Zoey and Alice were the same girl.

Hero had mentioned Boris Endman, and it had made Misty angry. Zoey didn't wear a Soynite pendant. Misty didn't want someone to recognize hers as Alice's. She looked like she could be related to Archer, Holly, and Boris. She was related to them. Misty sometimes abused Zoey, because she had hated Boris. It made sense for her to have the desire to hurt his family. Zoey had been born on the same day as Alice.

Sixteen years ago, Holly had given birth to Zoey, not Misty. Her mother hadn't slapped her. Her abductor had. Hero didn't doubt Archer and Holly had thought about Zoey every day since her kidnapping. They would never want to slap her.

"Your parents love you, Alice," Hero said.

Misty had forced Zoey away from Archer and Holly, two people who had never hurt her. She had been separated from them for too long. She hadn't deserved to be raised by a terrible woman. As Hero stayed seated on the bed, his vision blurred. Liquid fled his blue eyes. But his tears wouldn't reunite Zoey with her parents. He wiped them away.

Hero put away his notepad and his pen. Afterward, he retrieved his museum employee jacket. Nobody could visit the building pictured on its rear side, the place where his birth parents had died. He would never see them again, but he would help Zoey see hers. He donned the jacket. Wearing it, he felt like he could take Zoey away from Misty and Crammer, then reunite her with Archer and Holly.

After grabbing his Soynite laser pistol, Hero left the spaceship.

Soon, he rushed into the room where he had left his siblings and Zoey. They sat on sofas in the room, but so did Misty and Crammer. She and Zoey hugged. Seeing her embrace her abuser was like the moment when Hero saw her get slapped. He glared at Misty.

"Alice, we're leaving!" he said. "Me, you, and my brothers and sisters."

Zoey and Misty stopped hugging.

Crammer stood. "Put that gun away."

"Hero," Macy said, as she furrowed her brow. "What are you doing?"

Hero aimed the gun at Misty's head. Zoey stood, then moved between the gun and her kidnapper. Hero lowered the weapon. He wouldn't shoot his friend. Crammer stepped toward him, and he pointed the gun at his face.

"Stay back!" Hero said. "Alice, move out of the way."

Zoey didn't step aside. "My name is Zoey!"

The name Archer and Holly had given her was Alice. If they were alive, that name might have left their mouths today. Hero didn't know where he could find Zoey's parents, but he did know the woman she defended had never been pregnant with her. Misty Windsore had never been her mother.

She stood before moving in front of Zoey. Misty spread her arms, as if she planned on hugging Hero. He would rather embrace Zoey than Misty. And he would help her escape from her abductor and Crammer.

Hero aimed the gun at Misty. She was taller than Zoey, who peeked from behind her.

"Mother!" she said.

Zoey put her hands on Misty's sides, as if doing that might prevent Hero from shooting her.

"It's okay, Zoey," Misty said. "Hero, what is this all about? And you should stop calling Zoey Alice. That isn't her name."

"Yes, it is!" Hero said. The other Exchangers moved off the sofas, and they gathered near him. "Her name is Alice Endman, and you kidnapped her."

Misty glared at Hero. "You sound like a fool."

"Think about it! Think, Zoey. Think, my brothers and sisters. Zoey looks like she could be related to the Endmans. Look at her. And where's her pendant? Every Soynite should have one, but I haven't seen Zoey's at all. She's the only person in this room who isn't wearing one, and I know why that is. You're hiding it somewhere, Misty. You stole her pendant. Just like you stole her. Her birthday is January first. Just like Alice. You hated Boris Endman. That clearly shows that you had the motive to kidnap his granddaughter."

Hero's heart pounded as if he fought in a battle. In a hall far from Hawaii, he had left the other Exchangers during a fight against pale brutes. Zoey had been with him back then. They stood in the same room as each other, but her kidnapper remained between them.

"That makes sense," Sydney said. She pointed at Misty. "You kidnapped Zoey!"

Macy nodded. "And you abused her! You abused her because you hated her grandfather."

Boris had died before he could reunite with Zoey. Misty had taken her, but Hero and the other Exchangers could help her find Archer and Holly. If they were still alive, it wasn't too late for them to see Zoey again.

Misty had seen her enough times. Archer and Holly hadn't. The girl standing behind Misty must be Alice, their daughter.

"Zoey is Alice," Hero said. "I'm right about that. Aren't I, Misty?"

Misty looked at the gun Hero aimed at her. If he killed her, he wouldn't be able to hear her confess to what he believed she had done. But pointing a weapon at her might make it more likely she would admit to being Zoey's kidnapper.

Even if Misty refused to confess, Hero would take Zoey from her anyway. If he fled this spaceship with her, Crammer might try finding her. Maybe Hero would have to kill him to make Misty unable to find Zoey in the future. Soon, Crammer Cole could die in Hawaii, far from Soy.

"She didn't kidnap anyone," Crammer said.

Misty had kidnapped Zoey. Hero believed that as much as he believed his father remained inside a Freeman place.

"Be quiet, Crammer," Misty said.

Hero didn't lower his weapon. "Are you ready to confess?"

"Stop pointing that gun at my mother!" Zoey screamed, as she stood behind Misty. "Please, Hero. Put the gun down. Don't kill my mother. Please, don't. I love her."

Zoey had spent more time with Misty than she had spent with her real mother. Misty had raised her for sixteen years, and Zoey called her Mother. She loved her kidnapper, who would never deserve her love.

"Confess, Misty!" Hero demanded.

Misty didn't confess.

Hero looked at her as if she had stolen the jacket he wore. "You need to tell the truth! Tell everyone here that you kidnapped Alice Endman. Tell all of us that Zoey is actually Alice. Do it, Misty. Now."

"Mother!" Zoey said.

Misty had abducted her when she was a baby. That must be the truth. If Misty confirmed that, Hero might be as happy as he had been after he had gained his ability to fly.

"It's true," Misty said.

Holly Endman had carried the unborn Zoey inside her for months, not Misty. Zoey's father was Archer, Boris's immortal son. She had been born into the Endman family. That was as true as the gun Hero wielded. Zoey stood behind a woman who had never been her mother.

"What?" Zoey asked.

Misty didn't face her. She stayed in front of Hero, making eye contact with him.

"Zoey is Alice Endman," Misty said. "I did kidnap her sixteen years ago. The girl behind me is Boris Endman's granddaughter. That's the truth."

Zoey took a few steps away from her kidnapper. She sat on the sofa, as if Misty had taken her ability to stand. Like she had taken her. She pressed her forehead against the sofa's armrest. Hero had never been a telepath, but he didn't doubt he knew how Zoey felt.

If Wade had killed her earlier, he would have killed Alice Endman. He hadn't murdered her. Hero had saved her life, and he might someday see her actual mother hugging her. They had been separated for too long. Zoey's abduction had ruined too much.

"Why did you take her?!" Hero asked.

"Because it's my fate to be Boris Endman's worst enemy," Misty said. "My power to see the future gave me a vision. I saw myself fighting Boris. We were meant to be enemies. Before that, though, I was obsessed with the man. I fought him after Soy's invasion, but I wasn't able to kill him. One day, I will, though. I'm his worst enemy, and that's why I had to take Zoey. It's why I had to take Alice Endman. The more Boris gained, the more I had to take from him. The more people loved him, the more I had to hate him."

"You're almost as bad as the Pale Monsters," Sydney said.

"No, Sydney. I did what had to be done. You can't fight fate. Hero, you did some thinking. And I did some thinking. I no longer believe that Boris is dead. I haven't seen his corpse."

"He's dead," Hero said. "A Freeman said so. You're never going to kill Boris, and you're never going to be Zoey's mother."

Misty scoffed.

"I've been her mother ever since I took her from Archer and Holly," she said. "I fed her with my breasts, and I took care of her when no one else could. I educated Zoey. She's even smarter than I am now. I also gave her a wonderful stepfather."

"It's too bad you didn't give her a wonderful mother," Hero said. "Zoey, Misty kidnapped you. She admitted it herself. She's not your mother. Your mother is Holly Endman, and she loves you. She has never hurt you. And she never will. Archer won't, either. He's your father. Your father isn't a secret to you anymore, because now you know that he's Archer. He and Holly want you back."

Zoey moved her forehead away from the sofa's armrest, then she stood. Tears came from her eyes, as if Misty had slapped her again.

Like the Exchangers had taken Able from that Freeman base, they would take Zoey away from this spaceship. Soon, Misty wouldn't be able to hurt her.

"I don't know who I am," Zoey said.

"That's okay," Hero said. "I know who you are, and I'm going to get you away from this woman."

Misty put a hand on Zoey's shoulder. "This woman loves Zoey very much. Are you really going to take her from me?"

"I am," Hero said. "And I will never hurt her. Today, I kissed her for the first time. That was a good thing. It wasn't like that awful slap you gave her."

"Zoey, you let this fan of Boris touch you?" Misty asked. Zoey bowed her head.

"She did," Hero said. "And she wanted me to. By the way, did Crammer know that Zoey is Alice before you confessed to kidnapping her?"

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"Yes. I told him the truth on the day I met him. That was years ago."

"Both of you are going to die soon," Hero said.

Zoey shook her head. "No!"

Misty and Crammer had seen Hero's spaceship. If the Exchangers took Zoey away from them, Misty and Crammer could use a teleportation stone or a Soynite teleporter to infiltrate Hero's home.

"Zoey," Hero said. "If I let these two live, they'll be able to find you. That's why I need to kill both of them."

Zoey looked at Misty, then focused on Hero again. "Hero, if you kill my mother and Crammer, I will hate you forever."

Being hated by Zoey would be like being forced to never see Heaven again.

Hero stopped aiming his gun at Misty.

"What are you doing, Hero?!" Wade said. "Kill her. Kill her and him."

"Do it, Hero!" Macy demanded.

Hero held a gun, but he wouldn't use it to kill Misty. He shook his head. Wade and Macy looked as if they wanted to take the weapon and shoot Misty.

She smiled.

"My baby will always want to protect me," Misty said. "So will Crammer. When I found him, he was a ruined man. Weren't you, my friend? But I gave you a purpose. I gave you what you needed. Just like I gave Zoey what she needed."

"She needed her parents," Hero said. "Instead of letting her stay with them, you kidnapped her. You took Zoey away from the people she deserved to be with. And she still deserves to be with them. Also, you didn't just kidnap her. You hurt her, and everyone here knows it. We all saw you slap her. Her mother will never do that to her. Neither will her father. Zoey doesn't need to be slapped. She needs hugs, and she needs her parents. You ruined their lives, Misty. You ruined Zoey's, too. I don't want her to see you ever again. This spaceship isn't a good place for her to be. And she's not safe whenever she's around you. My spaceship is a better place for her to live, but it's not where Archer and Holly are. Their home should be Zoey's home."

Zoey looked at the floor. Misty ran her fingers through her long brown hair, touching Zoey. But the affection Misty showed her would never change the fact she deserved to be with Archer and Holly. She had kidnapped Zoey. She had become abusive to her, and her closest friend had known Zoey was Alice for years.

Hero could help her escape these two terrible Soynites.

A Bloodhound could help Zoey find Archer and Holly, but Crammer hadn't gotten angry at Misty after she had slapped Zoey. He had been rude to her. And he had kept Misty's secret for years.

"You shouldn't be with these people, Zoey," Hero said. "They're awful. Come with me and my brothers and sisters. We will never hurt you. Neither will Archer or Holly, your real parents. They love you, and they need you."

Zoey looked at the Exchangers. She watched them as if each one had promised they would be her friend forever.

Zoey grabbed Misty's hands. "I will always love you and Crammer, Mother. But I need to go with Hero."

"Go with him, then," Misty said. "I'll find you, eventually. I love you, baby."

"I love you, too."

Zoey stopped holding Misty's hands, and she embraced Zoey. She hugged her back. After she and Crammer hugged, she approached Hero. More than once, they had stood in front of each other. Less than once, she had reunited with Archer and Holly at the age of sixteen. But she would be with them.

"I'm ready to go," Zoey announced.

"Wade, take us back to the spaceship," Hero said. "Take us to my bedroom."

They teleported.

The Exchangers and Zoey stood in Hero's bedroom. She bent over, and placed her hands on her knees. Sydney put a hand on Zoey's back.

"Are you okay, Zoey?" Hero asked.

Zoey shook her head. "She kidnapped me."

Misty had confessed to abducting Zoey, but Hero hadn't told either of them he had kidnapped a boy named Able. He was better than Misty, and he was like her.

Zoey straightened.

"My mother kidnapped me," she said. "And Freemans kidnapped your father. All of you should be looking for him, but you're helping me instead. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Hero said. "Helping you is worth it, and me and my brothers and sisters are still going to find our father. One day, you're going to find yours. Archer isn't dead. Neither is my father."

Zoey didn't smile. "I have two fathers, and I hope both of them are okay."

"They are," Sydney said.

Hero's gun remained in his hand, but the people in the room would rather compliment him than kill him. He walked toward his desk, then placed the weapon on it.

"You're very sweet, Sydney," Zoey said. "You and Hero defended me when your siblings didn't want to. Thank you. I'm always going to be grateful for both of you. You two are good people. You're also good friends of mine. I really hope all of you find your father. Crammer isn't going to find him for you, but it's not like all the Bloodhounds are dead. I think some of them are still alive. It's not too late for all of you to find one of them. I probably won't be with you when that happens, though."

"Why not?" Hero asked.

"I need some space. I needed to get away from my mother and Crammer, and I need to get away from all of you. I want to be where nobody knows who I am. I don't even know who I am. You're my friends, but I have to leave you at some point. And it has to happen soon."

Sydney put a hand on Zoey's arm. "But you don't have to go. You can stay with us."

Life had left Boris's body, and his granddaughter might leave the Exchangers soon. Zoey had followed them in a forest in Washington. One of them had saved her life. He had given her a kiss. He was her savior and her friend, but she didn't plan on staying with him for long.

"I know I can," Zoey said. "But I shouldn't. Boris Endman is gone, and he's never coming back. I'm going to be gone, too. But I won't be that way forever, Sydney. I'll find you and your siblings again. I know where you live."

Someday, Zoey might use a teleportation stone to get inside Hero's spaceship. If she did that while it was parked on Heaven, that could cause problems for herself and the Exchangers.

"Hopefully, we'll see each other again," Hero said. "After you leave, of course. When you're out there, you could find your parents. And your stepfather and Lovely. I hope they will treat you well, because that's how you deserve to be treated."

"You're right about that, Hero," Wade said.

Neither of Zoey's parents could hug her. If she were with them, they would have been able to show her wonderful affection. But she hadn't seen Holly or Archer in sixteen years. Hero had never seen them. He could meet them in the future, but he would never meet Boris. He had died before he could see the compassionate teenage girl Zoey had become.

She went near the window.

Boone had married Misty, but he had never been Zoey's stepfather. Still, she considered him to be her father. High Lovely was her sister. Did she wear a crown? One didn't touch Hero's blond hair, but he did rule. He led the Exchangers. They would live on Heaven, a place Freemans had never found.

Zoey moved her face closer to the window. "There's a woman outside! And she's a Soynite."

"Where?" Wade asked.

"Just look."

Zoey stepped aside.

Wade approached the window. "I don't see anyone."

"She was just there," Zoey said. She turned. "I'm going to go find her."

Macy looked at Zoey. "We can't stay in this area. Misty said that there's a Freeman base nearby."

"Just go. I want to meet that woman, but don't worry. I'm going to find all of you again."

Hero observed Zoey as if he might never see her again after today. She still wore her long-sleeved purple shirt and blue jeans. She didn't wear her pendant, which might be in Misty's possession. It didn't touch Zoey's shirt, but her long brown hair did. More than once, she had looked at Hero with her brown eyes. Her optimism was wonderful like the first time she and him had hugged.

"Zoey, you don't have to do this," Hero said. "You want to track down a woman who probably isn't even outside anymore."

"My mother likes to say that you can't fight fate," Zoey said. "What if it's my fate to go with that woman? I need to meet her, so I suggest that all of you say goodbye to me."

"I'm going to miss you," Sydney said.

She embraced Zoey, and she hugged her back. Afterward, the other Exchangers took turns hugging Zoey and being hugged by her.

"All of you, leave the room," Hero said. "I need to be alone with Zoey."

Everett smirked. "Have fun."

After Hero and Zoey's future reunion, they might have fun together.

Soon, they were alone with each other. When she left, he would only have the other Exchangers to keep him company. A photograph sat in his dresser, a photograph he had taken to the Ascend Museum with him eleven years ago. It showed Boris holding Zoey when she was a baby. He grinned in the picture. If he had been able to, would he have permanently given up his High status if it would have reunited him with Zoey?

Hero believed Boris would have.

"There's something I want to give you," he said. "You need it more than I do."

Hero retrieved the picture from his dresser before handing it to Zoey. She inspected it, smiled.

"Boris knew who he was," she said. "And I know that he loved me. This is a really great gift. Thank you, Hero. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome," Hero said.

Zoey moved the picture into her pants pocket. She had looked at it. She had also seen a certain woman. What was her name? Zoey could learn that later.

"You have to find that woman," Hero said. "I'm really going to miss you, Zoey."

"I needed to go with you so I could be away from my mother," she said. "But I also needed to go with you because I'm fond of you and the others. And right now, I have to kiss you."

Hero caressed Zoey's cheek. She put her hands on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, and their lips touched. If he was fortunate like he had been when Misty confessed to abducting her, this kiss wouldn't be their last one. After it ended, they embraced.

"I'm going to see you again," Zoey said, as she and Hero hugged.

"I know," he replied.

They stopped hugging. They remained close, away from the other Exchangers, away from Misty, the Highs, and everyone else.

"Goodbye, Hero," Zoey said.

Hero held her hand, as if doing that might make her decide to stay with him. "Goodbye, Zoey."

When Zoey was gone, Hero sat on his bed. Five minutes later, he headed to the spaceship's bridge. There, he piloted the spacecraft and parked it in a different forest.

Afterward, he went to his room, then sat on the bed. Misty knocked on the open door.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

Hero forced himself to smile. "Of course you can."

Macy stepped into the room before sitting next to Hero. She gave him a kiss on the lips.

"I love you," she said. "I hope you're not too sad about Zoey not being here anymore."

Hero sighed. "I miss her."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No. But I want her to be."

Unlike Theo Majestic, who had married a woman named Lilly, Hero had never fallen in love. It wasn't too late for him to do that someday. Still, he wasn't in love.

"She's beautiful," Macy said. "She's also gone. I'm sorry that I wanted to kill her. I should've wanted her to live, which is what you and Sydney wanted. Instead of doing that, I believed that she needed to die. Wade, Everett, and Kat believed it, too. But you and Sydney didn't. You and her wanted to protect Zoey. You wanted to protect Alice Endman. Boris was your favorite High, and you protected his granddaughter. You didn't even know she was Alice back then. I'm really glad that you stopped me from killing her."

Hero glanced around the room. "I loved it when she was still here. We didn't kill her, but her being alive might cause some problems for us. If she teleports into our spaceship while it's on Heaven, there will be trouble. She might complicate things for us. But I know that we'll get through whatever trouble she might bring. And we're going to find Father. Completing this mission won't be for nothing. After we finish it, a Bloodhound is going to take us to Father. We don't need Crammer. We just need to take some Pures to Heaven. I haven't forgotten that."

"If there are less than ten Pures out there, we won't ever live on Heaven. What if there aren't at least ten of them left? That's a scary thought."

"What do you think?" Hero said. "Do you think there aren't enough Pures out there?"

"No," Macy said. "I think there are at least ten. And Able is one of them. So is Theo Majestic."

Theo had been Zoey's favorite High, not her grandfather. Boris had been one of Soy's rulers, and now Zoey's stepsister was one. Don Ascend's daughter had become a High as well. Boone had forgotten her name, but that didn't mean she wasn't a ruler.

Maybe Theo had a daughter. Lilly might have given him a couple of those.

"I wonder if he really does have children," Hero said. "If he does, I hope one of them is a Pure. We already know that Theo is. And if he was one of Heaven's soldiers, he would be the most powerful one. I wonder if he knows who killed Boris. His killer definitely isn't Misty."

Macy clenched her fists. "I wish a Freeman had killed that woman during the Invasion. Sadly, that's not what happened. She lived, and our parents didn't. They died at the Ascend Museum. And Misty didn't die at all. It's not fair."

"Neither is what she did to Zoey. Wherever she is, I hope she's okay. And if she found that woman, I hope she's being good to Zoey. She's not with us. But she isn't with Misty, either. She can't hurt Zoey anymore. But I do wish that she had given her her pendant. She deserves to have it. I don't want her kidnapper to keep it forever."

Bane Sinister and the other Lock Tannis Church members didn't wear their Soynite pendants, as if they might die if they put them on. Lock chose to not wear his, which was why Bane and his people refused to wear theirs. If Theo had children, Hero wished one of them would kill Bane.

"Zoey will get her pendant back," Macy said. "And Archer and Holly will get her back."

Hero touched his pendant. "She doesn't just need her pendant because she deserves it. She also needs it to prove that she's Alice. If she finds Archer and Holly and tells them that she's their daughter, they will be more likely to believe her if they see her wearing Alice's pendant. Zoey is Alice. We know that, and Archer and Holly need to know that, too. They need to see their daughter again. They need her."

"And she needs them. They are going to love her even more than they did before. She just has to reunite with them. If she finds Archer and Holly, she won't have to worry about getting hurt by them. They will be happy that they got their daughter back. Archer's father is dead, but Zoey isn't. It's not too late for them to be together someday. That can still happen. And it can happen soon."

"I hope it does," Hero said. "Zoey should be with her father and mother. Me, you, and the others don't have mothers anymore, but we have a father. But he's not with us. Zoey isn't around any of her parents. She's just like us. But we're going to go to Heaven, and she probably won't."

"You're attracted to her, though," Macy said. "And you want her to be your girlfriend. You need to hope that she and her parents will be living on Heaven someday. Because if that doesn't happen, Zoey won't be able to stay in your life."

Hero sighed. "I know."

He and Macy remained seated on the bed, their shoes touching the floor. Before finding this forest, he and the other Exchangers had seen a mansion. If a Pure lived there, they would take him or her.

"I wonder if there are any Soynites at that mansion we saw," Hero said. "It might have a Pure we could take. We should go there soon."

"You're right," Macy said. "We should. When we were at that Freeman base, we were hoping that we would find a Pure there. And we did. We found Able, and there's a chance that mansion has a Pure in it."

"If there is one in there, taking them is going to be easy. That mansion isn't a Freeman base."

A Pure might reside at the mansion Hero had seen, and Macy might have a girlfriend one day. Maybe he would kiss Zoey again. He would rather do that than slap her. He had never been Misty Windsore. He never would be. He was Hero Shame. Not long from now, he would check a mansion for any Pures.

"Tomorrow, we're going to see if there are any Pures at that mansion," he said. "And if there are, we'll take them."