While Ravi and the others ran off to get supplies ready, I took Audrey and went to find the Simones.

"She isn't going to like this," Audrey muttered. "Without solid proof, she'll want us to stay."

"We have solid proof," I said, my voice more confident than I really was. "Giselle said that the Boss dude is coming for Amarie."

"Giselle is crazy," Audrey pointed out.

I sighed, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. "Look, do you want to do this or not?"

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. "I just know that she'll object. So I'm prepping you to argue with her."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why do I have to argue with her? What about you?"

Audrey glared at me. "Um, because she's my mom? And we're still on weird terms. I don't want to strain anything."

My expression softened. "Right. That makes sense." I sighed. "Well, here goes nothing." I walked up to the Simones.

Mrs. Simone and Dr. Smith stood up as I approached them, concern etched in their faces. Mrs. Simone walked around the table, her eyes layered in pain.

"We're going after him," I said quietly. "We have to. We have to protect Amarie, and if there's any way to stop this...onslaught, you know we have to stop it."

Her mouth opened, then closed. She looked down. "Why?" she said quietly, almost pleading. She looked up. "Why do have to go?" She closed her eyes tightly. Dr. Smith walked up behind her and put an arm around her.

"You know the answer to that," I said softly.

I felt guilt rise in my stomach. She looked so broken, so small. But she knew.

Mrs. Simone slowly walked forwards and embraced Audrey, her eyes closed. "I just got you back," she whispered. "I can't stand to watch you leave."

"I have to," Audrey said, her voice much quieter than normal.

"Do you?" Dr. Smith said, his voice tight with pain. "Why can't Natasha and I go? And April and Sumiko and—"

"We've been part of this fight for a long time," I said gently. "We have to finish it. And what would happen if you died? You'd leave an entire generation of Myths and Legends to fend for themselves with no training. You're important for the survival of an entire race. Two, actually."

Dr. Smith deflated. He adjusted his glasses and sigh. He walked forward and embraced his wife and his daughter.

I felt tears well up inside me, the guilt twisting my heart. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that we had to tear apart a family to stop this man. But we couldn't make Audrey stay back if we tried.

"Go tomorrow?" Mrs. Simone asked softly.

Audrey and I nodded in unison. It was the least we could do.

Mrs. Simone and Dr. Smith stepped back. Audrey shoved her hands in her pockets with a meek smile. "I'll be fine. I always am."

Then we slowly made our way back to our rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~

I couldn't sleep.

Not only had I just taken a nap, but the knowledge that in the morning we were going back to Lilituana had burrowed itself deep in my beating heart and would not let my eyes drift closed.

Sighing, I rolled out of bed and pulled on a light sweater before I began roaming the hallways.

The ocean breeze was cool and salty. I closed my eyes and relished the feeling of it brushing against my face.

"Sierra," a soft voice said behind me.

I jumped slightly, and turned.

It was Giselle.

She had deep blue circles under her eyes and kept her arms crossed tightly in front of her. She looked young. It was an odd combination of looking young yet worn down with weariness and experience.

An odd thought struck me. How old was Giselle? We had never really been told. Presumably as old as Juan, but I didn't know how old he was either.

I realized then that I hadn't replied. "Hey," I said tentatively.

She took a step forward and I flinched involuntarily. Her expression fell, and I instantly felt guilty.

"You are afraid of me," she said with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry." I truly was sorry. I wanted her to feel accepted.

"It's okay," she replied, easing back to where she originally stood. "We have that in common."

My heart ached. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be her, manipulated, controlled, brainwashed, then forced to live in the home of your enemies. And now trying to befriend them.

Not for the first time, I felt a flicker of respect for Giselle.

She pulled her arms tighter around her. "I don't sleep much anymore. That's when he talks the most." She tapped the side of her temple.

"Damius?" I clarified. She confirmed with a nod. I frowned. "What does he say?"

She shrugged. "Nothing of importance. Telling me I'm a traitor. That I'm a failure. That I have joined the losing team." She attempted a smile, but it quickly fell. "Don't worry, I tell Juan everything, so I promise, this isn't a secret to Natasha."

"That's horrible," I whispered, still caught on the nightmares. "I'm so sorry."

She shrugged again.

There was a moment of silence.

Then she frowned. "Whoever this boss man is, Sierra...he's bad news. I only heard vague passing statements about him when I was...you know. But he's good at figuring stuff out behind the scenes." She shook her head slightly. "You'll have to be careful."

"Okay." I tilted my head slightly. "Thank you. Really. I mean it."

She didn't respond, but instead walked to the right of me and leaned her elbows against the window sill, gazing outside. I inched closer to her, not sure what to say.

"Did you know," she whispered, "when I first found out I was a sorceress, and I could do magic, I wanted to save the world?" She chuckled. "How ironic, isn't it? I used to stay up at night and dream about all the different ways I would stop the war or defeat the tyrant or what-have-you. I read a lot of fantasy books when I was a kid. I should've seen where I was headed. I had the maps and everything." She sighed. "I suppose I did a fairly terrible job of saving the world."

We stood there in silence for a few more moments.

Then, I found my voice to speak.

"You still can."

~~~~~~~~

I sat on the edge of the wooden dock, the dark water turning ominously beneath my feet. The silver moon cast a peaceful glow over the scene, but there was a sort of unease in the air.

Maybe it was just me.

Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned.

It was Ravi.

He smiled lopsidedly. "Hey. Couldn't sleep?"

I shook my head. "You?"

He shook his head, then gestured to the spot next to me. "May I?"

"Absolutely." I scooted over a bit.

He sat down next to me, his legs dangling over the edge. I felt his warmth settle next to me and some of the tender muscles in my back relaxed. He sighed. "This is crazy."

I nodded. I wasn't really sure what to say.

"You ever feel like everyone expects us to know what to do?" he said, running a hand through his hair in distress. "They just assume we'll make the decisions and do it right and stuff."

I nodded again. "No pressure."

He looked at me strangely. "Are you okay? You're really quiet right now."

I sighed. "I guess." I pulled up my legs and crossed them under me. "I just don't know if I'm ready. This guy isn't Giselle or the Destroyer. He's not even Damius, who is bad enough. We know nothing about him except he's been pulling strings for years and drove people to insanity."

There was a moment of silence. I heard the waves lapping against the posts of the dock.

"Hey," Ravi said softly, "that sounds like self-doubt to me. Not the first time you've felt it. And it won't be the last. But you've made it this far. And you're going to keep succeeding."

I smiled half heartedly. "Thanks."

He placed a hand on my shoulder. It was warm and comforting. "We're going to figure it out. We always do. Our friends are good at a lot of things, but one thing we're really bad at is giving up."

I laughed. "That's true," I murmured.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then slid his hand from my shoulder to around my waist. It was tentative, uncertain, and light.

My smile grew and a warm feeling blossomed in my chest. He was trying to comfort me, but was also being careful in case I was uncomfortable with that. I never thought I could have this much respect and admiration for a person my age.

But then here came this boy with eyes of copper, a mind of diamond, and a heart of gold.

I leaned into his touch, resting my head against his shoulder. His touch felt like safety, sunlight, and song. His arm tightened around my waist. I could feel his heart beating in time with mine.

"I'm really glad I met you, Ravi," I said quietly. "You're...incredible."

You're amazingly intelligent and kind and protective and you care about your friends so much. Your eyes look like they were crafted by the most gifted of artisans, copper with rivets of gold. There is so much warmth, so much strength, in those eyes.

But I didn't say any of that.

"Sierra, you are one hundred times more incredible than I could ever be," he whispered back.

And I wondered if he, too, was thinking words he dared not speak.