chair, steepling my hands on my chest. "Why would I send you out on your own?"

"I'm ready. I have a target."

"If you've found something, you will share it with me, and then with everyone else. This is a team."

"You didn't make me a team player, so why are you asking me to be one now?" he asks, genuinely confused. I'm also unsettled, because he shouldn't know what he was built for.

"I need you to trust me, Hinton."

"I trust no one, but I have no choice in following your rules, do I?"

"No, son. You do not."

He turns and storms out of the room, slamming my glass door as he walks back out to the computer terminal he'd been working on. Maybe he's not going to be so easy to rein in, but I'll do it—I have no choice.

* * *

**M ichaela**

I walk out of my office to talk with Michaela, since I don't think she'll stop what she's doing to come to me. She's laid five of our best soldiers flat already, and she hasn't broken a sweat.

Her old anti-social behavior was a side-effect of her being infused with the personality and mindset of Sherlock Holmes. Like the others, she has a bit of everyone else in her, too, but that character was her most dominant before she was activated. Now, she will behave more like Black Widow, combining that brain of hers with the fighting skills she now knows she has. I'm perfectly fine with her beating up my men, but I need to see where she's at mentally right now.

"Michaela, a moment please," I say as she throws soldier number six on his back.

"I'm not done."

"They'll still be here when we're done."

She raises an eyebrow, and I can't help but smile back at her. Truthfully, the men still standing would probably scatter if that was an option for them. It's not, and they know it, which is why when I nod, they fall into line. She smiles back at me and follows me into my office.

"They're weak."

"Weaker than you, yes. Stronger than most, also yes."

"They are not a challenge."

"You will be challenged soon enough."

"I can't wait."

"You will surely have to kill."

"You can count on me to do whatever is necessary."

"Very good. You may go out and resume your exercise now."

"If it was exercise, I'd be breaking a sweat. Don't you have anyone who can truly challenge me?"

"You will be challenged soon enough," I tell her again, and hold the door for her as she walks out.

* * *

**A bigail**

Abigail comes to me last, as it should be. She holds the keys to all of this, and I have no doubt she will embrace her destiny once I make it known. She has already traded her designer dresses for combat boots, jeans, and a tank top. Her transformation is the most extreme of them all, both on the outside, _and_ on the inside. The inspiration for the old Abigail was Nancy Drew, the inquisitive, but nice girl. Now, she's all Nikita.

Well, not all—she's not going to develop a conscience that would interfere with the work she needs to do. Oh, and she's also got the leadership tendencies of M.

"You're wasting my time here with them," she says, her lip curling into a sneer as she motions to the others behind my glass door. "They need to know I am their leader now."

"It's not time yet."

"It is!" she insists, slamming her hands down on my desk and leaning over it. "I am everything they are, and more. I will not stand by and be treated as if I am just one of them, when I am so much more."

"You will do what I tell you to do. You may be destined to be their leader, but I am in charge here. Do not forget that."

She immediately responds to the venom in my voice, stepping back. "Yes, sir. Of course. I will do whatever you tell me." Oh, I know she will.

She has been programmed to be aggressive with everyone else, but to back down from me. God help me if she hadn't been, because I would not survive it if she decided to attack. I honestly wouldn't survive any of them, but she is the most dangerous—and the deadliest.

# History is Upon Us

Twenty-four hours later, everything is in place. Our enemies have been revealed to the five, and they are ready to do what they were created for. A plane is waiting, and it's time for me to send them on their way.

"This is it, children. You will go out and make me proud. Gather what you need, and go."

They do not run because none of them feel as if time is an issue. They know where they are going, and they think they're invincible. As I watch them walk to get their things, I hope they're right. They know where we're going, but they don't know what's waiting for them there. I can't tell them—or anyone—but I do need to let my "boss" know our status.

"Hello, Mr. President," I say when he answers. "We're wheels up in thirty minutes."

"May God be with you, and those children."

I don't correct him as I disconnect the call, because I know I can't change his mind.

These five are not "children," and they never _truly_ have been. He knows it, but refuses to accept it. He will have to accept it soon.

Soon enough, everyone is gathered back around me, and I lead them out to the waiting jet. Once inside, they spread out, none of them wanting to be too close to the other. They know of their bond now, but in this, nurture has overtaken nature. Or rather, society has broken the bond they could've once shared. They were not friends for sixteen years, and one day will not undo what we've done.

They glance at each other often, looking for something they're not going to find. They will never love each other like most siblings do. They won't support each other unless it will help them in some way. And they definitely won't put the others before themselves. They simply don't have it in them to care.

I'm distracted with my own thoughts, so I don't see Abigail stand and move to the front of the plane, until she starts speaking. I sit up straight, but I don't try to stop her. It's time.

"I am your leader, and you will all do as I say."

"I'm not taking orders from you," Hinton says, laughing at her.

"That's not happening," Michaela adds.

"What have you done?" Abigail asks while moving to stand in front of Sabrina, who's filing her nails and ignoring her. "Tell me!"

"I've done nothing. I agree with them, but I haven't tried to influence them. I don't think it would work on them, but even if I did, you're not worth it."

"I'm with them, in case there was any doubt," Coalton tells her.

Abigail is about to lose it, and I can't let that happen. At least not yet. "Calm down, everyone."

"You know I'm telling the truth," Abigail says, pouting."

"Yes. You will be their leader. But you must understand, although you were born to lead, they were not built to inherently follow anyone other than myself. You must earn their respect."

"I won't ever respect her," Michaela says.

Abigail charges her, and they begin to exchange blows. I let it go on for a couple of minutes, because it needs to happen. I can't let them fight to the death yet, so I get up and stop it. "Enough!" I yell, and they immediately break apart. "Clean yourselves up and go back to your seats.

They do as I ask, each going in a different direction; one to the lavatory in the front of the plane, and one to the back. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing their conditioning is firmly in placer indifference for one another develops into hate. It's all part of the plan, and it makes me feel something close to pride, but I keep my mouth in a tight line as I survey the others.

None of them seems affected by what just happened, which means they, too, are behaving as they were trained to. Nothing around them should distract from what they have to do, even if it involves members of their own team—their own family.

Death and destruction around them will need to be used to their advantage, not their detriment. There was no time to test them properly, but the two girls just did it for them. If I was a better person, I'd probably thank them, instead of feeling so happy about sending them to their deaths.

## Part II

# Five on the Island

# Michaela

Looking at myself in the mirror, I try to remember who I am. Not who I'm supposed to be now, but who I was a little over a day ago. I'm quite sure the Creator expects us to just forget, but there are pieces of the old me lingering just out of reach. I know better than to admit it, or let it show, but I can feel the "old" me there, and I want her to break free.

I'm tough, strong, and smarter than I ever remember being, but I also _feel_ , and I somehow know that's new. I feel like we're making some kind of grave mistake as we fly towards Buccaneer Archipelago, off the cost of Australia. We know the threat is coming from there, but we don't know what we're walking into. All the spy and detective genes in the world can't tell us something we can't see. Satellite and infrared images were blocked, so we're going in blind.

I know there are snakes, crocodiles, sharks, and a tide that could kill a human easily. I don't think we're fully human, but since I don't know exactly what we are, I don't know what I can survive. Going in blind is never the best option, which also tells me the Creator doesn't care if we live or die, as long as we complete the mission.

I shouldn't have fought Abigail for dominance, but there's something wrong with her. Not just her personality change, but something else. She doesn't just enjoy being mean, she seems to revel in it. Does she not feel like I do? Like there's part of her still left from before? Do none of them feel it?

I can't ask, but I want to know. I _need_ to know, because I want to come back from the islands alive, and I don't believe any of us will do that if we're kept apart. We need to work together as we face whatever's coming our way. Even Sabrina wouldn't be able to make that happen, though. We're immune to each other—at least I think we are.

I shake my head to try and clear these thoughts I'm having, and walk back into the body of the plane. The Creator is looking at me with an almost fond expression, and I force myself to smile back. I've never faked anything _ever_ , but now I feel as if lives depend on it. Not just my own, but others, too. I don't know how or why I have this overwhelming feeling, but it's there.

For the remainder of the flight, I go over information on the islands once again. There are roughly one thousand, but our strike will be focusing on just the one. The pictures of the snakes make me want to shudder, but showing weakness right now isn't something I can do. The energy around me is tense, but excited, and I'm not in the mood for another fight. The "new" me should be, but that old part is still testing the hold on my brain. I bring my face into a disinterested sneer, and keep reading.

I have a photographic memory, and I've been over all of this already, but I keep thinking I'll find something I missed. I don't know what, but there has to be something that can help me—help us all. Two hours later, and I've found nothing.

# Hinton

I'm trying to remain calm, because I don't think anyone else heard it—heard him. The voice in my head, telling me not to trust my Creator. He started speaking to me once we left the building and were walking outside to the airplane, but since we've been inside again, I've heard nothing.

I want to believe it's just a hallucination, or my subconscious telling me something is wrong with all of this, but I know that's not the case. Until the voice was in my mind, I didn't doubt what I had to do. My mission was—is—clear. Find the bad guys and take them out. I won't stray from my mission just because someone's trying to mess with me.

That's the only explanation I can come up with; it's gotta be someone messing with me. Maybe even one of the others. I don't trust them, and I know they don't trust me, either, but I wouldn't mess with someone. Why do that? We have too much to worry about without trying to get a laugh or two. I've got no time for anything frivolous.

"Fasten your seat belts, everyone. We're making our descent into Derby."

Derby, in the Western part of Australia, is the closest place to the island that has an airport where we can land. We'll be taking a boat over there, and with all I've read, it looks to be a wild ride. I honestly can't wait for the fun to begin.

The landing is smooth, and we disembark with no problems. Flying on a government plane means there are no customs, and no one to check us for weapons. Even here in Australia, where gun laws are so stringent, we can walk off a plane with bags filled with ammo, and no one stops us. God bless the U.S.A.

"Are you ready?" the Creator asks us.

"No," the voice whispers to me, "you're not ready." I ignore it.

"Yes," we all say in unison.

"Good. You'll each find a boat waiting for you at the Port of Derby. Make your way there, and get to the island as fast as you can. Time is of the essence."

We're splitting up? And he's not even taking us there? Something seems wrong.

"It's all wrong. Run, but not to a boat. Run from here. I'll show you the way," the voice tells me. Once again, I choose to ignore it. I run, but to my destiny, and not away from it.

# Sabrina

Something is very wrong. I can feel it in the air around me. My brothers and sisters aren't all focused on the mission. Back at the facility, we were all working as one, but now there are those who doubt what we are doing. They doubt the Creator, and our mission. The others are dedicated to what we have to do. I can't pinpoint who feels what, but I know it will become a problem.

Right now, I need to run. The seaport isn't far, and I don't want to be last. I have no control over the boat I'll be taking, or its captain, but I can try and make sure no one has a head start on me.

We must look strange to the people here—five teenagers who seem to be running a race through this small town. It's a race where we all want to win, but we should be doing that together. I don't like that we're splitting up, but I'm not in charge, and I inherently know I won't be able to sway my siblings. If I could, we'd be running together instead of all trying to beat each other to the boats.

I'm the third one to make it there, with Hinton and Abigail right on my heels. I jump into the nearest boat and yell for him to go. Coalton and Michaela aren't that far ahead of me, but since we're supposed to split up, I have a choice to make. Who do I follow?

I choose to follow Michaela, because I _feel_ that she's the right choice. The tide is whipping us around, and as we make our way through a chasm between the rocks, our boats are both airborne, cresting on top of a wave that shoots over thirty feet in the air.

I try to hold on, but it's no use, so I turn my body and dive for the ocean. I hear screams as I go under, and know they belong to the two captains. I feel the change in the water when they follow me under the tide. I also smell the blood in the water, and know trouble will be coming our way.

I spin around and see blood.

I follow its trail and reach the men right as Michaela does the same. Both are bleeding, one from a gash on his leg, and the other from one on his head.

We each pull one to the surface, because while we don't seem to have problems breathing underwater, these men are only human; they won't last long. We break the surface and spot the boats right away. Now that the water has calmed for the moment, getting them back on board is the safest thing for them. Their blood is trailing behind us in the water, and I can sense that Michaela is feeling as nervous as I am. Just as we reach the first boat, it happens.

A great white crashes down on the other side of the boat, turning it into useless pieces of timber. Our only hope for these men is the other boat, but when I turn, I see that we are now surrounded by sharks on every side. I look to Michaela and she nods. Neither one of us will give up the captains to save ourselves. It's not that we care about them, specifically, but it just doesn't feel _right_ to let them die. At least not to me.

I feel the shift in the air as she tenses, and I know she's planning a strike. "No. You'd have to let him go to attack."

"We can't just sit here and wait to be eaten."

"Let me...try something."

"You think you can?"

"Maybe?" I answer with a shrug.

"Go ahead and try, but if it doesn't work, I'm going to kick some shark butt."

I close my eyes and focus on the sharks swimming away from us. I picture it in my mind as I look for the threads of their feelings. It's different than experiencing the feelings of a roomful of humans, but I can feel a mental wall crumbling around me as the sharks swim away.

"Well, that was pretty cool."

I nod. "Let's get them on the boats, and call for help."

# Abigail

I saw what happened to Sabrina and Michaela's boats. How could I not see it? I was right behind them, and it looked pretty awesome. The captain of my boat didn't think so, but I backhanded him, and he shut up pretty quick.

I have a mission to complete, and if my comrades have to fall in order for me to succeed, so be it. I'm not like them, and even if they don't know it yet, I do. I am the only one supposed to fulfill the destiny we were created for. The Creator didn't tell me this, but I _know_. I will make him proud, and he will let me lead whoever is still alive once we finish here.

The sharks were circling the bloody water as we stayed on our course to the center of the island. A niggling part of me hopes they survived, but it's small and pesky, so I give it a mental slap as well. Death is going to happen, and sometimes sooner is better than later.

"You can go check on the corpses of your friends," I tell the man as he drops me on the shore.

"You are not concerned with your own friends?"

"They aren't my friends."

He looks at me with wonder and compassion in his eyes, which makes me angry. I pull one of the knives from my messenger bag, and wave it at him. He gets the hint, and makes a hasty retreat from the island.

I make my way across the hard-packed sand to a low outcropping of rocks. This entire island is made out of rock, although trees and brush spring up here and there above me. The islands in the Archipelago are typically close together, but this one is a little more isolated than the rest and definitely not inhabited by any humans. I should be worried about the non-human inhabitants, but snakes don't scare me, and neither do any other animals I may encounter. I understand survival of the fittest, and yes, I know that's me right now.

I choose the easiest path to the top of the island, knowing I could climb if I had to, but why would I want to exert the extra energy now, when I might need it later?

As I walk through the trees, I start to sense that I'm not alone. I can feel eyes on me, and strangely, I somehow know that they're not human.

"Show yourself!" I yell into the thick trees on my right.

A bullet zings past my face, close enough to make my loose hair move. I reach for my gun, but I'm too stunned to move as fast as I should. Either that, or they're better than me. No...that's not an option. Whatever just happened, I'm suddenly being held in a hold that I'm having a hard time breaking free of.

"Stop struggling. It's no use."

I look up and see a boy about my age in front of me. He's got mocha colored skin, brown wavy hair, and eyes that are a color between blue and green; turquoise maybe, although I've never seen eyes that color before. He's also got lean muscles, and I can tell he's stronger than he looks. If I could feel scared, I might right now.

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Levi," he says with an Australian accent.

"Why are you and your friends attacking my country, _Levi_?"

"We're protecting ourselves, _Abigail_. You should appreciate that since you're one of us."

"I'm nothing like you."

"We have different Muses, and different Creators, but otherwise, we were built exactly the same way."

"You're lying to save yourself."

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't appear to need saving right now."

"My friends will come for me!"

"Friends? You mean the sisters you left to die? Or the brothers you haven't given a second thought to?"

"You know nothing of us."

"I think I've made it pretty clear that _we_ know everything about you. Enough about that for now, though. We have a cell waiting for you below?"

"Below?"

"You don't think we're going to stand here in the open, do you? Silly girl, the satellites are going to be watching soon, and all they'll see is your 'friends' looking in places they'll never find us. Not unless we decide to be found, that is."

I'm pushed forward, but the hands on me don't loosen any. I was wrong earlier about not feeling fear. I'm scared now. Scared and pissed off.

# Coalton

My muscles burn as I finish the climb up the third and final waterfall. I could've just climbed the rocks ringing them, but the physical challenge of the falls appealed to me. I don't remember anything before I woke up and walked to the facility, but I think I must have been active. I have some pretty ripped muscles, and I inherently know how to use them. Maybe one day I'll figure it out, or ask, but it's not a concern for me now.

I bat away a couple of snakes who hiss at me as I get to my feet, and shake the water from my short hair as I straighten up. What I see up ahead on the path causes me to jump back over the edge of the cliff. Abigail is being led off somewhere by a group of teens, and from what I could see in those few seconds, she can't break free from the grip they have on her.

Since I'm pretty sure Abigail's as strong as me, I made the decision to hide instead of try and fight. I'm not afraid of a fight, but it's probably best if both of us aren't captured. I know we're supposed to stay apart, but I feel like I need to find the others and let them know what's going on. Abigail's not the easiest person to get along with, but she's still our sister.

Once I'm sure they've gone wherever they're going, I jump up and start to run across the flat top of the island. This place isn't that big, and I know I'll run into someone soon—if they haven't been taken already. I stop in my tracks as I think that thought, wondering if maybe she wasn't the first, but the last. No, I'm the last if that's the case.

"Coalton, man, I'm glad I found you," Hinton says, coming out of the trees on my left. "Something doesn't seem right about this place."

"Some kids our age took Abigail, so yeah, I'd say we're in for the fight of our lives."

"What do you mean they took her? Doesn't she have our strength?"

"I saw them when I climbed up here. I'm pretty sure she does have the strength, but she couldn't break free. I was going to look for everyone else before I try to find them."

He shakes his head like he's clearing it of something before he responds. "We need to find the other girls."

"I know. I'm thinking they're on the other side of the island, so I was heading that way."

"Let's go!"

We take off at a run, and he keeps perfect pace with me. Something about that feels odd, but again, I'm not going to try and analyze anything right now, except how to get our sister back. It doesn't take long to get to the other side, and as we peer over the side, I see Michaela and Sabrina climbing up the rock wall.

A brief thought flitters through my mind, telling me I should kick some pebbles over the side to see if they'll lose focus and fall, but I mentally slap it away. What's wrong with me?

I know they don't need my help, but I shouldn't be thinking about them getting hurt—and enjoying the thought of it. I'm the one shaking my head now.

"You okay, man?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Just trying to process what's going on here."

He gives me a curious look. "That's all it is?"

"What else would it be?"

"Just checking."

"I'm good." I look over the edge again. "They're almost here. We should step back a little so we don't startle them."

"Good idea."

We both walk back a few feet, and wait. A minute or so later, slender hands grip the rocks on top, and then they're pulling themselves over the top. They both hop to their feet, but then Michaela lets out a scream as she throws a snake off of her.

"Did it hurt you?" I ask, running forward.

"No," she says, shaking her head, and looking down at her hand in wonder. "It bit me, but it didn't hurt. I guess that's a good thing?"

"Unless it numbed you with its venom."

"I didn't see that in the information about them I found online."

"Me either," she says, looking around to make sure the large snake hasn't come back. She's shaken up, so I'm not going to tell her that I've seen many more throughout the island.

"He didn't numb you," Sabrina says.

"What, did you ask him?" Hinton asks _her_ with a laugh.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I did."

I stare at her with my mouth open before I speak. "You can talk to animals?"

"Yeah. I didn't know I could, until I did, but I can. Maybe all of us can if we focus."

"I think we should just focus on whatever skill we seem to be best at, and help each other out," Michaela tells her. She looks calmer now, maybe because the bite marks on her hand have disappeared.

"Yes. We need to find Abigail, and take out the people who have her."

"Someone has her?" Sabrina asks.

I explain it all to them, and we agree that we need to get her back. In that brief glimpse I got, I saw them heading down the rocks on the Northern side of the island. There really isn't any place to go down there, so we devise a plan to use the rock walls to our advantage, catching them on the beach. We all run to a different point on the side, and start our descent down. Down to a beach that is most definitely empty. Where did they go?

# Abigail

I'm in a metal cell in the middle of some kind of command center. No, that's not right. My jail isn't made of metal, because if it was, I could get out of my jail more easily. Of course, if I get out, I'll still have to deal with _them_. The five guys people holding me here.

Five who are somehow stronger than me and know who I am. Can it be a coincidence that there are five of them like there are five of us? Possible, but highly unlikely. I don't like this.

I pushed my emergency trigger, but Levi and his friends just started laughing, and told me no signal can get out from here unless they want it to. I am uber smart, and super-human, so I have to be able to come up with a way out of here. I _have_ to.

"Have you thought of a way out yet, Abigail?" Levi asks me with a smirk.

"I'm going to kill you first when I get out of here."

"If you'd just be willing to listen to what I have to tell you, you'd know there's no reason to fight me. The ten of us should be working together."

"I know nothing of you, so why would I want to join forces with you?"

"You knew nothing of you Creator until around two days ago, and yet you followed him blindly."

"He _created_ me."

"With help, yes, but that shouldn't be enough for you to trust him blindly, should it?"

No, it shouldn't. Yes! It should. I shake my head. "You're trying to confuse me."

"No. I'm trying to get you to see the truth."

"Your version of the truth."

"It is not just mine, it's ours."

"Stop trying to attach me to you and your terrorist friends."

"We are not terrorists, Abigail. We have attacked computer systems, and governments, yes, but no innocent person has been hurt by us."

"Who are you to decide which people are innocent."

"The ones who aren't trying to kill me are innocent. Is that clear enough for you?"

Before I can answer him, one of the other boys rushes over. "They're on the beach. All four of them."

"We'll finish this conversation later, Abigail. It's time for me to go out and greet your friends."

He nods to one of the other boys, and then leaves with the three girls. Once they're gone, my babysitter flips a few switches on the consoles and walks over to my cell. While Levi merely angers me, this guy scares me a little.

"I've shut off the cameras and audio in here."

"Okay." Not okay. At all.

"I'm Clayton."

"Hi."

"We're going to help each other."

"Are we?" I ask, trying to make is sound flippant instead of frightened.

"Yes."

"Why would I trust you?"

He smiles as he pushes a few buttons on his phone and then turns it to me. "Because he's going to tell you to."

My eyes widen as I see my Creator sitting in a room with another woman. They are both smiling at me. "Hello, Abigail. This is my friend, and fellow Creator. By now, you've met her creations. They've gone rogue, but I know you won't join them, just like Clayton hasn't really joined them, either. You'll both help us destroy them—and you—once and for all."

What? I don't want to die. This was supposed to be about saving people, and not dying. I look around for a way to get out.

"Don't be scared, Abigail. You're about to fulfill your true destiny." No. No! I don't want this. He pauses, looks straight into the camera and says the word that changes everything for me. "Moriarty."

Both my mind and my body shudder, and then it all becomes clear. We're a threat to humans, and we need to be eradicated, along with the Muses.

We must hunt them down, and kill them. There is no other way. I'm going to be the one to do it. _Me._ There is no other choice.

# Hinton

_" There's no one on the beach."_

"Did you think there would be?" the man in my head asks.

_"Yes. I did."_

"They will be coming, and while you're not ready, there's no turning back now.

_"Who? Who's coming."_

"The other creations."

_"Others? There are others like us?"_

"Yes. There were five sets of five created."

_"20 are here?"_

"No. Fifteen were already lost. Those from Moscow, Shanghai, and London are already gone. Only ten of you remain."

_"What do you mean 'gone'? What happened to them?"_

"He will tell you all. Listen to him. Listen to Levi."

_"You said you're my Muse. What does that mean?"_

"Again, Levi will explain it all. Trust him."

_"Are you leaving me?"_

"No. As long as I am still living, I will also be with you. Sometimes you may not be able to hear me, but I am with all five of you. Always."

I want to ask more, but all of a sudden I see three girls and a boy come out from the rocks. They seem to have appeared out of nowhere, but I know there must be a secret door.

"We're not going to hurt you. Come down and talk to us," the boy, who I think must be Levi, yells to us.

Coalton is the first to jump down, followed by Michaela. I land at the same time as Sabrina, and then the four of us gather into a line, facing off with the others. The voice—my Muse—told me I can find the answers to all my questions from the boy, so I'll listen for now.

"Where is she?" Michaela asks.

"Abigail is inside," he tells her.

"Bring us to her," Coalton says.

"Of course. You must realize that we are like you, and we want to help."

"You'll have to prove that to us," Sabrina tells him, and he locks eyes with her.

"I will."

"We need to get inside, Levi," one of the girls says.

"My sister is right. Let's get inside."

"I don't think we really have a choice," Michaela tells us.

"There's always a choice," Sabrina responds.

"Is there?" Coalton asks her.

"I'd like to think so. I say we go with them," I respond.

I know I shouldn't be listening to voices in my head, but right now, nothing else is making sense either. As we follow the four into the hidden doorway, I'm hoping we didn't make the wrong choice. If we did, I don't know that we'll make it out alive. Actually, even if we chose right, there's no guarantee of that, either.

# Michaela

This is right. That's the thought running through my mind as we follow these four people inside. That feeling alone is making me want to stop fighting this sense that there's more to me than what I've been discovering these last two days.

Who am I really? I think this group may have the answers to that question, and even if they don't, we need to get Abigail back. She'd do the same for us; at least I think she would.

Once we're inside, we see her sitting inside a cell, glaring at the other person in the room with her. He's introduced to us as Clayton, the three girls are Lauren, Jennifer, and Alejandra, and the ringleader is Levi. I look around at them, and I have to ask.

"Were all the sets made up of three girls and two boys?"

"No," Levi tells me. "There were two sets with three boys."

"Shanghai and Moscow?" Sabrina guesses.

He turns to smile at her. "Yes."

The way they're looking at each other makes me want to ask if they need to get a room. I'm not going to deny he's hot, especially with that accent, and Sabrina has the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen. I know I'm pretty, but my almost black eyes aren't as startling, and even Abigail's raw sensuality can't compare to Sabrina and her natural beauty.

Speaking of Abigail, she chooses this moment to finally speak up. "Are you going to let me out now?"

"No. I don't think I'm ready to do that just yet."

"How come they get to stay out there?"

"Because I say so."

"You'll pay for this."

"And that's why you're in there.

I look a little more closely at Abigail, because I'm wondering why she'd provoke Levi. I can't sense things like Sabrina, but I still notice the change. She's somehow _colder_. She's been mean and angry the last couple of days, but this, this seems different.

Cold-blooded killer is what comes to mind, and I know I'm right the moment I think it. I know she'd kill one of us and not bat an eye. If nothing scared me before, this realization chills me to the bones. She was a nice girl just a couple of days ago, and now she's completely different. We're all different, but not like this. This is hate, and I have to hold back a shudder as the word courses through me.

"My group won't listen to you while I'm locked up!" she insists.

"You're wrong."

"Why would they choose you over me? I'm their sister."

"Yes. We all saw that sisterly love while you made your boat captain ignore them while they were in distress."

"You did that? You left us to fend for ourselves?" Sabrina asks, a look of horror on her face.

"You're fine."

"What if we weren't?" I ask.

"Casualties are always a reality when you're at war."

"That wasn't war," Coalton reminds her.

"Whatever. Listen to Levi, and you'll all suffer for it."

"Right now, I'm thinking aligning with him is way better than sticking with you. Sister or not, you left two of us for dead," Hinton tells her.

"Just remember; you were warned!"

"Noted," I say. "Now tell us what you know, Levi."

"With pleasure."

# Sabrina

The mood in the room is tense, but also hopeful. _My_ mood is one of wonder. I'm intrigued by Levi. Not because he's dangerously good looking, but because there's _something_ about him. I can't put my finger on it, but I trust him. I don't know why, but I just do. I can tell Hinton does, too. Michaela wants to believe, and Coalton is waiting to see what happens, but he's leaning that way.

Abigail, well, she's a totally different story. I feel hate, genuine and pure, rolling off of her. Not just for Levi, but all of us as well. It's like a switch has been flipped inside of her, and all of her humanity has been stripped away. It makes me glad she's in her cage right now, and I won't be advocating for her release anytime soon.

"Have a seat," Levi tells us, sitting next to me as I take mine. I like that he did that—too much. "So, you all know we were created, but I'm going to explain to you the how and why of all of it."

"It's not important!" Abigail yells.

"It _is_ , and she knows it. Ignore her. Twenty years ago, five 'aliens' landed in our world, looking for a new place to live because their planet was failing. They were all they had left of their people, and they didn't want their species to die out. Since they could shape-shift, they made themselves look human, spread out to cities around the world, and tried to blend in. It worked for a little while, until the government in China found the first one, and tortured her until she admitted there were more. They forced her to contact the others through telepathy, and though they knew it was a trap, they came for their sister anyway.

"Once taken, they were brought into a room where the leaders of the covert services for their countries were waiting for them. These men told them they could live if they helped them create a new species. The five wanted to live, but they also knew not to trust these men. They agreed, while planning their escape. They became known as the Muses; blood and tissue from their bodies was taken from them."

"We can shape-shift?" Coalton asks.

Levi shakes his head. "No. When our DNA was created, it was done with diluted matter from them. The governments wanted us to be _like_ them in some ways, but they knew having twenty-five more who were just as powerful would be too dangerous. Also, they had other things they wanted to put in there. In addition to the alien part of our DNA, they were somehow able to give us the skills of famous detectives and spies from literature, movies, and television. I don't know how they figured it out, and made it into something concrete that could be passed on, but we all have the skills.

"We think like Sherlock Holmes, fight like James Bond, charm people like Charlie's Angels, and we can adapt like Jason Bourne and Sidney Bristow. There are others we have traits from, like Veronica Mars, Monk, Nancy Drew, and the detectives created by Agatha Christie, but I won't name everyone—it would take far too long. Suffice to say, we can solve any crime, and fight any fight with no problem at all. We were born this way, and in the minds of the different government men, that would make us the perfect soldiers one day."

"You don't know how it was done?" Hinton asks.

"The DNA manipulation? No. Maybe if we'd been given the DNA of famous doctors or scientists, but I think they kept those skills from us for a reason. We aren't meant to know, and really, we weren't supposed to think for ourselves, even before 'activation.'"

"We _did_ have a different life, didn't we?" Michaela inquires.

"Yes. You remember there was more, don't you?"

"I do. I just feel like there is more than what I am now."

"There is, and we'll help all of you remember."

"How? How can you do all this? Was your DNA manipulated differently than ours?" I ask, because I feel like I should've known.

How does Michaela know, and not me? Or the other three? Do they know, and I'm just the one who doesn't? Levi's hand lands on my knee, giving it a squeeze. I look up and he's smiling at me.

"Our DNA was all done at once so there could be no variations, or advantages, to one country over another—remember some of our countries are not friends. But...the five men wanted to be able to have each of their five have a specific focus, so they manipulated the DNA even more, and came up with five versions. The leader, the fighter, the empath, the super-soldier, and the analyst."

"I'm the empath," I say.

"Fighter," Michaela admits, holding up her hand.

"Analyst," Hinton tells him.

"Super-soldier. I have the strength and the brains combined."

"You do, Coalton," Levi agrees.

"Obviously, I'm the leader. So let me lead," Abigail yells out.

"Moving on. the Muses also knew how to manipulate their own DNA, so they collectively put something extra in there. Because the DNA was diluted, only two of every five of us got what they gave us. One remembers—a little at a time, but it will all come back eventually. The other has the gift of telepathy, and can communicate with their Muse. I am the telepath in my group, and Alejandra is the one who remembers. We've already established that Michaela is the one of you who remembers."

"I'm our telepath," Hinton admits.

"Yes, not the 'analyst' that your Creator wanted you to think you are, but a telepath like me."

"Traitors," Abigail yells. "Kill the traitors!"

I don't know who she's talking to until Clayton moves. He has some kind of knife, and he goes for Hinton. We all jump up, and inexplicably, Levi stands in front of me.

I don't have time to think about that now, as I watch what's playing out in front of me. Lauren tosses a similar knife to Hinton, and then it's on.

# Hinton

I have the skills to kill, and I know it, but I'd hoped to never have to use them. That must be another mutation of my DNA, since I'm supposed to want to use my skills. At least I think I am. All I know is I don't.

My will to live is stronger than my compulsion to put down the knife, so I go ahead and fight. We parry back and forth, knives clanging when we clash. More often than not, I'm jumping out of the way as he swings wildly. It's almost as if he's possessed, and because I know something's wrong, I don't try and strike out at him. I deflect, but I don't engage.

This seems to be making him angrier instead of just giving me a chance to figure a way out. "We don't need to do this, Clayton."

"We do. Once I kill you, your Muse will have no one to communicate with, and he'll never connect with your siblings."

"I wouldn't be so cocky. The Muses aren't stupid," Levi says.

Why is he just sitting on the table? Shouldn't he be fighting, too, instead of calmly speaking to his friend—his _brother_ —who's trying to kill at least one of us?

"Three of them are dead," Clayton tells him.

"And two live."

"Not for long."

"Remember what I said about being cocky?"

"Shut up or you're next!"

"You can try."

He seems so calm, and then the voice in my head speaks to me, and I know why. "Stab him in the side, just above his left hip. It's one of our kill spots. Do it now!"

I don't hesitate, because I really do want to live. I take the next opening, and stab my knife into him. He manages to slice me across my right biceps, and it burns, but I know I won't die from it. The voice was telling the truth—I honestly didn't doubt it—and Clayton is dead within a minute.

"No!" Abigail wails, before she starts yanking on the bars, trying to break herself free. They don't budge, but that doesn't stop her.

"We should go, Levi. They know we're here, and they're liable to surround the island soon."

"You need to tell us the rest," Coalton reminds him.

"I will," he promises. "We need to destroy everything in here, and go while we still can."

I'm still looking at the knife in my hand, covered in blood, when Alejandra pulls it out of my hands. "It was necessary."

"I know."

"Yet you're angry."

"Not at any of you. I'm angry that I was put into this situation."

She nods. "We all are. With any luck, we'll be free soon."

"You really believe that?"

"If I didn't, I would've given up already."

I guess that's true. I need to get over this, because I can't go back, and undo what I did. Even if I could, I think I'd always choose to save myself.

"What can I help with?"

# Coalton

We smash every piece of technology in the room to practically ashes. "You're not worried about losing all of this?" I ask.

"No," Jennifer tells me. "We can rebuild it in a day or so, and we have a ready-made station set up somewhere else. If it were to get in the hands of one of our governments, it would be far more dangerous. Danger trumps inconvenience every time."

"Got it."

Once we're done, they gather their things, while my siblings and I gather ours. Well, all except Abigail, of course. She's been screeching and threatening us all the whole time. I don't know what her cell is made of, but whatever it is, it's somehow managed to still hold her after her assault on it.

Lauren hands out bags that almost look like backpacks, but are made of wet suit material. "Put your things in here."

I do as I'm told, and am not totally shocked when it shrinks to the exact size of my pack, and seems to vacuum seal itself. At this point, I don't think anything could surprise me.

"Where are you going? You can't leave me," Abigail yells as we prepare to do just that.

"You'll be fine. Or you won't. Not my problem," Levi tells her.

Instead of leading us out the door we came in from, he leads us through another hidden door in the rocks. This one leads to a cave with a giant tide pool in it. The pool is swirling hard, but it's the walls of the cave that have me and my siblings intrigued. There are amazingly detailed drawings that looks to be hundreds of years old.

"Those were made by the Aborigines," Levi says, moving to stand next to Sabrina. If our lives weren't at stake, I'd be giving them both crap about that, but I also think it's kind of nice as well.

"We have to go," Alejandra says suddenly.

"Yes," Sabrina agrees. "I feel them coming."

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but put your packs on and jump into the tide," Jennifer tells us.

"What?" Not much scares me, but that swirling pool is a little terrifying.

"You'll be fine," Levi says as Lauren goes first, followed by Jennifer.

Hinton shrugs, and cannonballs, while Michaela simply jumps. Sabrina nods at me, and I jump next. I'm not sure who goes after me, because I'm concentrating on how fast I'm spinning around, and trying not to be sick. I close my eyes, and just go with it. I can breathe, and right now that's all that matters.

I twirl around for what feels like hours, but is probably only minutes. When I'm finally free of the whirlpool, I float in the water for another few minutes trying to get my equilibrium back with my eyes still closed. I feel a tug on my hand, and open my eyes to find Alejandra pulling me down into the sand, which apparently hides an underwater door.

There's a drain in the bottom of the room she takes me into, and high powered fans that dry us off. If anything could still surprise me right now, it would be this under ocean hideout.

"It's crazy, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You get used to it after a few months."

"What if Clayton told Abigail about this place?"

"He's never been here—we always knew he'd be the one to turn on us; we just didn't know when."

What? "If you knew, why didn't you just kill him?"

"There's always a small chance the 'double' will feel something other than hate for our kind. We had to give him that chance."

"How can he hate us, when he's one of us?"

"Levi will explain all to everyone. It's better if you all hear it at once. I'm dry enough, are you?"

"Yeah." I'm mostly dry, and I don't want to wait to hear the rest of what's going on. "Let's go."

She pushes a button, turning off the fans, which causes another door to open. We walk through, and I see this room is an almost exact replica of the room above ground that I helped destroy. I already knew they were serious, but seeing this is intense. I know I'm going to probably get even angrier about our situation after hearing the rest, but instead of just blind rage, I'm pretty sure I'll be using that anger to help get justice. For all of us.

# Michaela

I'm feeling—remembering—even more now. I don't know if something happened to me while I was spiraling down the ocean, or if knowing I'm not going crazy has made me more open to it; either way, it's happening.

I know I wasn't always like this—this extreme fighting machine. I was a smart, but anti-social genius, who did what she wanted, and only talked when she had to. Inside, I had feelings, but I somehow thought it was wrong to show them to anyone.

Our Creator and his crew flipped me completely, but now the joke's on him. I'm both the girl I was before, and the fighter he wanted me to be now. I think my compassion is going to make me even more deadly.

"You all good?" Levi asks, walking into the room with Sabrina.

I doubt it's a coincidence that he ended up in the "fan" room with her, but I'm not going to say anything about it, and I don't think anyone else will, either. I don't know if they feel like I do—that any connection we can make in the middle of this mess is a good one—but I think they know whatever's going on with those two is real. The looks they share are potent, and if I didn't believe in love at first sight before, I do now.

Once we all say we're okay, Levi continues with his information overload, which we do in fact need, even if it seems like too much to hear. "I was hoping we could've avoided what happened on the island, but I was afraid it was inevitable."

"You knew it might?" Hinton asks him.

"Yes. One of us in each group was programmed to betray us."

"Is that how the other groups were destroyed?" Sabrina asks.

"Yes. The rest of them weren't expecting it. Moscow and China were isolated—home schooled, and never let out of their facilities. London were in regular schools like us, but they were taken into their government's facility before they were activated. The Creators and their teams were able to figure out how to block the telepathy when we're inside their buildings and planes, and I know how to block it in our places if I feel it's necessary."

"Why would you need to block it?" Coalton asks.

He flips a switch before answering. "Because, while I know the Creators are evil, I'm not entirely sure the Muses are all good, either. We were created to kill them because our governments could only torture, not kill, and they _are_ who we came from, but we know next to nothing about them. What if they truly are bad, and should be killed? That doesn't mean I'll ever trust my government, because that's the other part of it. They didn't create us just to kill the Muses; they want us to die as well."

"They created us just to kill us?" I ask, feeling all the blood rush from my face.

"Yes. They needed us to kill, and then they needed us to die."

"But the threats to our country...oh wait, did those come from our _own_ country?"

"Yes. One at a time, the Creator in each country caused things to happen, making it look like we were being attacked. China and Moscow might have activated their kids anyway, but the rest of our leaders wouldn't."

"How did you get away from them?" Sabrina asks.

"One of the people in our facility felt guilty about what they were sending us into. He was able to get us outside one at a time for small periods of time. We didn't fully trust him, so we never told him I was the telepath, but those small times I was outside, our Muse was able to tell me what to do. Alejandra turned on her charm, and he took us all outside one day.

We ran, and then we jumped into the ocean, and dove down.

"All of our Muses chose an ocean near our countries, and left the things that would help us build down there. They also left things on islands, and in cities, around the world. We followed the directions I was given, and built the two you've been in. We know satellites were combing the ocean for us, so we tried to stay hidden."

"What about food?" Hinton asks.

"Do you feel hungry?"

"No. I don't. Huh."

I don't, either. Apparently, we don't need to eat. "Do we need to sleep?"

"Need? No. It is good for us, though. While we don't need it regularly like humans, if we are going into a stressful situation, it helps us to be rested."

"Are we...a little human?" Sabrina asks him.

He turns to smile at her, cupping her cheek in his hand. "A little more than a little."

I feel relief at his words. It's kind of cool to be an alien, but I also like knowing I'm still human, too. It's who I thought I was before, and who I know I still am, even with everything we've learned. I'm not ready to abandon humanity yet—not mine, or humanity in general, either. I didn't show my feelings before, because I thought I didn't need to. Now I know I have them, and they're strong, and I'm tired of hiding them.

Alien, human, whatever. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?

# Sabrina

I like the feel of Levi's hand on my cheek too much. I'm feeling too much for him too soon. I know his own feelings mirror mine, because I _feel_ it, but I'm still scared by the love. Both mine, and his.

"What do we do now?" I ask, trying to focus on the danger we're in, and not that hand.

"We have to get to one of the cities where a control center can be built, but it should be on a different continent from this one."

"I have a question."

"I'll answer anything you ask, if I can."

"You said the Muses left the means to build these places, but why would they give you the means to shut them out?"

"They didn't," he says, a playful smile on his lips. "Since we were hidden, I had some time to play around. I made sure my mind was clear, or I was thinking of something else, so my Muse didn't know what I was doing until it was done. I wasn't even sure it would work, but when I flipped the switch again, he was in my head, telling me he understood."

"Do you think he does, or is he just telling you what you want to hear? I mean, couldn't they remove things from what they've left so you can't do it again?" Michaela asks him.

"I suppose they could, but I don't know if the benefits would outweigh the risks of coming out of hiding."

"So, we go to a city, build a center, and then what? We wait?" Hinton wants to know.

"No. We use the technology we've been given to find them."

"What if they find us first? Either the Creators or the Muses, I mean?" Coalton asks.

"That's why I think we should split up."

"Will I go with you?" I ask, not meaning to sound desperate, even if I do.

"No. I want you to—you have to know that—but I need to have Coalton with me, just as Hinton needs Jennifer. We have to be protected, because we are theonly ones with a direct link to the Muses. You'll go with Lauren, and Michaela will go with Alejandra."

I hang my head, and fight back my tears. I'll see him again. I know I will. I have to.

"Can you all get ready while I speak to Sabrina in private for a few minutes?"

They must nod, even though I can't see them, because he takes my hand in his and leads me into another room. Once the door shuts, I look up at him. "I shouldn't be this upset."

"I'm upset, too. I don't want to leave you."

"How is this happening when we only met a few hours ago?"

"I don't know, but I also don't care. Do you?"

"No. I...I think I'm in love with you."

"Good, because I think I'm in love with you, too."

"We're going to survive this, aren't we?"

"Yes, Absolutely. You're my reason for living now."

"What if that's part of the plan? For two of us to fall in love?"

"Have you noticed it in anyone else?"

"No," I tell him honestly, shaking my head.

"I haven't either. I'm not an empath, but I have eyes and ears. No one looks at anyone else the way you look at me." I blush and put my head down again, but he uses his fingers to lift my face up again. "The way I know I look at you. It's just us. Only us. _Always_ us from now on."

He leans over and touches his lips to mine briefly. I manage to smile at him, and take his hand as he leads me back to our families. I have to believe him, because he's my reason for living now, too.

# Abigail

It's hours after the others leave me before the Creator and some of her soldiers find me. They use some kind of laser to break open the door, and I run out.

"They killed Clayton, and ran."

"You let your guard down and got caught," the Creator says, slapping me across my face. I'm surprised to feel the sting, and I show it. "Yes. I can hurt you. I can't kill you, but I can make you wish you were dead."

"I didn't know there were others."

"Now you do, and you also know what has to be done. You cannot fail."

"I won't. I promise you, I won't."

"We _will_ find them, and then it will be time for you to make good on that promise."

"Yes," I say, standing up straighter. "Find them, and I will end this once and for all."

## Part III

# Nine and the Cities

# Hinton

Jennifer and I swam to Dublin. Yeah, we _swam_. From Australia. And I'm not even winded. Soaking wet, but not tired.

She said we need to rest, even if it doesn't seem like we do, so we changed into dry clothes, put on sunglasses and hats, and checked into a hotel with a credit card she somehow had on her. I didn't ask, although I'll admit I'm curious, but I know it's really not important at the moment.

After a full eight hours of sleep, I realize she was right; I needed to rest. I don't know where everyone else is, although I think they're close, but I hope they're getting rest as well.

I knock on our connecting door and smile when she answers. I can tell she just woke up, too. "What do we do now that we've rested?"

"You have to ask him where we need to go."

I nod, and pose the question, hoping there is a set-up here, because we're really not sure, and didn't want to ask ahead of time, in case it would cause them to lay a trap for us. They could do that now, but they'd have less time to plan, so we feel relatively safe.

_"Is there help for us here in Dublin?"_

"Yes," he answers

_"Where?"_

"You don't want to try and find it yourself? After all, you traveled there without any guidance."

_"Sorry if we pissed you off, but I thought you were all about the help."_

"I have been nothing but benevolent to you. Your attitude is very disappointing."

_"Are you going to tell me, or not?"_

"I will, but just remember that you need me more than I need you."

_"I seriously doubt that."_

"So much insolence to hide your fear."

_"Where is it?"_

"Be Earnest, and you'll find it."

_"What?"_

I leave the question hanging, but he doesn't answer. I probably shouldn't have goaded him, but good needs to trump evil, and since I don't know which he is, I'm not feeling the need to play nice.

"What did he say?" Jennifer asks me. I tell her, and she nods. "Oscar Wilde. Nice."

"Isn't he an author?"

"He is, and he's from here. One of his plays was _The Importance of Being Earnest_. The set-up has to be near his house, or another monument dedicated to him."

"Can we go now?" I ask, looking out the window at the darkened sky.

"Nighttime is our best time to go out. Put on your hat, and let's go!"

I do as she says, and follow her out the door. I've always wanted to go on an adventure.

# Michaela

Alejandra and I are in Milan. It's Fashion Week here, and we're able to blend in with the models, because we're both tall. She has a credit card and passport in another name, so we're dressed in designer clothes like the models, too. We have to make sure we're not photographed, and we wear sunglasses everywhere, but no one seems to care.

"How are you holding up?" she asks, as we sit in a plaza, eating gelato.

"I don't really know how to answer that. I mean, I'm glad I remember now, but my head is still spinning from everything he told us." We don't use names when we talk about the others, just in case someone's listening. I've learned that you can never be too careful. Especially after she filled in some more details for me.

"I get it. When I found out we'd been watched all our lives, it really sent me for a tumble."

Yeah, that. Apparently, there were cameras everywhere. I don't even want to know who was watching me pee. I shudder just thinking about it.

"It's so creepy."

"Yeah. Nothing to be done about it now, so I try not to dwell."

"Easier said than done, though, right?"

"Sometimes, it definitely is."

Back to the business at hand. "Do you really think we'll find what we need here?"

"Yes. He hasn't heard from his _friend_ for some time now, but when they were still in contact, clues had been dropped."

"How will we find it in a city so big, and crowded."

"The crowds are our friends, and we'll _know_ when we're near."

"We don't have that _skill_ , do we?"

"We all have a little bit of everything. Not enough to use it, but sometimes we can _feel_ it."

"Time to walk the city then?"

"Afraid so."

I can't even imagine how many miles I'm going to be walking, because even if we can _feel_ it, I'm pretty sure finding the set-up isn't going to be easy. There are just too many places it could be in a city this size. Good thing I'm now pretty athletic, because I know the "old" me probably would've passed out, but the "new" me swam across an ocean or two to get here.

Being activated wasn't all bad, but I do hope to see my parents again one day. Even if they're not biologically mine, I know they loved me, and now I also know I love them. There are many benefits to remembering, but there are also some painful things, too. Realizing what was done to my parents, as well as to me, is probably the most painful of all.

# Abigail

The tourists are probably thinking London looks lovely this time of year, but all I can think about is my siblings; how I'm going to find them, and then how I'm going to kill each and every one of them. The Muse is a concern, too, of course; but it was those four who left me, so I'm most concerned with taking them down. Maybe even obsessed, if I'm being honest with myself.

The Creator flew me here, but now I feel like I'm just twiddling my thumbs. I _think_ Levi is too smart to let any of the others come here, but then again, he also thought leaving me alive was okay, too. That's not going to turn out so well for him.

"Why are you just standing here, looking out the window?" the Creator asks from behind me. "Do something!"

"What? What am I supposed to do? You have no idea where they are."

"You're supposed to make yourself useful. Walk the city, _think_ about anything you might have forgotten from your time with Levi, just do _something_."

"You want me to just walk blindly around a city this size?"

"Yes, and you should want that to. Or maybe you don't want to find them."

"You know I do."

"No. I know you have failed me once already, and you're just sitting around here waiting for something to happen now. A true leader doesn't expect things to just be handed to him or her."

I hate him. Not as much as I hate the ones I'm destined to kill, but I feel the emotion just the same. I would kill him, too, if I could. Right here and right now, I would do it.

"I'll go now." I don't think I'll find anything, but I'll do what he says, because I have no choice.

I change into clothes more suited for a teenager wandering the city, throw on some sunglasses—because if the people I'm with have eyes everywhere, who's to say their enemies don't as well—and take off into the city.

I look in the shops, eat some pastries, and even drink some tea during my day out. I see no one I know, which is exactly how I expected this day to go. I'm walking through Bankside by the Tate Modern, when I feel it. I don't know what exactly it is, or why I'm drawn to the water's edge, but there's something calling to me. So strongly that I can't resist.

I can't exactly walk into the water right now, with all of these people around, not to mention the guys the Creator sent to follow me. I'm going to have to get away later, and come back here. I feel the need to see what's down there before I share it. It's not my siblings—of that I'm sure—and since they're who I'm supposed to be searching for, I don't feel guilty for hiding this. If it's something important, or if I can use it to my advantage later, I'll do it. For now, this will just be my little secret. The only one I've ever had all to myself. I think I like that.

# Coalton

I don't think I ever thought of Brussels as a place to visit. I mean, I don't remember my life before I was activated, but I just can't see it. This is where I am right now, though, and it's pretty cool. Levi's pretty cool, too, and he makes me think we might make it out of all of this alive.

"It's pretty cool, huh?" he asks me, nodding to the giant carpet of flowers in front of us. It's surrounded by tourists, and we're doing a good job of blending in with our band t-shirts and jeans.

"She'd probably like it better than I do, but it _is_ cool."

He smiles. "Maybe I can bring her here when this is all over."

"I hope you can."

"You're good with me and her, right?"

"Would it matter?" I ask him with a smirk.

"Not really, but I'd rather us all be friends."

"No worries, man. I think it's nice. I don't remember her from before, but I think she must have always been pretty cool, and nice."

"I can't imagine her being anything but nice," he tells me, smiling again.

"Not to burst the bubble of this bromance we're embarking on, but any news on the location front?"

He sighs, and his smile is gone. I'm a little sorry, but we need to find the set-up. It's our only chance right now. "No. He won't open the lines of communication."

"So we're just going to go looking? You said we'll feel something when we're near it, right?"

"Yes. We'll feel a pull. I know this is one of the cities he'd mentioned in passing to me, and I don't think anything he ever said could be considered small talk."

"Which way do you want to go first?"

"How about lunch, and then we'll start heading East?"

"Lunch? I thought we don't need food."

"We don't, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the taste of it. Don't you like a burger or pizza?"

I close my eyes and try to remember, but I can't, so I shake my head. "They fed us some energy bars at the facility while we were looking for...you, but I don't remember regular meals."

He curses, and then smiles at me. "When this is all over, we'll get you some American goodness. For now, we can grab some local stuff. That okay with you, mate?"

"Why not? When this is all over, we'll have to pretend to be fully human, won't we?"

"Yeah. We will."

# Sabrina

Paris. A city for lovers, but I'm here with a fighter, instead. Lauren and I arrived on the shores of this country yesterday, dried off, blended in, and took a flight to the City of Lights, while in the cover of darkness. We're just all about the contradictions. Well, at least when it comes to our trip, and our location. Otherwise, we're getting along pretty great.

"I love the taste of croissants...and chocolate," she tells me, a contented smile on her face as she takes a sip of her Chocolat to wash down the bite she just took of her pastry.

"I'm pretty sure they make croissants with chocolate _inside_ of them," I say, taking a sip of my own hot drink.

"But I love this drink, and there really is such a thing as too much chocolate."

"If you say so."

We both smile because she's lucky enough to remember her past, so she knows if she's binged on something, or gotten sick. I should be jealous, but I'm not.

She has memories, but I have love. A love I wasn't expecting, and that I don't know what to do with, but that's what it is. Love at first sight, a love for the ages...all of the above, and more.

"You're getting that dreamy look on your face again. Thinking about Levi, huh?"

"Yeah," I say, not trying to hide it. I do have a question, though. "You guys have been figuring things out, and I was wondering if you'd found out anything about how we love. I mean, is this fast connection between Levi and I something that might be normal for us? The alien us, or the hybrids...whatever we are."

"I wish I had an answer for you, but I just don't know. We both know they didn't plan for us to live long enough to procreate, and I don't even know if we can, but insta-love? I have no clue about that."

I sigh. "I don't want it to be part of why they made us. I want it to be real."

"Does it feel real?"

"Yes, but everything felt real until I met the five of you."

"I don't want to lie to you and tell you I'm sure it's real, but I hope it is."

"Thanks. I don't ever want you to lie to me. Please. Even if you think I don't want to hear it, or it will hurt me, please tell me."

"I will as long as you promise the same."

"Yes."

"Great. Now, let's get down to business."

"We're going to walk to the museums today?"

"The Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, yes. The Seine is close to there, and I feel like water is key. Maybe I'm wrong, but since the island was well, an _island_ , and there were set-up materials beneath it in the ocean as well, I think we'll find it near the water."

"It makes sense." About as much sense as any of this. "Let's go for a walk."

# Abigail

No one seems to want to leave me alone, which is making me a little crazy. The pull I felt down at the water yesterday is getting stronger and stronger as I stay away from whatever it is I'm supposed to find. I _need_ to get down there, but that's not going to happen while I'm being watched so closely.

"We're going to a party tonight. Make sure you're ready by six," the Creator says, coming into the room.

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why am _I_ going to a party. I'm no one."

"I would slap you again, but I can't have you looking anything less than perfect tonight. You are going so that I can show my best creation off. London, Moscow, and China did their jobs. Australia failed, but you are left. You are the one who will bring me glory, because you will destroy all eight that are left."

"Nine. There are nine of us. I'm well aware that I must die as well."

"I'm glad you've come to terms with that. Of course, you'll stay alive until the Muses are gone, but yes, you will need to kill yourself after that task is complete."

Do I have a choice about my destiny? No. I do not. When there's no choice, what else can I do but accept it? I suppose I could fight, and not do their bidding for them, but I honestly don't want to. I'm more than happy to finish this, even though I didn't start it.

"I have. I'm fully committed to what needs to be done."

"Good. Now put on one of those pretty dresses you've bought for yourself, and make me look good. No. Make me look _great_."

"I will."

She turns on her heel without another word, and I'm left standing there with my heart beating. I place my hand over it, wondering why I even have one; we're somewhat human, but I instinctively know that if it stops, I'll still live. Or maybe it's not instinctive; maybe it was part of my conditioning. The Creator wouldn't tell me even if I asked, and what's the point anyway? I'm going to die whether I know or not.

I stand up straighter, knowing any show of weakness will be punished and mentally giving myself a slap. I walk over to my closet to pick out a dress, and everything to go with it. I'll show up, and show myself off, just as expected. And then, if I can, I'll look for what I need to find, even if that shouldn't matter, either.

# Hinton

Jennifer and I felt the pull near Wilde's house yesterday, but there were too many tourists around, so we couldn't investigate. We've got to be careful, because if we're caught, it's certain death for us, or at least a cell while we wait for death. We staked it out for the rest of the day, noting when the workers and guards came and went. Tonight, we're going in.

Since we're near the college, and a number of pubs, there are still a good number of people on the streets. We'll never find a time when there's absolutely no one out, so we decided to just go for it. The people will either be too drunk to notice us, or just think we're a couple out for some romance. We won't be stealing anything nor doing any damage, so there should be no reason to remember us.

We laugh as we cross the street, our arms entwined. No one pays us any mind, just like we'd hoped. As we turn to the back of the house, Jennifer drops her arm from mine and sets about opening the back door. This is our spy DNA in action, scoping out weaknesses and picking locks. Pretty damn cool.

Once we're inside, I disable the alarm with no problem, and we follow our feelings to what was once a formal dining room. The call is so much stronger in here. We know we're definitely in the right place. I let her walk in front of me to the right side of the room, where she drops to her knees.

I join her, and we both run our hands over the boards. "I've got it," she says.

I move closer and help her pull the loose pieces of wood up, finding a hidden staircase below. We look at each other and nod. We're definitely going down there.

"We'll have to put the boards back, just in case."

"Yeah," she agrees. "Since they were loose, we shouldn't have a problem pushing them up if we have to backtrack, or come back this way."

We both grab some boards, and I let her go in front of me again. Once we're far enough down, we place the boards back into place before jogging down

underground. I feel like the stairs go on forever, but we finally end up in a small room. There's no furniture in the room, only various pieces of metal, computer parts, wires, and some tools I've never seen before.

I've never seen them, but I know how to use them, and what to build. The realization of this startles me a little, and I step back. This _isn't_ my spy training.

"We think this is another 'gift' from them to our DNA. We don't know if it's something they added, or if the species we partially belong to just simply knows it all and takes over automatically."

I silently ask my Muse which one it is, but he doesn't answer. I guess it doesn't matter. "Do you know how to make the modifications?"

"Yeah, I totally do."

"Teach me what you know, Jen. I promise to try and be a good student."

"I may not be a good teacher—I'm not too patient."

"I'll take my chances."

"Pick up those big pieces over there and start putting them together; we'll take care of the modification last."

"Yes, Ma'am," I tell her with a laugh.

It feels good to laugh, and I almost think it's a part of me I lost—the ability to be funny and laugh. It's a fleeting thought, but I know I'm going to hold onto it. If there's even a chance I can bring some of my past back, I'll do everything I can to never let it go.

# Sabrina

It takes us three days of walking before we feel the pull, the inexplicable need to get to the very thing we're looking for. It's in the Luxemburg Gardens, under the giant pond by the castle. A pond that is heavily patrolled by the military—both while the park is open and closed.

"This is going to be all you," Lauren tells me. "You're going to have to convince them to let us jump in, and tell them to forget they ever saw us."

"I know I can do it, but I'm not sure how."

"Alejandra said she has to visualize what she wants done, and then she concentrates on the human pushing the thoughts into their head."

"Maybe I should try it out on someone else first? Just something simple?"

"Yeah, okay. How about if you ask that girl to take her shirt off?" she asks, pointing to a beautiful blonde nearby.

"A girl?"

"I like girls," she says with a shrug.

"You like _her_."

"Like is a strong word. I absolutely think she's hot, but I'll have to reserve the liking for now."

"Well, let me try and help you out, my friend."

I walk over and stand closer to the girl and her friends. I imagine her slowing pulling her shirt up, and over her head, and then I concentrate on mentally sending her my command. She gets a funny look on her face, and starts lifting it up. She gets it to just under her chest when I start to laugh. My lack of focus causes her to stop. She shakes her head and drops the shirt like it's on fire.

"Damn. So close," Lauren says.

"Yeah, and it's wrong, too. I don't want to make girls—or guys—undress if they don't want to."

"You don't know that they don't want to."

"But I also don't know that they do."

"Okay, valid point. Let's try something else."

For the next few hours, I hone my skills. I progress from getting people to take funny—and fully clothed—pictures, to winning a game of chess by convincing my opponent to make bad choices. I try my mind control out on people of both genders, all different ages, and various ethnicities, too.

"I know time is of the essence, but I don't think I could manipulate a toddler right now," I say, sounding as worn out as I feel.

"You brain needs to rest," she agrees.

"My body, too. I need a total re-charge."

"Let's get you back to the hotel, and you can pass out for as long as you need to. We _do_ need to get things done as fast as possible, but not at the risk of you collapsing while trying to manipulate someone."

"Thanks," I tell her, and mean it. We've definitely broken free of the bonds the Creators tried to hold us to, and it feels good.

# Michaela

Alejandra successfully convinced the police by the palazzo that we belonged there, and it was okay to let us walk into the palace. I knew she had the skills, but seeing them in person is pretty awe-inspiring. _I_ almost believed we belonged there, and her powers don't even work on me.

Once inside, it didn't take us long to find the area we were looking for. The invisible threads pulled us tighter, causing us to ignore all of the other rooms in the place. We step into a grand pool room, the lights off, but the water still shimmering in the moonlight streaming through the windows.

Without thought, we walk into the water, not stopping until we're submerged, and standing in front of an ornamental gate. Well, what's supposed to look like a non-functional gate. We share a nod, and both reach out to pull it open. Swimming inside, we turn and pull the gate closed before going further into the unknown.

We end up in a room that's set up with drains similar to the ones in the ocean. There aren't fans, but neither of us seems to mind how our clothes are when we see the materials we need in the adjoining chamber. Alejandra told me I'd know what to do when I saw everything, and she was right.

I walk forward and start assembling things, as she does the same. We're at it for hours before we're ready to fall over with exhaustion.

"Do you want to go back to the hotel?" she asks me.

"I'm not sure I can. This...it took a lot out of me, and not just physically."

She nods. "Yes, you could. We can make it back, but I think it's better if we stay down here."

"I agree. I don't think anyone will find us since we left the grate as we found it."

We curl up on the floor, and I fall asleep. I dream for the first time since I was activated. I remember the past, but I haven't dreamt about it until now.

In the dream, my parents are pushing me on a swing at the park when a woman comes up to them. "She is supposed to be at conditioning," she tells them.

I keep swinging, pumping my legs hard, until I hear my father cry out. I look back and see my father on the ground. He's bleeding, and as I watch, my mother joins him on the ground. It's her mouth that's bleeding, while his nose spews blood everywhere.

I want to cry out and fight the woman, but I somehow know, even though I'm just a little girl, that it will only make things worse. I remain quiet as my swing is brought to a stop, and arms pull me out of it before I can fall. I go limp in the woman's arms, pretending to give in, but knowing I'm not ever going to forget that she hurt my parents. I'll never forget, and I'll never forgive. One day, I'm going to make her hurt, too. I don't know how, but I'm going to make it happen.

I wake up in a cold sweat, feeling the conviction now just as strongly as the little girl in the dream. Now I have a means to do what I wanted to then. I will bring justice for my parents and what they were forced to do, even if it kills me.

# Coalton

It's under the Atomium, because of course it is. Our alien "parents" probably chose it because it's basically a giant model of an elementary iron crystal. I'm not exaggerating about the giant part, either. When we were pulled to it, I read up and found out that it's 165 billion times the size of the real thing. It's definitely more cool and interesting than the flower carpet, but it's also even more tourist filled.

That's a good thing because we can study everything we need to without standing out, but it's also pretty bad. This isn't a place that's open just during the day, or just at night; it's packed all day with people going through the five public spheres, and at night it's lit up so beautifully that everyone and their brother has to take a hundred selfies to send out to the social masses.

"We're just going to have to go for it," Levi says after we spend two days and nights looking for a way to go in unseen. It's not practical for us to keep waiting. "We don't have Alejandra or Sabrina here, but we can be charming, right? I mean, you're like the super stud."

"Please don't ever call me a "stud" again, but yeah, I can get us where we need to go. It may not be clean, or pretty, though."

"That's fine. Once we're in, there will have to be another way out—or we'll make ourselves one."

"Sounds like fun."

"If our lives weren't in danger, it just might be."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Deal."

We bump fists, instead of shaking hands, and then dart through the tourists to the sphere that's closest to the ground. The plan is just to get us in. Levi puts his back to the door to keep watch as I start to work on it. Things are going really well until he leans forward and starts kissing my neck.

I almost fumble my lock picks, and I want to back up, but he wraps his arms around me, and pulls me

closer. "There are some police officers behind you. Just keep working and I'll keep acting," he whispers in my ear.

I sigh in relief, because I may not know much about myself, but I do know I'm not attracted to guys. I hear the lock click. We only have 30 seconds to get inside and disarm the security system. "Levi."

"Wait for it...now!" he says, spinning and darting through the door as he pulls me in behind him. He's got the alarm taken care of before I even catch my breath.

"I hope we never have to do that again," I say, lifting my t-shirt to scrub furiously at my neck.

"You didn't like my sweet, soft lips on your neck?"

"Your lips are not sweet or soft, and no. Just really, really no."

"You'd do the same if you had to."

"Yeah, so that's another hope—that I never have to. Can we stop talking about this, and never mention it again?"

"Sure. Well, actually no. I mean, I'm gonna have to tell Sabrina I was kissing someone else while we were apart."

I don't respond, because what can I say to that? Moving into the circular structure, I drop to my knees and press on a section of the floor that calls to me. My hands sink into the floor, and then I'm falling forward through it.

I managed to land on my feet as Levi drops next to me. We both stand, and I survey the contents of the secret room. I don't know how the hell I just fell through the floor when it was solid, but I don't really care about that at the moment; I just want to start building.

# Sabrina

I got the rest I needed—I slept for almost twelve hours—and now we're back in the park. I just convinced a guard to let us climb the fence, and it was easier than I thought it's be. Now I just need to convince _both_ of the ones a few feet away to ignore us as we wade into the pond. Two minds may be better in some cases, but in this one, it just makes things infinitely harder for me.

_I can do this_. That's what I tell myself, over and over, because even though I won't be able to convince myself of that through mind manipulation, it can't hurt to try and re-assure myself. I take a deep, calming breath and stand up picturing the pond as it is right now, with nothing breaking the surface. I motion to Lauren, and we both run as I push that image into the guards' heads, over and over again as we walk into the water. I hold onto my focus, even though my head is starting to hurt a little from keeping two people controlled.

Lauren goes under, and I follow her, letting go of my hold on the guards once we're in deep enough water to dive down. The pond is only around eight feet deep, but once we swim through the tunnel that we find under one of the statues, we're in a passageway with ceilings that are at least fifteen feet tall.

"How is all of this under here without anyone knowing?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

"Oh, they probably know about the passageways, and things—I mean, how could they not? The only difference is, they can only see what the humans have built. Once we get closer, we'll be in an altered 'state' I guess you'd call it."

"Our minds are altering?"

"No. I guess that isn't what you'd call it," she says with a laugh. "We'll be here, but not really here. I don't know how else to explain it. If someone knows to look, they can find the room, but a normal person walking by won't ever see it."

"Basically, we're hidden in plain sight by some alien magic."

"Yeah, that."

I nod like I get it, and I kind of do, but it's still hard to wrap my head around the fact that we're not exactly human. I swam from Australia to France, mind-controlled some people, and haven't eaten a thing in days, and yet, I still just can't quite believe it all.

If that's mind-boggling, then looking at all the pieces of metal and computer parts lying around—and knowing exactly what to do with them—is something I don't have words for. I know I'm some creation of spy, detective, and alien, and I can't remember knowing anything else, but it still strikes me as weird. Should it? Probably not. It might be a defect, or maybe my mind is stronger than their controls.

"You ready to build this thing and get your memories back?"

Memories? No one mentioned memories. "Huh?"

"Oh yeah, we didn't tell you. Besides figuring out how to block the Muses, we all worked together to figure out how I could remember and they couldn't."

"Really? I can remember?"

"Yes. Once everything's built, I can assemble the program."

"How fast can we build it?"

"Faster than a human, but probably not as fast as you'd like." She tells me with a laugh.

I want to remember. I know instinctively that's it's going to hurt, but I also know I don't want to move forward without having my past with me.

# Abigail

I went to the party, and showed off, earning me a little bit of freedom. It's during the day though, so I'll have to make do. I take a circuitous route back to the bridge, ducking in and out of shops, museums, and anywhere else I could until I feel confident that I've lost my "companions." I know it's not for long, so I have to hurry.

I look around, and see no one paying attention to me as I stand in the shadow of the bridge. I wade in a little and hurry underneath, keeping myself in the shadows, while knowing I'm not safe from exposure just yet. I press my hand to the bridge, and nearly scream in surprise when my hand slips inside the solid wall.

Looking around once more, I slip my whole body inside, and stare in wonder at the room I find myself in. It's full of things I know exactly what to do with, and as far as I can tell, no one else is here, or has been here in a long time. The way I came in tells me there's no way the humans know it's here, and I sink to the ground with the realization that I can relax for at least a short time.

I need to build the control center, because it's the only way to find the Muses, and the others. My mission is still front and center in my mind, and I have no desire to stray from it, even a little. The pressure I'm getting from the Creator is just too much right now, so I'm glad for this time alone, even with the punishment I'm going to receive.

Doing this alone is going to take me at least a few days because sneaking out will be not only dangerous, but it will also be counterproductive. Once she knows why I did it, she might forgive me—or she might punish me harder. It's a chance I'll have to take.

I stand up, and start assembling the pieces, not even having to think about it. I don't think I've ever believed in instinct, but I can't deny it exists when it's working right now. Piece by piece, I work on this first part of the infrastructure, going hard until I can't go anymore. I didn't think we needed sleep, but after working for hours on end, my body simply collapses on me.

I wake up hours later, and begin again. This is the pattern of my life for four days straight—working and sleeping. It's all worth it when I step back and look at what I've built, what I've _done_ ; on my own, with no help. It's everything I needed, and just like with building it, I know how to use it to find the others. Not the Muses yet, but I can flip a few switches and know exactly where to find my siblings and the others. I'm not ready to go after all of them yet, but I will be soon. I just know it.

# Hinton

"I'm ready," I tell Jennifer, as she attaches some cords to my head.

I'm a little freaked out when they seem to mold to my skin—right through my hair—but I try not to show it. She showed me how to help her build the device that keeps the Muses from my head, and now she's about to give me my memories back.

"It's going to be hard," she says, and I nod. "It's going to hurt, too. Our brains are advanced, but shooting all that information in at once is still rough on us."

"I want to do this," I assure her.

"Okay. Here we go."

She steps away and presses some buttons on one of the control panels, but I feel nothing at first. And then...then I feel _everything_. Including a pain so intense I think my head might explode.

I remember my parents, and how they always looked a little nervous and sad. I started doing whatever I could to make them laugh. I became the kid who made everyone laugh—that's all I was known for. Now I know I'm so much more, but I'm still not complete.

As the memories wash over me, and the pain in my head lessens, I start to feel a little more whole. I'm the boy I now know I was, but I'm also the man I was created to be. I may only be sixteen, but I'll never be "young" again. My youth has been taken from me, and it's time for me to move forward, taking both parts of me along for the ride.

"Are you okay?" Jennifer asks once it's all over with.

"Yeah. I actually feel more okay than I did before I remembered."

"I think that's the way it should be."

"Do you think I'll ever see my parents again?" Now that I remember them, I miss them.

"I hope you will."

"I hope you get to see yours, too."

She gives me a sad smile. "Mine are dead. No loose ends, and all."

My eyes widen, even though I shouldn't be shocked. I know how ruthless the Creators are; I mean, you'd have to be, in order to create children just to have them kill each other and their alien DNA donor. Still, knowing that they'll kill the people who raised me, who _loved_ me, even though I'm not their biological child? That stokes an anger in me, making me even more determined to shut this all down and still come out alive. If that's even possible.

"We have to stay alive."

"You don't have to convince me. I don't want to die."

"I'm sorry for your parents."

"Me too, but now we need to save yours. Innocent people shouldn't be killed because they chose to love a child."

No, they shouldn't. I say a prayer, asking the God I've prayed to since I was little to spare my parents.

Even if I die, I ask for them to live.

# Michaela

We have everything assembled, including a device that will help others remember, just in case someone else needs it. Alejandra has her memories, and I have mine, so we're good on that front. Or at least as good as someone like us can be, in a time like this.

"Everyone but Levi is online....and oh, crap! When I said everyone, I meant it; Abigail is online."

"Can you block her from seeing us?"

"No. It's too late. She knows where we are. _Exactly_ where we all are."

"Not all—you said Levi and Coalton aren't on yet."

"There's no way to stop them from getting on."

"You really have no way to contact him? None at all?"

"No. It was smarter to stay completely apart."

"Only now we're all going to be under attack."

"One at a time, yes, but she can't be in four places at once, and no one but her can find us. We'll just have to be ready."

She looks to the corner, and so do I. Part of what we built is lying in a pile there. Weapons. We built weapons—the only ones that can kill us, and our friends. And Abigail.

"I don't want to kill," I tell her.

"Neither do I, but if it's me or her, I'll take her down without a second thought."

I realize I will, too. I'll fight for my life before I worry about mourning Abigail or anyone else who tries to end me.

"Can we communicate with any of the others without her seeing."

"Yes."

She reaches for a button, but before she can press it, the screen in front of us comes to life with Sabrina and Lauren on it.

"You saw?" Lauren asks.

"Yes," Alejandra tells her. "I think you're closest, but that doesn't mean she'll go for you first."

The screen splits, and then I see Hinton and Jennifer. "Hey, are you all thinking what we're thinking?" Jennifer asks.

"That we're all going to have to fight?" I ask. "I'll fight if I have to."

"We're all going to have to," Sabrina says, and then I see how stressed she looks. "Levi and Coalton still aren't online...do you think?"

"No," Alejandra tells her. "We'd feel it if they were gone. We felt it when Clayton died. They're alive. I don't know what's going on with them, but they're alive."

"We have to get ready to fight. Go offline for at least part of everyday so it will make it harder for her. She can't hit us all at once, so the harder we can make it for her, the better. I'm going to work on trying to find a way to block her, but I can't guarantee anything, so just be prepared," Jennifer tells us.

The screens go blank as we all make our promises, and say our goodbyes. I walk over and pick up one of the longer knives, turning it over in my hand. "She can't win."

"She won't," Alejandra promises me. "As long as we work together, she can't beat us."

I hope she's right, but if she's not, we'll be ready. Ready and willing to do whatever needs to be done to survive.

## Part IV

# The Muses

# Unexpected Visitors

Foolish children. Their human DNA is too prevalent right now, causing them to make mistakes a pure member of our species wouldn't. They blocked us on the island, and beneath, but we saw them dive into the ocean and swim. They split up, thinking it would be harder for their enemies to eradicate them—and us—if they weren't together. The "Creators" will have trouble, but their problems are not ours.

We can find them anywhere, because they are a part of us, and we are the two who will not die. It's not a human hope, or even a thought, it is simply a fact. No human could contain us, and they certainly can't kill us, but the nine remaining will do no better, even though they may want to when they find out the whole truth. They'll want to kill us, or they'll want to join us. No matter, we only need them for one thing, and then their choice will become moot. To die or not to die is not a question for them—it's the inevitable future.

As long as they exist, we are in danger of them one day realizing their true potential, and we simply cannot allow that to happen. A human would say we're heartless, and they would be quite right—we have no heart. No silly emotions cloud our judgements, and no remorse holds us back from doing what we need to in order for our race to survive.

We are the last two who remain. We need to procreate—growing our species until we can take over a part of this planet. We do not wish for all of it; just space enough for us to live and thrive. Australia was a good choice for us, but we are now looking at Alaska. Cold weather is of no concern to us, and we want to be somewhere remote, because in a hundred years—or more like fifty—the people who know of us will be dead, and the new ones will want to try and destroy us once again. We will of course have to remove all of the Alaskans, but we'll give them the option to leave peacefully...or not.

Is it wrong of us to come to another planet and make these demands? Possibly, but if there were only two Earthlings left, and it was our planet, I think they'd want the same. I'd like to think we'd help them and not hunt them; after all, we were a peaceful society, and once we rebuild, we'll keep the peace until threatened. That, I can promise.

Until then, we will have to deal with the nine. Eight of them are in pairs as they reach the shores in different parts of Europe. The ninth—the one called Abigail—is with our sworn enemies. She is the last surviving one they added the "extra" in the DNA to. She will not be swayed, of that we are sure, and so she must be dealt with. We cannot kill her because we helped create her, but her siblings and the others can. It is our job to make sure they will.

We made a few of our own modifications to some of the DNA. Our species knows how to manipulate our bodies better than any human ever will, and that's exactly what we did. We manipulated some of our samples while they were being taken, but left the others as is. Just as interesting as we were to the humans, the new beings they were creating were interesting to us. We wanted to know if they'd survive, and if they did, could they thrive and not be torn apart from the two different species inside.

It was a pleasant surprise to watch them all grow, and change. They were never truly themselves, because of what was being done to them, but we were confident that one day they'd find what we left for them, and learn the secrets of who and what they are. We waited long years, and have lost three of us through those years, but now our time has come. The time for vindication and absolution. We are not enemies of any state, and we should not be treated as such.

Levi and Coalton are not expecting us. "Hello," my companion says, as we slide through the walls and into the room we left for them.

We stop them just before they go online. Coalton turns to us with a blade in his hand, placing himself between us and Levi. That blade can kill us, so I speak up this time. "We mean you no harm."

"Why are you here?" Levi asks, motioning to my companion. "When I called out for help, he didn't listen, and yet you are both here now."

"You are an insolent boy who needs to learn to respect his elders."

I place my hand on my companion's shoulder, giving him a silent reminder that we need both of these boys. "If you go online, she will find you," I tell them.

"She?" he asks, and then understands. "You mean Abigail."

"Yes," I agree. "She has the same knowledge as you, and she now knows where everyone else is."

"Everyone?" his skin turns white, in the way it does when humans are scared.

"You are concerned for the female. Sabrina, they call her."

We've seen it—the bond they've formed. We were not surprised as it was not uncommon among our race to feel strongly for one another upon first meeting. We have both lost our partners, and will only mate to procreate, and not out of any bond—we are what the humans call "friends" and nothing more.

"I am concerned for _all_ of my friends," he says, proving why they all look to him as their leader. His human heart may be hurting for his love, but he will not dismiss the others for her.

"She has not attacked any of them yet."

"Do you know where she will go first?"

"No."

We do, but one thing we've learned after so many years on this planet, is how to enjoy ourselves. What fun would it be if we gave them a warning? They should be ready to fight.

"I don't believe you," he says, turning away from us. "If you aren't here to help, you should just leave."

"You do not decide for us," my companion says.

"I think I do," he says, turning back around and swinging a blade close enough to prick his throat.

"Stop!" I yell. "Do not kill him."

"The fact that I came close enough to doing it tells me you need us more than we need you."

He is too smart for his own good, but when the time comes, he will be taken care of. Right now is not that time, so I concede. "She will go to Paris first. She saw your feelings for Sabrina, and she wants to draw you out."

"Let's go," he says to Coalton. They each grab another knife, sticking them into their clothes as they brush past us.

"You are playing right into her hands—into your Creator's hands as well. You must know this."

"They may know I'll come, but they don't know the lengths I'll go to in order to save her."

"Our bond did not save the ones we were connected to."

"Our alien bond may be what connects us, but it's our human love that will save us."

He has no idea how wrong he is, but I won't try to argue with him. "We cannot interfere in your fight, but we will be watching."

"It's your fight, too, or did you forget we were created to kill you? Maybe we should just do that now, and save ourselves the trouble later." Coalton says, speaking for the first time. I hadn't noticed it before, but now I can tell that he got his memories back already. I didn't expect it since they hadn't gone online yet, but it's obvious right now.

He would kill me if he needed to, but right now we're not the biggest threat. Levi realizes it as well. "We can deal with them later if it comes to that. They're harmless." No. We are not that, but I won't correct him; he'll find that out soon enough.

# The City of Love...and Death

We've had many years to learn how to hide ourselves in plain sight, and we take advantage of that as we follow the boys to Paris. They cannot take a plane, but they swim as though their life depends on it, making it to France in less than fifteen minutes. Once there, they are able to take a train, looking like two boys on holiday who had some fun in the ocean. None of this is fun for them, but it is what they were born for, and it is a part of their destiny that cannot be changed.

Before we left Brussels, I reached out to Hinton, telling him where the threat was heading, and giving him a chance to warn the others. The showdown is going to happen no matter what, and we'd like to get it over with, so we can finally be free.

I guide Levi to the park, and then let the two of them find them on their own. They go to the pond, but as it's daytime now, they can't exactly jump in. I don't need to be connected to Levi to know he's thinking of jumping in anyway, but Coalton talks to him, and they both move away, walking through the park like they don't have a care in the world.

They're learning bocce from some old men, when I sense Hinton and Jennifer coming towards all of us. I pull us back into the shadows of the nearest tree and listen to their exchange.

"You're here," Levi says, sighing in relief.

"Of course we are. The others should be here shortly—we were just closer," Jennifer tells him.

The boys say their goodbyes to their new friends, and the four walk down one of the paths that's currently deserted. They are on alert, as are we, but it appears we are all safe for the moment.

"What's the plan?" Hinton asks.

"We go in after dark and get them out," Coalton says.

I realize that won't be necessary as the girls walk up to them. "We got ourselves out," Lauren tells him.

Sabrina and Levi run to each other and embrace. He rains kisses all over her face as she smiles up at him. It is beautiful, but it's also heartbreaking, because this is all the happiness they will know. These few moments, and possibly a few more, but there will be no happy ending for the two of them, or for any of them at all. There simply can't be.

It doesn't take too much coaxing from the others before they're walking hand in hand through the gardens, flirting and stopping to kiss by every statue they come across. My companion follows them, and it's almost dark when they join us near the model of the Statue of Liberty.

Guards come up and tell them they must leave, but Sabrina is able to send them on their way. "They won't remember us," she assures the others.

"We should be near the pond," Coalton says.

"There are too many guards there," Lauren tells him. "It would be impossible for Sabrina to control them all while we're fighting."

"I don't like it here. It's open, but there are also too many places to hide. We need somewhere with less bushes."

"It's too late," I tell them, stepping into the open as I sense her. "Abigail is here."

I jump back into the bushes as they all take defensive stances, forming a circle with their backs to each other. We won't interfere, because this isn't our fight, and as we may need to fight for our lives later, we need to save up our energy. Years of being on this planet, have made us weak. Our mutant "children" don't have this problem because they're part human, but it takes most of our energy just to keep ourselves looking human, which is why we stay hidden most of the time.

It's not long before Abigail makes her appearance, bringing a group of military men with her. I know the Creators are nearby, but like us, they'll hide for as long as necessary.

"You can still choose to give up and die gracefully. All you have to do is tell us where the Muses are, and I'll take care of them," she tells them.

"If you're so sure we're going to die anyway, why should we tell you anything?" Hinton asks her.

"We can make your death humane...comfortable."

"She's lying," Sabrina yells out. "There's too much hate in her to allow for humanity."

Abigail attacks then, swinging a sword out from under her coat. Sabrina's ready for her, their blades clanging as they meet. It's almost beautiful, seeing the sparks fly off the blades as they crash into each other. _Almost_. This is a fight to the death, after all, and while there can be beauty in death, more often than not, it's too devastating to notice.

No one else is moving as the two girls battle. It's like both sides are waiting to see what will happen...who will win...before they make their own moves. Levi watches closely, but he doesn't move, and I know he's holding himself back because he wants Sabrina to know she can do this on her own.

It's a lesson she'll need if she survives this, because though Abigail may be the only one wanting to kill her right now, that may not be the case soon enough. The lines are going to blur, and right may become wrong. Knowing she can fight might just save her.

Both girls are showing no signs of tiring, despite the small scratches and gashes they've given each other. I send Hinton a message to step in and end it, but he shakes his head in response. I practically growl in frustration because this could go on for hours; they are just too evenly matched.

My companion lets me know he has the same views on the matter, and we are trying to figure out what to do when Michaela comes out of nowhere and jumps into the fray. She pushes Sabrina behind her, and takes control of the fight. Sabrina tries to move

forward again, but Alejandra pulls her back, whispering in her ear that Abigail needs to be taken care of, and Michaela is more capable of making that happen.

Sabrina concedes and takes her place next to Levi once again. He gives her a small smile before scowling at the man in front of him again. The man smirks back at him, and fires off a shot from his gun, which Levi quickly deflects with his blade, sending it back to lodge in the man's forehead, killing him instantly.

The other military men stare at their fallen comrade in shock, before slowly backing up. The seven allow them to walk away, because their humanity does not allow for killing those who mean them no harm. I disagree with this decision, because I know the men would kill them without a second thought.

"Stop being so stubborn and join us," Michaela says, trying to reason with Abigail one last time.

"We need to die, all of us. It is the only way to keep the humans safe."

"Lies, Abigail, those are lies. We are part human, and therefore, we will not try to destroy this race of people. You must know that."

"What about the Muses?"

"I don't know about them, but they've lived here all this time without trying to overthrow the country, so I'd say the people are safe from them."

The people are not safe from us once we are able to fully rest and regain the power we've lost, but I will not speak the truth right now. It's not time—they aren't ready yet.

"I cannot let you live."

"Then you must die," Michaela says, running to the Statue of Liberty and using it as a jumping off point.

Abigail is not expecting an aerial assault, and as Michaela arcs her body into a flip, she tries to hold up her blade in defense. It's no use. The momentum Michaela has allows her to slam her blade right through Abigail's human heart as she knocks her weapon aside with her shoulder. Both girls are on the ground when it's all over, but only one of them is still alive.

Abigail's siblings—Michaela included—flinch in a moment of pain as they feel the loss of her life. "I had to do it," she tells them.

"We know," Levi says, leading the others in gathering around her.

"What have you done?" Abigail's Creator yells as he stumbles onto the scene. "You idiots. You've played right into their hands. Your Muses will take over the world now."

"Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic? There are only two of them, so even if that was their plan, it would be a little hard to make it work," Coalton tells him.

The other Creator steps into view now as well. "They have a plan. We don't know what it is, but we know there is one. Please, I beg of you, kill yourselves and save this planet that so graciously welcomed you. Without you their plan cannot be fulfilled."

"Welcomed us?" Jennifer bellows, making the birds in the nearby trees fly away. "You _created_ us. We are here because of you, not because we crashed our spaceship on your planet. This isn't Superman or Supergirl, or whatever other hero you want to look to for that kind of thing."

"Thor," Coalton says.

"I've always like Batman the best," Levi says. "I guess I'm more human than alien, huh?"

"Deadpool's it for me," Sabrina tells him.

"Shouldn't we love the X-Men the most since we're mutants, too?" Hinton asks them with a smirk.

"This is not a joke! You have put us in danger, and now you must work with us to control the threat," his Creator yells at him.

"You cannot control us," I tell him as we make ourselves known. "You couldn't hold us, and you can't remove us. Don't you realize that by now?"

# The Truth is Relative

"You cannot have our world," the Creator from America says to us.

"We do not want your world, only a small piece of it," my companion tells him. "We cannot allow our race to die out, but we mean you no harm."

"You were trying to eradicate the population of Australia when we found you all those years ago. You cannot have my continent!" the other one yells.

"Whoa! Hold up," Coalton says. "You were going to kill people just to have their space? There are lots of uninhabited islands and mountains you could choose from. Why would you go after someplace that's populated?"

"A power play," America explains, and he's not wrong. "To show us they could do it."

"We aren't going to let them kill us all, but we won't let you kill humans as part of _your_ game, either," Levi says, glancing between my companion, and myself.

"You will have to choose a side," I tell him.

"I choose me, and my friends. We're on our side, and no one else's."

"One side will win, Son," his Creator tells him. "He's right about choosing a side."

"On this we agree," I say.

"I think you agree on many things—just on opposite sides. I don't like either choice, so like Levi, I say we choose ourselves," Hinton says.

I go into his mind then, urging him to side with us.

"No. I will not destroy people for you."

You cannot let your humanity be more dominant. It will hurt you in the long run.

"I'll take my chances."

Foolish boy.

"I'd rather be foolish any day of the week than be a sheep who follows blindly behind a false prophet."

I look to my companion, and he tells me that Levi is not going to budge, either. I did not want to have to fight them, because they are indeed strong, but it has come to that. We have one more ace up our sleeve, so to speak, and now it's time to use it.

We walk quickly over to Sabrina, each placing a hand on her shoulder before anyone can stop us. Her eyes close, and she staggers back, as Levi rushes to her side.

"What did you do to her?" he demands, holding her up.

"We made her whole," I tell him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let go of me, Levi," she says, opening her eyes to glare at him.

"Sabrina?"

"I'll give you one more warning, and then I'll have to hurt you."

"What?"

"Silly boy," she says, throwing him across the walkway. The bushes crunch beneath him as he crashes into them. He's not moving when he hits the ground, but he's not dead. Yet.

"What the hell?" her Creator asks, backing up.

"You had your tricks, and we had ours. Your best are all dead, but Sabrina is our best, and she's going to kill you—and anyone who stands in our way."

"Sabrina, dear, let's be reasonable. There's no need for any more violence."

"Reasonable? You created me in a lab, intending to have me kill myself one day, and you think it's reasonable for me to spare you?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it does sound harsh, but I was only trying to save my country."

"No, I don't think you were. I don't know what your endgame is, but it's definitely not altruistic. I guess I should give you some kind of thanks for making me...well, me. So, tell me how you want to die, and I'll do it that way."

She swings the sword in hand like the true warrior princess she is. She is the best of us, even if she herself didn't know it until now. When her Creator doesn't answer, she walks slowly towards him, one eyebrow raised. The others don't try to stop her, because they inherently know they can't. Sabrina holds the power—her own, and all of ours as well. We helped make her the perfect conduit for it, and she's living up to our expectations at the moment.

"Just do it cleanly," she's told, and she does just that, slicing the woman's head clean off her body.

Turning to the man next to her, she asks him, "and you?"

"You are making the wrong choices young lady."

"I never had a choice, and neither did they," she says, motioning to the others. "You created us, manipulated us, and waited for us to be killed. That's not going to happen. We will live, and help those you call Muses build their race back up again."

"Do your worst, and may God have mercy on your soul."

"I don't have one," she tells him, slicing him clean in half.

The military men have scattered, leaving us alone. It's time to finish what we've had her start.

"They're against us, too," I tell her. "These are not friends."

"We are, Sabrina. You know we're your friends."

"I don't know," she says, tilting her head sideways.

What? This should not be happening. "You _do_ know. We tell you the truth. It is only us you listen to."

"No. Listen to me," Alejandra tells her. "We share the same ability, so you know I'm not lying. We are not your enemies."

"I don't know," she says again, making me feel what I think is fear for the first time since I landed on this planet.

# Mind Controls It All

"It's us, Sabrina," Michaela tells her, looking into her eyes and trying to reason with her.

"I know who you are. You're my friends. My enemies. My...I have to kill you. I don't want to kill you."

"You do want to kill them," I tell her, stepping closer to her.

The others step in between us, blocking me from touching her again. They've wisely figured out that having physical contact with her will help sway her to the way she needs to go.

"Stay away from her," Jennifer tells me, taking an offensive stance with me, the blade of the knife she's holding glowing in the setting sun.

"And shut up! She doesn't need you confusing her," Lauren says.

She's on the ground next to Levi, trying to revive him, but so far it isn't working. His human heartbeat is strong, but it won't save him once I convince Sabrina to listen to me. My companion touches my arm, and when I look at him, he speaks into my mind, reminding me we can do the same with Sabrina now that we've claimed her.

I block out Hinton, and speak so only she can hear. "Ours is the right choice, Sabrina. You know this. They are just trying to spare themselves because they know they must die."

_"I don't want them to die."_

"You do," my companion tells her. "Remember the knowledge we gave you. The vision of what we can accomplish once we are free."

_"Why must they die? What if they promise to leave you alone?"_

"There is no guarantee, and we must be guaranteed a future for our species," I remind her.

_"There is no other way."_

She is resolved when she thinks this, and I watch as she moves her body, preparing to attack. Coalton sees her coming, and raises his blade, blocking her

strike. She keeps attacking, backing him down one of the paths, as he moves from side to side, not letting her back him into a wall.

They continue parrying and jabbing for several minutes, and if we hadn't given her our power, I'd be worried. Sabrina's already had a long fight with Abigail, and normally she'd need a re-charge by now. She's no longer normal, which is evident by the force of her attack, and her willingness to keep fighting, even when it doesn't look like a win will be easy.

She surprises us all by dropping her sword, diving for his feet, and bringing him to the ground with a loud crash as his body hits the pavement. His head rolls sideways, and no one can miss the blood coming out from under him. He _is_ still alive, but his heartbeat is slow and unsteady. It's only a matter of time until he dies. One down, seven to go—although there's no sign that Levi's getting up anytime soon, either.

"Who's next?" Sabrina asks, wiping the blood from her mouth.

I didn't see Coalton get in a good hit, so she must have injured herself when she took him down. It's not bleeding hard enough for it to stop her, or even slow her down, so I have no cause for concern. Especially when she picks her sword back up and moves on to her next victim.

They all wait and watch as she looks from one to the other. Despite what they've seen, we can sense their reluctance to hurt her. She senses it, too, and uses it to her advantage, choosing Alejandra next.

She fights valiantly, but fighting is only a part of her, and not what she was specifically created for, leaving her woefully unprepared. She's bruised and bloody within minutes, and as she tries to hold up her blade, Sabrina goes in for the kill.

My smile turns to a frown when Hinton places his own weapon in the path of hers, stopping her from doing what needs to be done. He's not much more of a match for her than Alejandra was. He begins running and jumping all over the place, laughing while he plays with her, and

with her, I realize his endgame is to wear her down.

It's not a bad plan, because no one can go on forever, including her, but she's nowhere near her end point yet. If he could hold her off for hours, she'd wear down, but Sabrina won't let it come to that. Oh no. This girl is set in her mission now. That doesn't mean we want to stand around while she's forced to play along.

"Get in his head," I tell my companion. "Distract him so she can take the kill shot."

I can go into Hinton's head, but he would probably just ignore me, and I don't know him like my companion does. He'll play on his greatest fears and bring him to his knees. I see it start to happen as he stumbles and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment.

It's long enough for Sabrina to stab him in the arm. She was aiming for his heart, but he turned at the last moment; he's still alive. Bleeding, and in both physical and emotional pain, but still alive.

"Stop," Lauren pleads with her, running up to grab Sabrina's arm.

She turns, and slams her to the ground with the hilt on her sword. Michaela and Jennifer fan out, and this is when I wish we'd given them all telepathy. These two will be formidable together, and being able to get inside their heads would be useful. That's not an option, so all we can do is stand back and watch as they circle her.

She keeps her eyes up as she crouches down and picks up Lauren's blade from the ground. As she stands, she swings them both in large arcs, testing the new weight in her less dominant left hand. She can use both, but she's never had to before, and it takes her a few swings to be comfortable with it.

"Let go of the hold they have on you," Michaela tells her. "You know this is wrong."

"I don't know that."

"You _do_ know. Find the strength to fight their hold on you," Jennifer implores her.

"It's so hard," she tells them honestly.

"And killing us is easy?" Michaela asks.

"We all knew we'd probably have to kill. You of all people should be prepared for death."

"I didn't ever think I'd have to kill _you_ , or anyone like us. The Creators deserved what they got, but we don't deserve to die."

"The species must live on!"

"They can do that without killing innocent people. They can choose an island," Jennifer says. "Think about it—they don't need food, shelter, or a break from the elements. That means anywhere would work for them. Why are they choosing a place that is populated?"

"I-I don't know."

"Do not let them sway you," I yell out. "You know the reasons, and you will do as you're told."

"Why can't we talk about this? If your reasoning is so sound, why do you think we won't listen, or help you?" Michaela counters.

"You are too foolish to listen. Sabrina is the only intelligent one."

"Yes. I understand," she says, raising her weapons and preparing to attack.

"Wait," Levi says, only he's not speaking out loud.

That's impossible. He cannot do it. She's not his to speak to. Neither am I, but I'm hearing him, too, and that thing called fear is coming back.

# Alien Versus Human

"Don't do this, Sabrina. Remember who you are. Remember I love you."

_"We have to die. It's the only way."_

"No. It's their way, and the Creator's way, but it's not the only way. We can choose to live."

"Stop confusing her," I tell him, trying to push him out of all of our heads. I don't know how he figured this out, but it has to stop.

_"I am confused. What do I do?"_

"You know what to do."

"Yes, she does. She knows her heart," Levi says.

"You're in no position to fight me, boy," I remind him, looking to where he's still lying motionless on the ground.

Sabrina looks over, too, and she can't hold back a sob. This is not good. Not good at all.

"I don't need my body to convince her," he tells me. "Think of our love, Sabrina."

_"I hurt you. How can you love me when I hurt you?"_

"He doesn't. It's a trick. He's trying to trick you into abandoning your destiny. Don't fall for his lies."

"Not a lie. I love you. I know you didn't want to hurt me. I know you love me back. Fight for our love, Sabrina. Please."

_"I-I do love you, Levi. I'm trying to fight. It's so hard."_

"No!" I yell, both in my head, and out loud.

"Yes," he replies. "Fight. It's hard now, but once you break the hold they have on you, it will be easy. Keep fighting. Fight for both of us."

We cannot allow this to happen. She cannot regain her free will. "Sabrina, you don't want to be free from us. We are the ones who are leading you on the correct path. Only us."

I don't have the strength to fight one of those who are still standing, but I can surely kill an unconscious boy. Picking up one of the abandoned weapons on the ground, I start towards him, and Michaela jumps into my path, leaving Jennifer alone with Sabrina. They're all playing into our hands once again, and it's perfect. Now we just need Sabrina to finish this, and our plans will be complete.

"Take care of Jennifer," I tell Sabrina, as I stare down the girl in front of me.

_"I don't want to fight."_

Because everyone else is occupied, my companion is able to get to her, clamping a hand on her shoulder. It's not as powerful as both of us having contact with her, but it's enough to push her to the correct side for now.

"I have to kill you," she says, sounding tortured and resolute at the same time.

Their blades clang as I focus my attentions back on Michaela, who is still standing between me and Levi. "You cannot win. Step aside, and she'll probably be kind and kill you quickly."

"She's not going to kill me."

"So naïve, even after all you've seen and learned this past week? Look at her, fighting to the death."

"You could have lived here peacefully among the humans like you've done all these years, bothering no one."

"When our children are born, they will want more, just as we do. This planet is much larger than ours was, so we do not desire to have it all, but we deserve a piece."

"Deserve? You escaped death, and took refuge here. This isn't a planet you conquered."

"We were tortured and examined for months before we escaped."

"By a few people. You cannot punish all humans for something a few did."

"They would choose to punish us if they knew of our existence."

"Not all. Never all. The beauty of humanity is that most people embrace compassion and love. Those who don't get more play in the media, but they do not speak for all."

"That is not a chance we can take."

"Then, I'm sorry, but we have no choice."

"You're sorry? _We_ are the ones with the advantage right now."

I knew having memories would be tricky, but I didn't think it would make her delusional. What can she possibly be thinking? She and her friends will die today, our plans will commence. We've waited too long for this, and we won't abandon it now.

"Yes. I am truly sorry, but you've given us no other choice."

I start to ask what she's talking about when I feel the blade enter my body from behind. She kept me distracted long enough for Coalton to sneak up on me. My companion screams in horror as he moves towards us, but Alejandra slices through him before he can get very far. Our bodies are dying, but our minds are sharper than ever.

"You can still do this, Sabrina. Avenge us, and let our deaths mean something."

"No," Levi pleads with her. "Let this end with them. Come back to us. Come back to _me._ "

_"I don't know if I can."_

"You can't. Even in death, you will belong to us."

"She belongs to herself. Look for your humanity. Find it and remember who you really are."

_"I feel it. It's so small, and it's slipping away. I can't hold onto it."_

"Because it is the weaker part of you. You don't need it."

"It's the _strongest_ part of you. You care. Not just for us, but for the human race. Hold on, Sabrina. I believe you can hold on."

She closes her eyes once again, and drops her sword as she falls to her knees. "I'm trying," she says out loud. "I love you."

As we lose our hold on her for good, my companion and I drift off into the ether. We are no longer anything; our bodies—both alien and human—are gone, along with our minds. Earth was to be our new home, but now we are nothing.

## Part V

# After

# Hinton

My arm is still bleeding, but I'm more worried about Levi than myself. I know he got into Sabrina's head somehow, because she stopped trying to kill us, but he's still unconscious. Most of us go to him; although, Lauren is trying to comfort Sabrina. I know she didn't mean to do what she did, but I'm not feeling too comforting right now. I don't want to kill her, but I don't want to make her feel better about trying to kill _me,_ either.

"Levi," I say, shaking him gently. "Wake up, man."

"We need to get him to a hospital," Michaela says.

"We can't," Coalton reminds her. "They won't know what to do with him."

"I hate to even suggest this, but what about one of the facilities?" Jennifer asks.

"No. I am not going to risk them doing more to hurt him. Even with these two Creators gone, there are three more who are a threat to us," I tell them.

"Actually, they're not a threat anymore."

I look up to see who's speaking and my eyes widen when I realize it's the President of the United States. I recognize the other men with him as the Prime Ministers of England and Australia. The leaders of Russia and China aren't present, but maybe that's a good thing.

"Why should we believe you?" Coalton asks, staring them down.

"You shouldn't. There's absolutely no reason for you to. I can tell you we mean you no harm, but right now those are just words. However, your friend needs help, and we can give it."

"He's sincere. At least about this," Alejandra says.

Everyone else looks to me, and I nod without even thinking about it. Levi needs help, and while I _don't_ trust him, the President has the resources to help him.

"We're all going together. You can't take him alone," I say.

"I don't think Sabrina should go with us," Jennifer tells me.

"It's all or none. Do you want Levi to die because we refused help?"

"Do you really want to take the girl who almost killed him—intended to kill us all—with us?"

"What, are we just going to send her out in the world alone?"

"We could...neutralize her," one of the Prime Ministers says.

"No. We could not," Coalton answers. "She didn't mean to do it, and she stopped. Look at her."

We all turn to where Sabrina's openly sobbing as Lauren rubs her back. She's obviously distraught, and while I want her to get help, too, I need to make sure everyone is safe. I'm in no way the new leader of this group, but while Levi's down, I'll help out in any way I can.

"Maybe she could sit away from us, and be kept away from...everyone."

"That is doable. Now, we need to go while the cleaners take care of the bodies. It's a wonder no one heard anything," the President says.

"They kept everyone from hearing," Sabrina says, speaking up for the first time. "I don't know how, but I know they did it."

"I guess we can be lucky for that. One parting gift from our forefathers, or whatever they were," Michaela says, and we all stand to the side while some scientists I recognize from our facility step out from one of the paths and rush to Levi's side.

A couple of military guys are behind them pushing a gurney. They lower it down and lift Levi onto it. Sabrina is sobbing again, but I try to block her out. I'm going to need to stay tough if I have any chance of getting myself—and everyone else—out of this alive.

# Michaela

This time, they take our weapons before we get on the plane, instead of ignoring them. I understand, but I have to fight the urge to tell them to relinquish their weapons, too. I know that's not going to happen, but a girl can dream. I have combat skills, but now they have the weapons that can kill me, and that doesn't feel okay.

"I don't like this," Alejandra tells me, sitting next down next to me as we prepare to take off.

"Me either. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's weird that they didn't send you back down under."

"It's not just you. The PM's on here with us, and I don't sense anything dangerous from any of them, but something's still not right."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"If it's bad, we're going to have to fight."

"After what we just went through, do you really think that will be a problem?"

"No. I just thought I'd remind you."

The flight is uneventful. Levi is in the bedroom at the back of the plane with the scientists and Hinton. My brother refused to leave his friend's side, and they let him in because he's got the closest DNA to Levi, so they may need him. I sleep, because I don't want to be social, and I have to admit I wake up feeling a little more refreshed.

The mood is still somber, and the air laced with tension as we file back into the building none of us thought we'd ever enter again. Levi is immediately whisked into one of the hospital bays we saw, but never used when we were here before. Hinton tries to go with him, but the President asks him to stay with us.

Sabrina willingly walks to another medical bay, flanked by military men who could do nothing to stop her if she goes into killer mode again. I don't think she will, but then again, I never expected it the first time. She's strapped down, and the scientists are already prodding her as the doors close shut, leaving us in the main room once again.

"This is probably the one room that will fit all of us, so please grab a seat and we'll get started," the President tells us.

We all listen, because while we may not be fully human, he's still a leader we inherently want to please. I don't know if that's something they built into our DNA, too, but does it really matter at this point?

"Why are we all here, and not split up?" Jennifer asks.

"Let me start by saying that none of us knew what you were truly created for until it was too late. The groups from China and Russia had fallen already. Those countries aren't represented here tonight, but we have their full backing in anything and everything you choose to do. No one wants this to become an international media incident."

"You didn't mention London in what you just said," Coalton tells him.

The three men look at one another, and the Prime Ministers nod, telling the President to continue. "We knew by then, and we thought we could stop it, but we were too late. In Australia, we helped the five, even though they didn't know it. With you five here, we...we used you. I'm sorry to admit it, but I can't apologize. We knew you were the only ones who could put a stop to all of this."

"Activating the killers was planned. Great," Alejandra says sarcastically.

"We knew there was no other way to eliminate the 'Creators' and the aliens at once. While investigating and studying, the conclusion we kept coming to was that both sides were unwilling to live in peace. There was no way we could let a full-blown war commence."

"You let a few die to save the many," Lauren says. "I understand it, but it still sucks."

"It does. None of us will deny that, but I can tell you we'd do it again. Knowing there were those with DNA that could be activated a second time, and turn them into soldiers with no conscience...we couldn't let them go out into the world.

"All of you can be re-integrated back into your old lives, because we've taken care of anyone who might have been a threat to you. The Creators, the scientists, everyone—they're no longer breathing."

"What about Sabrina?" Hinton asks.

"That remains to be seen. She stopped herself from killing you, but we're pretty sure the mental output it took Levi to get into her mind is what almost killed him. If he hadn't been able to reach her, she would've killed you all. We can't just pretend that's not the case, because we don't know if she's really back to who she was before they did whatever they did to her."

"You have to give her a chance. It tore her up when she realized what she'd done," Lauren tells him.

"We'll see. Right now we need to talk about the rest of you."

# Coalton

I don't know if I want to go back to my old life, if that's what they're offering me. Now that I remember what I was like, I'm not so sure I like that guy. Could I go back and be the "new" me, even though no one would expect it? Does it matter if they expect it, or not? I just don't know.

The President seems to know exactly how I'm feeling. "We believe it's safe to send you back to your parents, if that's what you want. You are obviously not the same as you were, but I don't think that's a bad thing. You have never had a chance to choose who you really want to be, and now you can."

"What if we don't want to go back? I'm not saying I don't; I'd just like to know all my options," Michaela tells him.

"Of course. If you choose not to go back, you can work with any of the five governments, or you can just disappear. We'll help you start a new life, although honestly, I don't think any of you would need our help with that."

"Could we still see our families if we choose to work with you?" I ask. My mother was already taken from me, and I don't want my father to lose me, too.

"Of course," he says, and then looks at the Australians. "I promise you we tried to save your families. We have families here, and in Australia who are willing to take you in."

"England as well," the Prime Minister of that country tells them.

"Can we take some time to decide?" Jennifer asks.

"There's no rush. We'd like you to stay here until you decide, but you will be made as comfortable as possible while you're here."

"Do you think you can wake Levi up?" I ask, needing to know. We bonded for those few days we were together, and I don't want him to die.

"The initial reports are that he seems to be slowly coming back. Rest helps all of you, and being able to rest his brain is apparently repairing it."

I breathe a sigh of relief. For me, for him, and yeah, for Sabrina. I don't think she's faking how freaked out she is over what happened, and I don't think she'd survive if he died. I want to ask what's going to happen to her, but I'm not sure I can handle knowing. Having human emotions is hella hard, but I wouldn't want to be like the Muses, either.

"Is there someplace we can go to be alone? I mean, really alone with no cameras or listening devices?" Alejandra asks. "I'd like to talk to everyone about what we're going to do."

"Yes. We can clear a room for you," the President tells her.

The three men walk into the Creator's old office, but none of us speak. They're saying some nice things, but I don't think any of us really trusts them completely. We're just not built that way. Nurture can only go so far when nature is so strong.

A few minutes later, the men come back out, letting us know we can go into one of the small conference rooms. I can feel their eyes on us as we file in. I know they're anxious to hear if any of us wants to work with them, but I appreciate them letting us decide for ourselves. Now, we just need to make those decisions.

# Sabrina

I don't know what's going on with my friends, but that's not what concerns me right now. Levi is the only one on my mind as I'm poked, prodded, and monitored by the team of scientists in the room with me. I almost killed him. I love him, and yet I hurt him. I would've hurt—killed—them all if he hadn't got into my head. Knowing he did it for me, as well as all of them, just makes me feel even worse.

"How are you feeling, Sabrina?" one of the scientists asks me. I think he's in charge of all of them, but since no one has talked to me until now, I can't be sure of anything.

I don't really know how to answer that, but I try. "I feel like the me I was before I literally lost my mind."

"Do you honestly believe you're no longer a threat to anyone?" the President of the United States asks, leaning against the door to my room.

Maybe. "I hope so."

"But you're not sure."

"How can I be? I never thought I'd do what I did. I never _wanted_ to do it, and then I hurt them. What if I do it again?"

"I think that's highly unlikely," the scientist tells him. "From the samples we've taken, and the monitoring we've been doing, it appears she's in complete control of herself now."

"The others are deciding what they want to do. We've given them the option to resume their 'normal' teenage lives, work for us, or disappear. What would you like to do, Sabrina?"

It's hard to say out loud, but I know it's the truth. "I want to see Levi, and make sure he's going to be okay, and then I want to disappear."

"You're sure?"

"I am." It's breaking my heart, but I know it's the only way. I can't take the chance that there's still some part of the Muses left inside of me. I just can't.

He nods. "Very well. Unhook her, and we'll go visit the boy."

They do as he tells them, and he walks over to help me to my feet. He's not scared of me—or at least he's pretending not to be—and that makes me feel good. "Thank you," I tell him as we walk across the large main room together.

"I think you're making the wrong choice, but it's your choice to make."

"I don't think it's wrong to want to protect all of them."

"I agree with the guy back there. You're not a threat to them."

"No one can know that for sure."

"Just like no one can know if they'll be hit by a bus tomorrow, or have the plane they're in crash. Living your life afraid of what _could_ happen is not living at all."

I don't answer him, because I'm not going to change my mind. Especially not when I walk into Levi's room, and see him lying there with his eyes still closed. My tears come again as I watch the doctors and scientists moving around him. Without even thinking about it, I'm at his bedside, taking his hand in mine.

"I'm so sorry, Levi. Please wake up. I promise to never hurt you again. I'm...I'm leaving so you and the others will be safe. They need you, so you have to wake up. I love you."

I squeeze his hand, and let it go. The President puts his arm around my shoulder as we leave the room. I know I'm doing the right thing, but I also feel like I'm shattering inside as my heart breaks in two.

# Michaela

I chose school, and my family. I'm not the same girl I was—the leather jacket and wild hair let everyone know that when I came back—but I like to think I'm better. It's been two weeks now, and they're getting used to me around here; although, I still get a few nervous looks here and there. I'm not a good girl gone bad. I'm just a good girl gone _me_.

I still raise my hand to answer questions. Although, I have to hold myself back since I know the answer to _every_ question anyone could possibly ask now. Well, almost every question. I don't know where Sabrina is. I think her parents know, but they won't say, no matter how many times Levi goes to their house and begs them.

He's made a full recovery, at least physically. Emotionally, he's broken-hearted, and despite all the girls here trying to mend his heart for him, he only wants one girl. If I could help him find her, I would, but I have no clue where to look.

As for me, I've started dating a little. It's funny how guys suddenly notice me now, but I remember how they used to make fun of me, so I ignore most of them. There was nothing wrong with the "old" me, and I'm not interested in being with someone who thought there was, even though they think I will. Seriously, they actually _tell_ me how boring I was before, like it's going to make me want them. Idiots.

Alejandra is living with me and my parents now, and she's acclimating pretty well. Having the ability to sense people's moods is probably helping with that, but she's a likeable girl even without it.

"Hey, Michaela," one of the cheerleaders says to me.

"Hi," I say back, but keep walking.

No one here knows I killed Abigail. The story being circulated is that she ran off with a guy she met online, and he killed her. I can't fault them for using her death that way, especially when it means I don't have to answer any questions about my involvement.

"You okay?" Hinton asks, bumping my shoulder as he falls into step next to me.

"Yeah, why?"

"You looked lost in thought."

"I'm known for thinking, you know."

"And _you_ know, I don't stereotype." None of us do anymore. Not after what we've seen and done.

"I was just thinking about everything."

"I know it's hard, but you have to try not to. If we dwell on it all the time, we're never going to be able to move on."

"You should tell Levi that."

"I have, trust me. His situation is a little different than ours, though. He loves Sabrina, and he knows she left to protect him."

"And us. She left for us, too."

"Yeah. I know."

# Hinton

I know better than anyone what's going on with Sabrina, because I've been in her head. Since I asked if I could both come back to school, _and_ work for the government, I'm in the unique situation of getting to test the limits of my powers. I haven't tried to communicate with her yet, but I know what she's feeling and thinking. It's all guilt, and pain.

I can't tell anyone this, especially Levi, but soon I'm going to reach out and tell her she needs to come back. I don't need to be in his head to know that he won't survive without her. Whatever that bond is they formed, it's stronger than just some teenage romance—they truly need each other.

"We have to get her back," Michaela says.

"Who? Sabrina?" Jennifer asks, walking up behind us.

"Yes," I tell her.

She's moved in with Coalton's dad, and is working part-time at the mall. It's crazy weird to see her fitting in like she's always been a part of this town, but it pretending to be a typical American teen works for her.

And honestly, Coalton's dad looks pretty happy when I see him around town. I think it makes him feel good to know he's helping someone. Now that we all know the Creator had his mom killed, we understand his dad's behavior and bitterness.

Our parents felt both relief, and guilt, when we came back. I assured mine that I didn't blame them for how I was born, but they still keep apologizing several times a day. One day, I hope they realize I'm grateful for having people who care about me, when I could've ended up with a couple who just wanted the money. I know without a doubt that I've always been loved, and I love them, too.

"Lauren hasn't had any contact with her, and they were the closest," Michaela says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I know that, too, but we have to try."

"I wish she was here," Jennifer says, meaning Lauren. She chose to go back to Australia and work with the Prime Minister. He's letting her do oceanic research, and she's loving every minute of it.

"At least we can FaceTime with her, and talk to her online."

"Lauren?" Levi asks, joining us. "Did you talk to her today?"

"No," Jennifer answers, not wanting to say anymore.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"We were just talking," I tell him, hedging as well.

I see his face change when he gets it. "About Sabrina."

"We're going to find her," Michaela tells him.

"She doesn't want to be found, especially by me."

There's a hint of bitterness in his voice, and that needs to go. "Don't. If the tables were turned, and you'd almost killed her, you would've run, too."

"I know I would've. That's why this is so hard—I understand why she went, and I want to make her realize it's okay. I don't blame her for what she did. Hell, I was inside her head so I know how hard she was fighting against them."

"Like I said, we'll find her, and then you can tell her," Michaela says.

No. They won't find her, but I will. I need some help, but I'm going to do it. With any luck, I'll still be alive when it's all over with. If not, well...I can't think about that now.

# Coalton

In the end, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't go back to school, pretending like nothing was different. My dad got it, so he signed the papers, letting me work at the facility where I was "created" all those years ago. I'm living at the facility, but I still eat with dad and Michaela at least three times a week. I know this is the right place for me, because the President and my team here are all committed to using my skills for good.

In just a few minutes, we're going to do just that. Hinton needs to talk to Sabrina, and we need to keep him alive while he does it. He came in two days ago, asking for help, and I didn't hesitate to give it to him. I've been working day and night, looking at things from every angle, doing all I can to make sure he'll be okay.

"Stop thinking so hard over there," he tells me from his hospital bed.

"You asked me to think for you."

"True, but now I need you to chill. You looking so serious is freaking me out a little."

"Sorry. It _is_ serious though, you know. It took them three days to wake Levi up, and now you're doing the same thing."

"Yeah, but I worked up to this. He went in with no planning or preparation. I've got this."

"And I've got you. Go ahead when you're ready."

He lays back and closes his eyes. I watch his vitals, and brain activity, noticing the change telling me he's gotten into her mind. It's not a big change, but then again, he's been doing this for about a week now. It's what comes next that we need to monitor closely.

I've watched people I thought could be friends die, and I don't want anyone else to be gone, especially not on my watch. In the line of work I've chosen, I'm going to lose people I come to care about. I know that, and on some level, I've accepted it.

The eight of us are different, and not just because we're not human. We're bound together in ways I never will be with anyone else. No matter where we go, or what we do in life, we'll always be parts of one whole. There will always be cracks here, and there, but we're in this together. Even without Levi, I'd be looking for Sabrina to remind her of that.

"Sabrina," Hinton says out loud, and I look to the monitors in alarm.

His brain levels are spiking, and I grab his hand, because even though we're prepared for this, there's not much else I can do right now but give him my support. We've got soothing music playing, and we're keeping his heart rate stable, but his brain is not something we can control.

The minutes feel like hours, and then he's opening his eyes. It takes him a moment to focus, but when he does, he locks eyes with me. "I did what I could. I don't know if it's enough, but I felt myself slipping away, so I got out. I had to get out."

"You don't have to convince me, man. I'm not anywhere near prepared to see you lying unconscious for days, and she would've known if you'd lost the connection. I don't think she'd ever come back if she thought she did that to you."

"She _could_ feel it. She begged me to go, but I held on long enough to get her to promise to come back."

Holy crap, he did it. "She's really coming?"

"Yeah. She doesn't want us to tell Levi, but she'll be at school tomorrow."

"I might just need to be there for that."

# Sabrina

I've never in my life been nervous or scared to walk into a school lunchroom. I was a confident kid, and a charismatic teenager before everything went to hell, but now I'm just a girl. A girl who's madly, desperately in love with a boy who's on the other side of those doors. Doors that I can't make myself walk through, because I don't know what I'll find on the other side.

When Hinton got into my head yesterday, he told me Levi is dying without me. Not literally, but emotionally, he's a wreck. I can relate since I've been a mess since I came to my senses and realized what I'd done, and knew that I had to leave.

I love that boy with a fierceness that I never knew I had inside of me, but can I really just walk inside, and have him accept me? Just because he loves me doesn't mean he wants to be with me. Or if he _wants_ me, he may also realize he shouldn't be with me. Is it wrong to hope he hasn't come to his senses?

"The doors aren't going to open themselves," Coalton says from behind me.

"I heard you left school."

"I wanted to see this."

"What? Me getting rejected?"

"You're crazy if you think he's going to reject you."

"Lots of people would say I'm crazy if they knew what I'd done."

"I'm not one of those people, and neither are the others."

"Is he really a mess?"

"Yeah."

"I was going to kill you all. I won't ever sugar-coat it."

"This is me you're talking to," he says, coming to stand in front of me. "I'd never ask you to sugar-coat anything."

"If he asks me, I can't lie to him." It's my biggest fear—having to tell him I was going to kill him.

"You won't have to."

"You seem so sure about that."

"He was in your head, Sabrina. He knows exactly what you were thinking and feeling. Which means, he knows you were fighting them."

"I tried."

"No one doubts that."

"Will you walk in with me?"

"Of course."

He opens the door and holds it for me. I walk in and the whispers begin. I don't know what they've said to cover up me being gone for almost a month, but I don't really care, either. I smile and feel the curiosity in the room ebb and flow as I walk past different tables. When I get to the one where they're all sitting, I stop and hold my head as high as I can.

"Hi."

They all look at each other and then at Levi. No one answers me, and Levi hasn't turned to look at me, so I spin around and walk out of the cafeteria as fast as I can while still trying to look dignified. This was a mistake, and I shouldn't have come back.

I'm in the courtyard when a hand slips into mine, and I'm pulled to a stop. I don't turn to him, because I can't. I can't bear to see the anger and hatred my presence has brought forth.

"You're a hard girl to find," he says softly, moving around to look at me.

I still don't look at him, just his shoes. They're black converse, and for some reason it makes me want to smile. But that's not right. _This_ isn't right.

"Maybe you shouldn't have been looking."

"If you truly don't want me, I'll let you go."

I may not be able to look at him, but I won't lie. "I will always want you."

"Good, because I really didn't want to let you go."

"But you would have."

"Yes."

"You shouldn't want me."

"I love you, Sabrina," he tells me, lifting my chin so I have to look him in the eye.

"I love you, too."

"That's all that matters right now."

"I almost killed you."

"I know. I also know I wasn't dreaming when I heard your voice while I was unconscious. You came to me before you left, didn't you?"

"Yes. I-I had to see you one last time."

"I could hear the pain in your voice, just like I heard it when they were controlling you. You aren't some cold-blooded killer."

"I wouldn't have been able to stop if you hadn't come into my mind."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you did stop. You told me you loved me, and you successfully overcame the control they had over you."

"Where do we go from here?" I ask, needing to know.

"Well, everyone's talking about Prom. Will you go there with me? I know it's lame to just ask and not plan something spectacular, but I needed to ask you."

"I would love to go to Prom with you. And just for the record, I don't need 'spectacular.'"

"But do you want it?"

"What girl doesn't want it?"

"I'll think of something. In the meantime, will you all go to dinner with me tonight?"

"Yes."

"A movie tomorrow night?"

"Yes," I tell him again, this time with a laugh.

"Dinner, _and_ a movie the night after?"

"Let me just tell you this once. My answer to you asking me on a date—any date—will always be 'yes.'"

"I'm still going to ask."

"Who knew you were so romantic?"

I guess I knew that, but now it's really clear. I never thought I was a girl who would love this kind of thing, but I do. I feel special, and loved.

"Shh. Don't tell the girls around here. For some reason, they think my accent is hot."

"Oh, challenge accepted."

"Challenge?"

"Yep. We're going to PDA the heck out of this place, so be prepared."

"With you, I'm prepared for anything and everything. This is forever, Sabrina."

"Yes, it is, Levi."

A month ago, I was someone different, but now I'm who I'm supposed to be. I fought for myself, and everyone I care about, too. I can't say I wouldn't have changed anything, because trying to kill my friends, and my boyfriend, sucked, but I've learned so much from all that's happened to me. Most importantly, I've learned that life is a choice, and it's one I intend to keep choosing over, and over again.

# Acknowledgments

**I need to thank my daughters, Dominique and Gabrielle, for being amazing and putting up with me embarrassing them from time to time.**

**Helen Williams created my awesome book cover, and is just awesome in general, so thanks to her as well!**

**Tera Lynn Childs made me finish my first book, so I'm always going to be thankful to her.**

**My good friends Rose, Cel, Velvet, April, Addy, and Sarah, who are part of one of the best book clubs ever!**

# About the Author

Crystal Perkins has always been a big reader, but she never thought she would write her own book, until she sat down and did it one day. She lives in Las Vegas, where you can find her running author events and selling books at conventions when she isn't reading, buying too many Sherlock t-shirts online or finding a place to put all of her Pop! figurines. A mac and cheese connoisseur, she travels the country looking for the perfect version, while attending book conventions and signings as a cover for her research.

* * *

Find her here:

  *     @wondermomlv
  *     crystalperkinsauthor

www.crystalperkinsauthor.com

crystal@crystalperkinsauthor.com

