The afternoon went by quickly as James led them in another session of their D&D campaign: The Kidnapping of Princess Arelina.

Erin was overwhelmed by the game's mechanics, and her face would flush every time her turn came around. James would remind her she was a healer, and order her to heal them with holy spells. She seemed put off by the whole idea, and would keep asking him if her character could do anything else.

Valeria had grinned at Erin as she protested the limited scope of her character's role. She didn't blame her - she wouldn't want to be stuck with that job either.

After an hour of trying to play D&D, they switched to Uno and other common household games. The others were hesitant around Erin at first, but the tension lessened when they played Uno. They all laughed when Erin saved her bad cards for James, who pretended to be hurt by her antics. After a few hands, Jon was the first to leave. They stopped playing Uno after he left, and James massaged his belly.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry."

Laughing, Roberta exclaimed, "You're always hungry!"

"I'll go take care of dinner," Valeria said. "Pizza's okay?"

Everyone agreed. After deciding on toppings, she left the living room and walked into the kitchen. Frank sat at the table, hunkered over a book. He tapped his foot repeatedly, but when he noticed her, he stopped and leaned back in his chair. Placing both hands behind his head, he forced a smile.

"Sounds like you're all having a good time."

"Yeah.I was going to order pizza, if that's okay?"

Frank shook his head. "I'll handle that. You go back in there and have fun."

Valeria took a step closer and whispered, "By the way, why did you lie about –"

"Not now. Understood?" Frank interrupted, his smile gone. "I'll tell you later. What did you guys want on your pizza?"

She relayed their order, trying her best to refrain from pressing further. She wanted to know if Jada's maiden name was Jackson. She wanted to know if she knew Mr. Tyrell, and if so, why was Frank being so secretive about it.

"Got it," he said, pulling out his phone. "I'll order the pizza. I also need to check in with Jada, so keep an eye out for the delivery guy while I'm upstairs, alright? Here, this should cover it," he said, handing her money before leaving the kitchen in a hurry.

Eyebrow raised, Valeria watched him leave. He seemed different. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what seemed off, but this was the first time he appeared...flustered.

She started to exit the kitchen – but a flash of movement by the kitchen window forced her to stop. Moving closer, she cocked her head to the side as she looked outside. The sun had set along the horizon, with lights from different houses and buildings of the neighborhood turning on both near and far. She looked around their backyard again, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Shrugging, Valeria left the kitchen and rejoined her friends. They played a few hands of a different card game – Apples to Apples – before the doorbell rang. The pizza delivery man stared back at her through the peephole, with two security guards patting him down. She opened the door and handed him the money.

"Everything alright so far?" One of the security guards asked.

Valeria motioned for them to look inside, where they could see everyone seated around a table playing cards.

"Alright," the guard said, "Let us know if you need anything."

Valeria shrugged and went back inside. She could hear James shouting at Sai about something related to the card game. Laughing, she took the pizzas into the kitchen. She opened the boxes and noticed the pizzas weren't pre-sliced. She groaned and searched the kitchen drawers for a pizza cutter.

When she couldn't find a pizza cutter, Valeria reached for a knife instead. As she slowly cut the slices, she felt an odd sensation - she was being watched. She looked up and gasped. Through the window, she saw an odd figure standing in their backyard.

Who - or what - the hell is that?

Hands trembling, she observed the fearsome figure cloaked in black, its hooded head cocked to the side. Her mouth was dry, her heart rate spiked. She had never seen anyone dressed like that before - no one other than Darth Vader. Is that a Rogue? she thought, paralyzed with fear.

"Valeria?" Erin asked, entering the kitchen.

Her voice took Valeria by surprise. She flinched and fumbled the knife, accidentally cutting herself. Her trembling intensified as she inspected the gash across her hand. But when she looked up at the window a second time; the figure was gone. She turned and noticed Erin was looking out the window too. She was as pale as a ghost, but when she turned and their eyes met, she sprung into action.

"Oh my God!" Erin exclaimed, standing by her side. "I'm sorry I distracted you! Look at your hand!"

Valeria ignored her, scanning the backyard in a mad panic with the knife raised. "I saw a creep outside! You must have seen him too!"

Erin reached for a roll of paper towels. "You saw someone?"

"I saw... something!" Valeria whispered, pointing out the window. "Didn't you?!"

Eyeing the knife in her hand, Erin moved forward with caution and said, "I didn't. I don't know what you saw, but I can't examine your hand unless you put the knife down."

Valeria switched the knife to her good hand, barely noticing the blood dripping from her injured one. Her frantic eyes continued sweeping the backyard , but she stopped as Erin came in close, put both hands on her face, and met her eyes.

"Look at me," Erin said, her voice soft like a whisper. "You will be okay."

Looking into her eyes, Valeria's fear melted away. She had never been so close to another girl before. She observed the contours of Erin's face; every dimple was on full display. Her hazel eyes had hints of blue. She noted the way her brown wavy hair accentuated her face, and the way her lips pursed as she smiled. They were inches away from her own, and she couldn't stop looking at them.

"Give me your hand," Erin said. When Valeria obeyed, she closed both hands around her wound. She whispered something under her breath.

Valeria's eyes went wide as their hands glowed. It was an odd sensation; her hand felt warm and itchy. She looked up at Erin, who continued holding her hands, a simple smile across her face. She could detect something in the girl's eyes, but couldn't quite place it.

After an awkward silence, Valeria looked down when Erin released her hand. Her mouth dropped as she held up her injured hand - which had been miraculously healed. She checked the floor, and noticed the blood was completely gone. "How did you do that?!"

Erin's beaming expression shifted. Her eyes fluttered with fear, and she reached for Valeria's hand and clasped it with her own. "Promise me you won't say anything. You have to keep it a secret!"

"Say anything?" Valeria asked with disbelief. "Are you kidding? That was amazing!" As Erin gripped her hand, she felt a different sensation.

"This can't be right," Erin said, her eyes widening. "It can't be!"

"What?"

"I can't believe it! I don't want to!" Releasing her grip, Erin broke eye contact and shook her head. "I shouldn't have come here. This was a mistake."

Perplexed, Valeria leaned toward her. "Are you okay? You're not making any sense."

Erin looked up, her eyes moist with tears. "I have to go. I'm sorry." She turned and bolted out of the kitchen.

Stunned, it took Valeria a moment to chase after her. As she left the kitchen, some of her normal instincts returned. She knew that creepy guy was still out there, and it might not be safe to leave.

Valeria ran after her and ignored the others, who were too busy playing cards in the living room. Erin had already flung open the front door, and ran into the street where she was greeted by the two security guards.

"What happened, Ms. Tyrell?" one guard asked, helping her into the car.

Wiping away tears, Erin said, "I'm having another panic attack! I need to go home."

Valeria approached the car, but the guard stopped her.

"I'm going to ask you to step back, miss."

She ignored him and hovered near the window where Erin sat. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry! I won't tell anyone. I promise!" She wanted her to look out the window, but she didn't.

The guard started the car, but that didn't stop Valeria from hovering near the passenger window. The whole thing had happened so fast, and she said the only thing that came to mind. "Thank you Erin," she said, patting the window. "Thank you!"

Valeria watched the car speed away, leaving her alone in the street. She stood there, lost in her thoughts. She should be worrying about the Vader-like figure roaming around. But none of that mattered. Erin had taken over her mind; she was the only thing that mattered. And now she was gone - maybe forever. 

"What the hell did you do?!" Frank had rushed out into the street, and stood beside her.

"I have no idea! It all happened so fast!"

"Are you guys okay?" Sai asked from the front door.

"Get back inside!" she yelled. Leaning toward Frank, she whispered, "I saw a creepy Rogue in our backyard."

"A Rogue?" Frank asked with disbelief, "spying on us? Are you sure?"

"I think so," Valeria whispered, scanning the dimly lit street.

"Get back inside now," Frank whispered, his eyes wild. Once they were inside, he locked the front door and turned the lights to full brightness. He turned toward her friends and sighed.

"Unfortunately, your evening will need to be cut short." He pulled out his phone and started texting. "Another detective called out sick, and I need to go into work."

"I hope everything's alright?" Sai asked.

Frank shook his head. "Nothing serious, but I still need to get there in a hurry. I can drop you all off at one of your houses?"

"My house is close by," Roberta said. "You can drop us off there, including Valeria if you need to."

"No. I'm dropping Valeria off with her host-mom. Are you ready to go?"

Her friends agreed.

They pulled up to Roberta's house fifteen minutes later. James, Sai, and Roberta exited the car and bid her goodnight. Sai tapped on her window, and she lowered it.

"Thanks for having us over again," he said, a goofy grin across his face. "I really had fun, and I hope we can do it again sometime."

Grinning, she started to offer her reply - but never got the chance.

"You like her, Sai," Frank said, his tone impatient. "She gets it. But we have to go! Run along now."

"Wait," Valeria whispered, but her protest was in vain. Frank disengaged the parking brake, and she grabbed the dash as he hit the gas. She struggled to keep her balance as the sedan swerved around multiple corners with reckless speed.

"Whoa slow down! What's going on?!"

"You've really done it this time, kiddo," Frank murmured.

"You're going to get us killed!" she yelled.

Frank ignored her and continued speeding through the neighborhood. They pulled up to a familiar gothic structure ten minutes later. He didn't say a word as he parked, exited the car, and walked to the door.

Coterel.

Returning to this building was surreal. Last week she had nothing and no one. She had nothing to lose, but not anymore. She looked over at Frank, who tapped his foot as he waited by the door. She knew he was mad, but still didn't understand why. The same could be said for Erin, as she still didn't understand why the night unfolded the way it did. She might have lost Erin tonight - she hoped she wouldn't lose him too.

Her hands trembled, so she clenched her fists as she reached the door. He remained silent as they approached Goldie at the front desk.

"There was a fire at the nursery," Frank said.

Goldie nodded. "Your wife told me. She already made arrangements."

Frank nodded and led the way to the elevator.

"Fire at a nursery?" Valeria asked, unable to bear the silence anymore. "Is that part of the Thieves Cant stuff –"

"You mean Encryption," Frank said, his tone impatient. "Yes, it was a code for our emergency."

"Emergency?!" Valeria asked as the elevator doors opened. She recognized the vacant white room ahead and groaned.

The Hall of Shadows.

She had almost died here a week ago. The lights went out like before, but this time she was prepared. She watched Frank navigate the dark obstacle course first. He was slower and more methodical than her, but his dexterity was still impressive for his age. She finished the course in half the time, and next thing she knew, they were in the marketplace. She recognized Hami standing by the entrance waiting for them.

"Is it true?" Hami asked, concern written across his face.

"Yes," Frank replied with a sigh. "I'm not sure how much damage was done."

Hami turned to Valeria. "You must be scared. Don't worry, Valeria. This kind of thing happens more than you might think. Everything will be okay."

"What kind of thing?" she asked.

Frank turned to her, eyebrows furrowed. "You blew our cover. We may not be able to enter our house ever again."

"What?!" Valeria exclaimed.

"Jada is waiting for you," Hami said. "Good luck, both of you."

Frank didn't say a word again as he led the way to the Sovereign's quarters, where Valeria and Jada had their first meeting a week ago. He walked up to Jada and embraced her in a hug.

"Thank Prometheus you're alright," Jada said.

"I tried the best I could," Frank whispered.

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Valeria asked.

Frank released Jada and turned to her. "You remember that Celestial Faction I told you about?"

Valeria nodded. She remembered their discussion about a wealthy healing faction that controlled most hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. The Celestials weren't just corrupt - they were a Rogue's age-old enemy.

"Well," Frank said, "Lawrence Tyrell is the leader of that faction."

The words hit Valeria like a punch to the gut. She should have known the second Erin healed her wound, but it had all happened so fast. A tearful Erin didn't want to believe it - maybe Valeria didn't want to believe it either. But the truth was inevitable.

Erin was her enemy.

"I don't believe it," Valeria muttered through labored breaths. When Frank and Jada frowned at her, she devised an excuse. "Mr. Tyrell said he knew Jada! How is that possible?"

Sighing, Jada crossed her arms against her chest. "We grew up together in Baltimore. We were close as kids, but that changed after we joined opposing factions. Lawrence and I used to have a back channel between our two factions, but that closed after high profile members from both our factions have gone missing or turned up dead. Intolerant members are pushing Lawrence and me toward war, but we've exchanged encrypted emails to prevent that from happening."

"Okay. So you can trust him then?" she asked. "He knows you right?"

When Jada didn't respond right away, Frank cut in . "They've exchanged correspondence. But Lawrence never knew I was Jada's husband or where we lived...until now."

Valeria shook her head. "But he didn't see Jada there! There's a chance he might not know."

"It doesn't matter," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Because their protégé knows who you are."

"Protégé?" Valeria asked, trying her best to sound innocent. "You mean Erin? Erin's is Mr. Tyrell's protégé?!"

"Did you know they had a protege all this time?" Frank asked, pointing a finger at Jada. "More importantly, did you have anything to do with this?"

"Do not talk to me that way," Jada said, her tone authoritative. "As your wife and leader - I'm warning you. You need to calm down and apologize."

He massaged his face and took slow deep breaths. "I'm sorry I lost it," he said, his tone and body language toning down. "I apologize...to both of you," he said, nodding at Jada and Valeria. "Please forgive me."

Valeria did a double take. She'd been on the receiving end of angry outbursts many times. But sincere apologies were far and few between. "Don't worry about it." 

"I forgive you too, babe," Jada added, "And no, I didn't know they had a protege. Lawrence never wanted a child or protege, but Elmyra always did. I'm not surprised they adopted one of their own. So tell me, what happened?"

"Their protege must've detected her," Frank said.

"Detected?" Valeria asked.

Jada nodded. "Celestials can detect us if they touch us long enough. Did that girl touch you?"

Valeria felt a lump in the back of her throat. She knew Erin did more than just that. "Well, she...healed me."

"What?!" both Jada and Frank asked with wide eyes.

"What do you mean - she healed you?" Frank asked, his anger beginning to resurface.

Sighing, Valeria tried to start from the beginning. "I was trying to cut the pizza with a knife –"

"You stupid girl," Jada countered. "Why didn't you use a pizza wheel-cutter?"

"I looked for that, but couldn't find it. So I grabbed a knife and started cutting the slices better. When I looked up, I saw something in our backyard."

"What did you see?" Jada asked with sudden interest.

"It looked like a Rogue. Some figure in black clothing. Their face wasn't visible through their hood -"

"Was Erin with you when you saw it?" Jada pressed.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It?" Frank asked, turning to Jada. "What do you mean...it? If she saw anything, it was probably a Rogue spying on us –"

"Let the girl tell her story," Jada interrupted. "Go on."

Shrugging, Valeria described the rest of the encounter. She stopped after the part where Erin healed her accidental wound and ran off.

"Well," Frank said with a sigh, "Time for new identities and a new house. And I really liked that one too..."

With fists clenched, Valeria asked, "Do we really have to move? Can't we all just get along?"

"Don't be naive, girl. If your friend healed you," Jada said, eyes narrowing, "she knows you're a Rogue. I'm guessing she already ratted you out to her father...right?"

Valeria shook her head, refusing to believe it. She had only known Erin a week, but they had grown close. She wanted to hate her, but every fiber in her body resisted. But that wasn't the only thing nagging her. Why had Jada phrased that as a question? Why did Jada seem so calm about the whole ordeal? "No," she said, her tone defiant. "Erin won't sell me out. She's my friend."

Frank rolled his eyes.  "Listen, kiddo. That girl is not your friend. In fact, I'll bet they're sending police to tear our house apart right –"

He was interrupted by a ringing cell phone. He removed his cell, studied the number and turned to Jada. "It's him."

"Answer it on speaker," she said, making a silence gesture.

"Hello," Frank said, "this is Detective Malone."

"Hello, Detective Malone. Lawrence Tyrell here. I just wanted to call and apologize on behalf of our daughter."

"Why? Is she okay? She seemed upset and left in a hurry."

"Ever since we first adopted her, we've known Erin suffers from extreme social anxiety. It's one of the reasons we prefer she stayed home and avoided most social and public situations. She was having a panic attack and forgot her medication at home. She wanted to apologize for leaving abruptly, and wanted to thank you and your exchange student for your hospitality."

"Oh my," Frank said, trying to act concerned. "I hope she feels better. Valeria was worried too, and I'll make sure to let her know. Is there anything we can do?"

"No," Mr. Tyrell said with a disappointed groan. "She will be fine. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Goodnight," he said before hanging up.

Frank turned to Jada. "Could it be a trick?"

"I know Lawrence," Jada said, massaging her chin, "and he's a terrible liar. That sounded authentic to me, but I'll send scouts to monitor and sweep the house. We'll stay here in Coterel tonight – I've already secured our room and -"

"I told you she wouldn't snitch," Valeria said.

"We are still staying here tonight," Jada said. "But if you bonded with that girl, it's possible our cover still might be safe."

"You can't be serious!" Frank exclaimed. "She's a Celestial for heaven's sake."

"She's not a bad person," Valeria countered.

"That might be true," Jada said with a sigh. "Either way, we all have to be cautious now. If we end up going back home, it will be up to you to stay on good terms with that girl."

Valeria chose to remain silent, as she wasn't completely sure how to respond. Erin was her friend - maybe even something more. She still hadn't processed all the emotions she felt in that moment, standing next to her. She didn't know how to quantify or describe the connection they had. All she knew was that she trusted her.

Now more than ever.

"In the meanwhile," Jada continued, "We will be staying here in Coterel for an extended weekend. This will give us plenty of opportunity to fast-track your Rogue Training. I hope you're ready."

Valeria met her eyes and swallowed a lump in the back of her throat. She had no idea what training Jada planned to subject her to. She had no idea if she'd be ready, but it was time to find out.