Prologue:

He created humans to be pure and loving, to live in happiness, oblivious

to the wicked ways the world could produce. When mankind began, back when

creatures were only myths and humans dominated all species, people were good.

But greed changed them.

Greed changed everything.

One mistake cost humankind more than can ever be measured, and with

love overlooked, pride and greed twisted mankind's humanity, corrupting it.

Murder and dominance filled the hearts of people. Wars broke out, brother

turned against brother as blood began to seep into the soil. Something had to be

done to stop the conflict, and for that reason races were born. People were sorted

into groups with different dialects, cultures, and skins.

Their differences were meant to bring peace and end the hatred. What a

fatal flaw. Rather than resolution, the hatred only grew. Technology and

evolution led to a world full of every kind of diversity you can imagine. As

intelligence surged, so did the differences. Regrettably, the weapons did as well.

For over a hundred centuries the world sat divided and in turmoil, each

war leaving the planet a little darker…a little more broken. Until one war

shattered them all.

Chapter One:

A World on Fire

“With this new world came a new name.”

The Lady in Red 2090, Rocky Territory In the study of an old home, a slender hand grips a fine pen and sketches on

a loose sheet of paper. Placing the pen upon the mahogany desk, her delicate fingers

rhythmically drum upon the map they’d just drawn.

“One war shattered everything…” she repeats for the benefit of her audience.

Her eyes, dark as coal, peer out from lashes so thick and sultry that they

throw a shade over her gaze.

"What do you think?” she asks, glancing up from her art and turning the

paper towards the young man she holds prisoner in front of her.

When the man remains silent, the woman quirks a fine eyebrow and folds

her hands upon the pages. She expected him to be...resistant, but it doesn’t help her

mission if he won’t cooperate at least a little.

“Nothing to say?” she inquires. “Suddenly you’re mute?”

He doesn’t respond. His dark eyes stare straight ahead, calm and lacking any

indication of emotion at being kept against his will. His hands and ankles are

shackled to an elegant chair with leather straps, preventing his escape and crinkling

the tailored sleeves of his dark suit.

There is a strange shimmer about the leather encircling his wrists and

ankles, that buzzes around the straps—twisting and manipulating the particles and

atoms of this world. Physics married to will, mathematics given form, playing God.

She isn’t dismayed by his silence. She stands up as she speaks, her maroon

dress dripping down her curves. The material, like fresh spilled paint, gleams in the

lamplight.

“I know the history you were told, but you must be informed correctly,” she

says, leaning forward and laying her hands on top of the desk. “The stories you grew

up on came from a skewed, almost cruel point of view. You need to hear how it was

during that dark time for humanity.”

She stares at her prisoner, silently pleading with him to respond, to

understand. He says nothing and doesn’t react as she walks away, her steps echoing

against the marble floor.

“Perhaps, after I tell you the Landrys’ tale, you’ll gain some clarity and

proper perspective. Maybe then you’ll see why you can’t do this. The future you once

dreamt of is still a possibility. You don’t have to fulfill a destiny that isn’t your own.

You can still choose your own path.”

She pauses at the bookshelf to gaze at her collection of photos. “Much like

they did.”

Her chest gradually rises and falls as she takes a breath to ready herself for

what she must do next. She turns and looks at the man across the room. His sharp

face remains indifferent, his eyes revealing none of the thoughts occupying his mind.

Nonetheless, she must go on, even if he’s going to make it a one-sided conversation.

“The story I’m about to tell is about two very broken souls, who used their

love for one another to transform an impossibility into their reality. They didn’t just

find their own healing, either. They are the reason…”

The skin between her brows bunches as a frown tugs at the corners of her

mouth.

“No, no, I can’t tell you that just yet,” she says while she returns to the desk.

“First, you must hear how it was for them,” she says while reclaiming her

seat. “The world they grew up in couldn’t be more different than the one people reside

in today. Their story starts before World War III changed…everything.”

For years prior to the war, extremist groups found inventive ways to

massacre all regions of the globe. They didn’t just terrorize large gatherings anymore.

No, everything became fair game for their reign of death and destruction. Grocery

stores, hotels, parking decks—nowhere was safe as civilians everywhere lost their

lives during what should have been mundane events.

In spring 2034, nearly ninety years since the last world war ended, the eight

point nine billion people inhabiting the planet watched as the long-standing peace

disintegrated.

Attacks infected nearly every country as extremists did their best to make

the world burn. Every leader in office tried to end the madness. Some preached peace

and understanding, while others pushed for striking back. A few tried the technique

of distraction, stirring up drama or pushing good news stories, but nothing worked.

Ash and smoke continued to darken the sky as buildings were reduced to

rubble. High risk zones spread into neighboring countries and soon there was

nowhere safe in the world to hide. Even after the Day of Red it wasn’t over. For

months the world’s numbers dwindled until suddenly, it stopped.

The world powers fell and an unofficial ceasefire was felt around the globe.

The day before, the First World countries had been planning their next attack, the

next, there was no one left in power to plan anything. Everyone who held any

leadership role in any country was gone. Entire congresses, committees, and

governmental departments vanished or were found dead with no obvious cause.

As governments ended, so did the fighting. The world fell silent as it

mourned and took note of all the changes war caused. Here in America, many people

had abandoned their homes in search of safer places when the fighting first began.

Gone were the busy streets of New York City, the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, and the

entertainment capital of Hollywood. They became tombs for the fallen—those who

had succumbed to the Death or were trampled under the feet of those seeking to

outrun it.

Fear of more carnage had driven millions to relocate to central areas,

resulting in a massive change for America. To the world, the United States remained

united, but internally it fell into division. When society crumbled, new regions rose

from the dust. No longer did fifty states define America; rather, eleven territories

were crafted out of similar beliefs, all with new names and laws. Most territories tried

to organize some form of alliance with their new neighbors, but others dissociated

themselves entirely.

As the country recovered, the new president declared the territories to be

official. It was more of a formality than an act of power. There would be no going

back to how things were before the war.

With this new world came a new name: The United Territories of America.

The country began to look towards the future, one completely transformed by the

ravages of world war, disease…and the discovery of the NGCs.

Nobody understood these mysterious creatures or knew where they’d come

from, which only fueled rumors and conspiracy theories. For many, NGCs were

stories used to frighten children from wandering too far from home, or tales of what

happened when the government decided to experiment on its citizens. For

others…they were all too real.

The scientific community said they needed to be studied at any cost. Those

who were against dissecting them said they needed shelter, protection, and empathy.

What they all didn’t realize was that the creatures needed to feed.

Autumn 2046

Chapter Two:

The Rocky Territory

Jessie September I crack open my eyes but I’m unable to see! My heartbeat spikes with panic—but after

a few seconds, my pupils contract, focusing the light so I can see again. My body is like a computer rebooting after a large update, each system taking a moment to turn back on. I wait for my eyes to adjust and focus, and when they do, oh when they do, I can see—actually see—everything around me.

How did I get here?

What’s going on?

I’m Jessie Forester, about to be twenty-two year old, survivor of World War III. I live in a previously abandoned hotel called the Three Rivers Hotel and casino, with my older brother, Shane, older sister, Jade, and younger sister, Kaylee. We’re war orphans who survived by living aboard an aircraft carrier for two years, until it was time for the next step.

When the USS Freedom docked, my siblings and everyone else aboard moved into the hotel while new arrangements could be made. Only…there was nothing temporary about that place.

Shane, Jade, Kaylee and I learned to navigate a war-torn world by keeping our heads down and sticking together. We followed what the Guard, formerly known as the US Navy, said because they kept us safe; from desperate survivors but also from the newly discovered new generation creatures.

We spent ten years living there. Wait…No. That’s not exactly right. I did live there, but now…

A memory comes to mind from a few nights ago. Me and my siblings were still in our suite, sleeping. I woke up needing a drink of water and left my bed in search of one. I stood in the dark downing the bottle, watching my big brother sleep.

That’s was the last moment of the life I used to know. As I turned to go back to bed, I saw Jade’s sheets tossed aside, bed empty.

I walk over to Jade’s bed and lay my hand on her sheets. Cold. She must have left a while ago. It’s the middle of the night, and Jade has been gone long enough

for her sheets to turn cold... Panic expands in my chest, and it gets harder to breathe. I know something isn’t right.

Since we moved onto the Freedom, we’re always together at night. Shane is the only one ever out late, and that’s because of job. After the war, too many things go bump in the night now and it isn’t as safe as it used to be. Three Rivers is secure but if Jade left the property, she leaves the protection of the Guard.

With a thumping heart, I go back to Shane on the couch and shake him urgently.

“Shane,” I whisper. “Shane, wake up! Shane, come on! Get up.”

Shane lets out a soft groan and rolls onto his side. “Whatsdamatter?”

I shake him again. “Shane, get up!”

“Huh? Wh-what i-is it?” His voice is thick with sleep as his blanket drops to the floor.

“Jade isn’t here,” I whisper, just barely managing not to yell.

“WHAT?” He sits up in an instant, all traces of sleep gone.

“Shhh!” I hiss as I glance into the next room at Kaylee’s sleeping form. Thankfully she takes after Shane and sleeps like a rock. “Her bed isn’t even warm anymore. What time did you get home?”

“A few hours ago, probably,” he whispers, getting to his feet and pulling his jeans over his boxers. “What time is it?”

“I have no clue. You’re the one with the watch, remember?” I point at Dad’s watch—the last thing Dad had given Shane before leaving the Freedom. My brother looks down at it and gasps.

“Holy crap, Jessie. I got home three hours ago! She was here when I got in, but I pretty much crashed the minute I hit the pillow, so she could have left right after that,” Shane says, tugging a hand through his mussed hair. “Did she leave a note?”

I shake my head.

“Damnit!” my brother curses, pulling on a shirt and boots faster than I have ever seen him get dressed. He keeps cursing in hushed tones, with an urgency in his voice that gives me chills. “Damnit. Damnit. Damnit!”

“We have to find her,” I say, my voice rising with each syllable. Where would Jade go that she wouldn’t at leave us a note?

“We will find her. Panicking isn’t going to help.” Shane’s gray eyes stare at me intently. “The last thing we need is to scare Kaylee.” His eyes flick over to our sleeping sister in the other room.

“You’re right.” My voice drops to a softer tone. There is no need to voice my fears about saying goodbye to another person I love.

Shane and I checked every inch of the property, top to bottom. We couldn’t find Jade. When it became clear she was really gone, we went back for Kaylee and raced to the Guard Headquarters, where Shane worked. Thanks to a friend of Shane’s, Cory, we

borrowed a car from the Coastal Territory, we were able to track Jade down in time. We found her unconscious in the truck bed of a stranger, and she was…transforming.

As fast as we could, we got Jade in the car and Shane raced us back to the hotel for our things. Soon, we were leaving the Coastal Territory and heading for the crimson colony. Along the way, Kaylee and I badgered our big brother until he finally told us what was happening to our big sister.

I glance at my Jade’s face in my lap, trying to ignore the fact that it looks less and less like hers. “You make it sound like she isn’t human anymore,” I say.

“Well, she isn’t, Jessie.”

Kaylee lets out an audible gasp, and Jade’s hand slips out of my grip, hitting the leather seat with a pat. I didn’t even realize I’d let it go.

“At least, not like us,” Shane adds.

Kaylee smacks her hands against her thighs. "And what's that supposed to mean, Captain Cryptic?"

Shane glances toward Kaylee and then shakes his head in defeat. "Okay, I'll explain. Let me warn you, I don't know much about them."

“Them? Who is ‘them’?” Kaylee asks, impatiently.

“They’re like a, I don’t know, different version of human,” he answers. “They’re called redimi.”

“Redimi?” I repeat. Redimi, a different version of a human… That’s what Jade’s becoming? I run my fingers through my hair, tugging just enough to induce a little pain. Yep, definitely awake, this is really happening.

Kaylee leans forward. “What do you know about them?”

“Not nearly as much as I’d like. As far as we can tell, they haven’t been around long, just like the NGCs. The oldest cases we’ve found are from just a few years ago,” Shane says, shifting in his seat. “They don’t seem to ever get sick or injured, they’re incredibly fast and agile, but most people have no clue they exist.”

This is too surreal. First NGCs…now redimi? Holy cow, what’s next? Mutated, killer sloths?

We didn’t learn much else then, not until we reached Darius’s house. A mutual friend of Cory’s, Darius lived in the Crimson Colony and knew a lot more about NGCs and redimi than we did. Shane drove all night and half of the next day to get there. Darius found four siblings at his door seeking refuge and he took us in.

Shane is already heading away from the car and towards the porch, so Kaylee and I hurry after him. Staring at the heavy, wooden door, I ask Shane, “Should we knock?”

“Just go in, he’s expecting us,” he answers, clutching Jade closer to his chest.

Kaylee steps behind me, leaving me to open the door to this stranger’s home. I reach for the knob and open the door, then step back so Shane can go in first.

Hey, I never claimed to be any less of a coward than Kaylee.

“Darius?” Shane calls out to the empty room in front of us. I peer over his shoulder. The only items hung on the walls are a pair of crossed rifles in the living room and a big iron cross on the opposite wall.

“Darius Saxe, it’s Shane, Shane Forester,” my brother calls out again. We step in another few inches. Looking around I see inside is clean and neat, with simple decorations. A door closes from the back of the house.

“Darius?” Shane tries once more.

A rough, yet gentle-toned voice answers him, “Yeah, I’m here. I’m comin’.”

A man dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt enters the room, his skin weathered from many years of ranch work, his hair kept under a cap. In his hand he holds a canned drink. When he sees us, his face lights up in a warm smile. He removes his hat, allowing me to see that his dark hair is showing signs of the gray peppering his mustache.

“Glad y’all made it safe,” Darius says, gesturing for us to follow him deeper into his living room.

Darius opened his home to us and we got to know him during the nearly twenty-four hours we waited for Jade to wake. When she did, she was a redimi. After we calmed her down and explained everything, it became obvious we needed a plan on what to do next.

“Where are we going to live?” Jade wonders.

“We have no money to start over,” I say.

“—don’t want to eat rabbits!” Kaylee cries.

“—we need to form a plan,” says Shane.

“—if we're caught—” Jade worries.

“We’re in a different territory,” I try to assure her.

“—aren’t any cute boys out here!” Kaylee pouts.

“Whatever we do, we should do it soon!” Shane says, crossing his arms.

Darius stays quiet while we argue. I share my siblings’ fears, but no matter where we live, we’ll face obstacles. Each territory runs differently, and the Coastal Territory didn’t exactly educate us on their differences. Some territories are not open to NGCs, and Jade could be confused for one if people don’t know better.

Or we can end up some place even worse than the Coastal Territory. T.K.I. is out of the question. Even out on the West Coast, we hear the rumors of how cruel they are toward NGCs. The Lone Star State, too, for that matter.

Even if we find a territory that’s a good place to call home, how will we support ourselves? We have limited money and we don’t know anyone outside of the Coastal Territory, aside from Darius of course.

And what about Jade? She’s going to feel like an outcast. Will she feel left out now that we’re human and she’s not?

Will she have to bury each of us one day?

Think. Think.

How can we survive? We need money, protection, a way to beat the odds and do the impossible.

Then what? I don’t remember, but I know it’s there, in my head. I feel like I’m trying to snatch a paper from the wind. The moment I get my fingers on it, it’s whisks away.

I’m in the spare bedroom, only it’s transformed. The bubblegum-pink walls are more vivid, the pictures on the wall sharper than my human eyes ever perceived. Air particles and dust, previously invisible, dance in the sun’s rays peeking in through the window. Sounds are more vivacious and crisper, from the wind pushing through trees around the property to the sound of the electricity in the walls, I can hear it all.

I take in this new sensation fine, but it feels distracting. Maybe if I…Yes! I think to myself. I turn down the background noises in my head, as though I have a remote. If I can do that, maybe I can do something more difficult. Hmm… I never did like my nails. Maybe I can get them to adjust, too…

Concentrating on my hands, I close my eyes and imagine my nails as they are. I picture the edges of my nails shifting and I keep the image in my mind of what I want them to look like, willing my body to listen. Opening my eyes, I raise my hand in front of me to look.

“Shut the front door!” I say in a voice that sounds foreign to me.

Holy…

“It’s all right, Jessie, you’re okay,” Jade says to me in a soft, comforting tone as she enters the room, her emerald green eyes watching me closely. She must have heard me, but why is she talking to me like that? Whoa, her burgundy hair has never looked so red before.

“I know,” I tell her, scooting off the bed.

Jade’s new face falls in shock, clouding with confusion. Suddenly, a wave of apprehension glides over to me from where she stands, buzzing against my skin. I can feel her worry for me.

“I’m good, Jade, promise,” I say, trying again to ease her worry. Subconsciously, I rub an irritated spot under my collarbone while I ponder this new sensation.

“Okay…” Her anxiety seems to lessen. “But don’t rub it, Jessie, it’ll feel better soon.”

I throw my feet off the side of the bed and look at her. “Huh?” Don’t rub what?”

Jade pulls down the neck of her shirt, showing a marking near her collarbone that resembles…something. Oh, in the movie Pinocchio, the Northern Star. The mark above Jade’s heart looks similar to it, but with a hollowed-out center.

“We all have them, Jessie,” Jade answers. “It’s part of the change, I guess. Yours will stop bothering you in a little bit. Try not to mess with it or else it will burn more.”

Like a switch, all of my memories come flooding back. I convinced everyone to change so we could stay together. They didn’t agree at first but by the end of the day, Jade changed me and Kaylee and Shane into redimi.

“We all have these,” I say quietly. Tossing my brown hair over my shoulder, I pull down my own shirt, but I can only see the bottom portion of the mark.

As graceful as a breeze, I get to my feet and cross over to the mirror, marveling at how easy and light the movement feels. My reflection displays the same marking that Jade has.

Wait a second…

“Hold on, were you expecting me to act different?” I ask.

“Sorta. After the way Kaylee, then Shane, woke up.” She doesn’t take her eyes off me.

I meet her gaze in the mirror. “What did they do?”

“Kaylee spooked pretty bad and it took me a bit to calm her. Shane…” She trails off, turning her head as he comes through the doorway, Darius and Kaylee close behind him.

Whoa, Kaylee looks older somehow. Her complexion resembles Jade’s but her ombré-colored hair and dazzling blue eyes are still a stark contrast. Shane’s face has shifted slightly—his jaw is more pronounced than before—but his brown hair and gray eyes, the same color as mine, haven’t changed.

He looks down sheepishly, embarrassment overshadowing his features as he finishes Jade’s sentence. “I felt a little startled, I guess.”

I spy a grin slide across his lips.

“That damn boy shot straight off the couch and managed to climb onto the ceiling,” Darius says, looking exasperated as he removes his hat and runs a hand through his salt and pepper colored hair. “He damn near gave me a heart attack!”

Jade wraps her arms around her stomach. “So, we figured with you taking longer to wake—”

“I did?” I ask.

“Sure did,” Darius answers. “These two woke up within minutes of each other, almost four hours ago. They followed everything to a T. You, little miss, well, let’s just say you threw us off a bit.”

“I was worried I did something wrong,” Jade adds. She’s still worried. I can sense it. I walk over and give her a hug.

“I’m good, big sis, promise.”

I just hugged my sister, who is a redimi. And I’m a redimi. I don’t have a strong enough vocabulary to convey the cocktail of emotions flowing through me. It’s almost as if my life so far has been a dream and I’m just now waking up to reality. I feel like… like I’ve come home after a very long trip.

“I can’t believe we’ve really changed,” I mutter. “This is so surreal.”

“Absolutely,” Shane agrees. “Waking up this way…” He shakes his head but doesn’t finish the thought.

“I’m glad we didn’t let Jade have all the fun,” I grin. “What happened to you two while you were out?” I ask Kaylee and Shane.

“Same thing as Jade.” Kaylee practically glides as she crosses the room.

“Weird dreams at first, then tons of pain,” Shane adds.

“And I, well, I saw Mom and Dad.” Kaylee twirls a lock of hair around her index finger. “Not only on the Freedom, I saw them in our home. They were in a lot of the dreams before the ship.”

“Really?” I ask. Kaylee barely remembers them. She has more of an impression of them instead of actual memories.

“What was that like?” I ask, recalling my own dreams of our parents.

Kaylee holds a sad smile when she answers. “It was really nice, Jessie. Almost like having them here for a little while.” Her face falls and I move to hug her. I want to ask if she met with Nek in her dreams too, but she starts to cry softly, and I leave it alone. As I rub her back, she mumbles that she’s fine.

“Well,” Jade says, probably trying to take the focus off Kaylee. “Darius and I learned we’ve both driven our family to madness with our compulsive cleaning.” She chuckles.

“Your sister also offered to change me,” Darius says, smoothing his hat back on his head, “but I reckon that stuff is for you youngins. I don’t need no headache of hidin’ and all that.” He shakes his head like he’d rather stick bamboo under his nails than have to conceal his identity. “Knowin’ me, I’d probably go and mess it all up. I don’t figure I’d wake easy as y’all,” he smirks.

Shane and Kaylee laugh, but I don’t. Sure, they were all fine, but I wonder why my transformation seemed to take longer than everyone else’s. Not to mention that Jade said the pain would come toward the end, and I felt it at the beginning. Shane, Kaylee, and Jade all had similar experiences, and from what Darius said, his neighbor was the same. None of them took extra time to change.

Why is it I can’t even do this like everyone else? And what about the new sensation? Do they feel that, too? I just felt Jade’s nerves, I can sense her unease and experience her emotions as if they were invisible hands, gliding through the air towards me. How can I even describe that to someone when I can barely explain it myself?

“And I ani’t fixin’ to learn a new body either,” Darius continues, breaking me free of my thoughts. “I already told your brother and sister here, but y’all will have to get used to everything new. If there is somethin’ you think you might be able to do, try it. Worse comes to worst you just have to pick yourself back up again.”

“So, are we immune from dying?” Shane asks, eagerness in his voice.

“Not exactly…” Darius’s face lights up with a mischievous grin, “Here, how about I just show you?”

Shane’s forehead creases. “Show me ho—” Shane starts to ask, but then Darius removes a gun from his waistband, points it at Shane’s thigh, and fires.

The shockwave crashes into me as the bullet pierces the air and heads towards my brother, my skin humming along with it. Stunned, no one moves when Shane curses from the bullet lodging itself in his flesh.

“Darius, why did you do that?” I ask in horror as he pockets his weapon. He had to know we would react that way—his smile speaks volumes. He looks positively tickled.

“Shhh, just watch.” He points at the wound on Shane’s leg. But Shane’s blood isn’t spilling out. Rather, a dark object pokes up from under the surface of his skin. Is… is his body expelling the bullet? The metal falls from the leg of his pants to the floor with a small tink. Fresh, pink skin begins forming over the injury.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Darius asks, pleased with his unorthodox demonstration.

“You could have just told me,” Shane huffs. “It still hurt, ya know.”

“Yeah, I coulda, but this way is more fun.” Darius barks out a laugh. “Besides, it ain’t like it killed ya, did it? You hardly flinched.”

Kaylee is already laughing with Darius. And after a few seconds, I can’t help but join in too.

“All right, I see how it is.” Shane picks up the bullet from the floor. “I’ll be happy to pay you back one day if you wish.”

“Shucks no!” Darius says, a smile still gracing his face.

Shane shakes his head and pretends to be mad. “How about we just focus on what we need to do next, huh?”

Darius chuckles, as he switches back into work mode. “I still need a bit to finish up y’alls papers to get you into the Rocky Territory. Why don’t y’all give those new bodies a spin in the yard while you wait?”

Dean “Dean Landry, you can’t just wander through life.” Bri, my adoptive sister, leans across

the table towards me. “All you do is work and investigate. You have to have more in your life than that.”

“I do have more than that. I work out. And I see the McClouds all the time,” I lie, flashing her a big smile.

Bri and I sit at our dining room table. She found me here leaning back in my chair and enjoying a glass of water. Her shoulders were tense, her posture rigid, and I knew right away that she had something she wanted to talk to me about. Soon, her small talk faded into her real purpose: Apparently, she thinks I’m not living a full and rich life.

“The gym? Really, Dean? You don’t even see Michelle all that much. And if seeing Logan McCloud is the highlight of your days, then you’re only proving my point.” Her eyes look concerned, though her mouth is pulled into a stubborn pout that suggests she won’t just let this subject drop.

“Sometimes you’re more of a mom than my sister, you know. A real pain in my as—”

“Are you forgetting everything the world has gone through to give us all a second chance?” she interrupts. “You can’t waste that gift spending all your time buried in books. You need to get out and live a life worth everything we’ve been through.”

Bri might not have been born my sister, but ever since the day my cousin Ash brought her back from one of his delivery trips, she’s sure settled nicely into sister mode, poking around in my personal life included.

“I am not wasting anything. Thank you for the concern, I love you for it.” I walk to her side of the table and give her perfectly styled hair a kiss. “I’m fine and dandy. Now, I have places to be, so I’ll see you at the next intervention.”

Bri calls my name, but I ignore her as I walk out the back door. As a redimi, she could easily be in front of me in a nanosecond, holding me down with a strength no human could ever possess, but she just lets me go.

Why can’t she get that I’m fine? She lost her entire family in the war, yet she can’t understand my need to figure out what happened to mine? I don’t have time to waste on expanding my social circle, there is an NGC out there and I need to find it. I need to be the one to end the life of whatever creature destroyed mine.

I’ve been looking for twelve years and still have no clue what happened that summer night… It’s not like I’m obsessed, though, I do see my best friends, and we go out and have fun, despite what Bri thinks. Just not every night like most people who run in our social circle. I’m not wasting anything. I’m trying to find answers. I’ll have a life after I’ve avenged my parents and uncle. Why can’t she see that there’s nothing wrong with that?

Ash never bothers me about how I spend my time, he gets it. Watching my aunt waste away slowly after the Day of Red leaving just the two of us behind... Well, let’s just say he shares the same thirst for justice that I do.

Bri means well, I know, I just wished she would get the hint and drop the topic of my social life. Why does she always have to nag m—

—Damnit… She pesters because she cares. She is always worrying about me even with her classes and running this house. If I ever need her, she drops everything. Sure, she’s chewed me out a time or two, but she puts up with me, which is saying a lot.

And how do I repay her? By being a self-centered jerk when all she is trying to do is help. I am dirt. Utter dirt and I don’t deserve her, always being a pain in her ass, ignoring her or pushing her away. She isn’t Ash, she doesn’t have a shared bloodline forcing her to love me. She chooses too and maybe it’s time I show that I appreciate her.

I’ve got to do something to make up for her putting up with me.

For Ash too.

He was just a few years older than me when his whole world was ripped to shreds, yet he stepped up and took care of me. Hell, both of them always put me first. But what can I do for people who already do everything for themselves? It’s not like they’re limited by a human body like me.

So, what do I do? Throw them a party?

Probably not, Bri loves throwing parties for others but claims the same spotlight makes her uncomfortable. Not to mention Ash isn’t big on crowds.

Maybe I can cook dinner for them… if they want to test what happens when a redimi getting food poisoning. I wouldn’t mind poisoning a few NGCs, but not my superhuman family.

Err, I don’t know. No, I take that back, I know the perfect thing.

They love when we—the McClouds included—just hang out. I’ll plan a night in with takeout, good movies, maybe even one of Ash’s favorite board games. Easy and something both Ash and Bri would enjoy.

Bri will be so happy hosting, maybe she’ll even lay off me for a while. Michelle McCloud will probably jump for joy to be able to do something to help my family, and Logan is always down for a good time. It’s the perfect plan. Now all I’ve got to do is put it in motion.