"Save her!" Opal screamed. She was on her knees next to her friend, hands wrapped around her fingers. Ermine's brown eyes stared past her. Kait's hands were at Ermine's throat, slippery with blood. Her cheeks were splashed red by the less and less frequent spurts.

"I-I can't..." Kait yelled, tears ran down her face. Her fingers were nearly digging into the other girl's skin. "Its too bad- I'm too tired- I can't!"

Opal shook her head and glared at her. She'd seen how Proga's wounds had nearly closed by her hand. She could save Ermine. She had to.

Ermine's mouth hung open. Opal stroked her hand. "You're going to be ok, you're going to be ok- Kait come on!"

"Stop. She's gone." Spark tried to pull Opal's hands away. "We need to go."

Opal gritted her teeth and pushed him off. Hard. "She'll be fine! Kait just needs to-"

"Ok, Opal." Kait said quietly. "We'll fix her- but we need to get her to safety first. Spark- can you carry her?"

"Seriously? She's-"

"Please." Kait glanced at Opal still leaning over her friend, whispering encouragement.

"Fine. Don't hit me dumbass, I'm helping." Spark caught Opal's hand before she struck him while he reached for Ermine. He lifted her and staggered. He was winded.

"Her head..." Kait started.

Spark put a hand under the girl's neck to keep it from lolling back.

Opal sniffed and allowed Kait to pull her up, or more lead her. The other girl was still shaky, even more so now.

"You get Kait to safety." Spark told Opal. "I've got your friend."

She and Kait joined the throng of kids again. The closer they got to the gate the more bullets rained down. They had to jump over a few bodies. One boy tired to pull his friend who was screaming, blood leaking from his stomach by the arms towards the exit.

They scrambled over the broken rocks under the gate, jostled by the frightened teenagers on either side.

They were out.

"It's beautiful."

The road leading to the gates was smooth and dark, no sign of the ugly red rocks from the encampment. Green plants curled up from all sides. The sky was blue- not purple. Music? No... Animals. Opal gawked watching a group of startled red feathered creatures watching them from high up in a tree. They looked like Ermine's tattoo. Birds. The oppressive heat, the heavy feeling was gone. She took a deep breath and didn't feel like coughing.

"Yeah..." Kait agreed as the two of them limped along. Some of the teenagers didn't seem as surprised but most of them were staring as Opal did.

The majority of the group had gathered around a small tree. Opal could hear Gray's voice telling everyone to settle down and be patient. Kait was leading her away from there.

"You're safe." Yue was frowning. "Where's Spark? That blood..."

"He's-" Opal started and then realized she was having trouble controlling her throat. "He's helping Ermine. She was injured." She helped Kait to the ground next to Proga who appeared to be asleep although occasionally he'd wince and his hand would clench before he relaxed again.

They waited, watching the gate as people continued to scramble through. No sign of them. There was a loud crack and another piece of the gate broke, smashing down and closing off part of the exit. It was barely enough to get though.

Yue muttered something under his breath.

"Where are you going?"

"That should have exhausted him but I'd have thought he could help a human limp a few meters." Even as he said it Yue was walking towards the gate. Opal couldn't quite see what happened but suddenly there as a flash of white light and the entire opening was immersed in ice. The next second Yue was climbing up. He stomped once with his foot. With a crack the iced over stone shattered to pieces. He scowled and dusted his shoulder off where some of the debris fell, then he walked through.

"Wow..." Kait's eyes were wide. The new opening was nearly perfectly smooth.

"Excuse me..." An unfamiliar boy stood an awkward distance away.

Opal glanced at him with a scowl. "What?"

He held out his hands. Food bars. "I-We. Wanted to thank you and make sure you were ok. These are for you."

Kait smiled. "Thank you."

He stared at her and gulped. "I didn't know demons could be so pretty."

Kait's smile faltered.

"What?" Opal snapped, turning her head from the gate to glare at him. "Watch your mouth."

He stumbled back.

"Opal he's right. We already told you, we aren't human."

"Demons are bad. He shouldn't call you that."

"I call myself that." Kait raised her eyebrows.

"Me too..." Proga's eyes were still shut and his voice sounded rough. "Ah, Opal. Be a sweetheart and grab me one of those nasty blocks of kind-of-food?"

"How... ok." She snatched one and placed it onto his chest, then thinking better of it offered him a bite.

He wrinkled his nose as he chewed and shuddered when he swallowed. "Thanks."

"Are you a demon too?" The boy seemed bolder now that the other two backed him up.

Opal opened her mouth to tell him to go fall in a hole but then wondered as well. She had broken the irons. But she couldn't heal, or change her form or... blast a hole in a gate. "I don't know."

"She is." Kait confirmed. "She's one of us."

Opal dropped her gaze. Her feelings were contradictory. To be included so confidently made her feel a sudden warmth. The idea of not being human though.... Or was it so bad? She barely understood what it meant to be human. She'd only thought she was for a handful of shower periods. But that was something that she thought defined her. Now she had no identity. Again.

"Hey kid- what's your name?" Proga was sitting up now. Opal's mouth hung open a little. The gold markings glowed as brightly as ever.

"Link."

"Link- thanks for the food. I owe you." As he said this he flipped one of the cords of his hair to his hands and reached up to pull a strand of gold. "Next time you need to hide, wrap this around your finger and step into a shadow." He flashed his smile as Link stared down at the hair.

"I... thank you!" The kid leaned forward suddenly and then turned to run back to the rest of the kids. No... the rest of the humans.

"Did that guy just bow to me?" Proga scratched his ear.

"Yep. You'll become a god at this rate, Proga." Kait gave a short laugh.

"How are you ok?!" Opal shook her head.

"Me?" Proga put a thumb to his chest.

"Yes you!"

"I'm a shifter. We heal pretty quick- as long you don't cut off limbs. Then it might take a whole day. Or shoot multiple important organs." His expression softened. "Thank you, Kait."

"Don't mention it- look!"

They turned to where she was pointing. The gate.

Spark was sitting on the ground just beyond the exit, leaning forward.

Kait started to get up and then glanced to Link's retreating form and back. "Proga- do I look... pretty right now?"

"Only your usual radiant self."

"Thanks." With that she ran towards the gate leaving Opal confused.

Yue was facing the gate and over his shoulder was-

"Ermine!" Opal scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards the pair as fast as her injured leg allowed.

Yue walked purposely towards the gathered human teenagers who seemed to be alerted to his presence. By the time Opal had caught up to him he'd laid Ermine on the dark earth by the unfurling plants.

Gray was at her side. Atom sat just behind her, open mouthed. Opal dropped down next to them. Why was Gray crying?

Opal reached out to touch Ermine's face and then shrank back. It felt wrong. She couldn't explain why. And her eyes... like the light had disappeared from them. One eyelid was only half shut.

She was gone.

Opal made her hands into fists so tight it hurt her palms.

"Yue, we appreciate you bringing her back. We want to thank all of you demons for helping us."

Yue's face was solemn. "Thank Opal. She's the reason we stayed."

To Opal's alarm most of the group had turned to face her. She wanted to scream at them all. She didn't do it for them! She didn't even know them. She did it for her friends. She bent over Ermine again.

"You know," Gray was running her hands over Ermine's stiffening fingers. "Yue was the one who walked you out. He carried you in his arms like you were a beautiful princess being saved by The Prince. You'd have loved it."

Opal's laugh was a harsh bark. She grabbed a handful of Ermine bloody shirt and buried her face. It was tacky against her skin but she stayed there until Gray put her arms around her.

They had to go. The wardens would be on their way for sure after this and no one had a good idea of how far it was for them to travel, or what transportation they would use.

Of the 50 kids that have been living in the camp just over 30 had escaped. They stood in a semi-circle, leaning against each other, holding up the injured. Waiting.

Gray wiped her face first and stood up. She was smaller than most of the kids there. "We are going to leave now. First- we need to figure out who didn't make it."

"They would have lived if you hadn't have wrecked everything."

A voice from the back.

Opal got to her feet but Gray held up a hand. "No. They would have just worked us to death. I've been here for 2 years. I've never seen anyone leave. This camp... is for spare people. We were never meant to be let back into society."

"Where will we go?"

"The closest city."

"I'm pretty sure there are encampments between here and there- if what you say is true we are just going to let those kids die?"

Whispers. Then chatter. Anger. Fear.

Gray looked stricken. "I..."

"No. Let them out." Yue maintained a distance from her but his voice commanded their attention. "Gray? You lead them." He unwound three beads from his white hair.

"What... what do I do with these?"

"Royal's Jade. It won't break down the gates for a human, but it will slow pursuers. Give me your hand."

Opal could see Gray's face went very pink when he covered her small hand in his. He ran a finger from her palm to her fingertip. They glowed white. "They won't last forever, but I imagine three years should be more than enough time for a human. Try." He mimed closing her fist tight and then opening it.

She followed and gasped when a swirl of ice and snow shot up a few inches above her palm.

"Impressive." Yue tilted his head.

"You won't come with us?" Gray closed her hand.

He shook his head. "Kait?"

"Already ahead of you."

Kait's face looked gaunt but her smile remained. "I'd suggest letting me give my favor to someone other than Gray. In case..."

"I die." Gray turned to the crowd and pointed out a boy splattered nearly head to toe in blood. "You tried to save four people just now. You went for help when Opal was hurt."

His eyes filled with tears. "But I didn't save them..."

"What's your name?" Kait asked.

"Pike."

"I like it." She motioned for him to lower his head. He was quite a bit taller. "This will hurt..."

He yelped, slapping a hand to his ear. She grimaced. "Sorry. I only can give you one year..."

Pike winced and touched the earring she'd implanted. She took his hand and put it over his ear. "Like this. But be careful, when you use it on others too often, you'll get sick yourself."

"This is bullshit. You all ruined everything- and now you're given your nasty demon magic, your curses, to random humans to make it seem like you saved us?" Atom shoved Kait away from Pike who appeared terrified.

Kait caught herself before she fell. For a moment her eyes went cold as they stared at each other. She seemed to recognize something in his face and her expression softened. "The dead girl..."

"Ermine! Her name was Ermine you bastards! I saw you-" He reached for Kait's shirt. "If you had just kept moving she wouldn't have been killed!"

"Hands off unless you want to lose them." As beat up as Spark looked he still moved remarkably quickly.

Atom sneered at him. Opal was impressed he hadn't pissed himself as Spark had smoke billowing out of his mouth again. "You were there too. Anything you say is just to make yourselves feel better. Demons are never on our side."

Opal couldn't help but agree. After all, if Spark and Yue hadn't left from the beginning maybe more would have made it out safe. Including Proga who was barely able to stand now. She watched Kait gently untangle Spark's fingers from the collar of his shirt. There were scorch marks.

"Spark-" Her eyes were pleading. "Let me give him one." She pulled out his bangles from her pocket.

Spark stopped. "Hell no- this asshole? And who said I was offering any favors to a human?"

"I agree with him, Kait." Yue shrugged. "He still needs his training wheels. Look at him."

Opal could see the beginning of flames flickering at the edges of the dark-haired boy's mouth. "You piece of- tell you what Yue, if I'm so weak come over here and say it to my face."

"I didn't say weak... this time. I said you're poorly trained and now is clearly not the time."

"Look at me." Kait's voice came as a soft command. Opal found that she had to listen and turned to look.

Spark's flames dissipated. She continued. "He was Ermine's. I think he'll be the best choice. For a protector."

Spark looked between Atom and the dead Ermine and then back to the silver-haired girl. "Fine. He can have two. That's it."

"I think that's a mistake." Yue repeated but didn't try and stop them.

Atom tried to pull away, even lifting a hand as though to strike Kait but her hand touched his face. He froze, blinking stupidly as she put two of the bracelets around his wrist.

"I'm not teaching you shit." Spark glared at Atom as if daring him to argue, then took the remainder of the rings from Kait and limped towards the side of the road.

"Opal-" Gray put her hands around her in a hug. "I'll miss you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes. Yes you are. You're not supposed to be here. There won't be anything waiting for you at your old life even if you could remember it."

"No. No this is the only life I know."

"If you want to come with us you won't be able to change your mind. You saw what they did to demons already. They use them for worse than they do to us unwanted kids." Opal winced, remembering Spark's offhand comment about being an incinerator. She's thought at the time he'd meant he'd used one on dead bodies. It only now, finally, occurred to her he probably wasn't just flipping a switch on a machine.

"But-"

"Opal?" Proga gave her a weak wave. "I don't want to rush your goodbyes but I think they really will leave us this time."

"I'll visit. City 84 right? You'll be with your sister."

Gray gave her a small smile. "Yes."

Yue had already opened another hole behind the greenery, Kait was waiting next to it, Spark was nowhere to be seen. She slowly started that way but froze by the hole. The difference between the artificial blue and red of the outside was startling.

She must have been crying again. Proga's rough finger wiped her face, surprisingly gentle. "You belong with us. You'll be able to walk out in the air, I promise."She squeezed her eyes shut and held his hand as she stepped through. Opal took a deep breath.