A slight frown puckered between Breanna's eyes as she watched Jesse leave. He seemed more involved than he was allowing everyone to see. In the years she had worked with him, she could not remember a reaction to any situation with anything but a cool, calm calculation. There had been reactions such as anger ... check, compassion ... check, determination... check, revenge ... check, retaliation ... check, heartbroken agony? Until now ... never.

Jesse and Val were part of the founding group meaning Val knew Jesse's involvement in operations and missions, even as an invisible team member.

Breanna understood their relationship to be one of deep friendship. Lately, there was a different air around the pair. Had that deep friendship become something more? Breanna shook her head, wondering if she had been so preoccupied she missed something. There was one way to find out. The room was filled with communications equipment, computers and varying high tech toys. She understood what they did, but her operation knowledge was limited. That is where the others in the team came in, and Breanna was ever thankful for those tech gurus. Finding the number panel she needed, she quickly punched a number before hitting the speaker button. Silence met her after the sound of three tones.

"Craig, can you come to the tech lab," Breanna said, "please bring Clio with you."

A click was heard, and the line went dead. It still felt strange not to be greeted when contacting Craig. It would take time to get used to her eldest brother not talking when he picked up a call or finished one. She had to accept that this was how he was now. Yearning for the person she had grown up with was pointless. She could only hope his essence remained. Perhaps it was somewhere inside and could be found and nurtured. The automatic doors swished open as she finished rewinding the security footage.

"What's going on?" Craig asked, his long, purposeful strides and his don't-mess-with-me attitude making him a force to be reckoned with before he actually did anything.

Clio followed silently, nodding a greeting as the large viewing screens flickered to life above Breanna. Pressing play Breanna stepped back, watching each screen silently displaying the different angles of the event.

Stunned silence filled the room as they watched a vapour like mist come from the newcomer's pores, circling and bypassing Jesse and envelope Valencia. They watched Val convulse, gasp the word "alarm", and sink to the floor. Jesse's expression of alarm and fear dissolve into one of anger, then rage. They watched him kneel next to Val and feel her pulse point; his words roared from him before streaking across the room, hesitating a second and punching his fist into the mist.

"Jesse and Valencia?" Clio looked surprised, "I would never have guessed. He has never attached himself, not like that," Clio pointed at the screen, "not to anyone."

"I know," Breanna muttered, "his reaction is one I've never seen before. I knew they were friends, but this..." Breanna shook her head, "no clue."

"Why didn't Shadow's vapour affect him?" Craig asked, frowning.

"You know this woman?" Breanna turned to her brother, pointing up at the screen.

"Her name is Jasmine," Craig said, "the last I heard, she can be invisible. She was called the wallflower at The Madhouse because no one noticed her. Darcia enhanced some abilities; the last I heard was she goes by Shadow."

"Why didn't you tell me she was out there?" Breanna sighed heavily, "this woman must have been terrified."

"Bre, I didn't know she was out there," Craig ground out, "if I did, I would have either found her myself or told Michael or you."

"Easy guys," Clio said, stepping into the gap between the two siblings, gently placing one hand on Craig's chest and the other lightly touching Breanna's shoulder. Carefully she pushed, creating space for the two hotheads to breathe. Taking control, Clio inhaled deeply, "before you rip into each other, past is past; we need to figure out how to help her now. Craig, do you know what her current abilities are?"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"I haven't seen her for over a year," Craig rubbed his hands over his face, breathing deeply and releasing the sudden tension. "When I did see her, she could become invisible. Now … there could be so many layers I wouldn't be able to tell you."

"Okay," Clio nodded, stepping back and turning to the screens again, "anything else?"

"Not that I can remember," Craig frowned. "There was something about her being a civilian, but she could shoot a gun better than any of the military guys in that place."

"What do you mean?" Clio frowned, "since when does a civilian shoot a gun?"

"I'm sure anyone can learn," Breanna chuckled, "Craig, you said she could become invisible," Breanna frowned.

"Yeah, she vaporises," he said, "one minute she is there, the next she is gone. Something like a ghost."

Breanna nodded, her suspicions finding ground, "What is her last name?"

"Umm …" Craig paused, thoughtfully, "I seem to remember it being Calderone."

"Are you sure?" Clio stared at him, "Jasmine Calderone. The Jasmine Calderone."

"What are you talking about?" confusion racing over Craig's expression.

"You haven't heard of Jasmine Calderone?" Clio asked, disbelief rippling through her words.

Breanna knew that name from somewhere; frustration rippled through her. Clearly, Clio seemed to make the connection. A memory flashed, causing Breanna to inhale sharply.

"Jasmine Calderone," Breanna stilled, slowly turning to the pair watching, "as in the missing Mafia daughter, Jasmine Calderone?"

"Don't know about the Mafia bit," Craig frowned slightly, "she was kidnapped, yes."

"If that's her," Clio pointed toward the freeze-frame prostrate form of Jasmine, "why didn't she go home?"

"Oh man," Breanna rubbed the back of her neck, "who says she didn't? What if that was the first place to go when she got out? What if going home is no longer an option? There may be no home to go back to, or ... if her father's reputation is believed, she would not have been welcome at her home. She came here because she probably had nowhere to go. Arriving as she did was the last resort for her."

"Breanna, you're losing me," Clio shook her head, "Darcia could have made sure you were to be infiltrated by none other than a refugee. Look what happened to Reilly's home."

"Something tells me she is not one of Darcia's or Madden's pets," Breanna sighed, shaking her head, "how bad could it have been for her to force herself to arrive here? Something tells me this was done in desperation, not deliberate. I'm going to speak to her."

"Bre, I still don't understand why the vapour didn't affect Jesse?" Craig asked again as Breanna turned toward a communications panel nearby.

"Nothing affects him; it's an ability," Breanna sighed, "people cannot read him; he is like a mental ... and apparently now, emotional shield."

"So, you don't know when he's lying or not," Clio frowned, "how can you trust him?"

"I know if he's lying, Clio," Breanna smiled, "remember I read vibes, emotions and sensations … not minds."

"He can't get anything past you, can he?" Craig cocked his head to the side, puzzled.

"No, but he has had moments of frustrating others," Breanna grinned, "a lot of others."

Breanna dialled a number on the comms panel and pushed the speaker button. She waited until a careful greeting came from the other side before speaking.

"Tula, it's Breanna. Please, meet me in the infirmary," Breanna pinched the bridge of her nose, "we have a newbie who orbed into our tech lab."

"I'm on the way," Tula blurted all business before disconnecting the call.

"Coming?" Breanna asked over her shoulder, leaving the room, "she may remember you, Craig."

"Damn, I hope not," Craig said quietly, "friendships made in The Madhouse were for survival only. On the outside … I wouldn't know."

"We'll see," Clio murmured, smothering a smile, "won't we."

Exiting the lab, the trio took the wide stone ramp to the ground level of the old Tudor mansion they now called home. The house had remained as initially built; the additional basement levels were constructed from stone and cement, giving it a spacious, cavernous feeling. They turned to the left at the top of the ramp in unison without slowing down.