Rachel was watching the sky, but Rika watched her instead. As the silence dragged on, she felt like Rika was working up to getting something off her chest, but couldn't bring herself to say it. Rachel was too anxious and impatient to let her get to the point on her own. "What is it?"

  "Huh?"

  "You want to say something."

  Rika shrugged. "Nothing to say, is there?"

  "Come on. You've been on my case since you got here," Rachel sighed. "Just say what you want to say."

  "I have not. I was staying out of your way until you sent the cops after me."

  "That was… the only option."

  "God, can't you just apologize like a normal person?"

  Rachel paused. "I'm sorry."

  "Once more, with feeling."

  "Look," Rachel started angrily. "I'm sorry, but you really haven't made things easy. Like today. You said we aren't handling magic well, but you aren't really offering any solutions. You're just shouting down anything we do try."

  "Everything you try is shit," she grumbled.

  "So work with me. Help me, Rika," said Rachel wearily.

  "I am, aren't I? I'm out here in this crap with you."

  "That's not—" A burst of pink flames erupting into the sky interrupted her thoughts. "There's the signal."

  "One minute left. Any last words?" asked Rika sardonically.

  "No."

  "Well, I have one. It was me. I was the one who lost Andrea's favorite necklace when we were fourteen."

  "...Why are you telling me that now?"

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  "I don't want to die with that on my conscience. Go tell your mom when you see her that it's probably still somewhere at school near the tech lab."

  "There's no way it's still there."

  "Eh, probably not," Rika shrugged. "Oh well." She stood up straight, brushing twigs off her jacket. "At least she'll stop thinking it was some hobo breaking in."

  "You could have just bought one for yourself," Rachel said. "You had way more money than us."

  "Look, I already feel like an idiot about it. I just really wanted her necklace." She looked away. "I thought you should know."

  "Thanks, I guess?"

  "Something's coming," Rika said sharply. She tensed up, and so did Rachel. The birds had stopped chirping.

  The right way, but… It's not our people.

  A blur shot by without sound. Rachel had never realized it before, but even the method by which Omega moved seemed totally unnatural, since it didn't generate a sonic boom or any of the other usual effects one might associate with such a fast-moving mass. She didn't have any more time to think about it though, as the man suddenly slowed to a crawl in front of her.

  Rachel reached for the connection with Cinza to send her the signal, but stopped dead when she realized what she was looking at.

  There wasn't just one person. It was two. Omega somehow had Brian along for the ride.

  Rika was gasping for breath. Omega seemed to be moving in slow motion. They were running in the direction of Natalie's spell, so Rachel had actually managed to catch him coming in, not going away. His head was just starting to turn in their direction, his deep black eyes searching for the interference.

  Rachel had a split-second to decide. If she signaled, they might kill Omega, and they'd kill Brian along with him. They might even kill Rachel and Rika, with Omega only a dozen feet away. She wasn't sure.

  This wasn't the plan!

  She'd promised Natalie she'd find her father. She'd promised the town she'd keep them safe. She'd promised her people she'd kill Jackson.

  She'd promised her mother she'd make it home alive.

  Rachel faltered. She released the connection with Cinza and flung her arms around Rika. The electricity from Rika made Rachel's face buzz painfully. Her head felt light and dizzy. She pulled Rika behind a tree and out of sight.

  Rika's concentration broke. Omega sped up again, and both vanished into the underbrush a moment later. Her chest heaved as she drew long, deep breaths. She started coughing into Rachel's arm. Rachel reluctantly released her, taking a few steps back to give her some space.

  "What the fuck did you just do?" Rika gasped.

  "I— I d-don't know," Rachel stuttered.

  "We have to catch up with them."

  Rika turned and started to run. Every few steps, she grunted in pain from her injuries, sustained in her last fight with Jackson. The guilt was doubling up in Rachel's head. She'd wasted not just their current efforts, but all the pain and trouble they'd been going through all week. Everything Rika had said echoed in her mind.

  Rachel followed as quickly as she could, while her brain screamed at her in rage and frustration. She'd just blown their best chance to take him out. What was she thinking?

  Did I just get everyone killed?