I knew it was bad manners to gawk at a girl, but what was I supposed to do when she looked like road kill? I was impressed by how well she handled the pain. Katherine merely grimaced whenever we drove over a bump in the road. If my ear got cut in two and my ribs were cracked, I'd be very vocal about how I felt.

Some part of me was still expecting her to say "Gotcha, " but it was unlikely that she was faking everything. Her ear, for example, didn't look like a prosthetic prop. I could smell the iron in her blood.

I’d been prepared to accept that this wasn’t real. I had no idea what to do now. All of the questions in my head piled into a traffic jam. I didn’t know where to start.

My phone chimed.

MotherShip: I thought you said you would be home soon?

“Um, where are we going now?” I asked.

She took a shallow breath. “Somewhere safe.”

I looked at my phone. I didn’t know what to tell my mom. No matter what I said at this point, she was going to punish me one way or another.

We drove through the heart of downtown. The skyscrapers crowded both sides of the street, each trying to be bigger and more stylish than the one beside it. Despite the hour, quite a few people were wandering the sidewalks.

Katherine focused on a tall building that stood apart from all of the others. It was ultra-modern in design and seemed to be made mostly of glass. There were lights all around the exterior casting it in a golden glow. At the very top was a needle that changed colors. Katherine pulled off of the street and into a covered entry way.

A guy dressed in all black opened my door. “Welcome to the Four Mountains,” he said as I got out.

The valet went to open Katherine's door, but I ran around and beat him to it. I pulled her arm around my shoulders to support her weight. That had been a close call. What would've happened if he saw the state Katherine was in? I caught the valet’s envious stare as we went inside.

My eyebrows rose, and I tilted my head back to take in the grandeur of the hotel. The only thing protecting the lobby from the elements was an almost seamless glass wall. The interior was extravagant with its ambient lighting, furniture that looked more for decoration than for comfort, and a steel mantle fireplace. The floors were so polished I could use them as a mirror. Two women dressed in black uniforms serviced the front desk. I tried to shelter Katherine from their view, but the squeaking of her sneakers against the marble got their attention.

“Is everything alright, Ms. Carvosso?” one of the ladies asked.

“Tell them I’m fine,” Katherine whispered.

“Uh, she’s okay,” I answered.

“Just took a tumble.”

“She just had a bad fall,” I said.

"Do you need any assistance? We can call someone—?" The rest of the question was cut off by the elevator doors sealing us in. Katherine pressed the button for the top floor. By the time we reached our floor, my shoulder felt like a million tiny needless were stabbing it.

The elevator opened to a private foyer with a single door. Katherine fumbled a key into my hand. Once inside, I nearly dropped her in shock. The lights came on by themselves as they sensed our presence, revealing a penthouse big enough to fit the Titanic. Everything looked new, shiny, and clean. It was like walking into one of my mother’s catalogs where all of the furniture was over a thousand dollars.

Katherine pointed down a hall to our right. My mind kick-started, and we shuffled along. Through an open door was a bedroom. I hefted her over to the bed and set her carefully on top of the covers. I exhaled gratefully.

With her eyes closed and her hair spread out underneath her, she looked like sleeping beauty. Well, sleeping beauty after a dragon roughed her up. I figured I’d better let her recuperate. I started to walk away when she grabbed my arm.

“Ice…kitchen…”

“Right.” I nodded and went to find the kitchen.

Without having to hold her up, I could look around the penthouse. By far the best thing had to be the view. Wrapping around the entire house were floor to ceiling windows. Since we were so high up, there were no other buildings to block the view. I could see the entire city and I’m sure during the day the mountains dominated the horizon.

The whole place gave me mixed emotions. On the one hand, I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen, and on the other I was upset. The only houses I'd ever lived in were all outdated, funky smelling, and nothing ever worked like it was supposed to. I knew there were a few lucky people out there who never knew what it felt like to live in a dumpy place but to see how the other half lived…it made me feel embarrassed that she'd seen my house.

I found the kitchen, and for a second I thought it didn't have a fridge. Then I realized the fridge door matched the cabinets. I didn't know how to work the ice machine. I ended up spilling ice cubes all over the floor. She didn't have a single plastic bag either, no little sandwich bags or even store bags. I had to put the ice in a towel and tie it closed.

I returned to her room and handed over the ice. "I hope it's enough," I said. She tried to slip it under her blouse, but it wouldn't fit. Desperate for some relief, she started unbuttoning her shirt. "I-I will be out there. Uh, grunt, or something if you need me." I fled the room and shut the door quietly behind me.

I sunk onto the couch and was thankful it felt like a giant pillow. I would probably be sleeping on it. I found a remote on the coffee table. There were so many buttons that it took a good minute to figure out how it worked. I pressed one of the ON buttons and the evening news filled the TV screen.

I waited to see what they said about the destruction on the highway, but they didn’t mention anything out of the ordinary. When they showed footage of traffic, there were no signs of any accidents. Where were the upside-down cars? Where were the bodies?

I flipped to several different news stations. It was the same situation on every channel. It was like the chase didn’t happen.

“What…?” I whispered.

My phone chimed again. It sat like a brick in my pocket and grew heavier the longer I ignored it. Finally, I turned it off. Sorry, mom.

I tugged my shoes off and perched my head on the armrest. No matter which way I lay by morning my neck would be sore. I scrolled through the channels before finding something quiet to fall asleep to. It turned out my thoughts kept me awake instead.

What happened to the wreckage on the highway? Out of all the people who were affected no one wanted to talk about it? The news gave whole segments on worried moms who'd bought a mislabeled can of soup or recalled baby furniture. Surely, what happened on the highway was important?

It wasn’t the lack of coverage that bothered me. It was the lack of proof that I’d been under attack. All I had was my eye-witness account and a battered girl to show for it. It was not enough to make me confident of my mental state.

My eyes flickered to the bedroom door. I wondered how she was doing. She was quiet, too quiet. She might’ve had a concussion…and I’d let her fall asleep?! I bolted to the door. I should’ve taken her to the hospital. I knocked loudly.

“Come in.”

I cracked the door open and wedged my head inside. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said.

Katherine had buried herself in the blankets, and her eyes were barely open. She gave me a half-smile. "I'll be okay," she said. "I've been through much worse." She pointed to the chair by the bed. I pushed it closer and sat down.

“What could be worse than this?”

“If only you’d seen what I looked like after a shark got my leg,” she said. “Took a whole year to regrow it.”

She glanced down, and I noticed her ear. Dried blood smeared it, but the tear had mended. Only a pink line showed where it was still healing. All of her scrapes and bruises had disappeared, too.

“But…how?” I asked.

She tried to meet my eyes, but I looked away. I didn't like eye contact; it made me feel like a germ under a microscope. "You're still having trouble believing this, aren't you?"

“I see it, but I don’t think I’ll ever believe it.”

“I suppose that will make it easier then,” she said and adjusted her pillows. “As soon as I find a way to keep them away from you, I’m going to take you home.”

“Why would that make taking me home easier?” She twiddled her thumbs. Something clicked in my mind. “Wait, when you say taking me home…?”

“…I mean that everything will go back to normal for you,” she said.

My forehead scrunched up. “But I thought you wanted me to join you?”

“I did...want you to join," she said. Her hands became animated as she talked. "I watched you for eight months; I gathered all of the information I could about you. You had all of the qualities I was looking for, but then I actually met you…”

I winced. Her words felt like a sledgehammer to my chest. "But what?"

She shook her head. “I can’t do this to you.”

“What is it? Am I not fast enough, or strong?” I asked.

“No, that has nothing to do with it.” She squeezed my hand. “Daniel, you’re a great guy. You have a chance at a wonderful, normal life. I can’t ask you to give that up.”

“But I don’t want normal,” I said. “I want to be like you. I want powers; I want to be important—this is the kind of thing I've been wishing for. You know that.”

She shrugged. “This life isn’t awesome, it’s sacrifice after sacrifice—”

“I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“Just give me a chance.”

“You have no idea what you’re asking for. You should be grateful—”

“Grateful?!” I pointed at her. “You want me to be grateful about the fact you wave everything I’ve ever wanted in my face only to take it away?! Without even giving me a shot—why are you doing this?!”

She waited for some of my anger to subside before answering. “Because I care about you.”

“If you cared, you wouldn’t send me back to my miserable life.” My voice threatened to crack.

She tilted her head. “It won’t always be that way. When you get older, you’ll have more chances to be around people who will understand you. You could make comic books professionally,” she said.

“I want to be a hero, not draw them.” My throat constricted. It felt like a tiny winch was pulling my vocal cords tighter and tighter. It was hard to speak. My heart fumbled around my chest, distraught. “And what happens to you? Will you just leave and I’ll never see you again?”

Now, it was her turn to avoid my eyes. I could see the turmoil on her face. “I would see you if I could, but it wouldn’t be safe.”

I was about to beg. I didn’t want to go back to being invisible. I didn’t want Katherine to leave. I had to do something, anything, to convince her. I shook my head.

“It’s my life—my choice—and I will pay any price for just one moment to be more than what I am now. Please, don’t do this. Give me a chance,” I said, but I may as well have been talking to a rock. Her turmoil morphed into indifference.

“My decision is final.”

I felt like a crushed pack of crackers. I wanted to yell, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her feelings. She was only trying to look after me. I stuffed down all of the things I wanted to say and walked towards the door.

“Night,” I said and slammed the door shut.

I collapsed back onto the couch. It had been comfortable a while ago, but now it felt all wrong. The magical feeling of being in a new place after an adventure was stripped away. Even though I could still peer into the fantasy world, I was no longer a part of it. In the morning, I'd be shipped back to reality for good.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I crossed my arms, stared at the ceiling, and contemplated if life was still worth living.

There was a place for me in this world; a life unburdened by bills, crappy jobs, social status, and school. A life free from rules and restrictions, a life of amazing possibilities. I wouldn't get a taste of what it could be like, but I'd gotten a glimpse. Just because my mind couldn't process that it was real, didn't mean that I didn't want it.

Despite the danger and my lack of bravery, I knew I belonged in her world. This was my destiny whether she liked it or not. I was so certain of this that I believed morning would never come. Something would happen, and she wouldn't be able to take me home. Something would happen…

My eyes flew open then daylight stabbed them. “Ack!” I covered my eyes. As I adjusted and wiped the sleep from them, I heard Katherine talking in the bedroom.

“What do you mean they sent more?” she said. “No…we’ll just have to deal with it…I’ll talk to you soon.” I heard her throw something and it busted against the wall. As she came out into the living area, she straightened her shirt and tucked her hair behind her ear. She stopped halfway to the kitchen. “Oh, you’re up.”

“Yeah.”

She squeezed her hands into her pockets. “So…I have good news and bad news.”

“What’s the bad news?” I asked.

“Our attackers have reinforcements coming. I’m going to take care of it, so you don’t have to worry,” she said.

I shrugged. “And the good news?”

She twisted her foot side to side like she was squashing a bug in slow motion. “I don’t know how long I’ll have to fend them off before they lose interest in you. Even though I’m taking you home, I’ll still be around,” she said.

My wilted spine perked up, and I clung to that sliver of hope. She smiled. Maybe she was glad we'd have more time together, too.

She gave me a muffin for breakfast, and we went down to the lobby. Her car was waiting for us by the front doors. I moved sluggishly and searched the lobby for anything I could use to stall.

“Sometime today, Daniel,” Katherine said.

Grumbling, I got into the car. As we drove away, I couldn’t believe that my number one concern last night was going home. Now all I wanted was to stay here with her.

Tension enveloped my body. The miles between me and my house were disappearing too fast. Each familiar landmark we passed injected me with dread. The sight of my house hit me the worst. I searched the area, still waiting for my miracle, but nothing came. She parked by the curb. I made no effort to get out. She’d have to push me.

She waited a good five minutes before saying something. “It’s better this way.”

A bucketful of responses came to mind. None of them were very nice, so I kept quiet. I took in a deep breath and opened the door. I set my foot on the sidewalk. A hot breeze went past. I slowly got out. I inched the door towards its closed position.

“Daniel?”

I yanked the door open. “Yeah?”

"I…um…good luck," she said. I frowned and nodded. Finally, I shut the door, and she drove away. My heart ached. Don’t go.

The front door opened. “Mom’s gonna kill you!” Hannah said.

“Nice to see you too,” I said.

"Where were you?" Hannah asked as I plodded past her. The house was dark and the thermostat set to freezing.

“I was out. Why are you home?”

"Duh, summer break!" Hannah skipped to the dining room table covered with dirty machine parts.

“Is mom at work?”

"Mmmhmm." She picked up our mother's miniature blow torch (mom used it for elegant desserts). Her eyes filled with awe as she turned it on.

“Whoa, I don’t think so!” I said and snatched it. Hannah put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at me.

I went upstairs, undressed, and took a shower. Every movement was lethargic. I was running on auto-pilot. Molasses poured into my mind. Thoughts came very, very slowly. I guess it was better that way. I really didn't want to mull over what was happening.

I spent the rest of the day staring at the TV. I didn't hear any of the conversations, and I didn't see any of the images. I only processed blobs of color. At one point, Hannah waved her hand in front of me and poked me in odd places, but I didn't move.

“Well, look who showed up,” my mom said.

I jumped and turned around. What was she doing home already? I saw the time and realized eight hours had gone by.

My mom dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and scowled at me. “Ditching school and then being out all night—doing who knows what. This behavior isn’t you.” She started taking things out of the fridge. “Daniel, you know what’s acceptable and what’s not. So I don’t know where this is coming from.”

I rubbed the back of my head. “There was this new girl at school. We got along really well so we thought we should hang out. You know how hard it is for me to make friends. I didn’t want to ruin things by saying I had to go home.” My shoulders fell. “I don’t know what I was thinking. We just went over to her house.” My mother’s eyes bulged. “Her parents were there the whole time!”

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You don’t know those people. They could’ve been crazy for all you knew!” my mom said.

I looked down. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, you weren’t. Don’t do it again.” She shook her head as she tore off the papery layers of an onion. “Go take your sister out to play. She’s been holed up in here all day.” She threw a concerned look in Hannah’s direction.

“…this will safely protect newspapers from a bomb, you know, so we don’t get cabin fever and start eating each other,” Hannah said.

“She doesn’t need me to go with her,” I said.

“I don’t want to hear it. Go,” mom replied.

Hannah ran upstairs to get dressed. By the time I reached my shoes, she was ready. She ran around me in circles. I couldn't tie my laces with all of her jumping around.

"Calm down!" I took my sweater off of the coat hanger. It was warm out, but I wanted to keep the mosquitos away from my skin. I opened the door, and Hannah leaped outside. She looked around, searching for imaginary zombies or something.

She had a toy gun and wore a military vest. She'd filled the pockets with foam ammo darts. Smeared on her face like war paint was black marker ink and a black bandana hid her blonde hair. She ran in zigzags across the sidewalk to stay in the growing shadows.

The sky was layered with streaks of orange, pink, and purple as the sun set. The neighborhood was alive with children playing and adults watering their flowers. The smell of lemonade, watermelon, and fresh cut grass filled the air as we walked.

Hannah didn't like any of the parks in our neighborhood. She made me walk what felt like ten miles to the warehouse district. It consisted of abandoned, deteriorating buildings and graffiti-covered trains that sat around rusting. For some reason, there was a park amongst the ruins.

The playground was in the center of a dirt field. There were only a small slide and a swing set. A single light shone a circle of orange on the antique equipment. I sat down on the swing as Hannah played on the slide. I watched the sky become darker and darker. I didn't keep track of the hours, but I'm sure we were there a good while.

I zoned out. The thoughts I'd been avoiding all day bombarded me. I thought about what my life could've been like if Katherine had let me join her. I imagined all of the things I would've done if I had powers like hers and money to afford anything I wanted. I'd buy a huge house; I'd throw a ball at Derek's head and not have to worry about the consequences, but…I wasn't joining her. Everything I wanted to escape from I still had to deal with. I didn't know what was worse; finding the thing I wanted out of life, or knowing it was there and I could never have it.

This couldn’t be it. This wasn’t how the story was supposed to go. Wonderland wasn’t supposed to kick Alice to the curb. The Jedi didn’t send Anakin back to his desert planet. Why didn’t I get to be awesome? Why was I not good enough?

“Come on, we should head back,” I said.

“Five more minutes!”

“Fine, but then that’s it.”

I looked away from the sky. I hadn't realized how pitch-black it was in this area. It was as if the world vanished beyond the point of our circle of light. I stared at the emptiness and hoped my eyes would adjust. I wanted to see the shapes of the buildings at least, but no luck.

For all I knew, anything could be out there. No, not anything. There’s no monsters or ghosts, I thought.

Adrenaline surged as an uneasy feeling settled over me. Pins and needles pricked through my arms and legs. I inspected the darkness. I wondered if something was watching us. Then, right in front of me, I thought I could see the faintest outline of a head and shoulders. I waited for it to move. Minutes ticked by and nothing happened. My heart rate started to settle. It was nothing.

Suddenly, the shape moved.

My breath hitched. My body froze. I gripped the chains on the swing. I lost track of it and tried to find it again, but I couldn’t.

It had to have been a trick of the light. I always thought I saw something when nothing was there. It was no different than all of the times I went to the kitchen at night for a snack. For the longest time, I swore some creature lurked in the corners waiting to attack me. The only way to keep it at bay was by turning on the light. It was an irrational fear all kids had. Maybe I hadn’t outgrown it yet.

My eyes were glued to the edge of the light, daring them to see something that wasn't there. I felt my palms get moist. Then I saw it again! It was blacker than black. It was as big as a person but crawled across the ground like a spider. It stayed far enough away to avoid the light and circled us.

I tried to speak, “H-Han…n-nuh…” was all that came out. She couldn’t hear me over her pretend gun noises. I sat, useless, as Hannah played on. Stay in the light! Stay in the light! The thing in the darkness moved when she moved. It was waiting for her to get too close to the dark.

Hannah rolled across the dirt. She got to her feet and pretended to be overwhelmed in a fight. She took three steps back towards the edge of the protective light. Black, spindly arms jumped out of the darkness and snatched her. She tried to scream, but it was quickly muffled.

“Hannah!” I shouted.

Trembling, I got to my feet. I didn’t want to leave the safety of the light, but I couldn’t abandon her. I yelled in terror/whatever bravery I had in me. I charged towards the abyss.

Immediately, my eyes were useless once out of the light. The ground was rough and uneven. My foot fell through the air as I stepped into a hole. My momentum shot me forward, and I fell flat on my face. Grunting, I scurried to my feet.

The spots obscuring my vision faded and at last, I could see the thing that had Hannah. It was a short, slender person, but the way they moved like an insect was unnatural. Whoever it was, moved so fast they were a blur. They leaped onto the side of a warehouse, scuttled up to the roof, and jumped across a fifty-foot gap to the next building. Then the kidnapper bounded out of sight.

How was I going to follow them?! I was struggling to lift my feet; there was no way I could run hard enough to catch them. Hannah was going to die because I was too out of shape. I hated myself at that moment more than ever. I tried to use that self-loathing to force myself to sprint, but I felt like I was going slower. No, no, no, c’mon move!

Decades later, I reached the first building the kidnapper had climbed. I struggled to the next one. There was still no sign of them. I stopped running. I bent over and gasped for air. My throat stung. I was too late, too slow. The kidnapper could be in the next state by now. Hannah could be…No, don’t think it.

“Daniel!” Hannah screamed in the distance.

She was still alive! I wasn’t too late. I taxed my muscles. I refused to give up. I followed her screaming to the warehouse at the end of the row. It was the largest one and also the most corroded.

Something flew over my head. I hollered and ducked. I expected another human creature thing to attack. Instead, Katherine landed in front of me, anger written on her face.

“What were you thinking taking her to a place like this?! I told you more of them were coming!” she said.

“Yeah,” I inhaled sharply, “I remember you saying you would take care of it!” I sucked in another lungful of air. “And that I had nothing to worry about!”

“Stay here,” she said and walked towards the warehouse.

“No, that’s my sister in there, and I’m gonna help get her out!” I said and jogged to catch up beside her.

“Fine.”

She held out her hand as if reaching for some invisible object. I heard the sound of metal ringing through the air, and a sword came flying towards us. Once she caught it, I could see that it was a glorious katana with a razor sharp blade. A black tree shedding its leaves ran down the blade. The cross guard was gold, and wrapped around the hilt was green silk.

She turned to a blur and disappeared into the warehouse. Whoa. I ran after her.

I came up to the open door. I could hear crashing, yelps, and thunderclaps from inside. I crouched down low and crept over to a stack of boxes inside.

I saw Katherine’s shadow leaping over crates and old equipment as people tried to attack her. She spun through the air, her sword was like the spinning blades of a blender. Everything around her was shredded.

Suddenly, a cold blue light drenched everything and dozens of lightning arrows appeared. Every archer was aiming for Katherine. They all loosed at the same time.

Katherine stabbed the ground in front of her. The cement popped and cracked, dirt flooded through the cracks and gathered together to form dirt creatures. They snatched the arrows and ate them, absorbing the worst of the blasts before exploding.

The warehouse shuddered. Pieces of the ceiling fell. I heard Hannah scream from the upper levels. Somehow Katherine made pillars of stone jut up from the ground, hitting the archers and throwing them back. I dodged falling debris as I looked around for a way up.

I found a rickety-looking metal staircase. I tried to step onto it, but rust had eaten so much of it that the moment I stepped onto the first stair, it crumbled. I gulped and jumped to the next stair, only to find the handrail was wobbly. The whole structure lurched sideways. I raced upwards. I heard the supports breaking. I was almost to the second floor when the staircase reached its limit and began to tumble over. I hurled my body towards the second floor and landed hard.

“Ow, ow…” I said as I got up. I tried to walk, but pain shot up my leg. I limped around, trying to find the next staircase.

When I reached the top floor, I saw a hole in the roof. The kidnapper who had taken my sister was waiting up there. Hannah was unconscious at their feet. I growled and found a ladder to climb up to the roof. I stumbled over the rungs and jumped off of the last one.

The kidnapper didn't make any effort to stop me from grabbing Hannah. I checked her over. She seemed okay. She might've passed out from the fright. I turned to give a mean look at the stranger only to have all of my bravery pulled right out of me.

A gray mask glared back at me. It was as menacing as the guy’s the night before, only worse. The eye holes were pure black. Not the kind of darkness black holes had, it was more like the eerie blackness at the bottom of a well. There was something old and sinister in the depths; something trapped that wanted to get out.

I felt like I was seven-years-old again huddled up on my bed gasping for air as I stared at the closet door. I would get so terrified if it were cracked open at night. My mom would insist there was nothing in there, but she always checked when the light was on. Without the light, the closet turned into a portal for bad things.

At that moment, I felt like I finally saw what thrived in the shadows of my closet—the thing that haunted everyone's nightmares. I wished I could shut my eyes and throw a blanket around me. I wanted to hum little songs and pretend it didn't exist. I got a squirming sensation and felt as if maggots were wiggling around in my shoes.

“W-what do you w-want?”

They took a step towards me. The metal roof creaked underneath their feet as if the building couldn't handle the weight of the evil emanating from them. The air around them was frigid.

They never got a chance to answer me. Katherine's foot smashed into their mask. The black hood on their sweater fell off, and smooth blonde hair tumbled out. I realized it was a girl. She went crashing into a warehouse far off in the distance. The whole thing collapsed on her.

Katherine watched the warehouse crumble. She waited for the wreckage to move, not sure that the enemy was down for the count. When nothing happened after a while, she slowly turned to me.

“Is she okay?” she asked.

"I think so," I said and held my sister close. My fear faded away, and relief washed over me like the calm waters lapping onto a peaceful beach. I had been so scared I wouldn't reach her in time. "Why…why did they come after her?"

Katherine gazed back at the collapsed warehouse. “The enemy will do anything, use anyone, to get to you.”

“You were supposed to be watching us.” My tone was a little more accusing than I had meant. I was still on edge from being so close to someone so creepy. “I thought you could take care of it?”

She pointed at herself. "I had everything under control. You weren’t where you were supposed to be.”

"I can't just stay locked up in my house! If you can't protect me every second of every day, then something needs to change. I shouldn't have to worry about taking a wrong turn down a street, or I wander out of the area you think I'm in and get attacked!"

“It’s only for a little while.”

I shook my head. “You don’t know that for sure. It hasn’t even been a day, and they could’ve killed my sister!”

Her shoulders dropped. “It won’t happen again.”

“You bet it won’t!” I said. “It won’t happen because next time I need to be ready. You need to teach me how to defend myself and protect my family.” Her eyes widened. She knew where this was going. She started to shake her head. “You have to train me. Let me join you!”

She turned away from me and crossed her arms. “You don’t want to join me.”

“Yes, I do!”

She spun around. “You won’t be safe! Your family won’t be safe! Everything you love, you will have to give up! Is that what you want?!” Her eyes were dark, like a dense, unforgiving jungle.

“The happiest I’ve ever been is when I’m with you!” My mouth hung open. I didn’t mean to say that. The words had slipped out.

Her rage melted into an unreadable expression. She looked at the city lights. Whatever argument she was having in her head made her entire body stiff.

“All I want is a chance,” I said.

After what felt like several ages, she made up her mind. She turned to me. “You get one chance,” she said and reached down to take Hannah from my arms. She held my sister as if she weighed no more than a bag of cotton balls. “And, Daniel?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not going to make it easy for you.”