With my powers activated, I scanned what I could of the treeline, looking for indications of the Carpenters who had been there. It was challenging to differentiate them from the soldiers and Welders, and I could still make out a few of them, but they were all lying prone on the ground, so I counted them out of the fight. I wanted to run out there and make sure they weren't hurt too bad, but I had to consider the threat in front of me and the one behind me.

I had faith that Sarah and the rest could handle the soldiers in front of the house. We reinforced all the wood, so bullets shouldn't have been able to get through. The only weak points were the windows, but the soldiers would be unable to do anything other than shooting them out. They could shoot tear gas into the house from there. But we thought that might be something they would do, so we pried up the wood planks on the porch to bat them away if we saw any being used.

Claire and her team were the more significant threat. They had to be stopped, and no one else could do it, maybe not even me. They effortlessly tore through our rear defensive line, and it didn't even seem to faze or slow them down.

Remembering what Claire had done in the colonel's office with a single word, I knew she could probably bring down the whole house if she wanted. I didn't even want to think about what the five of them together could do. Claire's attack must have been what the colonel was really waiting for. I took a deep breath and made my choice. I walked out of the mangled back door to face Claire and her team.

As soon as the door opened, she signaled her team to stop. It was a weird site, I had only ever spent time with Claire in the library, and she was usually reading a science book or something equally dull to me. Even though we were all in a military camp, it never really dawned on me that she was also being taught how to be a soldier.

Giving it a quick thought as I walked toward her, I figured she probably had a better education than me, probably the best in the camp. Due to being in the Carpenter group, we were given a minimal training regimen since we took care of the food and were assessed to be the least effective in a fight. Everything I learned, I taught myself from all the time I spent in the library with Claire. She was the colonel's daughter, though, so not only was it in her blood, but he probably ensured she had the best training.

Her skill was visible in her quick reaction, and I could see that the training had also extended to the other Sirens. They all stopped on her command, even if they weren't looking when she gave the signal. I wondered how they did that but didn't have the time to give it more than a cursory thought. Claire stayed standing as the rest of her team took a knee and continued to provide support.

I tried not to focus on her face, which I thought I loved but had betrayed me for all those years. The visage that had wanted to protect me and allowed me to escape when they insinuated hurting me. Since she was there, I had to assume she was somehow swayed back to her father's side, and the destruction in her wake was evidence of that.

I activated my power and focused on her aura. All Sirens have a light, wispy maroon flowing around their body like the liquid in a lava lamp – going up and down lazily. The color mixed and flowed around their body, never really stopping.

I thought about attacking her right then. I could try to move with increased speed as I did with the squirrel; I practiced a little at night and had some success. I thought about punching her and her team the same way too.

I couldn't do it, though. I still cared about her and didn't want to hurt her team. They were just like us and used to do her father's work under the guise of a directive from a government that no longer existed. Perhaps I could have been quick enough and ended it, but I couldn't be that cold-hearted.

"Why are you here?" I yelled.

I could see the faintest trace of light lilac ripple away from her form. "No choice," the words whispered in my ear. Literally, my ear.

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I stepped back in shock. I hadn't seen Claire's lips move, and I didn't know she could communicate like that. I was so surprised by the words I didn't even consider the implication of having the ability to see her power as it came toward me.

"You've been able to talk all this time?" I felt betrayed again. This was another way she had lied to me and played with my emotions.

She violently shook her head. "Not easy," whispered in my ear. I was close enough to see a slight movement in her throat. When I heard it the first time, the shock was enough for me to lose concentration on my power, causing me to look again at her expressive eyes and porcelain skin. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that helped to accentuate her high cheekbones, which caused her to look older and more mature.

I activated my power again, so I wasn't distracted by the face of the girl I thought I knew. "I'm not going to let you take us back," I said.

"Protect you," whispered in my ear. It seemed she could only speak in two words in that manner.

"You want to protect me?" I asked and then chuckled humorlessly. "If you want to protect me, then you have to leave because you're the one that's hurt me the most." She looked to the ground at my words, clearly aching, but I didn't care. "There's nothing at the camp for us. Nothing at the camp for me," I added with finality.

I could see Claire thinking as her head shook slightly while she looked at the ground. As I said my last words, she raised her head and looked me in the eyes. I could see her decision then. She didn't believe my words and was going to bring me back.

Her eyes hardened, and her back straightened. Though I could see it, I was too slow to move, too unwilling to harm her or the others. I could only stand there as a loud "shhh," shot out of her lips.

I braced for impact, or at least to be knocked unconscious as Victor had done to me, but nothing happened. Claire and her team were as confused as me; they probably had never encountered someone who resisted them. Their confusion only lasted a moment, though, as all of their eyes flicked to the right.

I turned to see what they were looking at. I saw a small form standing in the doorway to the house, with an aura swirling with the same oily magenta as the five people I faced off against. I could see slow waves of a dark, translucent amethyst pulse from his body in a globe.

I could hear a soft hum coming from his direction that reminded me of a lullaby. I turned off my power for a moment, and I could see him standing there, arm resting on the doorframe and eyes closed as the fleeing darkness of night still cast shadows on his face.

I turned back to Claire, ready to use the moment to my advantage. I could see a look of confusion on her face; it wasn't due to the situation but confusion at the presence of the boy. She looked at me, then back to him, and her face twisted in anger.

"No!" Claire yelled, her anger directed at Victor, but nothing happened.

I moved then, rushing into the group with my power activated. I must have been doing the same trick with the squirrel because no one seemed to move as I surged into the group. I didn't want to make their bodies explode, so I refrained from attacking them as I did the squirrel. I simply swiped my hand across their foreheads.

I noticed before I rushed in that the other Sirens with Claire had the same black spots around their heads. I wiped the areas away, knowing it would knock them unconscious for a minute while whatever memories had been erased returned.

I was so quick at moving into the group and wiping the dark blemishes away that the others were all falling when I stopped in front of Claire. I paused there, my hand resting on her forehead, unsure how to handle her. Unfortunately, Claire didn't have one of those spots. I didn't know how to knock anyone unconscious without getting rid of the blemish, but I decided I had to try.

"H-how-" she stammered, confused by my sudden appearance and her falling teammates. "I'm sorry," she blurted. "I just wanted to keep you safe and be with you." Her voice was different from the soft whispers I heard and separate from the gravelly rage of her yell. It sounded like small orchestra bells that reverberate above the rest of the music but are only noticed when they are not focused on it. "I-I love you."

I had wanted to hear those words or for her to sign them to me for so long, but she never had. It felt like a hundred rubber bands were instantly wrapped around my heart, trying to sever it in two and explode its contents like a watermelon. But, instead of my heart severing, the constricting rubber bands broke and fell away useless.

"Too late," I said, looking Claire in the eyes.

I swiped my hand across her forehead. Concentrating on all the swirling colors there, I chose the magenta that I signified as her power and wiped it away. I tried only to take the tiniest bit, scared of what it might do to her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped unconscious. I caught her around the waist and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Aidren!" the slightly panicked voice of Melody yelled.