“What good was she?” Mercy yelled pointing at me, “I don’t know how you killed the Peacock but I think you’re full of shit.”

No one said anything. I guess I can’t keep waiting for someone to jump to my defense.

“Attacking on my own while she was at full defense would be pointless. The best chance any of us have is the element of surprise.”

“So you got lucky,” Mercy sneered.

I, however, felt no shame, “Yeah, I got lucky.”

“What do you suggest?” Brad sat down, “We attack her in the halls?”

“No, of course not,” I started, “But you have to fight knowing you can’t win. You need a realistic goal--”

“Which is?” Toni asked.

I shrugged, “I don’t know. What I do know is that you weren’t fighting as a team. And you, Toni, weren’t thinking of defeating her.”

“What?” but the look in her eyes told me she already knew.

“Kitty can influence you, I know you know that. When you go first you cannot use your true force. You of all of us have to focus on surprising her.”

Mercy turned on her, “Is that true? You fought so you would lose?”

Toni shook her head, “Not at first, but I started to suspect it when I didn’t change the strategy even when I was dead set on changing it.”

“You all need to forget that you were once human,” I glanced at Heala who was displaying more anger at my words than she did during the entire fight. “You have to remember where your powers came from and those that gave them can take them away.”

I stared at Heala, “You are a Worshipper, whether you want to bel--” electricity zigzagged from the light bulb, I dived, “believe it or not.”

“I am not! I would never--”

“Then maybe you want to show some of that anger and power when fighting a god,” I snapped, tired of having to dodge attacks.

At least it stopped her from trying to electrocute me again.

“If you’re so smart, then you come up with a strategy,” Lightning put his arms around Heala.

I shook my head, “I’m not a strategist, before my escape I have never been in a fight, I am only telling you what I see and what I know.”

“That’s enough, I have to think,” Toni stepped in, her face expressionless, “I need time to think, training is over.”

Mercy grabbed Brad, “Let’s hit the gym.”

Brad gave me a look but followed without a word.

Lightning led Heala away. Toni turned to leave.

“Wait,” I squirmed at the idea of asking for anything, “I was wondering, would it be possible for me to go into town, city, uh, whatever is close to here.”

Toni raised an eyebrow but said, “Sarasota, yeah, Shadow will take you.”

“Uh,” I looked at the silent masked man, “Are you sure--”

But Shadow stepped up and beckoned me to the door.

“Oh,” I hung my head and followed. Why couldn’t it have been someone--I looked at him from the corner of my eye--anyone else.

We walked to a door. Shadow went in but before I could follow he slammed the door in my face.

“Oookay,” I rocked back on my heels. Looking around I had no idea where I was. So…knock, or take my chances of getting lost?

As I rocked back and forth, the door reopened and a man stood in front of me. Shadow? No mask. Jeans, work boots and a brown leather jacket; he looked normal. Like Toni, he was in his late thirties, early forties. Sandy brown hair above observant brown eyes and a strong jaw.

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I gapped. He quirked an eyebrow and jerked his head for me to follow.

We came to another door, several floors higher. This time he opened the door and the last rays of the sun made me shut my eyes. He made me an “after you” gesture and I walked out onto the grass.

Goosebumps pimpled my arms as we left the air conditioning behind. I breathed in the warm, humid air, grateful to be alive.

Shadow walked me to a barn some feet away from the main door. Inside cars stood in rows. Shadow walked to a green Jeep 4x4.

My excitement at being outdoors wore off quickly as the heat seeped into my skin and sweat popped on my forehead even with the wind of going seventy miles per hour beating against it.

Shadow appeared as cool as a cucumber. Hands barely touching the steering wheel, eyes lazy on the road.

Damn Florida heat. I should have gone to California.

As we entered the highway, cars appeared around us. Road noise filled the growing silence in the car.

Was he mute? Pretending to be a monk? Just didn’t like me? Ahhh!

My inner dialog kept me on the edge of my seat.

The city looked the same as when I first arrived. Main streets filled with plazas full of shops broken by side streets leading into a maze of houses.

Now that we were here I had no idea where we were going. Did I want to come so I'd feel less like a prisoner? No chance of that, I thought as I glanced at my watchdog.

We drove into the city center and at first everything looked fine. People walked more here, walking to the sub-shop around the corner from an office building. I felt like I haven’t seen human beings in forever. I glanced, surprised, at a building with a chunk of the wall crumbling off the third floor. Another building was black and charred on one side.

Something struck me as familiar. Was this where I fought the Peacock? I definitely didn't remember buildings burning.

I opened my mouth to ask but Shadow put a finger to his lips. He pulled over into a parking lot and pointed across the street.

A man and woman stood there in bright peacock colored outfits. I inhaled deeply--Worshippers.

Shadow pointed at me, then at them and made a slashing motion across his throat. Could I kill them?

Somehow the concept of real premeditated murder--even of beings who were not entirely human and possible pure evil--didn’t sink in till just that moment.

“Kill them?” I whispered unable to hide my shock.

Shadow nodded, not looking so certain now.

He took my arm and pulled me, doing that hand gesture of pointing two fingers at his eyes then at the Worshippers. Watch them, got it.

I watched the Worshippers scale the charred building like skilled acrobats climbing a rope.

They looked out at the people scurrying beneath them, trying not to look at them. Fear palpable in the air.

The first time I saw Worshippers the feeling was the same, the fear so thick one could feel it on their skin. They weren’t going to…were they?

The attachments the two Worshippers wore to look like a peacock’s tail looked fake, nothing but toys attached to their backs but the man lifted his and a feather short out like a dart.

I was running before I could think. The man, an innocent passerby the dart was intended for stood frozen staring death in the face.

Full speed, I should have made it. I should have saved him. But the female Worshipper ran down the wall to meet me and I hesitated. I watched the dart pierce the man’s skull, his mouth open wide in shock. I skidded, trying to stop--the woman didn’t, slamming into me full force.

We went flying, limbs breaking in the process. Being on the bottom, both my arms broke in several places, my left leg broke at the knee. She managed to land in a way that only took out her left arm. Laughing at the pain, madness in her eyes, she twisted her arm back into place. She positioned her attachment to fire thinking she had the advantage. But where she would heal long after the fight, my bones were already knitting back together, my legs fully functional to dodge her darts. My arms felt like a ragdoll’s for only a moment before the last of the breaks repaired themselves.

I was faster than she could fire, faster than she could run away from.

Behind her I snapped her neck with little effort. She’ll probably heal from that too, I thought as she fell on the ground convulsing.

I looked to see Shadow dodging darts. The Worshipper was throwing them faster and faster, no way Shadow will be able to keep up.

I ran to him as he took a dart on the shoulder--what if it was poisoned? I blocked then next several darts but then the Worshipper saw his partner down on the ground. A yell of rage reached us. I took the opportunity to close the distance, not climbing the building nearly as elegantly as they had.

The next thing I knew the man was falling off the building, smacking into the ground like a bug. At times like these my new instincts scared me. Do I even remember what I did?

As I watched, Shadow stumbled to his feet, walked towards the male Worshipper, took out what looked like a machete and chopped the man’s head off.

I jerked back. Before I could call out to stop him, he made his way to the woman and repeated the action. I chocked on the bile rising up my throat.

Shadow looked at me, blood sprayed all over his clothing and face. I understood that for most Warriors this was personal but his aggression was barbaric.

“Are you okay?” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I stared at the dead bodies, though I’ve watched several people die since I met the Prince, I haven’t gotten used to it. I think it would scare me more if I did.

Shadow nodded, I guess that meant “I’m fine”, as he looked around. I realized that people were gathering around us, watching silently. I froze beneath the stares, whispers sprang up like waves through the crowd. Shadow grabbed my arm and pulled me through the wall of people.

“Warriors…new…like a Worshipper,” random words floated to me. People under long duress, trying to make sense of the chaos.

Shadow pushed me into the car. The tires squealed as he sped away from the scene, sirens audible in the distance.