The rest of the evening went smoothly, as Jada and Frank warmed to her new friends without further incident. Jada laughed at most of Sai's and James' jokes, while Frank connected with Jon and Roberta as they entered a fierce debate involving the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. They dined on meatloaf and vegetables, and once finished, Frank and Jada left them alone for the evening. James then led them in a Dungeons and Dragons session.

Valeria found the mechanics a little confusing; it was a complex numbers game involving twenty sided dice, monsters, and a game master who pretended to be various fictional characters. Their story was titled, The kidnapping of Princess Arelina, and wasn't much different than many typical role-playing stories.

The story arc followed a damsel in distress trope, and Valeria found that disappointing. She knew another story where a princess was always getting kidnapped, and the king hired a man to go rescue her.

Super Mario Brothers.

She tried to sound enthusiastic as they played, but secretly groaned in her mind. What about a story where the princess saves Mario? Now that was a game she'd like to play. Her character started with two skills; Sneak Attack was self explanatory, and she used it every chance she could. The other was Thieves' Cant - an encrypted Rogue language. Since she was the only Rogue in their game, she found this skill useless.

They played for a little over an hour and killed three monsters. They stopped after Sai and Roberta received texts from their parents, asking for their current location. Sai's parents agreed to pick everyone up and take them all home. He turned to Valeria after putting his phone down.

"Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure," she replied, "Go ahead."

When he came out, Sai had a new set of clothes on. He traded his stained jeans and Nirvana T-shirt for pleated khakis and a buttoned up collar shirt.

Grinning, Valeria whistled suggestively from the foyer. Sai laughed as he pointed to his new set of clothes.

"I know, I know. My parents think I wear this to school every day. Can you keep a secret?"

"I dunno," she said, her tone sarcastic. "It's gonna cost ya."

"How much?"

"Some more songs later. Better go learn some more Camilla songs."

"Alright," he said, his cheeks starting to flush. "I will."

James, Roberta, and Jon finished packing up their things in the living room and joined them near the foyer.

"Thanks for having us over, Valeria," Roberta said. "I was a little skeptical at first, but you're alright."

"Thanks," she replied. "You guys are okay too. See you tomorrow."

James pointed at her. "Don't sit at our table for lunch. Sit with Sheri and the Elites. We can meet up after school?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Valeria asked, "You really think they want me there?"

"Yeah," Jon said, checking his phone. "They're talking about you. I hacked Sheri's phone, and they plan to do some kind of makeover on you."

"Well," she said with distaste, "I guess that's comforting. You're sure they're not making fun of me?"

Jon shook his head. "Not really. Sheri is, and I quote: super excited to use V's Spanish to find authentic Mexican food downtown."

Valeria rolled her eyes. She wasn't particularly excited about becoming a token Latina friend - especially to that dumbass. She might need to explain that not all Latinos are Mexican. "They're calling me, V?" she asked.

Sai looked over at her with a grin. "I kinda like that. How about you?"

"Okay."

"My parents are here," Sai said. "See you later V! Thanks again."

They all said goodbye and she waved before closing the door and leaning back against it. She took a long, slow deep breath, and her lips pulled back into a smile as she exhaled. Despite all her skepticism, she had made new friends today. They were socially awkward and made her play a weird role playing game, but they still made her laugh. She had fun, and it was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Look at you," Frank said, exiting the kitchen. "Sounds like you're making all sorts of new friends.."

"You overheard that?"

"Uh huh. You should practice your charisma with both groups."

"Charisma?" Valeria asked, her eyebrow raised. "That's an attribute from that game right?"

"Yup. Charisma has been around before that game. We used to call it charm."

"So what else from that game is real?" she asked. "It said a Rogue's most important statistic is their dexterity."

"That's correct. For real Rogues, dexterity measures how quickly and accurately you move."

"Got it," she said, massaging her chin. "Charisma is how much of a smooth talker I am."

"Yep," he replied, a grin across his face. "Remember any other stats from your ceremony?"

She tried to remember the numbers from the accommodating ceremony. "Perception? I don't remember seeing that in the game."

"Perception describes a Rogue's ability to figure things out and plan a strategy. It's like intelligence or wisdom."

"So," she began, pacing back and forth, "Strength and Endurance are self-explanatory. How much I can lift, versus basic cardio?"

Frank smiled. "You got it, kiddo. Those are your key stats. Your dexterity, endurance, and charisma are pretty good. Hopefully school and training will increase your perception, while some good old workouts at the gym will boost your strength. Any other questions?"

"Several," she said, taking a moment to process her thoughts. It was unsettling, the similarities between a roleplaying game and her new life. What role did Rogues serve in the modern world? What about the other types of characters? Were any of them real? And more importantly, are any of them enemies of the Rogue Faction?

"I know what you're thinking, kiddo," Frank said, his grin dissipating. "Stick to questions about Rogues for now. Did you use any skills in your game?"

"I started with two. Sneak attack and Thieves Cant. Can I do those in real life?"

"Well," Frank said with a laugh, "You'll learn to master stealth soon enough. Thieves Cant? Never heard of that one."

"It's some kind of Rogue secret language."

"Ah," he said, nodding his head. "You're talking about Encryption. Yes, we do have a way to encrypt written, electronic, and spoken messages. You'll learn that from Xun – that's a Ninja skill."

"That girl from the Ninja guild?"

"Yeah. Monday through Thursday, you will spend time with each North American Master from the other four guilds. Mondays are with Xun, while Tuesdays you'll be with Penny learning Piracy skills. You remember those two, right?"

Valeria nodded. "What about the other two?"

"Wednesday," Frank continued, "you'll meet Hami, the North American Master of the Bounty-Hunter guild." He paused a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "I'm not the biggest fan of his equivalent in the Assassin guild. You saw her before we met Jada. Her name is Brigitte."

Valeria vaguely remembered the blond haired assassin. She seemed...less than pleasant.

"You're supposed to train with her on Thursdays, but Dontrell just finished an assignment here in the U.S. and has agreed to take her place. I'm a little worried about either of them training you, but don't worry - Jada and I will supervise."

"Why are you worried about them? They're not good teachers?"

"Not at all," Frank said with a sigh. "Dontrell is the most lethal Assassin in the world. He's a good teacher but..." He broke eye contact as he trailed off.

"But what? Jada said you used to be friends."

"When our daughter got sick," Jada said as she descended the stairs, "we had different opinions about her treatment options."

"What does that mean?" Valeria asked.

"It's complicated," Frank said. "You were only recently introduced to the Rogue Faction. I don't want to overload you with information about our rival faction."

Valeria's eyes narrowed. So it was true - Rogues aren't alone in this alternate world. They had enemies, and now she would too. She looked over at Jada and asked, "what does your daughter's illness have to do with a rival faction? Wasn't she treated at a hospital?"

"She was," Jada said with a sigh. "Heists were needed to pay her medical bills."

"But it wasn't enough," Frank added, cracking his knuckles. His face tensed and his eyebrows furrowed."The Celestials are so damn greedy now, and it pisses me off."

"Celestials?" Valeria asked, her eyes widening. Their enemies had a name, and it made her even more curious. "Who are they? Do you mean doctors?"

Jada shook her head. "Most doctors and pharmacists are normal people. On the other hand, the people who run the hospitals and pharmaceutical companies..."

She stared at both of them, a light bulb going off in the back of her head. "Wait a minute. You're telling me those companies are a Faction?"

"One of the oldest and most powerful," Jada replied.

Valeria paused and let this information sink in. She knew very little about healthcare, and had limited access to it over the years. Her trips to the Emergency Department were terrible, and she avoided that place as much as possible.

"You look confused," Frank said. "If I were to use layman's terms; people would describe Rogues as stealthy outlaws, while referring to Celestials as righteous healers. They used to heal people nearly free of charge. Not anymore."

Gaping, Valeria asked, "you're saying they profit off the sick?"

Frank nodded. "You bet kiddo. It's ironic - they claim to follow the light, but really follow the green like us."

"The green?"

"He's talking about money girl," Jada said, her tone impatient. Frowning at Frank, she continued with, "Not all of them are bad. The Rogue faction has its faults too – but with my reign – no one is allowed to harm the innocent anymore."

"I'm confused," she said, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "What does all of this have to do with your daughter and your brother?"

Jada closed her eyes and exhaled. "My brother wanted to attack the Celestials' headquarters. He thought we could find a cure for Bianca hidden there."

"But I told him no," Frank said. "No one knows what they have locked up in there." He looked over at Jada briefly before continuing on. "No Rogue has infiltrated the Celestial Stronghold without getting caught, and attacking them would end our ceasefire, resulting in countless Rogue, Celestial, and innocent deaths. I loved my daughter, but I couldn't go along with such a ruthless plan."

She turned to Jada. "What about you?"

Jada sighed. "I was undecided for a long time. In the end, I sided with my husband over my brother, even though I didn't like the decision."

Valeria's eyes widened. "So you just sat by and let your daughter die?" she asked without thinking. She regretted this mistake, but it was too late.

Jada stormed over and shoved a finger in her face. "You do not get to question my decision. If you ever lead some day, I pray you never face a decision like the one I did. I suffer with the consequences every damn day, so don't you dare judge me! Do you understand?!"

"Jada," Frank muttered, his shoulders slouched forward. "She didn't mean it."

Jada turned and pointed at him next. "The same goes for you. I know we made the right choice, but I still hate both of us for it!" She closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths. "Now, if you'll excuse me – I need to go to bed. You should too. It's a school night."

Valeria wanted to respond, but never got the chance as Jada ran upstairs. She had so many follow up questions, but knew the timing wasn't right. She had already caused enough damage with her thoughtless outburst. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"It'll be okay," Frank said, forcing a smile. "She's still mourning, and I don't think she's really mad at you or me. Sometimes...I get the feeling there's something she's hiding from me."

"Like what?"

"I don't know," he said with a yawn. "It's late. You should get some sleep, kiddo."

Valeria studied him, and here in this moment he looked different. The confident man who cracked jokes with endless enthusiasm was gone, replaced by a man worn down by grief and regret. "Do you still think you made the right choice?"

Frank exhaled as he approached the mantle above the fireplace and held the picture of his daughter. "As the days go by, I keep asking myself that question. I don't know that answer, kiddo. All I can say is - I've always wanted to be a Dad, and I've just felt lost without her."

Valeria was urged to console him, but decided against it. She was still skeptical, but her suspicion was lessening. Frank's motives appeared genuine, and she wanted to fill that void in his life. She had always wanted a new father figure after her father's death - but she didn't need one. She needed to be on her guard, and refused to trust him for now. But she hoped she would be able to...someday.