By the time we get to my house the tension has shifted from Aaden and Bex to Bex and Key. While we discuss what our next move to find Oden should be, the couple steals concerned glances at each other. As we are about to head upstairs, Key tells her boyfriend she needs to talk to him alone. The two take off down the street.

“She’s gonna kill him,” Swoop says, shaking her head.

“Yeah, gonna miss that guy,” East replies.

“Why did you say that stuff about Bex and me? You know it’s not true. Bex could hardly stand the sight of me a few days ago, let alone have a thing for me. You just said that to piss him off,” I accuse Aaden.

“If that’s the way you want to see it, then fine,” he says.

“East and I are gonna take Randy home. You two go to your neutral corners and when the bell rings, you can come out swinging. But please make it a clean fight,” Swoop says.

“Do you want me to stay?” Randy asks, looking over at Aaden with disapproval.

“No, it’s fine. You should go,” I tell him.

Randy takes off with East and Swoop, leaving Aaden and I alone in front of the house.

There’s so much I want to know. Where has he been hiding after being in prison? Why has he been pushing everyone away? Why would he let everyone believe he had killed five humans when I know that can’t possibly be the truth? And what is his connection to Ruin?

If you have so many questions, why not just ask him?

Because the answers may not be the ones I want to hear...

“You can take off, I mean if you have somewhere to be; just come back before dark,” I offer.

“And what will you do? I mean besides find a way to place yourself in danger?” he says.

“I would place myself in danger a hundred times over if it means keeping Randy safe. He’s important to me.”

He turns and studies me with growing interest. Once again, the intensity in his eyes pulls me in. I find it nearly impossible to stand still under his gaze. I fold my arms across my chest. I do that to look composed and put together. I also do that because I’m paranoid that he’s looking at my chest wondering why it’s not bigger. 

Unfortunately, my boobs aren’t where I need them to be yet. I’ve been waiting for them to grow for a while now. I study them in the mirror and wonder what I could possibly say to them to jump-start the process.

I thought about buying mixtures to enhance my boobs but my mom wouldn’t let me. She insisted that I look fine and that all I need to do is wait for them to grow in. She accuses me of being dramatic and impatient.

However, it’s not my fault. You see, my bra size is a 32 B and I’m sure Omnis meant for me to be a 32 C. Try as she might, my mom just doesn’t understand the pain of being one cup away from glory. Normally I don’t second-guess my body but when it comes to Aaden, I second-guess everything.

Okay, you know what, screw this. I’m putting my arms down and taking a stand for “B”cups everywhere. 

I lower my arms and make myself look into his alluring eyes.

“What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask.

“You and Randy; are you two...?”

“What? No. We’re best friends. Just friends.”

“Oh.”

“So were you and that Ruin girl...did you guys date?”

“It’s...complicated,” he admits.

“But you do know her, right?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“If you dated her, just say so. We need to know,” I push.

“Who’s we?”

“The team.”

“Oh, so you’re asking me as the leader?”

“Yeah.”

“So you want to make sure that she doesn’t know anything about the Norus that can be used to harm us?”

“Exactly,” I reply.

“Ruin and I didn’t share that kind of stuff.”

“So...what did you two share?”

“Silver!” We hear a small voice shout from above.

We look up and Sam is looking down at us and excitedly pounding on the window. He shouts for us to come upstairs and see him. Aaden looks over at me, uncertain.

“He’s missed you,” I tell him.

“Yeah, I’ve missed him too,” he replies.

We both head up to see Sam. Once we enter the doorway, the cutest Noru of all greets us. He looks better than he did a few days ago. His eyes light up and unlike last time, his eyes aren’t filled with tears. He waves his arms up towards us, indicating he wants to be picked up. I scoop him up into my arms and he begins to talk a mile a minute.

Judging by what Sam has tells us, Tony’s strategy for keeping him calm was to make sure he was busy the whole time. Sam fills us in on all the activities and games the two of them have been involved in.

“And, and, guess what, Pry?” he asks.

“What?”

“Joey’s mom said he can come over tomorrow and play with me.” Sam beams.

Joey and Sam have been pals for a few months, but Sam rarely gets to play with him. My brother sometimes forgets to hide his strength from humans; that’s why my parents don’t let them play with each other unless they are around.

I look over at Tony, who assures me he will be there to stop Sam from using his powers. I thank Tony for taking such good care of him. 

“Silver, do it,” Sam begs Aaden.

I knew it was only a matter of time before my brother made this request.

“Are you sure?” Aaden asks.

“Yes! Yes! Do it, please. Please, please,” Sam replies.

Aaden and I exchange a look of helpless surrender. Sam’s favorite thing in the world is to watch Aaden turn on his “demon eyes.” It both scares and excites him. Aaden pretends to be angry and his eyes swirl to a void of black abyss. Sam’s eyes widen in terror. Then Aaden quickly changes back to his normal eyes and Sam’s fear is replaced with amusement.

“Again! Again!” he shouts.

He makes Aaden do it a few more times. Finally, Tony takes over and tells Sam to get ready for bed.

“Will you be here after I take my bath, Silver?” Sam asks.

“Well, I’m not sure—” 

“Don’t go away like Mommy and Daddy okay? Stay,” he says earnestly.

“Sam, sweetie, I told you Mom and Dad will be back. I promise,” I explain as I kneel down so we can be face-to-face.

“Uncle Tony said that, but where are they?” he asks.

“Still in the light. But when they come back they’ll read you all the stories you want. And Dad will let you pick up some buildings and play with them,” I promise.

“Really, then can I throw the buildings on the floor and go ’RAH!!!’?” He asks, doing his best “muscle man” pose with his hands curled into a fist above his head.

“Yes, you can,” I reply.

He beams and goes down the hallway with Tony. But not before he reminds Aaden that he is not to go away.

“After all this time, the eye thing still gets him,” Aaden says.

“He’s really missed you,” I reply, avoiding eye contact.

“Yeah, I didn’t mean to stay away so long.”

“Why did you?”

“Pryor, there are things I can’t get in to...” he says.

“Like why you let everyone think you killed five humans?” I ask.

“You know about that?”

“Yes, and I know it didn’t happen that way. I told your dad you didn’t hurt those humans. But the question is why would you let everyone think you did?”

“You talked to my dad about it?”

“Yeah, before he went to the meeting in the light. I stood up for you. How could he think you would do that?”

“How do you know I didn’t do it?” he asks.

“Because I know you.”

“NO, PRYOR, YOU DON’T!” he snaps.

He looks at me; I’m hurt and taken aback by his harsh tone and my face reflects that. He shakes his head in frustration and turns away from me.

“Are you saying that you really did kill five people?” I push.

“I’m saying don’t defend me.”

“Tell me something: Does this dark brooding thing help you get laid? Is that why you’re doing it?” I ask before I can stop myself.

“Really? This is what you want to ask?” he says.

“No, what I want to ask is how the hell you could disappear for a year and not check on me—us—the team,” I reply, completely flustered.

“There were things I needed to attend to.”

“Yeah, things like Ruin? And I’m guessing what, a hundred other girls?”

“That’s really what you think of me?”

“It’s not just me, Aaden. Apparently you’re the new “It” guy in the Angel world. Every girl wants a piece of Silver to take home with her. So how is it you lure them in exactly? How do you get these girls to fall for you?”

“You need to stop,” he warns me.

“I want to know. What do you do to get all the girls to want you?”

“Pryor...” he warns again.

“WHAT DO YOU DO TO THEM?” I demand.

“WHY DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?” he shouts as he leans in and pounds his fist into the wall mere inches away from my face, backing me into the wall.

I’m so upset by his outburst that I don’t notice how close our bodies are to each other at first. But now that I realize just how little distance there is between us, it’s all I can focus on.

“Do you want a demonstration?” he asks crudely as his fiery gaze travels slowly down my body.

The intensity of his lingering stare and his deep throaty voice causes a dangerous current of longing to zip through me. I swallow hard as he looms over me, mentally peeling off every stich of clothing I have on. Although I am still fully clothed, I feel naked and bare.

“Are we interrupting something?” someone says from the doorway.

We turn and see East and Swoop standing a few yards away. I look back at Aaden and I quickly escape his invisible hold on me.

“No, you weren’t interrupting anything. Aaden was just...never mind. How’s Randy?” I ask them.

“He’s trying to hang in there. But we need to find Oden fast because I don’t think Randy can stand the pressure,” East says.

“Any word from your friend, Swoop? Has he been able to track Oden yet?” I ask.

“No not yet; I’ll go call him,” she replies as she heads out of the room, cell phone in hand.

“I’m gonna take off,” Aaden says.

“You’re supposed to Recharge here; it’s the safest place,” I remind him.

“According to you there’s a pack of females I need to tend to. How can I do that here?” he asks flippantly.

I roll my eyes at his careless attitude. He shrugs his shoulders, completely unconcerned, and walks out.

“Argh, I can’t stand him!” I shout.

“Yeah, he’s kind of hard to take sometimes,” East admits.

“Kind of? Please. East, Aaden’s turned into a crude asshole who likes to use his...he’s a jerk and I really do hate him.”

“Maybe you should go easy on him a little,” East suggests.

“Why?”

Before East replies, he pokes his head upstairs to make sure no one can hear him. He then comes close and whispers.

“You know my policy: I never share who I have or have not used my Mind wipe powers on. It’s like the doctor-patient confidentiality humans have. But in this case I think you should know.”

“Know what? East, did you Mind wipe Aaden?”

“That’s just it, Pry, I tried but I couldn’t.”

“I don’t understand,” I confess.

“A while back, Aaden came to me to take a memory away. It was weird because no one had seen him in forever. Then all of a sudden, I get a text from him asking to meet up in some abandoned factory in Brooklyn. When I showed up, he begged me to Mind wipe him.”

“Did he say why?”

“No, he just told me to take his memory away. He knows how I feel about Mind wiping friends; he knows I hate to do it. But he said he couldn’t live with the memories and that I had to help him.”

“Yet you couldn’t wipe him?”

“No; believe me I tried. I mean, I have never seen Silver look so desperate and so lost before. I thought ‘screw it, just this once I will Mind wipe a friend and that will be the end of it.’ But when I placed my hand on his forehead and tried to pull the memory out...”

“What happened? You just drew a blank?” I ask.

“Worse. The memory had somehow attached itself to his soul. So in order to get to it, I would have had to rip apart a piece of Silver’s soul.”

“How does a memory attach to the soul? I didn’t know that could happen,” I admit.

“It’s called being Engaged and it’s rare. The event needs to be so vile and torturous that it eats at the very fabric of the being. Human soldiers have a version of it called PTSD. The mind can’t remove itself from the past.”

“Did you see anything at all when you placed your hand on his forehead?” I ask.

“Normally I will see flashes of the memory as I am wiping it away. I see people, places, and the sounds that accompany the event. But with Silver, all I saw were violent flashes of red and all I heard was screaming; lots of screaming.”

“You really couldn’t get to the memory?” I ask.

“Not without hurting and possibly killing him.”

“So he made you stop?” I reason.

“No, Silver wanted me to keep going. He got really upset when I refused to continue. He said he could take the pain. So whatever the memory is, it’s worth risking his life to forget.”

“East, what happened to Aaden while he was away?”

“I don’t know but whatever it was, it’s worse than death...”

The next morning we gather outside the school a few moments before class starts. Swoop tells us her friend has lost track of Kill and our only lead to Oden is gone. This causes Randy to be sullen and quiet. We try to convince him that it’s only a matter of time before we locate Oden but that does little to cheer him up. To make matters worse, The Face gets a text message from the board that I am forced to share with the team.

“What is it?” East asks.

“They made a decision about helping us find Oden...” I reply.

“Let me guess, they won’t help us,” Bex says, shaking his head in frustration.

“Not only that, they forbid us to keep searching for Oden in any way,” I inform them.

“Maybe we could change their minds if we met with them in person,” Swoop ventures.

“I doubt it. They were very firm. They want us to stop, immediately,” I add.

Randy starts to walk away. I take hold of his arm but he pulls away from me.

“Randy, we’ll fix this,” I promise.

“No, you won’t and you know what, it’s fine,” Randy says.

“We are not going to just sit by and watch you lose your life,” I vow.

“What life? I spend hours inside online role-playing games, reading comic books, and making up fake profiles in chat rooms. All just so I could be someone else; anyone else but Randy Westfield, the kid whose mother didn’t want him. So, it’s fine if I’m dead. I never got the hang of being alive anyway.”

“Randy, that’s crazy. Your mom took off because she was selfish and couldn’t see how amazing you and your dad really are,” I plead.

“Don’t spin this into something it’s not. I’m not worth sticking around for, and I’m not worth saving, so maybe you guys should just stop trying.”

“Aw, you are so ‘Raj’ from The Big Bang Theory right now, I could hug you,” Swoop teases. 

“There was a marathon on TV last night,” East explains.

“I mean it, some people really aren’t worth saving,” Randy insists.

“You have to stop acting like there’s something wrong with you. You have as much right every right to be alive as the rest of us. You are just as important as everyone else,” I remind him.

“Then why did my mom take off? Huh? If I’m so important and special, why did she...?”

“I know this is hard, Randy, but I’m here for you. Not just me, all of us,” I plead.

“Um...actually, Bex and I wanted to talk to you guys about that,” Key says hesitantly.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“We can talk about it later,” Bex says.

“Stop stalling, you have something to say, Para, say it,” Aaden pushes.

“Why are you always in my face?” Bex accuses Aaden.

Aaden is about to answer when I cut him off with a warning glance. He then decides wisely not to reply to Bex.

“Key, what’s going on?” I ask again.

“You guys know how much we love all of you. And Randy, we just met you but I think we could be really good friends someday,” Key says reassuringly.

“Thanks,” Randy whispers, unable to take his eyes off the older twin.

“C’mon, sis, out with it,” Swoop says.

“From here out, Bex and I...we won’t be a part of the team.”

“What; why not?” I ask.

“It’s hard to explain,” she says.

“Try,” I snap.

“We feel it’s not what’s best for us right now,” she says.

I look over at Bex and he avoids my eyes.

“Guys, we need you,” East reminds them.

“Bex, it won’t help; trust me,” Aaden says.

“What are you talking about?” Bex replies.

“Trying to stay away from—it won’t help to stay away.”

“Silver, will you stop acting like you know everything?” Key counters.

“Key, I’m not trying to...you two want to preserve your relationship, I get that. But the truth is if two beings aren’t supposed to be together...”

“Shut up, Silver! You don’t know anything about us. Bex and I love each other. You have no idea what that means because you’ve never even been in love. And the one girl who was crazy enough to care about you, you ripped her damn heart out and then abandoned her!” Key says angrily.

It feels like Key slapped me hard across the face. There’s a mix of anger and embarrassment that surges through me so violently, my hands shake. All eyes are on Aaden and I.

“I’m sorry, Pry. But you know it’s true. Silver hurt you and instead of facing you, he goes off and commits murder. He’s a miserable being and he won’t quit until he’s made all of us just as miserable,” Key tells me.

“Just ignore Aaden, Key. You know Bex doesn’t have a thing for me,” I plead.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yes it is. Unless you think Pryor’s a real threat,” East says.

“Do you think I would come between you and Bex?” I ask.

“I think when you love someone you do whatever it takes to secure that love. You don’t hang around beings that try to pull you apart, like Silver,” Key explains.

“Bex, do you agree with her?” Swoop asks.

“If you guys are in trouble and need us, we’ll try our best to be there, but yeah, we’re out,” Bex replies, making eye contact with me for the first time. 

“So that’s it? You’re both out?” I ask, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, sorry,” Bex says as he takes Key’s hand.

The two of them start to walk away. I call out after them.

“I’m sorry too but the fact is we don’t have the luxury of choosing to be a team or not. Not with Malakaro sending Kasters after us,” I reply.

“What are you saying, Pry?” Key asks.

“Bex is not technically a Noru. He does not have to do what I say. But you are and I am not excusing you from this team. You will be a part of it. You will do what I ask, when I ask it of you,” I demand.

“And if I don’t?” Key asks.

“If you don’t, I will press your Deck,” I reply firmly.

“Pryor!” Swoop scolds.

“I mean it, Keyohmi. You walk away from this team and I will place my thumb along the markings in the back of your skull and strip your powers away—permanently.”

As the school day drones on, we remain quiet for the most part. Normally Randy would have a thousand questions but he senses none of us are in the mood for a Q&A. I never thought I would have to press anyone’s Deck and take his or her power. But the fact is I really don’t have a choice.

If I were to allow Key to walk away it would weaken us. I can’t afford to lose Bex either, but I knew that keeping her on the team was also a way to keep him. Bex would never let Key face danger without him. He’s protective and wherever she is, he is sure to be. So, by threatening one, I was able to hold on to both. I did my job as the First Noru. I kept my team together.

So why do I feel like crap?

“I am very sorry to report that the board will not allow you to chase Oden,” The Face reports.

She has no idea that we learned the news hours earlier. She waits for a reaction but we are all fairly quiet.

“Did you hear what I said?” she asks.

“Yeah, we did,” I reply in a whisper.

“Good. Now, back to class, all of you,” she instructs.

Without saying another word, we leave The Face’s office. As we head down the hallway, I mention to Randy that the reception is spotty. He takes my cell and tries to strengthen the signal.

I turn to address Key but before I can say anything, she storms off in the opposite direction; Bex reluctantly follows. 

“He doesn’t strike me as the ‘do whatever your girl says’ type,” Randy tells East.

“Maybe his steel wings are in the shop and he only has paper ones on,” East says.

“What does that mean?” Randy asks.

“It means Bex needs to grow a set,” Aaden replies.

“He’s just trying to be supportive and stand by her. I think that’s better than taking off and hiding for a year,” I reply scathingly.

“Oh so that’s what I was doing in prison? Hiding?” he asks.

“I don’t know what you were doing in Bliss. All I know is that you bailed on us,” I counter.

“You mean I bailed on you,” Aaden challenges.

“You really think you were ever that important to me?” I ask.

“Then why do you keep harping on my leaving?”

“You’re right. I’ll let it go. I’ll pretend like you never went away. Better yet, I’ll pretend like you never came back!” I swear.

“Pry?” Randy calls out.

“What?” I reply, in a harsher tone than I intended.

“The Face just got a text. The board has new information on Malakaro.”

“What is it?” Aaden asks.

“It says here that he’s the one behind the Alexi murders,” Randy says.

We explain to him that the beautiful immortal birds had been disappearing and many were later found dead. 

“Why would Malakaro want to kill Alexis?” Swoop says.

“The board thinks he was torturing them,” Randy replies.

“Yes, but why?” East asks.

“What could be the point of killing harmless birds?” Aaden says.

“The Face said Malakaro wants two things: to take everything away from your family and to put an end to all things,” Randy reasons.

“So how can torturing birds help him get either of these things?” East wonders.

“Maybe Malakaro just enjoys torturing birds,” Randy suggests.

“He wasn’t torturing the birds; he was testing them,” I announce in a horrified whisper. 

“What are you talking about?” Swoop asks.

“Malakaro used the Alexi as guinea pigs because he needed to find out how to kill something that’s immortal,” Aaden says gravely.

“I knew you guys were powerful but...wow, so which one of you is immortal?” Randy asks.

Aaden looks over at me and we exchange a look of unimaginable fear.

Sam...

The next few moments are a complete blur. I take off into the air and head straight for the house. My speed is nearly like that of Bex and Swoop. Aaden and the others take off after me. They call out for me to wait for them so that I don’t face evil on my own. But I don’t slow down and I certainly don’t stop.

Malakaro has found a way to kill my little brother...

I fly furiously through the air and ram past anything in my path: birds, skyscrapers, and trees, whatever. I have to get to Sam.

Please, please, please, Omnis, don’t let him be hurt or worse...

The team is right behind me. They must have called Bex and Key because the two of them aren’t too far behind. Moments later I land just outside of my house. I smash the door in and run upstairs.

“Sam! Sam! Sam where are you?” I run to his room and call out his name.

The silence that greets me is torture.

“Tony! Sam! Where are you?” I scream.

I hear the team calling out for me to wait for them as they come charging up the stairs.  But I can’t wait. I run to the last room of the house: my parents’ room.

I find bloody remains of the former Seller turned Angel spread throughout the room. All that’s left of Tony-Tone’s once bright grin is a contorted, macabre expression of shock.  The grief of losing Tony doesn’t get a chance to sink in because I have yet to find Sam.

I look around the room and there is no sign of my brother. The thought that Malakaro has him enrages me like nothing I’ve ever felt. The team enters the bedroom and is rendered silent by the ghastly sight. In the corner of my eyes, I see a spot, a pair of kid-sized “Batman” sneakers peering from the closet. I race over to the closet and pull Sam out.