We decided to wait until morning before leaving on our rescue mission. Damian only told a few people where we were going, but instructed them not to come after us if we got in trouble. We would either get ourselves out or not get out at all.

I packed a change of clothes and a few supplies into a backpack. A blue hoodie that reminded me of Atticus, a pair of black jeans, a rope, a pen light, and gloves was all I had.

In my room, I sat down on the floor in the bathroom and grabbed some scissors. After taking a deep breath, I slowly started cutting my hair. Lock after lock fell to the ground around me, until I was sitting in a circle of black hair.

Then I stood up and hopped in the shower. I turned it to cold and sighed as the water flowed down my back. My head felt too light. My hair was too short. But it was done and there was no bringing it back.

After I felt relived of guilt and all my tears for Aria and everyone else had been shed, I turned off the water and changed into completely black clothing.

Then I stared at myself in the mirror and examined my hair. It was just shorter then shoulder length, and the tips curled slightly. I tucked a strand behind my ear.

It was midnight when Damian rapped on the door. I opened it, shouldered my backpack, and followed him through the dark halls. He was dressed like me: head to toe in black.

"Are you ready for this? I'm not pressuring you to do anything?" He asked softly. I shook my head and the short strands of my hair hit me in the face.

"I chose to come with you. To be honest, I probably would've snuck out on my own and tried rescuing them if you hadn't suggested this."

"Glad to help."

We reached a door, and Damian used a card to unlock it. He tugged it open and held it out for me. I stepped through and followed a dark path towards the helipad.

"Eris!" Damian called, gesturing for me to follow him onto another path that led to the side.

I stayed close by his side as we wandered along it.  Finally we reached a small cabin. Again, Damian opened the door and we shuffled in.

"This is a little hideout I use before going on any mission. I can relax and just forget about my responsibilities for a minute." He waved a hand around before realizing I couldn't see a thing and flicked on a light.

There was a small bed in the corner, a couch pushed against a wall, and an old TV resting atop a sagging cabinet. A door on the right wall led to a bathroom and another door was to a small patio out back.

"Eris, you..." Damian trailed off, staring at me. My hand instantly flew up and touched my short hair.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"It looks good," he commented. I forced a smile and a nod. "Anyway, we can stay here until morning. Do you watch Netflix? I've been watching Once Upon a Time. Are you a fan?"

"I never heard of it," I answered honestly, taking a seat on the couch.

"You never...! Where did my brother go wrong with you? Come on, kiddo, season one is calling your name."