Hailey Majestic sat in the cafeteria, safe like she had been when she and Vera hugged earlier.

She had fought Lena, but Hailey had won. Vera had trained her well. Plus, her opponent had been a blind girl. Beating Lena in that fight had been easy like chewing a piece of fruit. She was one of Soy's six rightful Highs, but Hailey wouldn't let Lena hurt her again. She had suffered through enough physical and emotional pain.

This cafeteria was huge like the one at her other home, the space station where she had abandoned Vera. They couldn't sit across from each other while dining. Hailey had left a woman who had never struck her, and she had found Lena. Living with her was like fighting on a battlefield.

Light touched the cafeteria's blue floor and the long benches. As Hailey's food tray rested in front of her, she bit into her fruit. She had left Lena in her bedroom. Hailey could enjoy her meal.

The door opened.

Chewing, Hailey put her fruit on the tray. She swallowed the food in her mouth. Lena walked into the room, holding a dagger. In the bathroom, she hadn't been armed. Hailey had won against her. And if she tried murdering her with that blue dagger, she would fail.

Instead of fleeing the room, Hailey remained seated.

"Where are you, weakling?!" Lena shouted.

During the Invasion, Freemans had brought strife daggers into the Soynite royal palace. No Freeman had slain Hailey's father on that horrible night. She hadn't died back then, either. And Lena wouldn't kill her before she could reunite with her father.

"I'm right here!" Hailey said.

Lena smiled, as if she had finished winning a fight against Hailey. Lena moved. She slid a pale hand along the wall's blue surface.

"You embarrassed me!" she said. "You know what you did to me in that bathroom."

"Me and you are the only people in this place!" Hailey said. "No one else knows what happened. You only got embarrassed in front of me. Nobody saw me beat you in that fight. Be glad."

Lena continued heading closer to the aisle between Hailey's bench and the unoccupied one behind her. Lena had hurt her without feeling guilty afterward, as if Hailey were a Freeman warrior. If given the opportunity, Lena would try murdering her. But she wouldn't let her kill her in this cafeteria.

"Just keep talking, weakling," Lena said. "Just keep talking."

"You won't be able to kill me, my High," Hailey said. "I suggest that you go back to your room and rest."

"I'm going to kill you. You hurt your High, and that's why you deserve to die. I don't care that your father is Theo Majestic. The fact that you're his daughter isn't going to save you. Did you enjoy your last meal?"

"This meal isn't my last one."

"Yes, it is."

Lena moved closer. If she got too close to Hailey, she would have to disarm her. Lena might try attacking her with her fists and feet after that.

"Don't do anything reckless and I won't do anything rude," Hailey warned.

"Don't threaten your High," Lena said.

Hailey sighed. "Don't give me a reason to."

If Nova were in the cafeteria, she would help protect Hailey. Her older sister had never met her, but Nova must be precious like their father. She would rather defend Hailey than let Lena hurt her.

Not long after meeting Hailey, Lena had kicked her. In that bedroom, she had hurt Hailey because she had touched her by accident.

"After spending enough time with you, I see why Nova hated you so much," Hailey said. "You hurt people who don't deserve to get hurt. No one deserves to suffer anyway."

"Many people do. And you're one of them, weakling."

"I don't like how you won't call me by my name, my High."

"I know, weakling."

Lena reached the gap between Hailey's bench and the one behind her. Lena wore her black shoes, but Hailey didn't plan on letting her kick her again.

She ate the rest of her fruit, then opened her bottled juice before drinking it. She grabbed her food tray, which she could use as a weapon. She moved off the bench.

"Come to me," Hailey said. "You want to kill me, so come over and try to."

Lena charged. Hailey launched the food tray. It struck Lena, and she stopped charging. Hailey ran. Hearing the rapid footsteps, Lena swung her dagger.

Hailey caught Lena's wrist, squeezed. The dagger dropped before clattering against the floor.

"You're the weakling!" Hailey said.

Holding Lena's wrist, Hailey punched her stomach. She unleashed a sharp exhale. Hailey shoved her.

Soynites needed to serve their Highs. People used to kneel for Hailey's father, and she had kneeled for Lena, who had hurt her. But she could defend herself from her.

"You like to hurt people!" Hailey said. She slammed her shoe-covered foot against Lena's thigh, making her cry out. "And you like to hurt me, but I'm not going to let you do that anymore."

Lena stepped back, and her foot bumped against the fallen food tray. She picked it up before hurling it toward Hailey. She moved her head and the tray missed her, the object flying like Lena used to do.

The High moved onto her hands and knees, and her pendant swayed without control. Her hands roamed the floor as she searched for the dagger. She acted as if murdering Hailey would make her Saves and her vision come back.

Lena grabbed the dagger. "I'm going to kill you!"

She stood, and her nostrils flared. Hailey had been angry after Vera had revealed her mother and Nick had returned to the space station years ago. She would see her mother and brother again. Today, Lena's dagger wouldn't become a murder weapon.

"You can try to!" Hailey said.

Lena lunged. Hailey disarmed her. She tossed the weapon, and it hit a wall. Lena could try hurting Hailey using her fists or feet, but she no longer had her dagger. Killing Hailey would be harder for her to do.

"You don't have your dagger anymore," Hailey said. "You lost. You lost again."

She slammed her fist against Lena's forehead. She staggered. Hailey grabbed her before lowering her onto the floor. She straddled Lena, then pinned her arms against the floor.

"You tried to kill me!" Hailey said. "People deserve to live, my High."

"Not you," Lena said. She winced. "My head hurts. My leg hurts. My stomach hurts."

Hailey developed a Save. Each Soynite had been born with the knowledge of Saves, how many there were, and what each one did. Soynites with Saves couldn't forget which ones they had. When Hailey possessed all of them, she would know. Her Save could help Lena.

"I can heal people now," Hailey said. "I'm going to help you."

"You better help me, you Majestic piece of trash," Lena said.

Hailey placed her hand on Lena's forehead, which she had punched. She healed it. She kneeled between Lena's legs before moving the green shirt to expose her belly. Hailey healed it.

She stood before kneeling next to Lena's leg. "I have to heal your leg. You need to get your pants out of the way, though."

Lena unbuttoned her blue jeans, unzipped them. She moved her pants, baring her thighs and her black panties. Light touched her pale skin. Hailey touched the thigh she had kicked, and healed it.

"Does it still hurt?" she said, as she kneeled near Lena. She shook her head. "Good. You're going to be okay."

Hailey had developed the power to make people's injuries vanish. She smiled.

With her Save, she could make people stop hurting, and get rid of their wounds. Someday, she would have all the Saves. When that day came, she would be like her father.

Hailey stood. Lena did the same, and pulled up her pants. She zipped them, buttoned them.

"I tried to kill you," Lena said. "And you healed me anyway. Why? You could've killed me, but you helped me instead."

"You deserve to live," Hailey said. "Everyone does."

"I deserve to live. You're right about that. You also healed me after I tried to murder you. A good ruler knows when to show mercy. I'm not going to kill you, weakling."

"You promise?"

"Yes," Lena said. "I promise. Now give me my dagger."

"Okay."

Hailey retrieved the dagger and gave it to Lena. She didn't try stabbing Hailey. They stood on the cafeteria's blue floor, away from their Watchers, away from their parents. Hailey's father hadn't seen her use her new power to heal Lena.

"I wish my father had seen me heal you," Hailey said. She looked at her palm. "He gained that power a really long time ago, and now I have it. I'm glad that I was able to take away your pain, my High. One day, my father is going to find out what you've done to me, but he will forgive you. Just like I have."

"Of course he's going to forgive me," Lena said. "And that's if he's still alive, of course. Your father can die. But I don't want him to. He needs to bring the Soy Maker here. Also, I want him to kneel for me."

Hailey looked at the dagger Lena held. "And he will. We just don't know when. But it's going to happen. My father is going to show you the respect that you deserve to be shown, and he will bring the Soy Maker out of hiding. You won't be blind forever. You're going to get back what was taken from you. And that's your vision and your Saves."

"Your Save is going to be really useful to me. It feels good, right? Knowing that you can heal yourself after being hurt? If someone stabbed you in the heart, you would just have to put your hand on the wound and use your power. You can also heal wounded allies."

"And wounded enemies. The Freemans are my enemies, but I wish that they weren't. I want Soy to be revived, and they don't. They also hate my father, but I love him. I love everyone."

Lena shook her head.

"That's one of the reasons why you're a fool," she said. "You can't be a traditional Soynite anymore, weakling. We're at war with another Soynite and his Freemans, yet you continue to be a foolish pacifist. Not all life is precious. I hope you realize that one day, because that belief of yours is so frustrating. Reese is, too. But at least she doesn't believe what you believe. She knows that not all life is precious. She also hates Freemans. Your compassion for them is going to make her angry. If you want your sister to like you more, you will have to kill a Freeman. Reese hates every single one of them. And so do I."

The Freemans had slain the majority of Hailey's people, yet she didn't hate them. She hated no one. She loved everyone. Not long ago, Lena had tried murdering her. But Hailey's compassion for her had made her stop wanting to kill her. Hailey would show Lock compassion, and he would get rid of his desire to see her suffer.

When Lock preferred being called Reed, he had loved Hailey's father like she loved her brother, Nick. Lock would care about her father again.

"I don't hate them," Hailey said. "I don't even hate Lock Tannis. He and my father were like brothers, and it's not too late for them to care about each other again."

Lena scoffed. "It is too late. Your father is never going to forgive Lock for destroying our planet and getting so many Soynites killed. And Lock is never going to forgive your father for exiling him. They will hate each other forever."

Hailey turned. The food tray Lena had thrown rested on the floor like a fallen napkin. She had tried hitting Hailey with it when she wanted to kill her. If Lena had succeeded in taking Hailey's life, she wouldn't have developed her healing power. She might use her Save to help another person.

She faced Lena again.

"I'm going to hate Reese forever," Lena said. "I wonder if that horrible girl knows that she's Theo Majestic's daughter. He made Ken promise that he won't tell her the truth, but promises can be broken. I hope your uncle broke his. I would love for your father to be angry with him."

If Nova learned she had a sister named Hailey Majestic, that would be great, like when Lena started believing Hailey deserved to live. But her father planned on telling Nova the truth.

"If Ken told her the truth, I'm sure that he had a good reason for doing it," Hailey said. "And he and my father aren't just brother-in-laws. They're friends. If Ken broke his promise, my father will forgive him. My father stopped believing that all life is precious. But Ken is still precious to him."

"And both of those horrible people are precious to you," Lena said. "But so am I. You better not forget that, weakling. Don't you ever stop loving me."

"I won't."

"Great. And I want you to walk me to my room now."

Lena didn't act like killing Hailey would bring her peace anymore. Hailey smiled. Lena turned. Hailey walked to the spot beside her, and they linked arms.

They left the cafeteria.

A man stood in the hall, wielding a sword. It was red like other swords Hailey had seen, and the light touched its wielder's pale skin.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"A Freeman!" Hailey said.

She stopped linking arms with Lena, whom the Freeman inspected.

"You have orange hair," he said, speaking Soynite. "And your eyes look strange. Zale Kin was right. There really is a blind H—"

Lena launched her dagger. The blade impaled the Freeman's ear. Yelling, he dropped his sword. He had spoken. Lena had heard him. The blind High had turned his ability to speak into a liability.

The sword clattered against the floor, and Lena grabbed the weapon. She swung. The Freeman lost his arm. He unleashed a yell louder than his previous one. Listening, Lena slid the sword through his remaining arm's flesh, blood, and bone. The arm dropped onto the floor. Red poured out the gaping wounds where the Freeman's forearms had been. He kneeled, bleeding.

"My arms!" he shouted, speaking Freeman. "You chopped my arms off. You chopped my arms off. You chopped my arms off."

Hailey covered her mouth with her hand, doing something the poor Freeman could no longer do. Lena had taken his arms off, but Hailey could heal him. She could give him new limbs, make him better.

Had more of his people come into the space station?

Lena went behind the kneeling Freeman, armed with his sword. His shouting assaulted Hailey's ears like Anne's wails used to do when she was a baby. She hoped her precious sister didn't have to see something as horrible as a person bleeding from the holes where his arms had been.

"How many Soynites have you killed?" Lena said, speaking Freeman.

The Freeman shouted.

"How many Soynites have you killed?!" Lena yelled.

"Thirty-three," the Freeman said.

"Thirty-three."

Lena scoffed.

"Thirty-three Soynites, weakling," she said, speaking her and Hailey's native language. "This foolish piece of trash killed thirty-three of our people. Because of him, those Soynites can't serve me."

"Please, my High!" Hailey said. "Don't kill him. People can change, including this man. He can become better."

"This Freeman is a monster, and this is what High Lena does to monsters."

She sunk the sword into the Freeman's skull, and it slid into his brain.

"No!" Hailey said.

Lena tugged the weapon free and took several steps back. The Freeman collapsed. His corpse morphed into smoke, including his severed arms.

Lena inhaled through her nose. "He's dead. Good."

She grinned. The person she had murdered would never smile again.

"You killed him!" Hailey said. "I could've helped him."

"He was going to kill me!" Lena replied. "Then he was going to kill you. You should be glad that I got rid of him. He was a monster who needed to die."

Hailey kneeled, liquid leaving her blue eyes. She sobbed as if her arms had been sliced off by Lena.

"Cry later," Lena said. "There might be more Freemans here, and I need you to kill them."

Vera had taught Hailey how to kill. She had used what she had learned to defend herself from Lena, but Hailey hadn't slain her in that bathroom or the cafeteria. A pacifist should never kill anyone.

Hailey wiped away her tears before standing.

"That Freeman you murdered was just like us," she said.

Lena scowled. "How?"

"He was a person. He had a life, and you took it."

"Of course I did. That Freeman fought for the Soynite who destroyed our planet. That Freeman was going to kill both of us. That Freeman deserved to die. And if there are more of them here, you're going to kill them."

Hailey crossed her thin arms. "I've gone thirteen years without killing anyone. I'm not going to start today."

Lena moved closer to the wall, holding her victim's sword.

"Get over here," she commanded.

Hailey approached her. "Okay. I'm here."

"You never saw your mother get shot to death!" Lena said, her voice shaking. "Your father didn't possibly get killed during the Invasion. You know exactly what these Freemans did, yet you still try to protect them."

Lena turned before kneeling. She set the sword beside her, and a noise erupted from her. She did what Hailey had done after the armless Freeman's death.

"I'm sorry," Hailey said. "And I don't like hearing you cry. I want my High to be happy."

Lena hadn't seen her parents in years, and she didn't know where she could find her father. She was like Hailey.

"Who are you?" a deep voice said, speaking Soynite with a Freeman accent.

Hailey turned. Six Freemans stood in the hall, wielding swords. The one closest to Hailey and Lena scowled.

"I'm Hailey Majestic," Hailey said. "I'm Theo Majestic's third child."

She had told the truth. And she assumed the Freeman who had spoken was the scowling one. Lena grabbed the sword,then stood. She turned to the Freeman.

He looked at her face. "You have odd-looking eyes, and they're wandering. Your hair is orange. Are you the blind High?"

"I am," Lena said.

"And you're Hailey Majestic," the Freeman said. "We've been looking for you for some time. My comrade is dead. Did you kill him?"

"That weakling doesn't kill," Lena said. "I do."

"You're not going to kill me. I'm going to bring you closer to my comrades, and then I'm going to kill you."

The Freeman sheathed his sword, then charged. When he was close enough to Lena, she swung the sword. The Freeman evaded the blade before disarming her. After tossing the weapon closer to his fellow warriors, he grabbed Lena.

"Let go of me!" she yelled. "Help me, Majestic. Save your High."

Even though Lena had gotten into a situation that might kill her, she still acted as if calling Hailey by her first name would make her blindness incurable. Yet Hailey loved her anyway. She loved Lena more than she loved the pale people in the hall.

Walking backwards, the Freeman returned to the spot where the other ones stood, holding Lena. He forced her onto the floor. A Freeman pinned her arms against it. Another one pinned her legs. She struggled, but she couldn't break free.

When the Soynite royal palace still stood, Hailey's father had slaughtered Freemans. He had become a killer to protect his family. He couldn't prevent the Freemans from murdering Lena. Neither could Boone Windsore. His daughter was a High, and the Highs deserved to be protected.

Who could protect Lena?

Hailey could.

She went close to the dead Freeman's belongings, bent down, then pulled a throwing knife from its sheath. It was red like the sword Lena had killed the armless Freeman with. Hailey stood and faced the one who had spoken. He unsheathed his sword.

Six Freemans.

One Hailey Majestic.

"This won't be a fair fight!" she said.

"Obviously," the Freeman said. "There is one of you. And there are six of us."

"It's not going to be a fair fight for you. Let my High go and leave. Or I will do to you what she did to your comrade."

"No. You don't kill."

Hailey flung the throwing knife. The blade sunk into the gap between the Freeman's eyes.

One Freeman dead.

As the Freeman fell toward the floor, Hailey ran. She ducked under an enemy's swinging blade. She grabbed the sword Lena had wielded. Swords clashed. Hailey backed away, sliced off the Freeman's arm, the one attached to the hand holding his sword. She buried hers into his chest. He died.

Two Freemans dead.

An enemy approached Hailey. With efficient deadliness, she slaughtered him.

Three Freemans dead.

One rushed toward Hailey, swinging his sword. She ducked and sliced off his legs. He dropped onto his stomach, then she slipped her blade into his back. She pulled it free.

Four Freemans dead.

Using the sword, Hailey impaled a charging enemy.

Five Freemans dead.

The sixth one released Lena's arms before grabbing his sword. Lena moved her hand, found the Freeman's leg, and squeezed it. He looked at her. Hailey impaled his chest with her sword, and tugged the weapon free. He dropped his. Bleeding, he collapsed. His lifeless body morphed into smoke.

Six Freemans dead.

Hailey had slain the Freemans, but she had done it to keep Lena safe. Like her father wanted her to do. Regardless, tears blurred her vision. She placed the murder weapon on the floor.

"They're dead," she said.

Lena crawled backwards, moving away from the smoke. Hailey followed her. They stopped a safe distance away.

"You killed them," Lena said, sounding amazed, as if she could see again.

"It was easy," Hailey said. "Vera trained me well. But I wish the Freemans had just left. I killed them, my High. I murdered them."

Hailey had given the Freemans a chance to leave. If they had left in the spaceship they must have arrived in, she wouldn't have been forced to kill them.

Why had they decided to doom themselves?

Lena had cried before the Freemans had arrived, and tears left her eyes now, bringing more wetness to her face. She lay on the floor. Hailey kneeled beside her.

"Why did you do that?" Lena said. "You could've died trying to save me. I even tried to kill you, but you saved my life anyway."

"You don't deserve to die, my High," Hailey said. "My father wants the Highs to be safe, and you have to reunite with your own father. Plus, I love you more than I loved those Freemans. I wasn't going to let you die."

"I thought they were going to kill me. I wasn't sure that you would actually fight them. Because of you, I'm still alive. Thank you."

Lena sat up and embraced Hailey. She hugged her back. They hugged like sisters.

"I love you, Hailey Majestic." Lena said.

Hailey smiled. "I love you, too, my High. I always will."

"You can call me Lena. It's okay."

The Majestic and the High were alive, but the Freemans who had come into this hall weren't. Hailey had made them that way.

"Lena!" Betty shouted. "Hailey. I'm here. Me and Zoey are coming."

Betty and a girl ran into the hall, a girl Hailey had never seen before today. She and Lena kept hugging. Betty and Zoey approached them.

"It's okay," Lena said. "Hailey isn't a weakling anymore. She saved me."

Betty kneeled, and she hugged Hailey and Lena. "I'm so glad that the two of you are safe."

A short moment passed. Hailey, Lena, and Betty stood, no longer hugging anyone.

"Lena," Betty said. "Zoey is your stepsister. She's the girl I came back with, and I want you to meet her. Please, don't hurt her, my High."

"I'm not going to hurt her," Lena said. Betty linked arms with her, then they moved closer to Zoey, walking beside each other. "Zoey, what do you look like?"

Lena couldn't see Zoey, but Hailey could. Zoey had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was thin. The smile on her face wasn't like the scowl the dead Freeman had had on his face. She wore a purple shirt with long sleeves and blue jeans, but she didn't wear a pendant. Not having one was like not having a Watcher.

"I have brown hair," Zoey said. "My eyes are brown. And I'm sixteen years old."

Hailey had revealed her age to Lena, then she had been rude to her.

"And your father survived the Invasion," Zoey said. "He helped take care of me. Now I'm going to help you, my High."

"Good," Lena said. "Because the day when I'll need your help might come."

"Your father told me a lot about you. He's my stepfather, but I also see him as my father. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to finally meet you."

Betty stopped linking arms with Lena. Zoey stepped in front of her.

"Can I hug you, my High?" she asked.

Lena smiled. "Of course you can. You can also call me Lena."

Zoey embraced Lena. With tears on her face, she hugged Zoey back.

"You're my sister," Lena said.

The last time Hailey had seen either of her sisters had been too long ago. She had never even touched Nova, her sister she had never met. Her High. Lena was with Zoey, at least.

Hailey and Betty smiled. She put a pale hand on Hailey's shoulder.

"Hailey," Betty said. "I would kill to keep Lena safe, but I wasn't here when she needed help. You were here, though. You're a hero. You're our hero."

Today, Theo and Boone hadn't been able to keep their daughters safe. Yet Hailey had protected herself and Lena. Hailey was the reason why she could hug her stepsister.

Lena and Zoey separated, but they stayed near each other, as if they might stop being sisters if they didn't. Zoey wiped away Lena's tears. Hailey and Betty went closer to them.

Zoey kneeled before bowing her head. "I'm kneeling for you, Lena."

"Rise," Lena commanded.

Zoey rose. She wasn't the only one in the hall whose sister was a High. Nova would give Hailey the type of hug Lena had given Zoey. Sisters shouldn't hurt each other, and Nova wouldn't hurt Hailey. Their first meeting wouldn't be like the moment when Lena had shown Hailey a High could be harsh to an innocent person.

"You're Hailey Majestic," Zoey said. "Betty told me about you. I had a theory that Theo and Lilly had children. I'm glad to know that I was right. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"How did you and Betty meet?" Hailey asked.

"I went away from the people I was with on Earth. We were in Hawaii, and that's where I met Betty."

Someday, Hailey might go to Earth again. Nova had gone there. Would they meet on that planet?

"Zoey told me that Boris Endman is dead," Betty said.

On Soy, Boris had tried murdering Hailey's father. Now that Boris was dead, he couldn't try killing him. But Don Ascend, Ray Fire, Tale Wick, and Notch Slip might be alive. They worked for the worst Soynite.

If Hailey could, she would kill Lock Tannis.

"Yes," Zoey said. She frowned. "He's gone."

"Thankfully, you're not," Betty said. "Zoey has to stay with us, girls. She told me everything she had to. When she's ready, she's going to tell the two of you the truth."

"Okay," Hailey replied.

Zoey didn't wear a pendant, and Lena didn't wear a crown. Hailey's father's crown could be found in the space station she had left.

Who would wear it next?

"Lena," Betty said. "I'm sorry that I left. I really shouldn't have. If I had been here when those Freemans were still alive, I would've saved you."

Lena nodded. "I know. Did Zoey tell you what happened to my father?"

"He's missing. Zoey doesn't know if he's alive or not. I'm sorry, my High."

"Theo needs to tell me sorry," Lena said. She scowled. "He's the reason why my father couldn't go on that spaceship with us. If it wasn't for Theo, my father would be with me right now."

"You and him are going to be together again. And right now, you have me and Hailey. You even have a sister now. Everything is going to be fine."

Betty kissed Lena on the lips before kissing her forehead.

"You're right," Lena said. "Also, I killed a Freeman today. I'll tell you what happened while you were gone. Hailey, take Zoey to your room. I have to talk to Betty."

"Okay, Lena," Hailey said.

"You're my friend now, so be grateful. Because being friends with me is a luxury."

Out of all the six Soynite rulers Hailey could have met, she had found High Lena. She lived in a space station with her Watcher, her stepsister, and her friend.

Hailey had never met Lena's co-rulers. Most of them were teenagers. One of them had been born in the Soynite royal palace. Kneeling for Nova would be an honor.

"I know it is," Hailey said. "You're my friend, too. And, Betty, there's a small mess in the cafeteria. My food tray is on the floor. And my empty bottle of juice is on the table. But I'm going to clean it up."

"Don't worry about it," Betty said. "I'll do it."

"Thank you."

"Hailey," Lena said. "My love for you is a privilege. Remember that."

Hailey nodded.

"I will, my High," she said. She approached Zoey. "Come on, Zoey."

As Zoey walked beside her, Hailey moved in the hall. She had broken her no-kill code in it. But if she hadn't, one of those Freemans would've assassinated Lena. Hailey had murdered people to protect someone she loved. Vera had killed to keep Hailey safe. Vera had killed that group of Freemans who had invaded their home, but Hailey hadn't appreciated it. Though she should've.

Not all life was precious.

Hailey led Zoey to her bedroom. Taped to a wall was the photograph that had been taped to Hailey's bedroom in a different space station. Her father grinned in the picture. It had been taken when he was safe. Someday, he would be home, and he would be with his family.

Hailey sat on the bed.

Zoey glanced around the room. "I remember being in my friend's room. He lives in a spaceship. It's also the fastest Soynite spaceship in the universe."

A museum had contained that spaceship.

"Your friend went to the Ascend Museum before?" Hailey said.

"Yes," Zoey said. She pointed. "Can I sit on your bed?"

"Sure," Hailey replied. "Go ahead."

Zoey sat.

"My friend's name is Hero," she said. "Hero Shame. I left him, but I'm going to see him again. I was with him and his brothers and sisters. Most of them were adopted by a man named Mitch. His only biological child is a girl named Sydney. She's eleven years old."

Sydney Shame. Vera had mentioned her.

Zoey touched her lips for a brief moment. She smiled like Vera used to sometimes do while looking at Hailey's father.

"I like her brother," Zoey said. "I only just met Hero today, but I like him a lot. When I saw him for the first time, he was walking with his siblings. They were on their way to a Freeman base. They couldn't see me, because I was wearing my mother's invisibility bracelet. Me and Hero helped each other survive in that base. Also, I kissed him. But that didn't happen in Washington. It happened in Hawaii."

"Maybe you and him will be in love with each other one day," Hailey said. "My parents are in love, but they haven't been together in a long time. And my family has been apart for years. I want to hug my parents and my siblings. I never even got to hug my older sister, Nova. She doesn't even know I exist."

Hailey cared about someone who had never met her. It was horrible like getting kicked by Lena.

Zoey put a hand on Hailey's shoulder. "I know what you're going through, Hailey. Boone told me about Lena for the first time years ago. And when he married my mother, Lena became my stepsister. She didn't know about me, but I knew about her. That was my reality for too long."

"And you finally met her. I'm glad that you did, by the way."

"I am, too. And I couldn't protect her from the Freemans, but I'm here now, and I'll do whatever I can to keep her safe. If she gets into trouble again, I'll help her."

Zoey looked at the photograph on the wall.

"Your father was my favorite High," she said. "He deserved all of the good that came into his life. Wherever he is, I hope that he's okay."

Lena had spoken about Hailey's father with disrespect. But Zoey hadn't. What she had said about him made Hailey want to hug her.

Her father had delivered each of his children. Their father had treated them with love and care while they were attached to their umbilical cords. Don hadn't been in the room with Camille while she gave birth to High Kara. He had decided to be with Lock. Those two weren't like the man who had made them into Highs.

"He's not a bad person," Hailey said. "No matter what Lena says about him, she isn't going to make me think that my father is horrible. He was a king, but he decided to share his royal power with his friends. He knew when to show compassion, like when he exiled Lock because he wanted to kill all of the Freemans. And he gave up his royal power during the Invasion, when he didn't even have to. He isn't a High anymore, but he's still special to me."

Hailey's father hadn't seen the Freemans she had killed. They must have gotten into the space station by using a Soynite teleportation stone. If that was what had happened, there should be a Freeman spaceship inside the hangar.

Nerra Majestic had used a certain sword to kill the first Freeman. Hailey had become familiar with that weapon. She didn't know where her father had hidden the Soy Maker, but she knew where she had put her sword.

Zoey looked as if she might cry soon. "My mother is special to me, but she hit me. She hit me more times than I can remember."

Lena used to treat Hailey like she deserved to be hit. The Highs were supposed to protect good Soynites like her, not hurt them.

"I know what it's like to be hurt by someone who shouldn't hurt you," Hailey said. "Your mother isn't here, but I am. And I'm not going to hurt you, Zoey. Can I hug you?"

Zoey nodded, as if she had lost the ability to speak. Hailey hugged her. She hugged her back, then sobbed. Zoey had suffered enough. And Hailey had slain Freemans earlier, but she hadn't forgotten how to be kind.

The hug ended.

Zoey stood, tears descending her face. "Thank you, Hailey."

"You're welcome," Hailey said.

Zoey's mother couldn't hit her. And her stepfather would see her again. She wouldn't cry forever.

More than once, Lena had made Hailey cry. She might have succeeded in murdering Hailey if she had waited for her to fall asleep before launching an attack on her. If Lena weren't cruel, arrogant, or impatient, she would be brilliant.

Hailey stood, and went closer to the photograph showing a brilliant man. She caressed it like he used to caress her.

In that hall outside the cafeteria, she had slaughtered Freemans to protect herself and Lena. If Lock's people held her precious father captive, she would turn them into smoke.

Hailey's no-kill code remained broken.