Training with Xander went much better than I expected. He's improved a lot in a short time. If he can just stay focused like that and maintain it, he'd be a real force on the battlefield. I was proud of him. But I'm also sad for him. He'll go through a lot of hardships in this game. Losing is just part of it. Dying is something that's hard to forget. Betrayal will sting. And I suspect he has feelings for Demi. What will happen when she turns on him? Or when he's forced to turn on her?

"Saris," Zack said, turning me from my thoughts. "Let's chat."

Zack and I walked away from Xander and Demi. We would still be able to hear them if they shouted for help but far enough away so we wouldn't be overheard. Zack was my first enemy in this game, but he was also my first friend and I had learned to trust him and rely on him for guidance and friendship. He was a fierce fighter and a smart one but he was also level headed when he wasn't fighting. He had the ability to not let the game get him down; or if it did, he was able to hide it. Morale was hard to come by but Zack handed it out as if he was made of positivity. He was one of the best people to have on your team. Even without his fighting ability, he was invaluable as an ally.

Zack stretched and yawned as we walked, "how long has it been since we've been to one of these?"

"A graveyard?" I thought about it, "three cycles ago."

"Wow, that long?"

"Well, last time there wasn't one to go to. The time before that we were taken out before finding each other, so we didn't really get the opportunity."

"Right. Yeesh. Rounds really start to blend together after a while, ya know? I mean, I remember the deaths...but sometimes I forget where I was when it happened."

I nodded absently. He was right, sometimes it's hard to remember the details of each cycle, especially after being here so long. Cities and towns started to look the same and, more than once, I've gotten places mixed up between cycles.

The graveyard here was surrounded by a short, thin, wiry fence that looked like it wouldn't be able to keep out an injured bunny. There were a few trees near the middle and the ground was filled with short-cut grass, but otherwise no sign of plant life. The graveyard was relatively small and curved in a half-moon shape, dipping down from a small hill on the opposite side from where we entered. Past the pitiful fence, were buildings, blocking my view beyond and taunting me with hidden threats that might leap out when the time was right. Keeping an eye on our surroundings was a habit of mine, I liked to know what was around me. But this time, there was more to it; I couldn't shake a nagging feeling that we were being watched. We wouldn't be attacked, not here, but I didn't think we were alone, despite the cemetery being empty. What was I sensing?

"It's strange," I finally said.

"What is?"

"I haven't seen anyone stalking the graveyard. That never happens."

"Hmm. Could be lucky. Or it might just be that we're close to the end of the cycle, but we'd best keep an eye open."

I nodded. We found a set of small gravestones and I read them silently. Don and Mary Klein. Don was born in 1953, Mary was born a year after. Both died in the same year, 1998. 'Well, Don and Mary, may we join you for a few moments?' I mentally requested.

"So?" Zack asked as we lay between the gravestones.

"So," I repeated.

"We haven't really talked yet. I haven't been with the team much, what do you think of them?"

I thought about what I could share and how much I should share. I didn't want to give him information if I didn't have facts and I had more feelings about things than truths. "Well, Xander is doing well. It's his first time and he's really surprised me."

"Yeah. Your sparring match was really something."

"It's more than that. Do you remember Kain?"

"Umm. The shadow walker, right?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, nodding. "He showed up with some lightweights when it was just me and the kid. Kain took hold of him but Xander not only managed to break his hold but knock him down. He's...got guts."

Zack blew a raspberry. "It's one thing to knock down Kain but I don't think Xander's seen anything truly terrifying. Not yet. Just wait for the lions. They'll freak the guts right out of him."

"Maybe," I conceded, "but he's surprised me more than once. He didn't back down with the last fight we had. He didn't back down with Demi. Actually, it was his idea to have her join. And that was after she nearly stabbed him in the head."

"Okay, okay." Zack stopped me. "You like the kid. Good. What about Demi? You don't really talk with her. Aside from checkups and bandaging injuries, you don't really interact with her at all. I've seen you like this before. You don't trust her."

I sighed, "It's just a feeling."

Zack grunted, "Explain it."

I thought about how to word it, not wanting to talk negatively about our teammates. But something about Demi had me concerned, so I sat up for a moment to make sure Demi wasn't going to overhear what I had to say. "Well, when we first met, she had a kill tactic. Use her double to fake a scavenger attack while she kills off the unaware victims."

"That's not abnormal. Well, not here. Also, not really a 'fake scavenger' if you think about it," he added. "It's really only something she could do without a team."

"That's not what I'm getting at. She's smart. She's strong and skilled too. And she's not afraid to be alone."

"Wait. Didn't you say Xander convinced her to join the team? What are you worried about?"

"Yeah. But it seemed too easy. I've never seen a scavenger join a team."

"Sure you have. It happens," Zack said, sitting up with his back against a gravestone. I copied the motion, facing him. He looked at the ground, deep in thought, "What was his name? Oh! Daniel. You remember him?"

"Yeah, okay, there are some exceptions. But scavengers don't just join teams out of the blue, not without a lot of forethought from them and usually a lot of coaxing from several members of a team. Demi seemed to switch sides so easily and she started acting like a friend almost right away. It just seems suspicious. Besides, you know how it is; half of the time, a scavenger will end up taking out their team during the night or run during an attack." I huffed, "She's already admitted to doing this before. Scavengers are only a part of the team as long as it suits them."

Zack nodded. "You think she's looking for an opportunity to strike."

"She's had plenty of opportunities for that," I said, remembering when I left her alone with Xander at the Subway. Shoot, she could've taken him out when we first found Zack. Those five might've done us in if it was only Zack and me. "I think she's looking for the opportunity to win."

"Aren't we all?" Zack countered.

I grunted. "Maybe I'm looking too far into it, but I can't help but see her ability as a risk for us."

"What do you mean?"

"She can make a copy of herself. We don't know the limits of her ability. If she can make a copy of herself that lasts until it's killed or she calls it off, that could be the copy sitting right over there. The real Demi could be anywhere." I gestured in her general direction. "Then, we can be attacked and she can let her copy die with us."

Zack chuckled, "leave it to you to think up the wildest ideas for someone's ability."

"She mentioned that her first win was done doing that. Is it not plausible that she could do the same with us?"

"Yes, yes. It's possible and plausible and whatever, but it's probably not the most convenient way to do it. Besides, I've seen you lay waste to people's betrayal plans more times than I can count. Do you realize that no one's been trying to kill each other in their sleep anymore? That's because of what you did to six," he put his hands in the air holding up the right amount of fingers, "SIX, different people! I don't even know how you managed to figure out that it was gonna happen. I still get asked how you kill people in your sleep."

This time I chuckled. I still get asked too. "What do you tell them?"

Zack gave me a wide smile. "I tell them that whoever can't do it isn't dedicated enough to win."

"See? You're the one spreading rumors. Does anyone know that I was awake for all of that?"

"No," Zack smirked, "and don't go telling the truth about it. I set up an honest defense around these lies. You correcting it will just get everyone to start it up again. I don't think I can go back to sleeping with one eye open for half the night to watch your back while you do the same for me. It's exhausting."

"I won't tell a soul," I said, holding up my hand in a silent promise. I looked up at the trees above, swaying in the wind. It had been a clear day and it would be a clear night. The sun was setting and the sky was turning from a bright orange to a bright pink. "What do you think of them?"

"Who?" Xander and Demi? I like 'em."

I waited for more. "Is that it?"

Zack sniffed, "'nough said."

His answer made me question my own. Did I look into my allies too much? Zack seemed to have taken an instant liking to them and here I was, critiquing them and waiting for one of them to turn on us. Maybe I should just trust that my team has good intentions and not overanalyze them. It's hard to figure out if my distrust comes from the game, or my life before I was drawn into it. I have met a lot of people trying to kill me; several of them were people I had trusted and teamed up with. Actually, Zack was the only person that has had my back during all of these cycles. Everyone else that I've teamed up with has either fought on my side only to keep themselves alive, or they'd betray me when they thought they could win. Then again, Xander had my back in a few fights too. It reaffirmed my trust in him and I decided that, since I would trust Xander, I should believe in his trust in Demi.

A faint ruffle came from behind us and we both sprang to our feet. Xander was looking away and Demi had left the bench they were sitting on. Zack and I crept closer to investigate the sound. We edged around a set of large trees and saw two young women, one lying on a bench and the other kneeling beside her. I moved around to get a closer look and Zack stayed put, hidden behind the tree. I could tell that the girl on the bench was injured. Blood stained her shirt and I could see several large cuts that lined her side and upper chest. It looked like she had been slashed by an animal. The cuts were deep and I doubted she would survive but the person next to her seemed calm. Then, a faint light lit her fingertips and the cuts on the wounded girl mimicked the light. I saw the cuts shrink. She could heal!

"Hey!" I called out to them. They both shot up fearfully and began to run. "Wait!" I shouted, jogging after them a short way, but they wouldn't listen. I did the only thing I could think of; I used my power to copy the healer's ability. I would have two minutes to use it. "Zack, we need to find Demi and Xander, now!"

It only took a few seconds of calling them for our team to meet in full. I didn't want to waste time. "Demi, I can heal you but not for long. Lay down on that bench." I pointed to one like Xander and her had spoken on earlier. She did as quickly as she could and I got to work.

Using my power is not like using someone else's. For my power to work, I concentrate on what I need or what I want to copy from someone, then will it to happen. It's almost like using a third hand, it just feels natural. But using someone else's power is strange. I have to see it or at least know what it is and have a general idea of what it looks like. Instead of what the girl was doing, which was probably concentrating on what she wanted to heal, I concentrate on what I'm doing. I focus on making my hands do what the healer's hands were doing. It's easier when I take attributes, like someone's strength, speed or energy. That takes no additional focus on my part and it's just there for me to use. But using someone's power feels more like trying to copy a drawing from memory and trying to remember what it looked like. It works for me, but at a slower rate or less powerful than the original user.

Demi breathed easily for the first time in a while. "Oh! It feels a lot better!"

"Zack?" I asked, knowing that he would know what I wanted him to tell me.

"You've got around thirty seconds left." He replied. He would have seen me use my power. He knows I can hold it for two minutes, we tested it several times.

"Xander, your leg," I said.

Xander lifted his leg and tore off the wet cloth that had been tied to it, revealing red and swollen skin. Luckily, it hadn't blistered but it was obvious that it was still bothering him; he had been limping ever since the fight. I quickly went to healing him and could see the results in seconds. The burns slowly faded and the skin turned its normal color. It took almost no time at all. This girl's power must be incredible to heal wounds this quickly. Xander's burns were gone and I could feel that I still had some time left, though I didn't know how much. I turned back to Demi and used the power some more. Then, as if someone had turned a light off, the power to heal was gone.

Everyone looked at me. I stood, "what?"

An odd silence lingered and I couldn't tell by their expressions what they were thinking, not even Xander. Were they upset about something? Then Xander and Demi both said "Thank you!" at the same time and Demi hugged me. I was beginning to feel guilty about what I had said to Zack about her. I shouldn't have raised suspicion about her for no reason. It was just a feeling and I hadn't really taken the time to prove it right or wrong.

"Relax," I said. "We need everyone to be in their best shape to finish this game."

"No," Demi said. "Most teams would have either left me to die or would have killed me off. I was becoming a liability, almost too injured to fight."

"We are not most teams," I said.

"Do you really think we're near the end?" Xander asked.

I looked towards the sunset. I thought about how few teams I had seen since leaving the house after meeting and training Xander. I thought about how we had seen no one stalking the graveyard and how badly wounded that girl that ran off had been. Someone was out there and I doubted that they were far. The sun set, turning the brightly colored sky into darkness and the metaphor hit me: we were healed, generally refreshed, in good spirits and lit ablaze with hope, but we were going to walk into uncertainty and in that darkness, we'd have to light our own way before being found unprepared. "It's just a feeling," I said.