Jill Key killed fictional enemies.

Sitting cross-legged on her bed, she held a video game controller. The television's glowing screen showed her video game character's point of view. Sounds belonging on a battlefield emerged from the television. Jill played a war video game, while a war between her people and the Freemans raged.

Her uncle, Cambridge, had escaped the Freeman base in Honolulu, the city he and Jill lived in. He had told her useful information, but he kept a secret from her, one he planned on revealing to her. He sat at the desk in the bedroom. On Jill's eleventh birthday, he had reunited with her. Today he could tell her the secret.

She paused the video game. "Cambridge."

Cambridge closed the dictionary he had been reading. It belonged to Jill's dad, but Cambridge had brought it into her room.

"What is it, my High?" he asked.

"It's not my birthday anymore," Jill said. "And I want to know the secret."

"Okay. I'm going to tell you what I told your dad, back when it was still your birthday. Lock Tannis is a Soynite. That's the secret."

Jill furrowed her brow. "What? Lock is a Soynite? Are you sure about that?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth," Cambridge said. "Lock is Reed Pisces. He can shapeshift, and he's immune to strife. Our people can recognize our kind by sight, but none of us can sense that Lock is a Soynite. He is one, though. He's one of us, but he's not a good person. Don told me and your mother what he is. He told us the truth, Jill. Back then, Don didn't know that he wasn't a High anymore. I don't even know if Lock and his Freemans are aware that new Highs were made during the Invasion. Your father Joseph let me know that Theo made you and your co-rulers into Highs. The six of you are special."

Cambridge left his seat. He walked closer to Jill's bed. Like her dad, he was a tall, muscular man with brown hair and brown eyes. Her dad had a beard. Cambridge didn't. Like them, Lock had been born as a Soynite. The average one developed at least one power before he or she turned twenty years old. Jill and the other Soynites could identify other members of their kind by sight, but she wouldn't sense Lock was a Soynite if she looked at him.

"Me and the other Highs are Lock's leaders," Jill told Cambridge. "He should be wanting to help us instead of wishing we were dead."

Cambridge nodded. "I know, Jill. And your birth father serves Lock. He needs to be serving you, though. Both of them have to. Lock is the leader of the Freemans, but you're still his leader. And you became that to him when Theo made you into one of our rulers. You're younger than your father Don was when he became a High."

"He became one when he was sixteen, and it happened after Theo exiled Reed Pisces."

"And now you know that Reed is Lock. I wonder how many of our people aren't aware that he's one of us. At least you know what he is, though."

Yesterday Jill hadn't been aware Lock was a Soynite. Now she knew the truth, and she would learn more information. And she would someday have all the Saves. Her father Don was an immortal man who could create force fields. Jill would develop the powers he had.

Unlike her traitorous birth father, she was a Pure.

Pures, Bloodhounds, and Killians were certain types of Soynites. If Pures lived long enough, they would develop every Save. Each Bloodhound had been born with the power to find anyone. Killians could temporarily take away any powers a Soynite had.

Jill used the controller to shut off her video-game system. "And I know what I am. I'm a Pure, and one day I'm going to be a powerful one. Theo already is. He's the most powerful person in the universe. If strife didn't exist, he would be able to kill Lock very easily. He doesn't deserve to be the leader of the Freemans. Theo does. He's not the leader of Soy anymore, but he might be the leader of Free one day."

Jill moved off the bed. After walking closer to her video-game system, she placed the controller on it. She turned off the television.

"Because of Voy Nail, any member of our race can become the next leader of the Freemans," Cambridge said. "After Killma Zone's death, Voy left Soy with the other Freemans. But he didn't hate our people. And when he was in charge of Free, he decided to let any Soynite have the chance to become the next Freeman leader."

"Anyone who wants to become the next one will have to kill the current one," Jill said. "And the person who ruled the Freemans after Voy did was his son, Sepsis. I don't want to do what he did, Cambridge. I don't want to kill Don. When Camille was giving birth to me, my dad was there. My dad Joseph. Don was with Lock, though. That's why he was missing. He wasn't with us. He wasn't with his wife when she needed him. I needed him, too. But he wasn't there. Regardless, I don't want to kill him."

Jill hadn't killed the man who had helped make her. She hadn't killed anyone. Every murderer used to be like her, someone who had never slain anyone. Someday she might take another person's life. But she would never kill her birth father.

"I want Don to live," Jill said. "And he needs to, because I have to convince him to stop serving Lock. If he dies, I won't be able to do that. No one can change a dead person's mind."

"You're right," Cambridge said. "For your sake, I hope that Don is alive. If he dies as one of Lock's minions, that will be awful. Your birth father wasn't just a High, Jill. He was also one of Theo's good friends. Even before Theo made him into a High, Don was like a brother to him. All of the former Highs were like brothers to each other. Don wasn't one of the original Highs. But he was friends with the other ones back then. Now all of them hate Theo, and they wish he was dead. And they will do whatever Lock wants them to do."

"You won't, though. You want to help me."

Cambridge put a hand on Jill's shoulder. "And I will help you. When I was locked inside of that Freeman base, I didn't even know if you were alive. Now I do. You're my sister's daughter. Me and you are family, and I'm not going to let anyone kill you. I have to protect you and the other Highs, including High Lovely. She was a terrible person when you and your dad lived with her, but she still deserves to live. All of the Highs do."

"Lovely and I are going to be friends one day. The Highs have to like each other."

Jill couldn't remember Lovely, as if they had never met. Yet she was as real as Jill's desire to wear Don's crown.

"I don't remember her," she said. "But I know that she exists. Lovely is real, and I have to see her again. And I will."

"I haven't met her yet," Cambridge said. "I've met most of the former Highs, though. I don't personally know Lock, but I hate him more than I hate anyone. I wish your birth father did. The Invasion was awful, and Don serves the man who had it happen. And he doesn't just see Lock as his leader. They are close friends."

"Like Cape and Reese are to each other. I hope you meet them one day."

"And I hope you reunite with them. If they were here, they would be good to you, Jill. And you would be able to talk to them. You couldn't do that when you lived with them. You can speak now, though. Your word is law, and there are Soynites who want to obey their Highs. One of those Soynites is me."

Jill approached her bed, then sat on it. "I'm glad you're here, Cambridge. And thanks for being with Camille when I was born. You were there for her when her own husband wasn't."

"I wasn't going to abandon her. Camille is my younger sister. I needed to be with her."

Camille had been pregnant when Don went missing. When they found each other, Jill had already been born. She had no memories of the night she was born, but her dad had told her about it. So had Cambridge. While giving birth to Jill, Camille had been naked. Seeing his sister unclothed had made Cambridge feel awkward. They used to take baths together as young children, but they had been adults during Jill's birth. Regardless, Cambridge had been with Camille when she needed him. If trouble found Jill, she might need someone to help her.

"I wonder if I was the last Soynite to be born," she said. "I can't ask the Soy Maker if I was, because I don't have it."

"The Freemans killed a lot of pregnant women during the Invasion," Cambridge said. He frowned. "They killed a lot of babies, too. All of those deaths happened because of Lock. Any person who is as awful as he is doesn't deserve anyone's support. I refused to join Lock. Doing that got me locked inside of the Freeman palace's prison wing. I never saw Lock, though. Eventually, the Freemans moved me to their base in this city."

Even before today, Jill had known Cambridge had been imprisoned inside the Freeman royal palace, Lock's home. During Cambridge's time as a captive there, Don had lived there. Maybe he still did.

"You're not on Free anymore," Jill told Cambridge. "You're with me. And I'm a High. When me and my co-rulers are together again, we're going to help our people thrive. And we will also make sure that Soy gets revived."

"Soy used to be so beautiful," Cambridge said. "You were born while the Freemans were ruining it. The other Highs spent years living on Soy when it was still beautiful. So did I."

"But I didn't."

"No, you didn't. And it's a real shame. But Soy is going to be a great place again. The Soynite royal palace will be back, and you will live there. You're a High. The palace that your birth father lived in is supposed to be your home. All of the Highs have to live there one day. It's gone, though. Just like Majestic City itself. It wasn't the only city on Soy that the Freemans destroyed. They destroyed all of the others, too. I just wish they hadn't done the same to Soy. Our home planet is dead."

Soy had been lifeless for eleven years. Jill had been alive for that long. For over a decade, her awesome dad had helped her survive. Her birth father, Don, had never protected her. He would rather defend Lock than her. Someday she would make Don realize he should serve her and the other Highs, not the man who had ordered Soy's invasion.

Jill had named her orange kitten after Don's father. Many years before the Invasion, Dexter Ascend had died. He hadn't been alive while Freeman warriors destroyed Soy. He didn't know his son supported Lock, the worst Soynite.

Dexter's daughter-in-law served him too.

Inside the home Camille had shared with Cambridge, she had given birth to Jill. They had met, but Jill couldn't remember her face. Neither could Jill remember the other Highs' faces.

"It's a good thing that you're not dead, Jill," Cambridge told her. "And by the time you turn twenty, you will have all the Saves. You're not going to die before that happens. I definitely hope you don't. I remember hoping that your dad would get you to the outside of that spaceport. He did that, but I haven't forgotten that your mother's friends had helped him. They had gone with you and your dad. They helped the two of you survive."

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Jill looked at the gray carpet. "They deserved to survive too."

"I know. And I wish they had survived. They're never going to know that you became a High. They didn't die for nothing, though. The baby they helped protect is eleven now. She's still alive, and so is her dad. Camille's friends helped protect him too."

"They're dead because of Lock. Whoever kills him will avenge Camille's friends. They will avenge a lot of dead Soynites."

If someone murdered Lock, the Soynites who had died during Soy's invasion would be avenged. Don and Camille didn't want vengeance for those dead people. But Jill did.

"My birth parents don't want them to be avenged," she said. "But I'm not Don or Camille. I would kill Lock if I could. Someone has to do it. He doesn't deserve to be alive, and I hope someone kills him really soon. I wish he were dead."

Jill had never died. She was alive, and she stood at a height of four feet, nine inches. A few days ago, her dad had killed seven feet tall Freemans. Their leader still lived, but someone would turn him into smoke. Someone would gain Lock's military, his palace, and his throne.

Jill went closer to Dexter, then kneeled. "How is my kitten doing? I'm never going to wish you were dead, Dexter. I love you."

Kneeling, Jill stroked Dexter's fur. He couldn't tell her he loved her, but she would defend her awesome kitten anyway.

"Jill!" her dad yelled, sounding joyful, as if he had found Don's crown. "Cambridge. We have company, and they're Soynites."

The Soynite named Lock had ordered Soy's invasion, and he had convinced most of the former Highs to join him. Not all Soynites were good. But Jill might be able to trust the ones her dad had met.

She stood. She and Cambridge left the room.

In the hall, Jill's dad remained near a boy and a girl. The boy stood as tall as Jill's dad. The boy and the girl had blond hair and blue eyes. He looked like a teenager, but the girl seemed to be Jill's age. The boy donned blue jeans, a blue jacket, and a Soynite pendant. He held a sphere-shaped object, touching its blue surface. Pure test balls looked like that.

The girl wore khaki pants. Her blue jacket was unzipped. Beneath it she wore a white shirt that had a rainbow on it.

The girl and the boy kneeled on the gray carpet, then bowed their heads. If Lock were in the hall, he would have refused to kneel in respect for Jill. The boy and the girl weren't Lock.

"Rise," Jill commanded.

The boy and the girl rose.

"These two are Hero Shame and Sydney Shame," Jill's dad said, speaking English, like Jill and Cambridge had done in her room. "They're siblings. Adoptive siblings. Sydney is their father's biological daughter. Hero and Sydney, this is High Jill."

Jill's dad gestured to Cambridge.

"This is Cambridge," Jill's dad told Hero and Sydney. "I told you two about him and Jill, but here they are in person. I didn't help make Jill, but I'm still her father. And I really hope the two of you find yours."

Hero fiddled with his pendant. "Thanks, Joseph."

"You're welcome."

Jill's birth father supported the man who had caused the worst event in Soynite history. Don and Lock were friends, like they had been a long time ago, back when Lock was a High and Don wasn't. He had gotten Jill's mother pregnant. Because of Camille and Don, Jill existed. But she would never let either of them convince her to join Lock. She would rather stick a sword into his heart than help him accomplish his goals.

"What's your dad's name?" Jill asked Hero.

"His name is Mitch Shame," he said.

"How did you meet him?"

"We met during the Invasion. It happened at the Ascend Museum. Sydney, let's turn around to show them the backs of our jackets."

Hero and Sydney turned. Jill's original surname was on the back of each jacket. Each one had an image of the Ascend Museum, which had been named after a former High who had betrayed his race.

Jill's dad went to the spot beside her. Afterward, Hero and Sydney turned.

"Catch, my High!" he said.

He tossed the object he had brought, and Jill caught it. Now it was red, the color each Pure test ball became when a Pure touched it. Hero and Sydney grinned.

"Hero made me catch that Pure test ball, too," Jill's dad said.

"You should give it to Cambridge, my High," Hero said. Jill gave the ball to Cambridge. Now it was blue. "He can toss it back to me."

Cambridge tossed the ball. Hero caught it before moving it into his pants pocket.

"Do you have any Saves?" Jill asked.

"No," Hero said. "And neither does Sydney."

"Where's your father?"

"He was captured by Freemans. Me and Sydney are doing everything we can to get him back. My mother is dead, and so is Sydney's. Our father is the only family we have left."

"You're going to see him again."

"Thank you, my High."

"You're welcome," Jill said.

"During the Invasion, Don Ascend and the other former Highs joined Lock Tannis," Cambridge told Hero and Sydney. "The only one who didn't is Theo Majestic."

"I told them everything they needed to know, Cambridge," Jill's dad said. "They also know Jill's birth father is Don Ascend. They were already aware that Lock Tannis is Reed Pisces. Hero and Sydney told me a bunch of useful information. There's a cult of Lock Tannis worshipers, and their leader is a Soynite man named Bane Sinister. They're all Soynites. The cult is called the Lock Tannis Church."

Jill sighed. "That's not awesome at all."

"We're going to deal with that cult, Jill."

While Jill was in her room with Cambridge, her dad had been with Hero and Sydney, learning new information.

"What else have you learned?" Jill asked her dad.

"Hero and Sydney are friends with Alice Endman," he said. "Her kidnapper changed her name to Zoey All, and that's what she prefers to be called. You remember what I told you about Boris Endman's granddaughter, don't you, Jill?"

"Yeah, I remember. Hero and Sydney, have you really met Alice?"

"Yes," Hero said. "And we're fond of her. Zoey is our friend, and she's also a great girl. She even saved me from a pale brute once. And because of her, I know that Theo made new Highs during the Invasion. The woman who kidnapped Zoey is named Misty Windsore. It used to be Misty All, but she changed it after marrying High Lovely's father, Boone. Zoey is Lovely's stepsister."

"And I like Zoey," Sydney said. "She's really sweet."

The person who had made Freeman warriors destroy Soy was a Soynite. The universe needed more Soynites like Zoey.

"Thanks to your dad, we know that Lovely isn't sweet," Hero told Jill.

She and Lovely had lived together for sixty-six days. That was how long they had resided in that Soynite spaceship, the one they had used to escape Soy while Freeman warriors attacked it. Jill had been a baby back then. She couldn't remember any of Lovely's bad deeds, but that didn't mean she was a good person.

"Maybe Lovely is compassionate now," Jill's dad said. "Or maybe she isn't. Either way, Jill needs to see her again. The Highs have to be together. And, Jill, one of the former Highs is dead. That's something else I've learned. Boris Endman is dead. Hero and Sydney found that out when they were outside a Freeman base in Washington."

Former High Boris had died. His granddaughter had befriended Hero and Sydney. Those two had found Jill, the daughter of Boris's friend Don. Those two former Highs had sided with Lock, who hadn't been able to prevent Boris from dying.

Someone would make Lock die.

"Boris betrayed our people, and I only just found that out today," Hero said. "I admired him for way too long. Misty used to admire him, too. But she had a vision of the future one day. It showed her fighting Boris, and Misty believes it meant she was destined to become his worst enemy. It's why she kidnapped Zoey. Alice Endman. Misty took her from her real parents, then changed her name to Zoey All. That woman hated Boris, but she loves Zoey. Well, she didn't love her enough to not abuse her. Misty hurt Zoey. She did that a lot."

Jill frowned. "I wish she hadn't."

"Me too."

"Where's Zoey now?"

"I don't know. She saw a Soynite woman, then she left us. Zoey wanted to meet the woman. Maybe they're together right now. Wherever Zoey is, I hope she's okay."

"So do I," Cambridge said. "Do you know how her grandfather Boris died?"

Hero shook his head. "No. I wish I did, though. A Freeman was talking to some other ones, and that's how I found out that Boris is dead. I killed that Freeman. I should've tortured him for information, but I didn't."

Jill, her dad, and Cambridge didn't have neighbors living nearby. If someone in the mansion wanted to torture another person inside the home, they could do it without worrying about a neighbor calling the police.

"It's all right," Cambridge said.

"I don't think Misty killed Boris," Hero said. "When I told her he died, she acted like it was new information to her. She saw him as her worst enemy, but I doubt she killed him. She definitely abused Zoey, though. I saw Misty slap her. Sydney saw it, too. That wasn't the only time Misty hurt Zoey, either. But she loves Misty anyway. She was nice to Zoey sometimes, and that's why the girl loves her. It's not right. Even after learning the truth, Zoey still called Misty Mother. That woman doesn't deserve to be called that by anyone. I wish I could've killed her, but I didn't. Because of Zoey, I didn't kill Misty. And I didn't kill her best friend. He's a Bloodhound named Crammer Cole. Zoey would've hated me if I killed them. So I didn't."

Hero glared at the wall.

"A terrible woman is still alive because I didn't want my friend to hate me," he said. "Does that make me a good person, or a bad one?"

"Your friend still cares about you," Jill said. "That's what matters."

"Thank you, my High. And I really am glad that Zoey doesn't hate me. I still wish I could've killed Misty, though. I also wish I could've killed Crammer. He isn't as awful as that child abuser he loves so much, but he's still a bad person. Crammer and Misty were in Zoey's life for too long, especially Misty. Zoey doesn't even remember her real mother. Holly Endman is the person Zoey should be with. She's not with her, though. They aren't together. Zoey is probably with that woman she saw, back when we were in Hawaii."

Sydney put a hand on Hero's arm, touching his long blue sleeve. "We're going to see her again, Hero. Maybe we'll even see that woman."

"Hopefully, Zoey isn't with the woman who kidnapped her," Hero said. "She knows the truth. She knows that she's Alice Endman, but she still considers Misty to be her mother. High Jill, your dad told us that your mother joined Lock Tannis. I'm sorry."

Jill didn't frown. "I'm going to convince Camille to stop serving Lock. I'm going to make both of my birth parents stop serving him, and one day I'm going to wear my birth father's crown."

Jill's dad ran his fingers through her brown hair.

"You deserve to wear it, my High," he said. "You're not going to do what your father has done. You won't join Lock Tannis. Your birth parents work for him, but you never will. Hero and Sydney, this High wants to protect our people. She will never kneel for Lock. He's the worst Soynite in the universe, and Jill knows that. So do I."

"Bane Sinister told me that Lock is a Soynite," Hero said. "I hate both of them. They will never be friends of mine. Lock got most of our people killed, and Bane worships him. High Jill, I told your dad about the people who worship planet Still. They're called the Children of Still. Like Bane and his people, they don't wear Soynite pendants. Beware of them."

The Lock Tannis Church existed. So did the Children of Still. Maybe there was a group of evil Soynites Jill didn't know about, a group she might have to help destroy in the future.

Jill crossed her thin arms. "There are too many cults that we have to deal with."

"They're going to be destroyed, Jill," her dad said.

"I know, but I still wish they didn't exist. It's already bad enough that we have to deal with Lock and his supporters. Hero, how do you know about the Children of Still?"

"Zoey told me about them," Hero said. "And her friend Crammer used to be one. The Children of Still have a leader, but Zoey doesn't know who they are, and neither do I. I'm sorry, my High. I wish I could be more helpful."

Hero had given Jill and her dad useful information.

She appreciated Hero. "You have helped us enough. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hero said.

The carpet remained under Jill's bare feet. She stood in the same hall as her dad, Hero, Sydney, and Cambridge. Freemans had captured Hero and Sydney's father, but they would rescue him. Jill's birth father worked for Lock, but she would make Don stop wanting to help him. Unlike Theo, Don was a father. And his child would help him become great, something he used to be.

Hero touched the Pure test ball through his pocket. "Me and Sydney should go back home now. I hope we'll see all of you again."

"Likewise, Hero," Jill's dad said.

"Goodbye, my High. Come on, Sydney. Let's go."

Hero turned, then Sydney did the same. They walked, and Jill's dad moved near them.

After he returned to the hall, he said, "Hero and Sydney left. They clearly love their father, and I hope they will be reunited with him. Mitch deserves to be found. Being separated from your children against your will is an unpleasant thing. If our pale antagonists were holding Jill captive, I would want to find her."

"So would I."

No one had taken Jill. She stayed in a mansion in Honolulu, Hawaii. She had met Hero and Sydney, who each wore a jacket that had Jill's original surname on it. She had been born with the last name Ascend. And she had always been a Pure. When her dad turned twenty, he had lost the chance to someday gain a Save. But Jill hadn't lost her love for him or Cambridge.

"I appreciate both of you," she said. "And I will never want either of you to end up like Mitch. Cambridge, you were a prisoner of the Freemans before, but you're not going to be locked inside of one of their bases ever again."

"You're a good kid, Jill," Cambridge said. "You're also a great High. The more time I spend with you, the more I believe that everything is going to be okay. That's what Highs have to do. They have to give our people hope. Lock is one of us, and so is your father Don. But they're not like you. They're awful, and they don't want Soy to be great again. They don't want the Soynite race to thrive on its home planet. If Lock had his way, you and the other Highs would be dead. And I don't want any of you to get killed. I need all of you, and so does Soy."

Jill put her hands on Cambridge's arms. "Soy needs you, too."

Someday Cambridge would walk on Soy after its revival. He would be able to see grass and trees on that planet again. And Hero and Sydney would see Mitch.

Hero and Sydney.

They seem like good people.