"Brigitte did what?!"

Valeria crossed her arms as she sat at the kitchen table. Frank sat across from her, eyes bulging and teeth clenched. She had never seen him this angry before. And while she didn't need an overprotective guardian looking out for her, it still felt good. "I said – she hit me with a car. Luckily I was wearing this Aegis, or I'd probably be dead."

Leaning back in his chair, Frank massaged his chin. "Let me get this straight. You went to the bowling alley with Sai, where you were attacked by a group of boys. They beat up your boyfriend –"

"My friend," Valeria corrected.

"Uh huh. They beat up your friend, so you decided to put on your Aegis and beat them up..."

"I also used a smoke bomb to light a boy's pants on fire."

"Hmm, well okay," Frank said, his trademark grin resurfacing. He paused for a moment while massaging his temples, clearly trying to process his thoughts. "I'll admit I would have loved to see that. But you might have blown our cover again, using the Aegis in broad daylight. Why'd you need it? We taught you self defense...didn't we?"

Valeria was tempted to reply with the truth, but refrained. What would she tell him about the visions? She barely understood them herself. But that wasn't the only reason. She was hearing voices and seeing things now. One of the other girls at the detention center started off the same way, claiming she could hear aliens in the ceiling lights. That girl ended up in a straight jacket and never left the psych ward, and Valeria refused to share the same fate. "I was scared," she lied, "and those boys were huge. You said I could use it for an emergency, and I did."

Frowning, Frank said, "If you say so. But wait, then Brigitte comes along and hits you with a car? Why the hell would she do that?"

Valeria threw her hands up. "How the hell should I know?!"

"Okay. Then what happened?"

"Well," she trailed off, trying to decide if she should tell the truth or not. Unlike Erin, Sai didn't seem to know he was a Celestial. Maybe that made him less dangerous. She already felt bad about her first lie, and decided she should tell the truth on this one. "When I got hit by the car, the Aegis absorbed most of the blow. But I still dislocated my shoulder, and that's when Sai came over and healed me."

"Healed you?!" Frank exclaimed, eyes widening. "Like...Celestial healed you?!"

Valeria nodded.

"Un-freaking believable!" Frank exclaimed as he paced around the kitchen. "You somehow managed to befriend not one, but two Celestials? And got healed by both?! What are you? Some kind of Celestial magnet?!"

Valeria threw up her hands again. "I don't know, okay! It's not like I wave a sign that says – Celestials come heal me! At least Sai doesn't know he's one of them."

Frank stopped and turned to her. "What? All Celestials are recruited early on. He must have known."

"He didn't," she said, shaking her head. "I read his eyes."

"Oh, okay," Frank said, rolling his eyes. "Well that makes me feel much better."

"Hey, that crazy bitch tried to murder me. Are you just gonna let that fly?"

"No," he said, a scowl across his face. "But I can't make a move yet. If she acted on Dontrell's orders, I'll need proof." He removed his phone and started texting. "I will make sure the Thieves guild follows her every move from now on."

"Are you going to tell Jada?"

"No," Frank said, looking up from his phone. "She's got enough on her plate. Besides, she'll confront her brother about it. I don't want Dontrell to think I'm on to him."

"On to him," Valeria asked, raising an eyebrow, "on to him about what?"

"I didn't want to get you involved with this, but I guess I should now that you're involved with two Celestials. I think Dontrell wants to start a war with their kind. There have been a few...unsanctioned assassinations of Celestials recently, and it wouldn't surprise me if Brigitte was aiming for Sai, not you. "

Valeria considered this for a moment. "What about you?" she asked. "Do you want war with them too? If you did, I'd understand your reason. They let your daughter die."

Groaning, he sat down in the chair across from her. "We don't know that for certain," he said, his voice raw. "We don't know all of the cures or powers their Faction possesses. I don't know if they could have cured my daughter's leukemia. All I do know is: I don't like their kind. I never have. But intolerance is never a good reason to wage war. Can you understand that?"

"I won't like them either," she said with a sigh, "if you want me to."

"No, Valeria," he said, eyes meeting hers, "it's not my job to tell you who to like and not like. Only you get to decide that. My job is to look after you, okay?"

"Okay," she said, trying to not let her emotions show. He could have made things easier for himself, ordering her to stay away from Sai and Erin. Her previous foster father had kept her isolated from anyone he didn't like, claiming he was 'protecting' her. But Frank didn't see her as an object that needed protection. He treated her like a human being, one worthy of making some decisions on her own. "Well, I like both of them. Sai and Erin."

Exhaling, he said, "Well good for you. Oh wait - I almost forgot. How'd your meeting go with the other Celestial?"

"Well..."

"Oh boy," Frank groaned. "Here we go."

Valeria recounted part of the meeting with Erin. She talked about Erin's proclamation of being "The Chosen Savior." She made sure to leave out anything about the Rogue Artifact and the vault, saying their deal involved finding out as much as possible about, "The Prophecy."

"That's it?" he asked.

"Yeah. So is she just making all that prophecy stuff up?"

Frank shook his head. "Nope. Well, at least that's what her faction believes. We know they follow Merlin's prophecies religiously."

"Merlin?" Valeria asked with surprise. "You mean the Merlin? The wizard who knew King Arthur?"

"Do you know any other Merlin?" Frank asked, his sarcasm laid thick.

"Let me get this straight. King Arthur was real, and Merlin was too?"

"King Arthur was a powerful Celestial. Remember that Mage faction I told you about when we first met? Merlin was the last and most powerful Mage from that faction."

Valeria shook her head with disbelief. "Wow. And his Faction – they're all gone?"

"Yeah, kiddo. No Harry Potters out there for you to meet."

"What about my Aegis?" she asked, pointing to her suit. "You guys said it's magical or something?"

"It's enchanted, yes. Most Aegis' nowadays are enchanted through Alchemy; a Pirate skill. Yours is special though. We spared no expense, and made sure to get you an Aegis trimmed with Aether."

"What does that mean?"

"Aether simply means any material enchanted by a Mage. Since their faction went extinct almost a millennia ago, you might understand how Aether is a rare and valuable substance."

"So wait," Valeria said, putting the pieces together, "A Mage enchanted parts of my suit?"

"Not just any Mage, kiddo," Frank said with a grin. "If what Jada told me is true, yours is trimmed with Maerlynian Aether. That means Merlin himself enchanted parts of your suit. If I had to guess, you have the most durable Aegis in the entire faction."

"That must have cost you guys a fortune!"

"Meh," Frank said, shrugging his shoulders. "You're worth it most of the time."

Valeria looked down at her suit with newfound respect. Some ancient wizard had enchanted it, passing some of his power on to her. She wondered what he would have thought, knowing some immigrant girl in the future would inherit it someday. Would he find her worthy of using his power? Was she a part of his prophecy, and destined to wear this suit?

"About that prophecy stuff," she said, her voice quivering, "Erin wasn't making that up? How do you know Merlin came up with it?"

"All of the Factions respected Merlin," Frank began, "and all of them teach their proteges about the Dark War, including ours. But I'll save the history lesson for another day. The important thing is - he predicted a great war in the future, one that would divide the world in half and ruin the civilizations of mankind."

"That's exactly what Erin said. So how do they know she's the Chosen One?"

Frank shrugged his shoulders. "They think the Chosen One is some kind of Savior – supposedly a descendant of King Arthur. They must have traced her ancestry."

"Wow," Valeria said, her surprise genuine. She already found Erin impressive, but this just put her over the top. When Frank raised an eyebrow, she changed her tone to avoid suspicion. "I mean, I guess she's okay. I should have known a girl from school was descended from King Arthur."

Laughing, Frank said, "I didn't force you to enter my crazy world, kiddo. Sure beats the hell out of that detention center, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So she didn't ask you for anything else?" Frank asked, studying her again with that piercing paternal gaze, his eyes basically speaking for him. He knew she was hiding something.

"No," she said, breaking eye contact. "She just wanted info about the prophecy."

"Look me in the eye and tell me that."

She paused, taking a moment to concoct a lie, but didn't have to as the doorbell rang.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Frank said. "You have training with Xun tonight."

"What?!" Valeria protested. "I still have to train today?"

"Of course you do! Now go change out of that Aegis and meet us back down here."

Valeria groaned and did as she was told. When she came back downstairs, she found Xun waiting in their living room. Their lesson got off to a good start; Valeria was able to demonstrate at least some of the creeping skills Xun taught last week. Their comradery came to a halt when Xun started quizzing her about The Art of War again.

With everything that happened over the weekend, she had barely finished half the book, and was only able to answer six out of ten questions correctly. Her cheeks burned after Xun slapped her across the face for the fourth time. "Do you have to keep hitting me?" she protested, cradling her cheek.

"The enemy won't go easy on you. Neither will I."

"You sound like Jada."

"Good," Xun, said her face erupting into a rare smile. "She's an admirable woman."

"So are you," Valeria said cautiously. "When you're not hitting me."

"Well," Xun said, packing up her things, "if you would just read that book, I wouldn't have to hit you. But if we're being honest, I'll say you're one of the stealthiest Thieves I've ever seen. I know you're still early on in your training, but I was thinking of asking you to join my Blitzflag team. I saw you watching us the other day, and I hope Frank explained the game?"

"Of course he did!" Valeria exclaimed. "You were playing Blitzflag at the Training Hall this weekend?"

"Yeah."

"Do I know anyone else on your team?"

Xun laughed. "Of course you do. Penny is one of our Gunners. Hami and I are Stabbers."

"Three North American Masters are on one team?" Valeria asked. "Don't tell me Brigitte is on there too?"

"Oh hell no," Xun said, her face bunching into a frown. "I'd never let that twisted psycho on my team. You, on the other hand, might be the Runner I've been looking for."

"I'm probably not fast enough."

"It's not just about speed," Xun said, rolling her eyes. "It's about using your stealth to steal the enemy flag and creeping back without being detected. With some training you could be our missing piece."

Valeria considered this a moment, but figured she had way too many balls to juggle at the moment: School. Rogue Training. The end of the world. Didn't Jada want me to join the cheerleading squad too? Sighing, she said, "I'll get back to you."

"I get it," Xun said. "Just figured I'd put the bug in your ear. If and when you're ready, you let me know, alright?"

"Okay. Bye, Xun." As she left, Valeria realized the young ninja could be overbearing and harsh at times, but overall, she enjoyed spending time with her as the two of them had much in common.

The next few days passed by in a blur. At school, she tried to balance school work, spending time with Sai and his friends, and meeting with Erin under the White Pine. She still harbored feelings for both of them, but decided against addressing those emotions for now. She already had enough on her plate.

Sai tried to talk to her privately at school, but every time it seemed like they might have a moment alone, one of their friends would pop up and engage them in conversation. He offered to meet her after school, but Valeria had declined, saying she had to catch up on school work. I couldn't tell him I have exhausting training sessions.

She practiced more sailor knots and rappelling during Tuesday's session with Penny the Pirate, and disarmed traps on Wednesday with Hami the Bounty-Hunter. On Wednesday evening, with Frank's permission, she practiced her pickpocketing skills outside the Crazy Mare and visited Alejandra near the homeless camp. Talking and eating Salvadoran quesadilla with the young homeless girl helped clear her mind, much like bowling with Sai or sitting under the White Pine with Erin.

As she tried to sleep Wednesday night, Valeria wished she could focus on school, friends and Rogue training. But the past few nights had been restless ones, as she kept coming back to the Midas Vault, and the clues she would need to decipher for entry.

At their meeting, Valeria told Erin about the vault and the clues left outside it. They discussed the three different names and the years attached to them, but couldn't come up with any answers.

The Strange Vault 2011. The Vault of Wonders 1992. The Midas Vault 1872.

"I'll research those names," Erin had said with an eager grin. "You try and work on the riddle for the numerical code."

In her personal calendar, Valeria had written down the riddle from the vault that night. Or at least what she could remember from it:

"Warning: You get one chance at the safe combination. A man inside will help you? Something about his number? Remember the vault's name? Respect as currency?"

Valeria would read over her notes repeatedly before trying to sleep, trying her best to make sense of the riddle. But she always fell asleep without an answer. By the time Thursday morning rolled around, she had gotten somewhat used to this new daily routine. She went downstairs, expecting to have a bowl of cereal in the kitchen with Frank. To her surprise, Jada had returned, and she sat with Frank at the table, eating breakfast together.

"Morning, kiddo."

Valeria looked over at Jada, and placed her hands on her hips. "You're finally back, huh?" While her tone and body language were sarcastic, she really was happy to see her. Frank was doing his best, trying to be a good father figure and all, but it felt like something was missing. She wanted a mother figure too. And while Jada was the most intense woman she had ever met, she admired her like hell.

Jada met her eyes as she finished a scoop of cereal. "I had a lot of Sovereign work to attend to."

Valeria poured herself some cereal and sat down. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like preventing a war," she replied, her gaze intense. "I think it's time you learned more about what's going on. Rogues and Celestials have been murdered or found missing over the past few weeks. The evidence points to intolerant groups within both factions - groups who want to push us toward an all out war."

Valeria stared at her wide eyed. "So it's like what Merlin said? This is the war that splits the world or whatever?"

Frowning, Jada said, "We don't really know how accurate his prophecies are. For all we know, they could be nothing but the ramblings of a senile old wizard."

"What if it's true?" Valeria countered. "What if the world is ending, and Erin is the only one who can stop it?"

"Frank told me about your discussion. Even if this so-called prophecy is true," Jada said, her tone sarcastic, "you don't know if she's really their Savior, Chosen One, or whatever they call it."

"Who else could it be?

Frank and Jada exchanged a quick side glance before looking back at her. "No one knows for sure," Jada said. "It all might be bullshit. But that's not important right now. I want you to understand these are dangerous times, and you need to be careful around your Celestial friends. Both of them."

Valeria shook her head. She wasn't worried about Erin or Sai. "What about certain dangerous people from our faction? How about being careful around some of them?"

When Jada didn't respond, Frank answered. "She's worried your brother or his Assassins might hurt her friends."

"Look," Jada protested, "My brother is a killer, but he's not a monster. Every person he's killed has gotten what they deserved. He would never harm innocent people, especially children, okay?"

Frank nodded. "That's what I said. I told her your brother, and all the Assassins under his command, would never harm a child." Winking at her, he added, "Right, Valeria?"

It took her a moment to process his response. She remembered their discussion, where Frank asked her to keep Brigitte's attack a secret. He planned to spy on her and Dontrell, and that meant leaving Jada in the dark, for now. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Speaking of which," Frank said, a subtle grin across his face, "Dontrell had urgent matters back at the Assassin guild in Moscow. That means you're training with Brigitte tonight."

Valeria's eyes went wide. There was no way he could be serious.

"I know she's a little crazy," Jada said, "but Frank and I will be here. We'll make sure she doesn't take the training too far."

"We'll be watching you both," Frank said with a laugh. "I'm sure you two will have fun sparring together."

Smiling, Valeria felt her fear and anger dissipate. Revenge was a bitch, and so was she. Brigitte was about to find out she messed with the wrong girl.

"Make sure to come home after school," Jada said. "You'll train with Brigitte before dinner. We'll watch a movie afterward."

Valeria and Frank both looked at her with surprise.

"Oh yeah?" Frank asked. "Which one?"

"It's a surprise," Jada said with a smirk. "Go on girl, you'll be late for school."