Bryson's face was a few inches from Lilia's, spitting mad. She didn't blame him; Druid could have been hurt. However, Lila was tired of his crap.

"You put Druid in danger," sneered Bryson. "She saved that woman because of you."

He kept on talking, shoving her against the wall every few seconds.

"She's from your past, right? Someone you care about. She has nothing to do with the team. Nothing to do with us." Bryson's eyes blazed with anger. "You are a disgrace. A girl like you shouldn't even be in my presence. If I had my way, I'd…."

Suddenly, Lila caught his hand and tightened it. "What, kill me?" she asked with a laugh. "You know that is impossible unless you want to kill yourself. Didn't we establish that a long time ago? When you pierced me through with an ice blade. We are all stuck together." Lilia was seething. "I am sick and tired of you blaming me for everything."

"I'm tired of you. You're nothing but an eyesore," Bryson growled back, trying to escape her grip. "Now, let me go!"

"Fine." Letting go, she closed her eyes and breathed in and out before addressing Bryson once again. "You're threatened by me."

"You? Ha! I am most certainly…."

"Yes, you know I can beat you in a fight. That I'm more powerful than you." Bryson had a complex ever since she beat him four years ago.

"You are not…."

Lilia couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation was. "Come on. You are far better than me at everything else. Why does this bother you so much?" Bryson was highly intelligent, charming when he wanted to be, beautiful in appearance and mannerisms, and hardworking—far better than she could ever be. If Lilia was into guys, she had to admit that she could understand the appeal, except for his arrogance and superiority complex.

You don't realize how much a pompous jackass he is until he opens his mouth.

"Plus, Shadow is better at fighting than both of us combined. So why aren't you bothering him?" When Lilia mentioned Shadow's name, she saw his usual fear, but there was something else.

Ah, it was because of that. "It's because I am a girl, right? Shadow, you can accept because he is a guy, but I'm not. Is that what bothers you about all this?" Lilia had to shake her head. If it were anyone outside the Link, Lilia wouldn't care, but it's Bryson; like it or not, they are stuck together.

Lilia held her head; she could feel a headache coming on. Why do relationships in the Link have to be so complicated? Thinking of Rachel, her mother, and her sister. Okay, maybe relationships, in general, are complicated.

"No, it's not just that." Bryson didn't deny it. "You are reckless, don't follow orders, and are lazy. You are a danger to us all."

Lilia nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, I am all those things and more. All those things I know I need to work on, I don't think that's the problem."

"Of course, that's the problem. You are risking our safety. Your movements should be restricted," Bryson argued.

"But I wasn't the one who put Druid at risk." Before Bryson could say anymore, Lilia put up her hand to interrupt him. "I made my share of mistakes, I won't deny it, but that isn't one of them."

"Who else but you?"

Lilia rolled her eyes. Bryson was brilliant, but he had a blind spot concerning Druid. "Druid did."

"No, she…"

"Yes, she did. But she's also a girl. Doesn't she have the right to make her own choices," Lilia continued. Whatever faults he had, his love for Druid was undeniable. "She is known to follow her foresight. You know as well as I do that Druid wouldn't do anything unless it were important. Are you going to take that away from her? Do you want her to live with the guilt?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then this conversation is over," she stated with finality. Lilia couldn't stay a second more. Slipping out neatly, she walked away to catch up with the others. Lilia could see Druid in the distance, waiting and watching, a knowing look in her eyes. It was frustrating how much she knew before everyone else did. But, on the other hand, Lilia never envied Druid either.

Lilia looked around, and they were missing someone, Shadow. Where was he? It shouldn't be such a big deal. So why did she have an odd feeling this time?

"We aren't finished," Bryson stated after he passed her.

"We never are," Lilia whispered. It was the same old, same old. Nothing had ever changed, and nothing had ever been resolved. Truthfully, she was getting fed up with it all.

***

Headmistress's Office

Maria Weatherly stood before her next adversary, the two WMP inspectors who knew much more than they should.

Maria smiled with anticipation. If there was anything she was good at, it was making failures into successes. So, let's see where the dice roll will lie, shall we?

"Now, what will I do with you two?" Maria asked. With her mind already working overtime to think of every angle. Oh, how she missed being a lawyer.

"I don't know what you mean..." the man with the cowboy hat spoke up. Sergeant Statson, was it? "Boss Lady."

"Boss Lady?"

"You look like a 'Boss Lady' to me," Mr. Statson stated. "You're Getting those Lumeye kids to do your bidding so it all fits. It's all neat and tidy." He lazily sat in one of the chairs to show that he was not.

Maria's eyes flashed. This man…he likes to push people's buttons.

Meanwhile, the female officer, Miss Lui, looked on in puzzlement; she was very green. Then, her expression and posture changed as she adopted Mr. Statson's relaxed attitude.

She knows how to go with the flow. Good, Maria thought.

"Let's move on, shall we?" She dismissed.

"Right, Boss Lady."

Maria smiled, gritting her teeth, but knew when to pick her battles. "I have a proposition for you."

"No!" Mr. Statson refused.

 "It came to my attention, especially during the last mission, that my Lumeye team is lacking…."

"No," he repeated.

"But I haven't...."

"You want us to train your kids. Right?" Mr. Statson interrupted.

"That's exactly why....."

"No!" he refused again, with more aggression this time. "Find someone else."

"There is no one else. It's been years. Don't you think I've tried to find someone qualified to train six overpowered teens? Let alone have the discretion needed to keep it a secret?" Maria paused, taking a breath; she hated to lose her cool, but she needed to make her point hit home. "What this mission taught me, if nothing else, is that there is a real possibility that they will get themselves killed, and all the money and resources I put into them will go up in smoke."

The female officer had gone pale.

"Then don't let them go on your secret missions." Mr. Statson said, not giving her an inch.

Headmistress Weatherly merely gave him an 'Are you an idiot' look. "Please, Mr. Statson…"

"Just Statson, Ma'am. Or Sergeant."

"Mr. Statson," she continued like she didn't hear him. They're Lumeye living in the Wastelands. They will likely be fighting for the rest of their lives. I am giving them the means to train in real-life applications—not just them, but all the children under my care."

"God helps them then," growled Mr. Statson under his breath. Then, speaking directly to the Headmistress. "All in the goodness of your heart."

"Of course not," Headmistress Weatherly said, as if the notion were ridiculous. "I have a business to run."

Mr. Statson grunted, "I bet."

"Now, you know why I need you. Let me tell you why you need me." Maria got back to negotiating. "Mr. Statson, you know as well as I do why you were sent to the Representative Party with all your obvious flaws." She looked him up and down and found him wanting. It's good that Maria didn't want him for his social skills.

"Ha!"

Maria rolled her eyes. "Relax, Mr. Statson! I meant that you're not exactly the first person I would send to brown-nose the masses."

"True." He grumbled.

 She decided to be as blunt as possible. Men like Statson responded better with cold, hard facts. "So, let's be frank. "Your Captain or someone in your department wanted to get one or both of you out of the way." Her eyes moved to Miss Lui. "Even you have speculated that as well, haven't you?"

Miss Lui tried to interrupt. "Ma'am?"

"I am not trying to demean you," Maria maintained eye contact with Miss Lui. "I am quite impressed with your record," she stated, pulling files on Miss Lui and Mr. Statson. "You were at the top of your class and graduated early. You could have gotten a plush position…, especially with your family connections. So why are you assigned to patrol the Wastelands, hmmm?"

"I requested it, Ma'am."

"Oh, really, how very interesting!" Maria inquired, but she already knew the answer. Besides, she wasn't interested in her past unless she could use it to her advantage. What Maria was interested in was Miss Lui's untapped potential. It's not like me to let a diamond in the rough go to waste.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Mr. Statson raged. Standing up, he pointed at the files.

"Connections, Mr. Statson, connections. Now sit down!" Maria ordered, smiling inwardly. She loved having the ball in her court.

"Mr. Statson, your record tells a different story. You have an abundance of experience and are a war vet. However, you have authority issues a mile long," she said, opening Mr. Statson's file. "Did you stumble onto something that you shouldn't have? Had the young officer gotten caught in the middle, or was Officer Lui's family connection the issue?" Maria asked, tapping on her desk.

Mr. Statson didn't respond, just seethed in cold silence.

"No matter their loss, my gain," Marie gleamed with delight. She'd got them. She didn't need to mention that Officer Lui would stay no matter what Statson said. The look in that girl's eyes said so much.

Hmm, something to work on, perhaps?

Statson couldn't help but throw a punch while still going down. "They are Lumeye. What the hell are you thinking? You could get in a lot of trouble consorting with the enemy."

"Enemy?" Maria laughed. "Those kids? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard."

"You are controlling them; you know what happened in the past when we tried to control them. The war happened," Statson growled out.

Maria gave him a look, disappointed. She thought he was more intelligent than that. Although Maria didn't mind, she didn't mind beating him to the ground once or a dozen more times. "Control? Do you see one of those vicious collars on them? Why would I need you if I'm controlling them?"

"Why are they here then?" Rachel asked.

"Why should I tell you that?" Maria's eyes narrowed; she didn't want to show all her cards. "Please consider my offer. Believe me. It is the best you're going to get." She turned away from them. "My assistant will meet you in the morning to make your decision."

She could hear the cowboy grinding his teeth. And she couldn't help but grin in pleasure.

Then she delivered the final blow: "By the way, do not waste your time going to the City Officials." Her assistant came out of nowhere and handed legal documents to the very red Statson. These documents prove that the government was aware of my kid's existence and are fully endorsed." That was why she was stuck with Mr. Chesterfield, at least for now.

He sputtered, "How did you...?"

She leaned back with a wicked grin on her face. "What can I say? I like to cross my T's and dot my I's. Now, I want you both to get out of my office."