When his eyes fell on Rachel, there was a moment of surprise, but other than that, he looked like a regular, blank-faced soldier, nothing special. But Druid knew differently. She could recognize those cyan eyes anywhere.

A smile shaped her beautiful lips. I'm glad you're safe.

Druid frowned as she focused on Major Hatten. She wasn't a telepath like Lilia but was very good at reading people. So, nudging them in a specific direction was easy for her. However, Major Hatten was different. His mind had snapped.

Druid needed to think; there must be a way out of this situation. She furrowed her brow, using her foresight to see pathways that could be taken. Most of the path ended with one or more of her people dead, including Rachel and Statson.

That wouldn't do. Druid frowned. Each one still had an important role—even Statson with his silly nicknames.

Her eyes twinkled when she thought of her nickname, which the big man had graciously given her: Fire Princess. Druid liked that name. It was so… fitting.

Then her green eyes turned serious. In instances like these, Druid hated seeing the future. But in some cases, it was crucial to know every possible moment, move, and then react. Sometimes, Druid had to do something drastic and… stupid.

Druid winced. Bryson wouldn't like this, but I knew this was the only way.

Now, all she had to do was wait for the right moment.

"Heather, I need your help," Druid called out telepathically. "On my signal, I want you to shoot."

"On your word," Heather answered flatly.

"Now, we all die." The Major was inches away from thumbing the trigger.

That was when the cyan-eyed man tackled the Major to the ground.

Druid shouted, "Now!"

A long ripping bang echoed, and then one of the guards fell with a bullet hole in his chest. Heather had shot him through the top window.

Bryson and Statson, with Rachel a step behind them, jumped into action and took out the rest of the guards.

As soon as everything was under control, that was when the floor and the walls rocked and screeched with the pressure—again, throwing everyone off their feet.

"Sorry, I couldn't…." Terran's strained voices came through the telepathic link. "Get out of there now."

Druid saw that Bryson and Statson were the nearest to the exit. Bryson was ready with his sword hilt in his hand.

The cyan-eyed soldier wasn't too far away.

Druid turned, but she already knew what she was about to see. Now, this is the tricky part. Rachel had been thrown across the room, in the opposite direction from safety; she wouldn't be able to reach the exit in time.

"You can't get away." The Major gasped, pushing the button.

Bryson was shielding himself and Statson with ice. "Druid, come on." He gestured to Druid to follow him. He practically threw the big man out to safety while Statson fought to get to his doomed partner.

The guard with the cyan eyes moved towards Rachel and then to Druid.

"Don't worry, I got this," she said through the telepathic link. "Remember what I asked you."

He nodded and headed towards the exit.

Druid breathed, placing her hand on her medium, a whip curling around her waist, for reassurance. Drawing power from it, she disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing in front of Rachel in the path of the exploding debris.

She held out her shaking hand, chanting in her head,

 Please! Keep the flames under control!

Her fire element was so volatile that it took a lot for Druid to control. Her forehead clenched in concentration.

Druid was absorbing most of the fire. Not only to stop it from touching Rachel, but she needed the energy for what she needed to do next.

The heat around her got hotter and hotter, burning some of the debris before it touched her. Some had gotten through, leaving cuts and bruises in various places, including a slash across her ribs, and another clipped her face.

Druid gasped in pain—just a little more. I just need to hold it for just a little more. Then Druid felt the floor give way; her time just ran out. Okay, that has to be enough. Time to go! Druid grabbed Rachel and teleported them both away to safety.

Almost… that was. There was a reason Druid's teleporting didn't make a suitable getaway vehicle. Rachel looked like a toasted marshmallow.

At least Rachel wasn't dead. That's all that mattered. Druid was exhausted but relieved. Terran will help.

There was a touching but funny scene when Statson came. He checked Rachel over like a mother hen. "Thank God you're okay. I didn't want to lose another partner," he whispered as he hugged her in relief, then jumped back when Rachel gasped in pain.

Bryson grabbed her by the shoulders, "What were you thinking? You could have been killed. Your life is miles more important than a mere human." Bryson exclaimed with disbelief in his voice.

"Ha," Statson shouted angrily.

Bryson ignored the man and turned his body toward Druid. "It's lunacy."

"You don't understand. My visions screamed at me that Rachel was important. I couldn't let her die; I can't let that happen again, not again," Druid said, tears running down her face. Her memories were shadowed with pain that even she couldn't put into words. At least not yet.

His ice-blue eyes softened, and he took her in his arms for comfort. "I know, honey, I know. But please give me more notice. That almost gave me a heart attack."

Druid smiled sweetly back at him before snuggling into his warm embrace. "I make no promises."

Bryson stiffened, interrupting their sweet moment; his eyes became cold again. Druid followed his gaze, and the cyan-eyed guard walked toward Rachel.

Though he wasn't just walking, his form shrank, and his curves developed in certain places. His hair grew longer and lighter, and he turned into her.

Rachel gaped like a fish. Recognition was in her eyes.

"Lillie? How?" she managed to spurt out.

But that was when Heather dragged her younger twin brother down the hill. "Is everyone okay?"

Druid managed to give the twins a reassuring smile. "Everyone's fine."

"Mission complete," Shadow was waiting nearby. "My Phantoms are delivering the files as we speak." Druid couldn't help but shudder at the mention of Shadow's minions. They always gave her the creeps.

Bryson sighed. "At least something gone right today."

Druid couldn't take her eyes off Shadow. Je surveyed his surroundings with only mild interest until his gaze landed on Lilia and Rachel, specifically how close they were. Shadow's grey eyes lightened to almost white, and his fist tightened so hard that blood poured through his fingers.

This is it! The beginning.

***

Meanwhile, Lilia slumped onto the ground after finally releasing her mimic, returning to her original form. She distantly heard someone calling. Rachel? Her voice sounded so panicked.

Lilia couldn't help but wonder why she was there. I thought she wanted to be a teacher.

After Lilia's breakdown, she was a mess. She became so afraid of people that she couldn't leave the house. When Mom took Rachel in, she helped a lot, especially by making Lilia feel like a kid again.

Lilia heard snippets and pieces about how Rachel was estranged from her family and wanted to be a teacher, so why was she a cop? She thought Rachel hated cops.

Lilia tried to shake her head in frustration but couldn't lift her head to attempt it.

Terran came to Rachel's side with a med kit. "Come with me. I need to bandage you up," Terran ordered with rare authority. Medicine and cooking were where he shined. It was a good thing, too, because the others in the group were not very good with either…especially cooking.

Rachel was hesitating. "No, Lillie looks much worse. Look at her first."

"Lilia's a Lumeye. She'll heal faster, and nothing's broken, so she'll be fine. But you… Those burns need to be attended to immediately." Terran handed her his special homemade energy drink, "Here, this will help you," before dragging a protesting Rachel away.

Yep, that would help…as soon as I could move. Lilia eyed the drink, willing it to come closer, but it didn't listen.

Mimicking or copying another's form wasn't a picnic; it strained her body considerably. Plus, except for her telepathy, every one of her Lumeye abilities was dulled significantly, and she needed to get close enough to scratch someone for the ability to activate.

After the explosions, Lilia found herself surrounded by guards. She didn't have the energy to fight through them, so she had little choice. She needed to blend in, but all Lilia could find were men, which was another headache. Male forms felt like wearing itchy clothing a couple of sizes too small. It was very unpleasant.

Then Major Hatten happened.

Now, she found herself in another mess. Lilia didn't mean to transform right in the open…right before Rachel. But her telepathic connection finally snapped, and the backlash forced her to change. She felt like a rag doll… A wounded, exhausted rag doll.

Lilia felt energy pouring into her body. "Va?" She questioned telepathically. "I thought I saw Sil, but you're here too?" Lilia was referring to the silver-winged falcon.

The spotted little cat purred, stretching underneath Lilia's hand. "You gave us freedom. We can do whatever we want, you dimwitted girl. One of us is always nearby…all you have to do is call."

"And the other...?"

"With the only unprotected human, we could access…Rachel," Va said. Boy, that girl knows how to walk on the edge of danger. That family of hers…." The cat made a tongue-clinking sound.

"How did you know I was worried about her?" Lilia asked, a little embarrassed.

"We are part of you, silly girl. How can we not know?"

Lilia buried her face into the cat's soft fur. "Thank you," the cat replied, and the purring got even louder.

"There's a damn cat!" Lilia heard the big man's voice, Statson. "No, Lazy Bones, you shouldn't do that. That cat's wild."

Lazy Bones? How did he know? Lilia was still in a dazed mode.

"Don't worry about it. Lilia's good with animals," Druid said. "Animals come up to her like it was natural." Envy was in Druid's voice. Animals tended to run away if Druid came near.

"Ignore that." Bryson waved his hand dismissively in Lilia's general direction. Then, he stood right in front of Statson. "We need to decide what we will do with you two."

Statson, not one to back down, looked right up at the taller Bryson. "Ice Boy, I don't care if you use your Lumeye powers on me. Nothing is stopping us from leaving…."

"I'd like to go with them," Rachel piped up but was ignored. Terran was still treating her.

Statson continued. "Besides, we can't be the only ones who saw you use your powers. We had a whole party of people who must have …."

"Everyone left," Heather interrupted, running up to meet them. It's not surprising we're sitting ducks here." With the outpost gone, there was no protection from the Wasteland, and with the damage the explosion caused, the Wasteland was guaranteed to become hostile soon. If they stayed, survival was slim for everyone. "They left cars behind. Can I drive?"

Bryson stared at Heather before sighing and backing off. "Sure," Heather squealed before running back the way she came. Bryson called after her, "Load up the equipment, too!"

"Yes!"

Statson watched her go. "What is her role in all this?"

"Sniper, she was the one who shot that guard." It was Druid who answered.

"That girl?" Statson grunted; he seemed conflicted. No wonder knowing that a fourteen-year-old Heather had shot someone and now acting like there was not a care in the world was kind of unnerving. "It takes all kinds."

Lilia whipped her head around. She stumbled back on her feet. "We need to leave! I hear distortions."

There was no sign of Va.

Statson grumbled, "Fine. I want to talk to your Headmistress anyway." He gave Bryson a long look. "But you and me, this isn't over."

"Fine by me." Bryson didn't seem bothered.