Valeria found it difficult to focus during her afternoon classes. Erin's words kept repeating in the back of her mind, and she tried to separate truth from bullshit. The end of the world was coming, and only she - a savior and self proclaimed chosen one - could stop it. But she needed help. And while she had claimed they were on the same team, Valeria was still skeptical.

Every time she looked Erin's way during class, the girl had a stupid grin across her face. Valeria would let her eyes linger for a moment, as Erin's smile brought out the dimples in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. But just when it felt like she might lose herself in that smile, Valeria forced herself back to reality.

Jada specifically directed her to report any information she learned about Erin. But Valeria knew she couldn't reveal everything the two discussed. If Jada asked how she knew about the Rogue Vault, Valeria didn't have a good answer for that question. She didn't know why she could hear the artifact inside the vault, and why it seemed to call out to her, incessantly calling her Anna. It appeared Frank and Jada couldn't hear it - she could, and it was driving her mad. She wanted to know if it was calling out to her, or someone else?

She would have to leave out their discussion about the vault or the artifact. It wasn't lying, but simply an omission, and would tell Jada that Erin is some sort of Celestial Savior. She would say their deal involved helping Erin learn more about her past. She hoped this strategy would keep her knowledge of the vault a secret, and would allow her to learn more about Erin's claims. She needed to know if that girl was legit or full of shit.

When the school day ended, Erin followed her as they exited class. Clutching her books against her chest, she said, "So, should we continue where we left off? Want to start scheming back at my tree?"

Valeria shook her head. "I promised Sai we would hang out after class."

"Oh," Erin said, her enthusiasm gone. "Maybe tomorrow then?"

"Sure."

Erin turned away for a moment, but then rounded back on her. "You like Sai? Don't you?"

"Yeah," Valeria said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I like him. I like you too. You two are my favorite people in this dump."

"Really?" Erin replied, her cheeks flushing bright red. "Even after I threatened you?"

Laughing, Valeria said, "Nah. That didn't make me mad. I was kind of impressed, actually."

"That's not surprising," Erin said, leaning closer. Her face was inches away as she whispered, "Because I'm frickin' impressive - and don't you forget it. See you tomorrow."

Valeria watched her run off and felt the odd mixture of emotions again. It was true; Erin's bravado had invoked admiration, and maybe something more. She tried to shrug the feeling off as she exited the school and found Sai waiting by the bike rack, looking as handsome as ever.

"Hey V," Sai said, unlocking his bike. "So where do you –"

"We're going bowling," she interrupted while unlocking her own.

"Uh...again? You really like bowling, don't you?"

Valeria nodded as she mounted her bike. She had a lot on her mind, and bowling would help clear her head. She was worried about her agreement with Erin under the white pine, but that wasn't the only problem. She couldn't explain why, but she felt the same way about Erin as she did about Sai. Questions swirled around in the back of her mind, most of them unanswerable. But she hoped going out with Sai would answer at least one of them - the one that mattered anyway. "Yeah. Come on, let's go."

"Guess there's no changing your mind," Sai said, mounting his bike. "Maybe doing something else?"

Valeria shook her head as she pedaled off.

"Just checking," he muttered, pedaling after her.

A half hour later, Valeria sat at the bowling terminal and made sure to text Frank where she was this time. "Bowling with Sai," she texted.

To her surprise, Frank texted back affirmatively. Okay. Everything alright?

"Yeah," she texted back.

"Okay," Frank texted back once more. I'm still at work. Dinner is at six. Have fun."

Valeria smirked at the phone. She already knew which parental figure was the weakest link, and she would exploit that advantage every chance she could.

"Everything alright?" Sai asked.

"Yeah. Just texted my host-dad where we are. He didn't seem mad, but said I need to be home by six."

Sai checked his watch. "That gives us over an hour. Plenty of time for you to kick my ass."

Laughing, Valeria said, "You've already given up before the game has started. You'll never win with that attitude."

Sai sat next to her. "Oh yeah? And what kind of attitude should I have?"

Valeria turned toward him. "Losers play it safe. Winners play like there's no tomorrow."

"Is that how you play?" Sai asked, breaking eye contact for a moment. Sighing, he said, "I wish I could play that way."

Valeria studied his posture. His shoulders slouched forward, his head hung low. She could tell he was nervous, and didn't expect anything to happen. Other girls must have ignored him or wrecked his confidence. And while it might have been a turn off to some; she found it irresistible.

Pulling him closer, she lifted his chin so their eyes met. He looked surprised, but she tried to calm him down with her free hand caressing his face. "Maybe you just need the right person to play with." She was being overly forward, but didn't really care. She wanted a simple answer to a complicated question.

Sai? Or Erin?

Valeria waited for Sai to make his move, patiently caressing his face. She used this time to process her feelings, as she always felt like she had a connection with him since they first met. And yet, he wasn't the only one who made her feel this way. She didn't get to process these thoughts for too long, as Sai finally brought his free hand up to her cheek, leaned toward her, and closed his eyes before she closed hers.

"No way! Apu has a girlfriend!"

Valeria opened her eyes and noticed a familiar group of boys congregating next to them. She recognized the overweight white boy who mocked her ethnicity on the first day of school. The other was Wormer, the blonde who was obsessed with harassing her.

"It makes sense," the overweight boy said with a snarl. "Two illegal immigrants hooking up."

"Shut up, Jerry," Sai said, his tone surprisingly confident and defiant. "I was born in this country, like your dumb ass!"

Two of the boys grabbed Sai and he tried to resist. Valeria attempted to stand and defend him, but Wormer grabbed her shoulder and forced her to sit next to him. She was about to use a Judo throw when he pointed at Sai.

"Now," Wormer said, his tone condescending, "if you don't sit here and behave, my friends will have to hurt your friend."

Looking over at Sai, she exhaled. "Fine. I'll sit here if you let him go."

"Leave her alone, Devon!" Sai yelled. One of the other boys covered his mouth before he could protest further.

"Take him outside," Devon said before turning to her. "Don't worry about your girl, I'll take good care of her."

Sai struggled to break free, but was clearly overpowered by the gang of boys as they dragged him outside. She could still see him through the glass doors, and it didn't look like they planned to let him go.

Fists clenched, she turned toward Devon. "You promised to let him go if I sat here!"

Laughing, he looked her up and down. "Don't worry, mamacita, they will let him go...once they're finished with him. Now it's time for some you and me time."

"This is your last chance," she said, eyes narrowing, "I'm warning you – you're messing with the wrong girl."

Devon laughed as he leaned closer. "I think you're the right girl, if you know what I mean..." He was interrupted by a small explosion and recoiled backward. Screaming, he stood and tried to pat down his pants, which had caught fire.

Valeria reached in her pocket for another smoke bomb, but found this instinct unnecessary. Her victim had dropped to the floor and started rolling around to put out the fire. While it wasn't necessary, she kicked him in the face for good measure.

The gang of boys were still taunting Sai outside in the parking lot. She was about to rush out there and defend him, but stopped when her foot collided with her bookbag. A familiar sense of vertigo overwhelmed her senses, and she couldn't resist the urge to kneel beside the bag and open it.

The room was enveloped in silence; the only sound was her heart beating within her chest. Everything had slowed all around her, and when she opened the bag, she heard a familiar voice whispering her name. Hands trembling, she reached in the bag and removed the object calling out to her: the Aegis. When she held the armor, a flash of light temporarily blinded her. Images flashed before her eyes; the first was herself standing outside the bowling alley, defending Sai from his attackers.

In the first set of images, she went outside in normal clothes. She defended Sai, but was hit by a speeding car afterward. Her body lay in a crumpled bloody heap on the street, her eyes closed.

Terrified, she didn't get a chance to say anything as the second version of the same events played again. This time, she was outside in the Aegis. She was hit by the same speeding car, but unlike the previous vision, she walked away from this encounter unscathed.

The third and last scene depicted her sneaking out of the bowling alley, leaving Sai to his fate. The boys outside ganged up on him and beat him within an inch of his life. She trembled upon hearing his muffled screams as everything faded to white.

"Choose."

Valeria's eyes flew open. She released the Aegis and backed away from it, her heart still pounding within her chest. She looked around the bowling alley, and everything appeared normal. She looked down at the Aegis in her bag, trying to process what just happened. Had she seen...the future? She knew this suit was special, but discovering it had this type of power was amazing and terrifying.

Sai was still out there, and he needed her help. She knew the suit was supposed to only be used for emergencies. She hadn't considered this fiasco an emergency before the visions, as she should be able to take down six regular teenagers with her limited Rogue training. But now she didn't want to go outside at all; she'd rather not get hit by a car today. But it wasn't just her life on the line.

She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Abandoning Sai was not an option.

Opening her eyes, Valeria grabbed her book-bag and ran over to the girl's bathroom. It took a moment to equip the Aegis' leather jacket, pants, ninja shoes, and gloves. Wearing the suit brought about another bout of vertigo, much like the first time she put it on. She looked up at the bathroom mirror, and could have sworn the reflection changed. Almost like it...winked at her.

She shook the feeling off and rushed outside. Sai was sprawled across the ground, the group of boys kicking him repeatedly. She felt guilty leaving him to equip the armor, and wondered if trusting the visions was a mistake. Surely she could have saved him before the gang of boys escalated their abuse.

"Leave him alone! Now!" she yelled.

The group of boys all looked up with surprise. "Whoa, I didn't realize it was Halloween!" one yelled. "Yeah, who are you supposed to be? Catwoman?" another taunted. One of the boys approached her and said, "You should just go back inside girlie –"

Valeria used a judo throw as he approached and easily threw him to the ground.

"Whoa!" they all howled. "That girl just owned you Charlie!"

Ignoring them, she walked over to Sai and checked on him. The boys circled around her like a pack of wolves, but she didn't care. She needed to make sure he was okay. She wanted to apologize for abandoning him.

"V..." Sai said through labored breaths, "forget about me. Get...out of here..."

There was no way that was happening. Pulling the Aegis' hood over her head, she had already made her choice, and nothing - not a group of boys, a piece of armor, or a speeding car - would change her mind. She would stand her ground - and that was it.

She focused her anger, assumed a defensive stance, and waited patiently for the first strike. When it came, she threw her opponent easily. It all happened incredibly fast, but she had been trained well.

She threw a smoke bomb at her feet and dove to the side while they were all disoriented. She grabbed the closest boy and threw him to the ground, subduing him with one of Hami's pressure point techniques. Another tried to punch her, but Valeria felt no impact. Two more tried to tackle her, but she threw another smoke bomb and vanished in the aftermath. Two jujitsu throws later, they joined their friend on the ground.

With three of their friends rolling around on the ground, the remaining three boys backed away from her with terrified expressions. They helped their friends up and scrambled away like dogs with their tails tucked between their legs. With the coast clear, she helped Sai stand.

"Holy crap!" he said through labored breaths. "That was awesome."

Valeria checked his bruised face and noticed he had a busted lip. "That looks like it hurts. Are you alright?"

Smiling, he said, "I am now...thanks to you. I like your outfit..."

Valeria placed his arm over her shoulder for support. "You're not embarrassed? Being saved by a girl?"

Sai clutched his side as he laughed again. Hobbling along with her support, he said, "Baby...you can save me...anytime you want."

Valeria couldn't help but laugh. His face was so close to her own, and she was tempted to finish what they started. But a sudden thought stopped her. Wait a minute. Wasn't there supposed to be a -

She heard a screech of tires behind them, and with only a split second to react, she pushed Sai away from her. She braced for impact as the car hit her, and she rolled along the windshield, over the top of the car, and landed with both arms outstretched on the pavement.

Something from her right shoulder popped as she landed. She rolled around on the concrete, screaming and clutching it with her good hand.

"Oh my God!" Sai yelled, crouching beside her. "Valeria! Are you okay!"

Valeria watched the red car zoom off,  tires squealing as it exited the parking lot. She assumed the driver would speed away from the scene of the crime, but they didn't. The car came to a stop outside the parking lot, within their line of sight. The driver's door opened, but she looked away as a fresh wave of pain emanated from her injured shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?!" she asked.

"Checking your shoulder," Sai replied, refusing to let go. "I think it's dislocated."

"You think?!" Valeria howled. Biting her lip, she focused on leaning back and observing the driver. Her teeth clenched as she recognized the woman standing there, her arms crossed and a wicked smile. It's that Assassin - Brigitte.

She was dressed in civilian clothes, but Valeria recognized her smug expression and crooked nose. She stood there, tapping her foot like she was waiting for something.

Eyes narrowed, Valeria wondered what the hell she was doing here.  Why would she hit her with a car? She knew the assassins were pissed she didn't pick them, but this seemed extreme. After all, she barely knew that stupid b - argghhh! Her shoulder was on fire. "Saiiii..." she protested through labored breaths, "Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

Sai looked down at her, concern across his face. "Umm, a little bit. I dislocated my shoulder once, and my Dad popped it back in."

"Can you...do it a little faster!"

"Maybe I should call for help..."

"No, Sai," Valeria said, noticing Brigitte waiting for them across the street. "You can do it. What... helps calm you down... and focus?"

"Music," he replied without hesitation.

"Then sing something," she yelled, "and just do it!"

Nodding, he grabbed her arm and shoulder. He started singing a song with unfamiliar words, and she was amazed how this tune not only calmed him down - but her as well. A familiar sense of warmth emanated from his fingertips, and her shoulder was overwhelmed with an itching sensation. Where had she felt that before?

Her shoulder popped back into place, but oddly enough, the motion didn't cause any pain. Flexing her arm, she found her strength had returned. She looked around for Brigitte, who stood by her car. Smiling, she pulled out a handheld book and started writing in it. What the hell is she doing? Valeria pushed herself off the concrete and wanted to interrogate her, but it was too late.

Tires squealed as the car took off.

Valeria stood, her eyes widening. She hit her with a car, waited, and just took off? None of it made sense. That bitch must be crazy.

"V? I'm not really sure what just happened."

Turning to Sai, she gasped upon noticing his face. His bruises were gone, and his busted lip had disappeared.

"What?" he asked.

"Your face!" Valeria exclaimed, grabbing his chin and studying it. Was it a miracle? Maybe she had a concussion; nothing made sense today.

"I know I know," he said, looking away. "They busted me up pretty good."

"No," Valeria said, unable to contain her surprise. "You're completely healed! You healed me too! Are you telling me, you have no idea what you just did?!"

"Umm...should I?"

"You're a healer, Sai. Just like," she said, trailing off with a sudden realization. He must be a Celestial like Erin. Would he become her enemy if he found out she was a Rogue? Would she need to strike a deal with him, like she did with Erin?

"Just like who?" Sai asked. "You're not making any sense. None of this makes sense."

"Have you ever...healed anyone before?" Valeria asked, eyes narrowing.

"Healed?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "You mean - have I ever fixed a dislocated shoulder before? Nope, this was my first one."

Valeria studied his eyes carefully as she asked her next question. "Have you ever joined a Faction?"

Bewildered, he asked, "Faction? What the hell are you talking about?"

Valeria found little to suggest he was lying. But that didn't make any sense either.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sai asked, his voice reflecting concern, "I'm not sure if I relocated your shoulder correctly. I should take you to the hospital - just to be safe." When she pouted, his tone changed and a smirk crossed his lips. "But a badass like you probably doesn't need to go, do ya?"

Smiling, Valeria couldn't stop looking into his eyes. It didn't matter what he was. Valeria knew who he was; and that hadn't changed. "No, Sai. You did a great job, and I'll be fine. I think we'll both recover if we rest up."

"Whatever you say, boss. Thanks for saving me earlier."

"Thanks for heal–err...fixing my shoulder," Valeria said as they walked over to the bicycle rack. She unlocked it and turned toward him. "See you tomorrow at school."

"Hey, V?" he asked, back to his usual nervous tone.

"Yeah?"

"Back in the bowling alley, were you going to kiss me?"

"Maybe," she said, her lips pulling back into a wide grin. "Good night, Sai."

As she pedaled off, she heard him mutter, "Just checking."