When we make it back to the compound it looks like everyone is outside waiting for us. Not just trainees, mentors and board members as well. I spot Christian at the front of the crowd, a fatherly grin plastered on his face, and once we get out of the van he starts to clap. Everyone else follows suit, and soon we are walking into the building with a wave of applause and whistles and cheers meeting our ears. I laugh but notice Diana's nervous expression and edge closer to her.

"Don't worry," I tell her. "They are just happy to see such a famous face."

"Not just that," says Christian, coming forward to greet us, his large frame covering the sun that is peeking over the compound's roof.

"We are glad to have all of you home."

I smile at him, happiness settling in my chest, and he puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Your father would be so proud of you, just as I am."

"Hey, what about us?" pouts Mara, coming to stand behind us with the rest of the team in tow.

Christian laughs, brown eyes sparkling, and he nods to all of my friends.

"I'm proud of all of you, and happy to have you back. It has been strange without my favorite team around." He winks at us, making sure Jacks team is nowhere in sight.

I find them in the crowd, high fiving other trainees, and reuniting with friends.

"Well we are happy to be home," says Jayson, slinging his arm over Mara's shoulders.

I raise my eyebrows at her, letting a cunning smirk make its way onto my face. Mara just giggles and turn back around to lean on Jay as they walk away from us.

"Wow," whispers Diana, as we walk closer to the compound, with Cassie and Kalen close behind.

"So this used to be the Pentagon. It's... smaller than I imagined it."

I laugh at that, watching Christians surprised expression.

"Just wait until you see it on the inside," I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

The crowd that had gathered outside is heading back to their classes, some of them walking towards the common area while others make their way to the training rooms. The familiarity of it all makes a feeling of calm wash over me, and I finally feel like I can breathe again. I spot Leti a few feet away, gaze searching before it falls on her little sister, and she runs after her, tackling her from behind. I laugh at Maras startled cry, watching as the two sisters embrace and bicker at the same time.

"Once again, wow," mumbles Diana, her face lighting up when we walk through the entrance to the Landa compound. Christian practically preens at her words, puffing out his chest with pride.

"I am glad you approve miss Khan. Before you get settled, I would like to have a chat with you in my office. It seems to me like it's high time someone explained this whole situation to you."

Diana's face changes, both determination and nerves present in her body language. She twists her hair between her fingers, and yet she stands with her shoulders back and her head held high.

"Lead the way," she says, and I watch as Christian takes her down one of the many halls that lead to his office, feeling a sense of fulfillment as my director leads Diana away.

We did it, well, at least we did part of it. We managed to keep her safe. For now.

"So, what now?" Asks Cassie, coming to stand in front of Kalen and I. We are the only three left at the entrance.

Mara and Jay had disappeared with Leti, I'm guessing to tell her about all the crazy things that happened to us during our time away from the compound.

"I didn't think about that," I say, shrugging. "I guess we go back to the way things were before. Classes, training, waiting for the next mission."

Cassie looks like she visibly deflates, and Kalen pats her on the shoulder.

"This is always the hardest part," he says, "coming back to reality."

He watches me, and a question seems to burn behind his bright eyes. If everything was back to normal, what about us? Did we have to go back to how things were before the mission? I don't think I would be able to, nothing will change the way I feel about him, no matter where we are, be it on a mission or watching TV in our dorm. So, I just smile at him, shrugging once again, letting him know that we would take everything slowly. Baby steps, as my mother would say. Which reminds me, I should probably give her a call and let her know that we are all okay.

"We won't have classes today," says Kalen, "we never do once we come back from a mission. But we will resume our regular schedule tomorrow."

"Okay, so what do we do for the rest of the day?" Asks Cassie, crossing her arms over her chest, blowing a few strands of blue hair away from her face.

"Cassie!"

I turn around, wondering who could be calling my friend, and nearly laugh out loud at what I see. Kira is coming towards us, towards Cassie specifically, wearing the shortest crop top and the tightest skinny jeans I have ever seen in my life. I mean, she looks stunning, but her outfit doesn't really leave much to the imagination. Cassie doesn't seem to mind however, as her eyes bug out of her head.

"K...Kira! Hey!... um... h...how you are? I mean, how are you? I meant how are you!"

Kira giggles, and I don't miss the way Cassie rolls her eyes skyward, probably slapping herself internally.

"Well I heard you were back, and I was hoping you would tell me about your mission? I haven't gotten to go on any yet and well, I was wondering if you would want to share your experience with me?"

Cassie looks at me for confirmation, and I make shooing motions with my hands.

"Go!" I whisper yell at her, and she doesn't need any more prompting from me, as she nods and scrambles after Kira towards the dorms. Looking after her like a lovesick puppy.

I laugh then, and nearly choke on my spit when I see Kalen's confused expression.

"What was that all about?" He asks, obviously not understanding what was going on.

"Cassie has a crush on Kira," I say, waiting for the usual reaction we get when people find out about Cassie's interest in partners.

It takes a second, but Kalen doesn't disappoint. His eyebrows furrow for a moment before shooting up, and his eyes land on mine, mouth opening and closing before he snaps it shut, trying to act cool.

"I'm not surprised," he says, "I had a crush on Kira."

My smile disappears and I look at the floor. But I only manage to keep my gaze on it for a second before he grabs my chin and forces me to look at him.

"I have a new crush now."

I take my head out of his hand and try to hide my smile.

"Come one," I say, ignoring the way he is looking at me. "You and I should try and find out more about Dominic. Someone on this team needs to be productive, right?"

It looks like the last thing Kalen wants is to be productive, but he nods anyway, taking my hand and dragging me down the hallway. I manage to find my footing and catch up to him, walking next to him, and he tightens his hold on my hand.

"This is nice," he whispers into my ear, and I shiver at his proximity.

But it doesn't stop me from holding onto him a little bit tighter, or walking a bit closer so that our shoulders are touching. I sneak a glance at him from under my eyelashes, but he catches me. I blush, quickly looking away, and he chuckles, a low sound that seems to reverb out from his chest.

"Now," he says, taking a piece of my hair and putting it against my cheek, "you match!"

I slap his arm, apologising when he winces because of the bruising on his chest, and turn an even brighter shade of red.

When we make it to the library, I managed to get my coloring under control, just in time too, because unlike last time some people are occupying the little sofas in the corner.

"Where do we even start?" Says Kalen, keeping his voice low so as to not bother anyone, looking up and down the rows of books.

"We could start by trying to figure out how many people are working for him," I say, whispering as well. "There has to be information on recent criminal activities somewhere right? We could try and find a link to him."

Kalen thinks about it before heading over to the computers on the far side of the library, sitting down in front of the furthest one to avoid prying eyes. A couple of girls walk past us and wave hesitantly. They giggle when Kalen looks their way, and I have to refrain from rolling my eyes. Kalen notices my expression and smirks.

"There is probably something on the compound's criminal records. We write down everything and anything from the people we apprehend. Something will have to show up eventually." He says, but I can't focus on his voice.

"Hello?"

I freeze, recognizing the voice.

"Did you hear that?" I ask Kalen, turning around to scan the small room.

Two people are occupying the seating area, but they are both too engrossed in their books to notice us.

"Hello"

There it is again! That same singsong voice. I whip around, turning my head this way and that as I try to find its source.

"Hear what?" Asks Kalen without tearing his eyes away from the screen.

"How about we go somewhere more private?"

What in the world? Who is talking?

"Hey, Kalen," I say, getting his attention. "I just realized I left my TekPad back in the van. I'm going to go and get it, I'll be back in a second."

Kalen merely nods, too focused on his task to fully listen to me. I walk out of the library and head to a place that I know will be empty at this time of day. The patio.

Everyone is in class, and those who aren't are either at the training rooms or the common area relaxing.

"Smart girl."

I'm starting to get creeped out now. The voice is making me nervous, it sounds... wrong.

When I make it to the patio I sit on one of the concrete slabs that are used as benches, searching the area even though there shouldn't be anyone to look for.

"Can you hear me?" I try hesitantly.

The voice laughs, and it sends shivers down my spine, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

"I can," it answers, "but you don't need to speak for me to hear you."

What? I smooth the wrinkles in my shirt, another nervous tick of mine, as I think of what his words are implying. Does that mean he is somehow reading my mind?

"See! I knew you were a smart one! The mind really is a wonderous thing don't you think?"

Holy crap, he is reading my mind.

"Language! I'm just a child you know!"

Pieces of the puzzle start fitting together in my head. The strange voice, how young it sounds, how wrong it sounds.

"Are you the little boy that was with Dominic in my vision?"

I don't bother saying out loud, he can hear my thoughts anyway, so I just think of what I want to say. I have to make a conscious effort not to think of anything else. For some reason when you know someone is looking into your head, your most embarrassing or compromising memories come to mind.

"So you did notice me! I'm so happy. Does this mean we can be friends? Dominic says we can be friends."

I ignore his question and instead make one of my own.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm someone like you, but right now I am nothing more than a simple messenger. What I want is this: Dominic has a message, and he asked me to deliver it to you."

My heart starts to beat faster in my chest, and I feel beads of sweat run down my neck. I wipe at my brow nervously, biting the inside of my cheek.

"Why me?"

The voice sighs, almost sounding disappointed.

"Because we saw you. He knows who you are, and he knows what you can do. He wants to meet you, but before that he wants me to give you this message."

I clench my teeth, shutting my eyes as I practically scream at the boy that is invading my thoughts.

"What message?"

"He wants me to tell you that Diana has a week to decide. She can come with us willingly, or she can stay with you. If she chooses the second option, we will finish what we started, and this time she will lose more than just her eyes."

An image pops into my head, and I don't know if it shows up on its own accord or if the boy has put it there on purpose, somehow showing me what he is describing. What I see is not good.

Anna, Ash, and Xavier coming out of a hospital, no one in sight. Anna has a large bandage covering her eyes, and Xavier and Ash each have a hold of one of her arms, guiding her out of the building.

They don't see the man dressed in a dark green hoodie and sunglasses that walks up to them. They don't see the electricity crackling in his hand. And by the time they've felt the shock running through their systems it's already too late. I open my eyes, not even remembering when I closed them, and gasp.

"For your friends' sake, I do hope she chooses the first option. They seem like such nice people; I would like to be their friend."

The voice stops talking, and I reach out with my mind, trying to get him to say more, to explain what is going on. But the boy is gone. All that remains is his message, and the simple instructions we had to follow.

Give up Diana, or the Krift team dies.