It's sometime after midnight when I finally collapse and can't get back up. The water falls into the earth when I am unable to keep the connection. Aiden doesn't stir. My body aches and shivers and my head pounds something fierce. "I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes," I say to the darkened forest, "Just a few..."My mind drops and tumbles. My body jerks and thrashes. I see the betrayer's face. I'm not sure if I'm dreaming but my mind drops again and I forget the world.

"You're doing it again aren't you?" a man's voice fills my mind. The sound is familiar and comforting.

"Yes I am," the females' voice is light, like she's smiling when she says it.

The male sighs. "So what is it this time? Are we telling stories, singing, teaching her how to defend herself, or making sure she knows that all boys are evil?" he asks.

The female laughs. It's light and refreshing to hear, "I wish to show her where she can be safe."

There is silence. Then, "That won't be easy. That sort of memory could...it's dangerous. If she were ever caught, if she were ever..." His voice cuts of and he takes a deep breath. The woman soothes him.

"I know," she assures him. "But what if she needs a safe haven?"

"She'll always need a safe haven, she's our daughter," he says meaningfully.

"Stop being an ass, you know what I mean," she says.

Another sigh, "You better bury the memory deep then, so she'll only find it when absolutely needs to."

The woman takes a deep breath, "Will you help me show her?"

"I'll do anything for you, you know that," he says.

"Yes," she agrees.

There is darkness then I am running over green country sides and rolling hills. I see as if I am walking on fast-forward over dozens of miles. I fly over rivers, through streams, forests, and into the mountains where I travel to a gorge and along a mountain until I stand before a wooden cabin. The smell of wood smoke and pine trees fill my nose.

I jerk awake. My mind is foggy and heavy with sleep. My eyes water against the light and I reach out with arms of lead. I don't know where I am. "Easy there." My eyes focus on Aiden's face. I snap back to reality and punch him in the face. He cups his hand over his mouth and jumps away from me. I scramble to my feet.

"What was that for?" His voice is muffled from his hand. I take a few breaths and calm my pounding heart. Aiden nurses his blooding lip.

I don't answer him. "What time is it?"

Aiden shrugs, "The sun is setting. I'm not sure on the time exactly."

"It's setting? How long have I been asleep?" I demand angrily.

Again he shrugs, "When I woke up you were passed out. I tried to wake you up but you wouldn't stir. So I carried you for a while to get us further away." He goes and picks up a plastic bag I hadn't noticed. "I stole you some clothes that I think will fit you." He puts them down between us and turns around pointedly.

I narrow my eyes and look in the bag and decide that it would nice to have something to wear so I change quickly. He managed to grab a pair of shoes that are close to my size. Everything is a bit big, but he even thought to swipe a bra, even if it's a little tight I haven't felt this human for a very long time.

"Thank you," I force the words out. They taste bitter on my tongue.

He turns and nods stiffly. "You're welcome," it also sounds forced.

Silence.

"Well goodbye," I pick a random direction and start walking. Thirty steps later I realize I'm not alone. Aiden follows, stepping quietly and carefully along the forest floor.

"I'm not sure I was clear before. I'm going, alone," I tell him.

He looks me in the eyes. "Sure and I'm following you," he says simply.

I turn fully and face him. "I don't like you. Actually I wanted to bash your head in with a rock so I'm pretty sure that qualifies as hate, but I didn't. But that's only because you saved my life. You can turn around and walk the other direction and I won't harm you, but I swear if you try to follow me then I will kill you."

"I'm not leaving. Listen, I appreciate you taking me with you. I appreciate that you have some absurd sense of life debt. But don't, because you can kill me anytime you wish without feeling guilty for it. I won't try to stop you when the time comes that you want my lift but right now I'm coming with you. You need my help, at least until you're strong again and have reached your potential and I know you can make it on your own."

I cross my arms. "So what, you don't value your own life? You don't care that at any minute I could snap and sent a spear of ice through your heart? Why?"

He sighs. "I can't explain that. You wouldn't..." he shakes his head.

"Yeah, this isn't happening," I say annoyed.

"Then kill me," he says shrugging.

"Fine." I run at him. I expect him to defend himself but he doesn't. My body slams into his and he falls back hard. His head grazes the side of a tree and he winces but he doesn't move to defend. I put one hand around his throat and keep my other in a fist. I stare him in the eyes.

There is no fear. His gaze is calm and I know he's not lying. When he says he doesn't care if he dies...he means it. I knew that sort of resolve. I'd been there. So why should I give him the pleasure of dying when he didn't give it to me? I let go of his throat. "What did you mean when you said you wanted to help me reach my potential?"

"You're powerful but you're untamed. I can help teach you to focus your connection," he says.

I swallow. "Did they do that with you?"

"...yes. In a way," he says calmly.

I stand up and step back. He raises himself on his elbows. "How? They aren't Misfits. They don't' understand the connection and what it's like to feel the emotion. How could they have trained you?"

Aiden raises two fingers and taps his head. "We're nothing more than scientific anomalies. The connection we share with water isn't magic, its science and it can be measured. It's genetic, but it has to do with something in our brains that allows us to connect to the water, sort of telepathic if you will. They can measure the connection, the technology for it grows every day and when they realized what was causing it they started hunting for us." He lets out a deep breath. "That's why the government started spreading rumors of a virus, so they could flush out and collect the anomalies. They know which part of our brain controls the connection they know that certain stimulations can trigger it and can turn it off. That's how they trained me. They used their machines and then they improved me."

"But why?" I ask. My hands are shaking. I want to strangle Mr. Handler, but I'm also afraid. If they can disable my brain, then I'm nothing special, that scares me more than anything. If I'm not a Misfit then I am nothing. That's what they were trying to take from me when the tortured me. That was their goal; to strip me down and rebuild me for their use.

"Why what?" he asks.

"Why wouldn't they just kill us? Why would they take the risk trying to train you? Look at you now, you were their dog but you turned and bit them, why would they risk that?"

He sighs, "You're asking questions I can't fully answer. But let me ask you something, have you ever wondered why almost all Misfits are orphans?"

"Our parents were killed by the virus." It's a knee jerk answer, because that's what I've been told my whole life. It's what I used to believe. Aiden looks me in the eyes and waits for a real answer. I stop and think aloud, "But you said that the government made the virus up as an excuse to expose us. So if the government tells us that our parents were killed by the virus and they made the virus up then..." A shiver runs down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Then they killed them. They killed our parents..." The sound of a lullaby whispers through my mind but it's gone before I can reach for it. I have an uneasy sense that I'm forgetting something important.

"Yes," he says. "Nineteen years ago the government started locking down on hunting Misfits. They organized and trained people who would know what to expect, people who were specialized on us, the Handlers. It was a purge, the biggest of all. Under the very noses of its citizens the government was at war with Misfits. They claimed that the virus had mutated and they used it as an excuse to murder and drag innocent people from their homes. Misfits tried to fight back, small groups came together and fought, they almost won too but the Handlers and soldiers were too many. We're not invincible, you know that, we get tired, we make mistakes. Our parents were killed fighting to keep their freedom and their children. The government knew it was genetic. Not all of us have the connection, sometimes it skips or just disappears within the generation but they knew they had to keep an eye on the children of known anomalies. So they stuffed us in orphanages and gave us names. Then they watched us, waiting for our brains to develop. Some people stayed hidden longer than others, but in the end, we were defeated.

"I'm telling you this so you'll understand. I am the result of war. The Handlers knew that if there was ever to be another threat then they needed to be prepared. So they figured what better way to fight water than with water? They figured that if they could tame the strongest of us then they'd be prepared. I am not the only one but I was among the first and I am the strongest they had," he doesn't say with pride. He says it with a great burden upon his shoulders. I see the weight of every soul they helped them take.

I sit down. My world is shattering, it's falling to pieces and yet a new one is being built, a world of hard truths, but truth none the less. "Was I...?" I swallow.

"Yes. When you fought me the first day you came. It was your test. They've done it to dozens of Misfits but none of them came close to what you almost accomplished," he says.

"And what's that?" I ask.

He gives me a hard half smile that doesn't have anything to do with humor. "Killing me. But they didn't succeed in breaking your mind, that is always the first step," he says coldly.

"They broke yours though, didn't they? So how do I know you aren't still working for them? That this is just some...twisted torture?" The thought comes back with a shiver.

He stands up and brushes dirt off his pants. He touches the back of his head where it grazed the tree and it comes away red with blood but he doesn't say anything about it. He doesn't complain or even look worried. He just drops his hand and looks at the sky. "Listen, we're wasting time. Trust me or not. Kill me or start walking. The choice is yours, but we could be here all week if you keep asking me questions."

I stand up. "I'll start walking once you answer my question. How do I know that you aren't still theirs?"

We stare at each other and he responds with something I don't have an answer to. "How do you know that you're not broken?" he asks.

In the end I let him live. I decide he is worth more to me alive at the moment than dead. He has answers to my questions and if what he says is true and I haven't reached my full potential then I'll need his help. I can learn from him, use him, and then kill him at my leisure. I want to be ready when they come for me because they will come and when they do. I want to destroy them.

I make Aiden walk at least fifteen feet behind me at all times because I can't stand to look at his face or see him. I tell him that he's not allowed to speak to me unless I ask him a direct question, either. He doesn't even argue, he just counts my steps and falls in behind. Eventually I give up trying to make sense of any direction. I need to find a house so I can steal supplies. There is a part of me that is still playing with the idea of going home to find Henry and ask for his help. Home. The word rings inside my head and holds a strange sense of longing. But when I try to elaborate on the word the only image that comes to mind is the farm, the sheep, and Jack. But I feel like I'm missing something.

I rub my head, it's been pounding for an hour and it's begun to drive me insane. Even though I slept a day away I still feel tired. I hear Aiden clear his throat from somewhere behind me. I ignore it. A few seconds later he does it again. "I thought I told you not to speak?"

"I wasn't speaking. I was clearing my throat. But now that you've asked me a direct question I'm going to suggest that we find a place to rest. You're still healing and we're not getting far in the dark. I say we use the time to rest and once daylight comes we should find some supplies and figure out where to go from there," he catches up to me quickly. His dark clothes blend with the night, he's a shadow come to life, a demon.

"How would you know anything about my body?" I demand. "It's my body."

"It is your body," he agrees. "But I was also the one who boosted the healing process so I know what you need and right now that doesn't include wandering around a dark forest in the cold."

I narrow my eyes, "What do you mean you boosted the healing process?"

He lets out a deep breath. "Again with the questions, it's like I told you before. You've only just started to tap into your potential. When you hone in your skills, you'll be amazed at the things you can do."

I remember the water running over my back in the dark cell. He had been healing me? I thought at the time he was just cleaning out my wounds. I sniff and turn away from him. "Fine, but find your own tree to sleep under." I move to small low hanging tree and curl up underneath. I pull my hood over my head and close my eyes, keeping my hands tucked inside my sleeves. The cold is no stranger.

The forest sounds cascade over me and fill me with a sense of security. I hear Aiden somewhere off moving and trying to get comfortable. I smile, because when I first learned to live out here I was the same way. Eventually I just accepted that I was never going to find a place to sleep without a root in my back.

"Good night," Aiden calls. I don't respond. I pretend that I'm already dead to the world and soak in the forest. When I wake up a few hours later the first rays of light are penetrating through the leaves and a crow is complaining loudly with squirrel somewhere above my head. I uncurl myself and stretch my legs until I hear my lower back pop. I crawl out from under the tree and rub my eyes. My breath swirls out in front of me and I shiver. I feel as though I will never have the change to stay warm.

"Aiden?" I look around but I don't see him curled up under any nearby trees. "Hello?" I listen but there is nothing to be heard. I start walking. I'm not sure when my I decided but ten minutes later I realize I'm trying to give Aiden the slip. I want to be the one to kill him and to learn from him but somewhere in the back of my mind I know I feel more comfortable on my own; that there is safety in solitude.

I stay silent and watch where I put my feet and I move like a ghost. The woods are a familiar comforting place, and I welcome the comfort it brings. The sun rises further. It starts to warm my skin but the air is still crisp in my lungs and against my nose and ears.

After an hour I'm still alone. I stop every ten minutes and listen for sounds of pursuit but there is nothing. After two hours I start to relax and after three I stop watching where I put my feet. I just focus on keeping a steady pace. I find water collected on leaves or in rocks and drink when I can. My stomach is empty and longing for food but I push the thoughts aside. I will never be at risk of dehydration but food is another matter. Thirty minutes later I come to a stream. I bend down and scoop handfuls of water to my face and then when I've had my full I put my hands into the water and close my eyes.

I feel my vision flip and I follow the stream with my consciousness for miles. I follow the bends and sharp turns but there is nothing but forest and trees and wild animals. So I pull myself back and I follow the stream in the opposite direction. A few miles down the stream shows me images of a bridge. I pull my hands out of the water and my vision flips back to the colored world. "Up stream it is," I say. Where there is a bridge, there is a road, where there is road there will eventually be some form of civilization, which means food.

My stomach rumbles and tightens. I rub it lightly and keep walking.

The sun is getting lower in the sky when I reach my destination. The smell is almost too much for me but I grab fistfuls of dirt and force myself to stay where I am. It took me a few hours to find a secluded house that would most likely have what I needed. Thunder rumbles in the distance and I know that I only have an hour before I'll be soaked with a late season storm. I can smell it in the air and feel it in my bones. The water is coming.

The wind throws the smell of smoke to my face again I have to swallow back the drool. Someone is roasting a chicken. The thunder rumbles in the distance again and I know I have to move in before the rain comes. I need supplies before I get soaked. I can always pull the water off my clothes and skin but there is only so much I can do against the rain. I take a deep breath and sprint across the yard from the woods. When I reach the house I press my back against it and breathe deep. My heart is pounding. I used to steal all the time before I was taken but this is different. I don't have time to wait for them to leave or wait to snag something off the clothes line.

I can hear voices, a teenager and two adults. Their voices are mumbled but their tones are light and happy. My vision flips and I turn onto my tip toes and peek through the nearest window. They sit as a family, laughing and eating around the table unaware of my presence.

I call to the water in their blood and my breath fogs the glass. I feel the water respond in each of them. I tug on the connection hard and their eyes roll back into their heads and they pass out. Their heads fall onto their plates of food. I take a shaky breath and walk to the back door. It's unlocked. The kitchen is warm and the smell of chicken fills my nose. I shut the door to keep the warmth inside the house. "Thanks for the meal," I tell the family. "Your contribution is appreciated."

It's a joke but I don't smile or laugh. I don't like to mess with people this way. The teenager I'm glad to find is around my height and size. I've gotten lucky. I find the hallway closet where the jackets are hung and shoes litter the ground. I pull out a pair of boots and look on the sole, it's a size too big but they lace past my ankles so they will stay securely on my feet. I pull them out of the closet then I search for a jacket. I find a large weatherproof black ski jacket and put it next to the boots.

The teenager's room is upstairs and after using the bathroom I search through her closet and find a book bag with a broken front zipper. Her name is scribbled on the tag with a sharpie. "Isabel," I say out loud. "Thanks Isabel. I'm sure you won't really miss any of this. Your family can always buy you more." I put on the new boots and jacket and put my old hoodie and shoes by the back door. I search the cupboards for canned goods that won't go bad and a bottle so I can keep water on me at all times without having to constantly look for it.

Before I leave I take a chicken leg from the platter in the center of the table and grab my things from the back door. "Thank you," I say. I leave the house and disappear into the forest.