Lena Matthews

"Take me with you," Jane-Anne demanded again.

"No!" I repeated. "I want to see Finn alone."

"So? We can see Finn alone together."

"That completely defeats the purpose, Jane-Anne." I sighed.

"It doesn't have to if I promise to be quiet. You won't even notice I'm there." Jane-Anne promised.

"Trust me, I'll notice if you're there," I replied, rummaging through my closet for a cardigan. Jessica had bought me way too many, and I felt like I had to go out of my way to wear all of them.

"I can't be alone with them," Jane-Anne confessed.

"What do you mean?" Now I was starting to get frustrated.

"They tolerate me, but if I bring too much attention to myself I'm-" Jane-Anne choked on her words for a second. "I think I know what they see me as, even if they're trying not to."

I closed the closet door slowly, unsure of what to say. "We're not-"

"You don't know that!" Jane-Anne protested. "No one fully knows what's going on with me. I don't even know what's going on. I mean, I never know what's going on-"

"So maybe you shouldn't travel halfway across the country with me." I finished. "Why do you want to go so badly?"

"I don't know," Jane-Anne admitted. "I just don't think I can be here anymore."

I stopped packing and made the mistake of looking at Jane-Anne's deep brown eyes. They almost reminded me of Aurelie. The same innocence, but also the same despair. That was enough for me to break.

"You'll be on your best behavior, right?" I asked Jane-Anne.

"Of course!" Jane-Anne nodded enthusiastically, practically jumping up and down. She held out her pinky like an elementary schooler at a slumber party.

"What's this?" I asked, staring at her hand apathetically.

"It's a pinky swear," Jane-Anne answered. "Have you never done one?"

"I know what it is, I just..." I shook my head. "What are we, six?"

"You're sixteen, I'm seventeen, and we can do whatever we want!" Jane-Anne protested.

"You're older than me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It's a long story." Jane-Anne huffed. When my expression didn't move, she started talking. "My mom held me back. Twice."

When the corner of my mouth twitched, Jane-Anne rolled her eyes. "Just do it!"

I held out my pinky obediently, still scoffing at how childlike this was.

"Okay, I need you to chant this with me," Jane-Anne instructed. "Ready?"

Whenever I did a pinky swear, which was basically never considering that I didn't have friends until Atalka, it was always one quick motion, and never required words.

"Yubi kiri genman," Jane-Anne chanted, her finger still intertwined with mine.

"What are you doing, casting a spell?" I asked.

"It's just a song, you'll be fine," said Jane-Anne. "Can we keep going?" She waited for me to nod before starting over. "Yubi kiri genman, uso tsuitara hari sen bon nomasu, yubikita!"

"What did I promise to do, exactly?" I asked, rubbing my Forbidden brand nervously.

"It doesn't mean anything bad, or at least, I don't think so." Jane-Anne thought for a moment. "I think if you break the promise you have to drink a thousand needles or something."

"What?"

"You're still taking me with you, right?" Jane-Anne asked. "Because if you do, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about."

Even though I wanted to be annoyed at Jane-Anne, I didn't want to travel alone. Having her company wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially since Finn and I had a lot to talk about and I didn't know where to begin. Maybe Jane-Anne could be my buffer.

"You're coming with me," I confirmed out loud, officially caving in. Jane-Anne grinned before wrapping me in a suffocating hug.

As I walked down the stairs, Jane-Anne sped up behind me, eventually pulling ahead of me and jumping down the last flight of stairs.

"What's with you?" Carter asked, amused.

"I'm going out!" Jane-Anne announced.

"Seriously?" Carter asked. He turned to face Jessica, who had just entered the room.

"Seriously?" Jessica echoed, looking at me. She knew that I was leaving, but she probably didn't expect me to take someone else.

"We're going to be really safe," I promised. "No agents. Except for my brother."

"Why does Jane-Anne get to leave the penthouse?" Carter asked. "We've been stuck in here forever."

"We're being safe for now," Jessica explained. "Just be patient."

"Nothing bad happened when Kiara went out." Jane-Anne piped up. "And she managed to get drunk and everything."

That wasn't exactly the truth. I still couldn't get that weird symbol out of my mind. Despite that, I wasn't ready to tell anyone and cause a panic. We had just gotten here. I wasn't ready to run again, even though we were probably doomed to run for the rest of our lives.

"Where did you guys go that day, exactly?" Jessica asked.

"We really need to get going." I interrupted, nearly shoving Jane-Anne into the elevator.

"You'll be safe?" Jessica asked.

"Of course." I agreed quickly.

"And you promise me you'll come back?"

That question was a little... unexpected. "Yeah." I agreed softly. "I'm not leaving for long." I couldn't. Even though I was going to see my brother, deep down I knew that I didn't have a family anymore. I had this, and I was going to make the best of it.

The elevator doors slowly whirred shut, and the last thing I saw was Jessica watching me until she vanished from view completely.

Novi, Michigan: otherwise known as the middle of nowhere. Jane-Anne and I crashed in the middle of a frigid forest littered with fiery leaves, both of us gasping for breath.

"I hated that." Jane-Anne groaned, rubbing her forehead. No matter how many times she teleported with me, she definitely wasn't going to get used to it.

"Come on," I said, holding my arm out. Jane-Anne mumbled something under her breath before taking it.

As soon as Jane-Anne was on her feet, I wrapped my cardigan tightly around my body. I may have underestimated how cold it was here. Jane-Anne had the nerve to wear a short-sleeved shirt and jeans without shivering.

"It has to be close. I wouldn't get sent here if I wasn't where I need to be." I explained, my breath sparkling in the air.

"I thought you control where you go," said Jane-Anne nervously, her sneakers crunching on the leaves beneath her.

"I mean yeah, but part of it's just instinct, you know? You feel how everything's connected because you're a part of the bigger picture. It's like the forests know what I want and they try to work with me." I explained.

"You make being Forbidden sound so nice," Jane-Anne murmured.

I didn't say anything, my eyes trained ahead. When a building finally came into view, I sped up. It was supposed to be room 229 of the Twin Cabins Motel. That's what Finn said.

While the motel did a good job of looking like a log cabin, it also looked like it was on the verge of falling apart. The one-story building ran along a decrepit parking lot with a neon sign boasting its name in flickering red letters. Jane-Anne and I walked along the outward-facing green doors, counting the faded numbers mechanically before we stood in front of the door labeled 229.

I took a deep breath, trying to collect myself. Jane-Anne frowned.

"It's just Finn, right?" she asked.

"It's been a while," I explained, looking at the door. I just had to get it over with. Before I could make a move, Jane-Anne reached past me and knocked on my behalf.

Footsteps slammed against the floor as Finn dashed towards the doorway. When he made it to the entrance, he hugged me so tightly I lifted off the grass. That was what I got for having a brother nearly a foot taller than me.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Hi, Finn!" Jane-Anne greeted.

"Hey!" said Finn. "I didn't know you were coming."

Jane-Anne shrugged. "I just always wanted to be in Michigan, I guess."

Finn smiled as he leaned back to grab the hotel key. He was trying to keep the door closed as much as possible, like he was trying to shield something from view.

"Are you hiding something?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"It's just... a mess in the room," Finn mumbled, trying to step outside and effectively shut the door behind him. When he stepped out of the way, I shoved the door open. The doorknob slammed into the wall, its old hinges screaming in protest.

Finn was right: his room was a mess, with papers and clothes littered across the floor. He had just neglected to mention the wall. My stomach twisted uneasily as I stared at the printed articles that had been taped across the walls with frantic markings in Sharpie, trying to track down the suspect. Finn was here on a mission, as much as I had wanted to push that from my mind.

Finn slammed the door shut, not caring that he almost hit my nose. "There's a small courtyard behind the motel." He offered.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"My job. Kind of." Finn answered. When I crossed my arms, he sighed. "I threw the first mission. There's a nymph somewhere that owes me. And whatever's here, I'll try to keep them safe too." I nodded silently, trying to dismiss my unease.

Something wasn't adding up. It took Finn 6 months to even visit me, but he's only done one mission during that time. Even if he was training, he would have found me. He wouldn't abandon me for that long without a reason.

"Coming?" Jane-Anne asked, standing by Finn's side.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Have you heard anything about Aaliyah?" Finn asked as we rounded the corner of the motel.

"No," I admitted.

"I don't know if this would make you feel better, but the Agency hasn't found her yet," said Finn. "She was acting so weird during the escape... I didn't know what to tell Jerome."

"But you told him, right?" Jane-Anne asked.

"No one else would. Figured I might as well." Finn explained. "He's glad everyone's okay, by the way. He wants to see you guys when you're ready."

"This place is so cute!" Jane-Anne exclaimed, running ahead of us. Her shoes pattered across the concrete floor of the courtyard.

A couple of creaky wooden chairs surrounded an already-charred firepit with a neat stack of logs beside it. Finn didn't hesitate to pile the firewood while Jane-Anne made herself comfortable in one of the chairs.

"How's Aurelie?" I asked Finn. "Has she asked about me?"

"Aurelie's fine, but when Mom and Dad told her about the Forbidden it... it wasn't pretty," said Finn.

"She's ten." I protested. "Why would you let them tell her?"

"I wasn't there when it happened," Finn confessed. "I just saw her after."

"What does she think happened to me?" I asked, my vision starting to get blurry.

"I think you know," said Finn awkwardly.

"Did you tell her the truth?" I asked. "Did you tell her that I'm okay? Tell me you at least tried to save her from them."

"I can't even save myself." Finn scoffed. I fell silent, staring at the stoic pyramid of unlit firewood.

"Lena and I saw the Statue of Liberty," said Jane-Anne, breaking the awkward silence. "It was a lot smaller than I expected, but it was still cool. And we also went to this really weird club."

"Sounds like you've had some adventures," said Finn.

"Yeah, when Jessica lets us leave," said Jane-Anne, rolling her eyes. She stretched her arms, gazing at the stars that looked back down on her. "I like this better. It's... quieter."

"Jessica's a little protective, but we can't stay in that penthouse forever. She'll have to let us go eventually." I reasoned.

"You know, there haven't been any Forbidden cases in Manhattan in years," said Finn.

"Are there just no Forbidden in Manhattan?" Jane-Anne asked. "Because that doesn't make a lot of sense."

"I think a few years ago, something shifted. They just stopped finding evidence, so they stopped sending agents to Manhattan. The silence was weird, so they sent a few guys, but they never came back. Now no one wants to touch that place with a ten-foot pole." Finn explained.

"So Monique was right," I muttered to myself. "No agents in 3 years."

"Yeah, another Code Windermere," Finn affirmed.

Code Windermere was named after a small town that every agent collectively refused to visit. There were a few zones like that scattered around the world, collectively known as the Windermere Coven.

"Can't believe I didn't know," I remarked.

"It's not exactly your business anymore, considering," said Finn. "Besides, you make a way better Forbidden than agent."

"I still would have been better than you." I pointed out.

"It's not a competition, Lena." Finn reminded me as he stood. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Jane-Anne asked.

"I just need to get some gas for the fire," Finn explained.

"Don't you still have the lighter on you?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that fire isn't big enough to catch onto the logs-"

"Light your hand on fire, and then transfer-"

"Perfect idea, allow me to light my hand on fire in public, that won't be suspicious at-"

"Have you even been practicing?"

"Practicing arson, are you-"

"Okay!" Jane-Anne exclaimed, breaking the argument. "Just let Finn go."

"What happened to you while I was in there?" I asked, ignoring Jane-Anne's advice.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Finn.

"I know that you're not telling me something." I countered. "Can you not use fire anymore? Is that it? Did you find some other way to shut the power down during the escape?"

"I'm fine," said Finn.

"So then why won't you do it? You can't pretend to be happy about me being Forbidden when you're the exact same thing and can't accept it." I said flatly.

"It's complicated," said Finn finally. "But I have it under control, I promise. I don't need your help. You need to focus on yourself right now."

I didn't say anything, my mouth hanging open in shock. The more Finn spoke, the more concerned I got. I couldn't find the words to articulate how, but something was wrong.

"Maybe we should leave soon," I told Jane-Anne quietly.

"Right," said Jane-Anne awkwardly.

"What?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, I..." Jane-Anne pursed her lips. "Would you hate me if I told you I'm not going back to New York?"

A/N: Nothing like some good old-fashioned family drama. I have another person to thank for finishing The Gate, and that would be ekjosephwrites . If you're not still dead due to college, that is. Seeing all of your unbridled anger at the Agency was absolutely hilarious, and you were the first person to correctly guess the identity of the yuki-onna so gold star for that. I hope there will be some Wiccan updates sometime in the future!

QOTD: Fun fact about the "yubi kiri" chant: it was the first version of the pinky swear. As a kid, I couldn't comprehend the idea that people did pinky swears without the chant. That brings me to my question. As a kid, what was your way of proving to your friend that you'd keep a promise?