"WHY DID YOU COME, ANYWAYS?" Syrena asked, interrupting the silent glaring match between Aria and Macey.

"I wanted to give you guys a heads-up--you know how even if the government ever noticed that magic was returning, there was no way they'd ever do anything about it?"

"Yes," I said wary of any topic started with that segway, especially considering my recent developments.

"Well, they noticed, and they're doing something," she said grimly.

"What happened?" Macey asked, cautious and nervous.

"There was a public hanging."

I sucked in a breath, my heartbeat picking up its pace. I struggled to remain calm, hiding the fact that my lungs had just committed mutiny.

"Three users were killed--a man with telekenisis, a woman with control over plants, and..." she faltered, "a teenage boy who could heal others."

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Chris asked, unusually serious.

"Nothing," Syrena said, standing from the table.

If I hadn't been fighting to keep my emotions in check, I would never have seen that she was, too.

"Nothing?" Thomas asked, stunned and hurt.

"Look, we've got our hands full freeing slaves and keeping ourselves alive. It sucks that this happened, but it's not our problem."

It's mine.

The words floated through my head before I could stop them, but I didn't let them pass beyond my lips.

"Of course it is!" Thomas cried. "You think they'll leave it at that? They'll come bursting into homes soon, looking for anyone with abilities. You think they'll just leave us alone?"

"I don't see why it matters! None of us have powers," she replied icily.

Wrong, wrong, wrong... I wondered if she'd help me, if it came down to that. Did she hate the Tainted so much that she wouldn't save my life?

"What's your problem?" Macey demanded. "You've always done anything to save anyone, why won't you help the people about to be killed in the witch hunt that's coming?"

"Because I remember the last one!" she exploded, a single tear spilling over. I waited, sensing something was about to happen. "I remember my mother, an innocent woman, being dragged out of her house and burned at the stake because people thought she was one of them. And I remember our neighbor, with his ability to stop any fire by pulling water out of the air, turning away because he was afraid for himself, even after we kept his secret and hid him during the raids."

There was dead silence following that statement, and a mixture of reactions, emotions strewn across faces at the table.

"So no," she said, refusing to meet any of our gazes as she started to walk away, "I don't particularly want to save the people responsible for my mother's death."

"I'm sorry that happened," I said, looking after her. She paused in the door but didn't turn to face me. "But w-they weren't your neighbor. A lot of people are going to die, and several of those will be children. Innocents."

"I'm sorry. I just... I'm sorry," was all she said before leaving.

***

HOURS later, tossing and turning in my own bed, I closed my eyes, reaching out for the people around me. I sensed two people in one of the guest rooms, though, instead of one person in each bedroom.

A few minutes later, I was up and creeping through the dark house, my curiosity having won the battle.

"Are you okay?" I heard Chris ask. I was about to leave, knowing it must be Syrena in the room with him, when I heard the voice that answered. And the strange thing? It wasn't Syrena's.

"No," Aria said. I could hear her pacing. "No, I'm not okay. What the hell were you thinking, Chris? You went with them--a bunch of teenagers--to break into Warren Yaxley's house. Do you even get how stupid that is? I mean, you don't always make brilliant decisions, but this? This is far, even for you. It's practically suicidal."

"I know, I know, but it all happened so fast... I picked what I thought was the lesser evil. I figure it was better I go along than I left them unprotected to get to you."

I scowled. He had thought about selling us out?

"Yeah, " she sighed, stopping. "You did the right thing. I just... I don't want to lose any of you. It feels like we're dancing on a knife blade, you know?"

I started to walk away, knowing it wasn't any of my business whatever was going on between them. The last thing I heard was Chris's faint reply.

"I know."