Chapter One
The First Day

If there's one thing that scares me the most, it would be dying alone. Not the dying part itself, but rather the part where I take my last breath and there's no one there except for me. I know that nothing should scare me anymore, but I can't seem to shake the fear. It's latched itself onto me too tightly-dug its poisoned claws into my mind too deeply.

I lay on the hard floor of my studio apartment. Even though the sun had long risen, the apartment is still dark. My apartment only has one window, and just last year, another high rise rose up from the ground to obscure the sky. What was once a window to the rare sun is now nothing more than drab concrete walls.

My head throbs, and I slowly sit up. I blow my dirty blonde hair out of my eyes as I wince at my headache. Today is the first day of school: the first day of eleventh grade.

I rise to my feet and stumble over to the corner of my room where I've left the backpack I mercifully discarded throughout the summer. It doesn't take me long to fill it with my binders-the same ones I used last year and the year before. Finally, I reach into the pockets of my oversized sweatpants for my glasses and slide them onto my face. The glasses help a lot.

After slinging my backpack over my shoulders, I make my way to the door of my unit. Before I exit, I turn around one more time and survey the empty space. I have almost no belongings. All of my clothes had been given to me by my neighbors after they deemed that the clothing I had was either too worn down or stretched out of shape to use anymore. I wasn't complaining. I don't care what I wear, but everyone else seems to.

I exit my apartment. The long hallway beyond is quiet. It's still early enough in the morning that everyone is either still asleep or has already left for work. I close the door to my apartment behind me and silently pad off down the hallway. My footsteps are the only sound as they echo on the concrete stairs, and my breath puffs out in front of me in the chilly morning air.

Even though it's still technically summer, the mornings are still unapologetically cold. But it won't take long for the temperatures to rise to an almost stifling heat. I can almost smell the unpleasant scent of too many bodies packed into tight hallways, almost hear the roar of voices, almost feel the suffocation.

When I reach the ground floor of the building, I push open the front door and step outside. And almost immediately, the sound of cars and people moving about hits me full in the face. I nearly choke on the heavy cloud of pollution in the air. The sky is as gray as the concrete buildings shooting out of the ground to scrape it. All the new buildings are at least fifty stories tall from what I remembered the last time I attempted to count the dizzying number of windows. The pollution is especially bad today, and I hastily pull my sweatshirt up over my nose and mouth.

From the ground, I can barely see the sky as I walk to the bus stop. The closer I get to downtown, the more and more the sky is blocked from view. Everything is painted in shades of dull gray. It hasn't rained in months now and the sparse plants speckling the area are a dead, dry brown. There isn't a single bird in the sky. The city is a monotonous void completely deprived of life and sunlight.

When I finally arrive at the bus stop, the poor air quality has begun to irritate my eyes. I squint through the haze that has settled over the ground. Surprisingly enough, I'm the first person here. I don't have to wait long before other teens around my age slowly amble up to the bus stop. All of them are wearing backpacks and have earbuds jammed into their ears. Some of them are in masks, others seemingly immune to the particles that are heavy in the air. They ignore me, and I ignore them.

If I listen carefully, I can hear the faint sounds of the music playing around me. All the different songs mingle and merge together into a hum of incoherent noise. Sometimes I wish I could stare mindlessly at a phone screen as well, but I can't afford such things.

Before long, headlights glow through the haze as the bus emerges. There's a soft hissing sound as the doors open and we all file on board. I fumble in my backpack for my bus card and quickly scan it before making my way toward the free seats at the back.

I take a seat next to the window, and since it's still early enough in the morning, the seat next to mine remains vacant for the duration of the ride. Forty-five minutes later, the bus comes to a stop in front of the main entrance to the school and we all file off. The sound of loud chatter hits me in the face the moment the doors to the bus swing open.

My head starts to throb the moment my feet touch the pavement. Loud. Everything is so loud. One step at a time, I have to remind myself as I look at all of the people standing in clumps around the front of the school.

I creep away from the bus and slowly make my way toward the entrance. My lungs already feel as if they're constricting more and more the closer I get to the entrance. No one bats an eye in my direction as I climb the steps to the main building with my sweatshirt still pulled over my nose and mouth, and my hands clenched tightly on the straps of my backpack. My backpack itself looks battered enough that I doubt anyone will try to rip it off me, but I never know what the pickpockets are up to.

The sun has risen higher in the sky, and the gray has changed from a dark shade of dismal misery to a slightly lighter one. I make a beeline through the courtyard and head in the direction of the administration section of the school. Since I can't have my schedule sent out to me digitally, I need to pick up a hard copy in person.

I keep my head down as I pass group after group of students lingering in the hallways. I've never been good with people my age. Something about talking to them makes my head spin, my voice pitch up, and my breathing difficult. I think it has something to do with the fact that I want to fit in with them, and trying to figure out how to be perceived is a daunting task. Thankfully, people don't normally talk to me, and I don't talk to them.

I stop at the door to my counselor's office and knock a few times with a shaky hand before entering. "Hello." My voice comes out in a strained sort of way. I can't remember the last time I used it.

"Oh, hello dear." The woman sitting behind the desk swivels in her chair to face me before continuing. "Are you here to pick up a schedule?"

I nod as I pull my sweatshirt down from my face.

"Name?"

"Julia. Julia Wright."

"Alright, Julia. Just give me a moment and I'll have it printed out for you."

"Thank you." I take a step backward to watch as the counselor searches for my name on her computer. Her long nails tap over the keys. As she prints out the sheet of paper, I glance around the small office. The posters covering the walls bring color to the otherwise dull room.

"Here, Julia." The counselor reaches over her desk to hand me the piece of paper. "If anything needs to be rearranged, don't hesitate to find me. I'm in my office before, during, and after school."

"Thank you," I say again as I take the paper from her. It's still warm from the printer, and I exit her office before glancing down at it. I can't seem to remember which classes I chose during the previous school year for junior year, but I've ended up with a pretty standard-looking spread. I don't recognize any of the classroom numbers or teacher names. Still staring at my schedule, I start making my way to my first-period classroom. English is first.

It's lunch in no time. The bell rings and the hallways explode in a roar of chatter. I let the wave of students carry me out into the courtyard. Just as I predicted, the temperature has risen drastically and I have to turn back into the school building to avoid baking.

I take a seat on one of the staircases and set my backpack on my legs as I stare into space. In all of the classes I've had so far, I've only recognized a handful of students I shared classes with last year. New people are fine. Old people are also fine. They're all the same.

I reach into my backpack and pull out my schedule. I still have American History, Math, and Intro to Astrophysics left until the day is officially over. Intro to astrophysics. My eyes linger on the last class. I don't remember picking this one. Fujiwara, the name of the teacher reads.

I stare at my schedule for a long time. I can see other students passing me on the staircase out of the corner of my eye. I can feel their gaze on me as they look for a brief moment before moving on.

I finally fold up my schedule and place it back inside my backpack. It would be nice to eat lunch with someone, but friends are just too difficult to make and even more difficult to keep. Last year in tenth grade, the group of girls who had decided I could follow them around ignored me for the most part. When they did talk to me, it was always to point out how I was the only one of them without a phone or social media.

I had stuck with them for a while, but when I realized I was being excluded from all of their after-school hangouts and gatherings, I gave up. It had only lasted for a month before I was on my own again. I just couldn't keep up. I never understood any of their conversations about their online posts or the gossip they seemed to like so much. All of it just made my head hurt. With hanging around such a large group of people, there were always too many eyes and too many whispers.

In a blink of an eye, the last class of the day is upon me. I walk into the astrophysics classroom and marvel at the posters of planets and stars that decorate the walls. A galaxy-it's a pretty little galaxy of night and stars and space. Windows line the wall on the far side of the classroom and give a clear view of the polluted sky and haze-shrouded high rises outside.

"Welcome to Intro to Astrophysics," a voice says from the front of the classroom. I turn to find a woman in her late thirties standing behind the desk. "The seating chart has been projected on the whiteboard. These will be your seats for the entirety of the first semester. If you find that you have any problems with these arrangements, feel free to tell me and I can adjust you accordingly."

I nod along with the other students who are still filing into the classroom. I quickly spot the picture of myself on the board and shuffle over to the desk I'll be sharing with one of my other classmates. It's a picture from last year-and a very awful one at that.

I set my backpack under my desk by my feet and pull out my deteriorating binder. As more students enter the classroom, our teacher repeats her instructions. It doesn't take long for someone to take the chair next to mine. I turn my head slightly, looking at my new deskmate out of the corner of my eye. I don't think I've ever seen this boy before. He's tall and pale with short brown hair.

"What's your name?" the boy says in a way of greeting. His voice is loud. A little too loud, and I flinch ever so slightly at his volume.

"J-Julia," I manage to get out.

"You're joking. Your name can't be Julia."

I blink. "I'm sorry?"

"My girlfriend's name is Julia," the boy says as if it's obvious.

"Julia Bennet?" I nearly let out a laugh. Of course it's Julia Bennet. She's the person I'm always confused with. Whenever people hear the name Julia, they immediately think of Julia Bennet. They always think of Julia Bennet as the only Julia, which is silly because Julia is quite a common name. Most of the people in my grade know that there are two Julias: the popular Julia, and then the other Julia.

The boy looks me up and down. "So you're the other Julia."

I just nod. I've already reached my speaking limit for the day. Are you going to tell me your name? I want to ask. But then on second thought, I find that I don't care enough to ask the question.

The boy just turns away from me, losing all interest completely. Good, I let out a breath. Things are better if we don't have to talk. The bell rings again, signaling the start of class, and we all turn to the dark-haired woman at the front of the classroom expectantly.

"Good afternoon everyone," our teacher says with a warm smile. "I'm Ms. Fujiwara. I know this is the last class of the day, and I hope you can bear with me."

It takes me the entirety of the class period to figure out what my deskmate's name is: Leon. He mostly ignores me, and it wasn't until one of my other classmates' addressed him by his name that I finally realized what it was. It's only been no more than ten minutes, but the impression I'm getting from Leon is not a good one. I just hope we don't end up having to do any group work.

After we make a trip down to the textbook room to collect our books for the year, the class returns to our classroom and I take a seat at my desk. The cover of my astrophysics textbook is a night sky full of stars. There's something beautiful about it . . . I've never seen the stars before. I know they're there somewhere behind the thick haze of pollution and city lights, but I still have yet to see them with my own eyes.

They say that the sky is like an ocean. An ocean of blue. Sometimes it's clear, other times it's brushed with clouds. Is it like an ocean? I can't say. Even though I've seen pictures of the ocean before, I've never seen it in person either. Since we are so inland, there aren't any oceans or seas around. The largest body of water around is the murky-looking lake toward the east side of the city. And that lake barely even passes as a lake.

As I stare at the cover of my textbook, a hand suddenly reaches over with a permanent marker in its fingers. Just before the marker can touch the cover of my textbook, I quickly snatch my book away and turn to find Leon looking at me in a nonplussed sort of way.

"I'm bored," Leon says as he flips through his own textbook. "You won't let me scribble on the cover of your book?"

I vigorously shake my head. That's a violation of school property, I want to say. It's not like our school has much funding in the first place. If you ruin a perfectly good textbook, where are they going to find the funds to replace it? You should respect other people's property especially if you're not going to pay for the damage yourself. But none of that comes out, and I'm left sitting in silence.

"Fine." Leon loses all interest in me for a second time today. "You're nothing like Julia Bennet at all."

Did you really think I would be? I just shake my head again, inwardly cringing as Leon's marker squeaks over the cover of his textbook as he slowly scribbles out the stars.

Finally, the last bell rings and there's a shuffling as everyone stands up from their chairs to swing their backpacks over their shoulders. Leon's one of the first people out the door, and without him around I feel like I can finally breathe properly again.

I tug my sweatshirt back over my mouth and nose as I shuffle out of the classroom. The pollution has worsened again by the time I arrive at the bus stop. Normally, I go to the school's library to do my homework, but since today is the first day, the library isn't open to students.

Fortunately, I don't have any real homework today. All I need to do is get my syllabuses signed by a parent or guardian.

The sky is still gray when I reach the doors to my apartment building. The only thing that has changed since this morning is the heat, and I grimace to myself as I pull open the front doors to the building and step into the lobby. I slowly make my way up the concrete stairs. My footsteps echo in the stillness, and the sound of cars is muffled from somewhere far below.

It feels like I'm walking forever as I pass my usual exit on the eleventh floor and continue higher and higher all the way to the twenty-fifth floor. I walk down the hallway, and when I finally come upon the last door, I gingerly extend a finger and tap the doorbell.

I don't have to wait long before the door swings open to reveal a white-haired woman in her sixties. "Julia, dear." She looks down at me, and I pull my sweatshirt down from my nose and mouth. "Do you need something?"

"Do you think you could sign some things for school for me, Ms. Akram?"

"Of course." Ms. Akram beckons me to follow her into her apartment. When it comes to school-related things, Ms. Akram helps me fill out forms in the name of my guardian. She also happens to be the manager and landlord of this building. She goes out a lot and always asks me to come to her apartment to take care of her cats while she's away. I don't mind looking after Ms. Akram's cats. All of them are very sweet, and Ms. Akram also lets me use her TV.

The moment the door to the apartment swings shut behind me, there's a soft meow and the jigging of bells as something furry leaps up onto my backpack.

"I'm sorry, Julia dear," Ms. Akram says apologetically as she pulls the cat off me and scoops it into her arms. "You haven't been over at all during the summer and the cats miss you."

I give Ms. Akram a small smile. "I think the cats enjoy your company."

"I'm almost fully recovered," Ms. Akram says as I hand her the syllabuses for my school. "See? I don't need the crutches anymore either. I'll be out and about in no time." Just before summer started, Ms. Akram had sprained one of her legs while walking up the stairs, and she had to spend the entirety of the summer in her apartment because of it. "Did you hear the news?" Ms. Akram asks as she hands back my papers. "The city voted on lowering the factory regulations again! As if the air quality isn't already bad enough!"

"They did?" My heart sinks.

"It's those good-for-nothing corporations backing those good-for-nothing politicians," Ms. Akram says. "Would you like to stay for dinner, Julia dear?"

"What? I couldn't, Ms. Akram! I don't want to trouble you."

"You're no trouble." Ms. Akram gives me a warm smile as she shuffles over to the kitchen with a noticeable limp. "If you don't want to keep an old lady like myself company, I understand."

"I'll stay," I say quickly. I won't turn down the opportunity to stay out of my own dreary apartment for as long as possible. Ms. Akram is kind, and as long as she isn't bothered by me, I'm happy to stay.

"Wonderful, dear," Ms. Akram calls from the kitchen. "I haven't cooked for anyone in a while. Oh, this is going to be fun! Feel free to turn on the TV."

I nod even though I know Ms. Akram can't see me. I set my backpack down by the door and make my way over to the couch. The moment I take a seat, I can barely grab the TV remote before one of Ms. Akram's cats has jumped onto my lap.

I think Ms. Akram is lonely. Even with all of her cats to keep her company, there's something about Ms. Akram that gives me the impression that she's gone through her fair share of difficulties. Ms. Akram has a framed photo next to her TV of a much younger-looking version of herself accompanied by a man and three children. I've never asked her why she lives alone in this apartment or what happened to her family, but I've never had the heart to bring it up.

When I hit the power button, the news is the first thing that pops up on the screen. There's been another mass shooting. Another collapsed building. Another fire. Disaster after disaster.

I quickly change the channel and pull up the show I had started watching the last time I was over at Ms. Akram's apartment.

I absently stare at the screen as I stroke the soft fur of the cats sitting around me. Eventually I lift my gaze to the window and the concrete walls beyond. Buildings are everywhere. Sometimes Ms. Akram would tell me of a time where you could still see a horizon that wasn't blocked by skyscrapers; a time where you could still see the sky and where birds danced among the clouds. The overall life expectancy has already dropped drastically, and yet the people in charge still won't bat an eye.

Ms. Akram reemerges from the kitchen. "Food's ready."

I turn off the TV and try my best to dislodge the cats on my lap before standing up. "Thank you." I hurry over to the kitchen to wash the cat hair from my hands.

Ms. Akram tells me about the news and the recent political developments as we eat. Even though Ms. Akram tries her best to be optimistic for my sake, we both know if things don't change soon, it will be too late. Humanity is its own downfall. This is our fate.

✦ ✦ ✦

After I leave Ms. Akram's apartment, I make my way up the stairs to the roof of the building. The gray concrete of the surrounding buildings shoot up around me. I raise my head to the gray sky. No sun, no moon. Just gray. No stars, no sky. This city is a concrete jungle and we are the animals that inhabit it.

I'll have to return to my own apartment soon. Staying outside too long will cause my eyes to start watering from the smog.

My head gives a painful throb, and I lower my gaze. My eyes fall on the edge of the roof. There's no railing and the concrete seems to give away into nothingness.

My head throbs again. I turn back to the stairs. The pollution is already starting to get to me.

Back in my dark apartment, I lay on the floor with my textbooks scattered around me. I hold up my astrophysics textbook and gaze up at the star-flecked sky on the cover. Maybe this is what it's like to look up at the night sky.

Chapter Two
A Memory of Dawn

"Look what I drew!" I proudly hold up my paper in one hand and an assortment of crayons in the other.

"Wow!" Teddy's eyes sparkle as he reaches across the table to tentatively take the paper from me.

I smile before hopping up from my seat and make my way around to the other side of the table to look over Teddy's shoulder at his own drawing. "So many stars!"

"The night sky is full of stars," Teddy explains proudly as he points to his drawing.

"Should I add stars to my drawing as well?"

"No." Teddy shakes his head knowingly as he lays my drawing next to his. "This is the daytime sky. You can see the clouds in the day while you can see the stars at night."

"Oh, that's right."

"I'm almost done." Teddy takes one of the crayons I offer him and skillfully adds the finishing touches to his drawing. "Once I finish it, we can draw the time between day and night together!"

"Okay!" I sit down next to Teddy. Even though I can hear the other children laughing and talking among themselves from the other tables, I like to pretend that it's only Teddy and me. Teddy is my best friend in the entire world.

"I'm done!" Teddy proudly sets down his crayons. I clap my hands as I marvel at the different shades of midnight. "Wouldn't it be nice to see such a sky in real life?" Teddy stares wistfully at our drawings.

I nod as I reach out a hand and touch the page of night with a finger.

"Do you want to draw the sunset now?" Teddy asks brightly. "We still have around ten minutes or so until free time is over. What colors do we use for the sunset?"

"Red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, purple." I count off on my fingers.

"Alright!" Teddy jumps to his feet before taking me by the hand. Together, we hurry over to the big crayon box at the back of the classroom. After rummaging through the box, we return to our table and get to work. It's very fun scribbling over the paper with the colors, changing the white backdrop to a sky composed of hundreds of zigzagging lines.

When we finish, the two of us place our new drawing between the pictures of day and night.

"Perfect!" I proudly admire our work. Teddy and I give each other a high five before we get to work returning all of our crayons to the box.

"I'll bring the drawings back to our room for us later," Teddy tells me.

Just as I nod my head, the door to the classroom swings open and our teacher walks in. "It looks like class is starting."

Everyone scrambles to take their seats at their desks. "Good afternoon, third graders," our teacher says. "It's time to continue our lessons."

✦ ✦ ✦

Teddy and I sit next to each other in our room. Both of us are silent as we continue to wait. It's Teddy's turn to be called on today, and I give his hand a squeeze.

"Should I be nervous?" Teddy asks. I can hear the slight tremor in his voice.

"It's not bad." I shake my head. "It's really not that bad. You'll be back before you know it, and then we can continue to play."

Teddy nods.

Suddenly there's a knock on the door. There's a soft clicking noise as it swings open to reveal a middle-aged man standing in the doorway. This man is Mr. Wright, and he's in charge. Or so everyone says.

"Tamish," Mr. Wright calls.

I give Teddy's hand a final squeeze before helping him rise to his feet. At the apprehensive expression on my friend's face, I turn to Mr. Wright. "Can I go with him?"

"No, Julia." Mr. Wright looks at me. "We already called on you two days ago. It's Tamish's turn today."

"Can I walk with him at least?"

"No."

I give Teddy an apologetic look as I start to slip my hand out of his. Teddy clings to my hand, his face paling.

"The sooner you get it over with," I say softly, "the sooner you can come back."

Teddy swallows as he slowly lets go of my hand. I offer Teddy a smile as he steps out of our room. He looks back at me one more time before following Mr. Wright down the hall. The door swings shut with a click as it relocks itself.

I slowly walk over to the back wall of our small room; the wall where we hang up all of our drawings. Our three drawings of the sky are a nice new addition. The colors add life to the otherwise plain room.

After staring at the drawings for a while, I walk over to my bed and flop down onto it. I turn my head and stare absently at Teddy's empty bed opposite mine. Even though the room is small and windowless, Teddy and I spend most of our time here. It doesn't bother us that there isn't much space. It's still more than enough room to play with our stuffed animals and make up story after story about their adventures.

Just as a small smile flickers acrosses my face, my head gives a painful throb. I still as my head throbs again. Clenching my fists, I pull my pillow over my head. It's not that bad, I tell myself. Maybe I just worked too hard in class today. Maybe my head is punishing me for even considering adding stars in the daytime sky.

I don't know when exactly I fell asleep, but I awake to Teddy shaking my shoulders. "Jay," he calls my name as I blink my eyes open. My headache has vanished.

"Teddy!" I sit bolt upright. "How are you?"

Teddy grins. "I'm fine. You were right-it wasn't all that bad."

"Good." I let out a breath.

Teddy takes a seat on the bed next to me, picking up the stuffed bear next to my pillow. "We still have a few hours before dinner. Want to play a game?"

I nod as I pick up a second stuffed bear. "Let's continue the adventures of the teddy bears!"

✦ ✦ ✦

Before long, it's time for bed. All the main lights have been turned off until it's time to wake up in the morning.

Teddy and I remove the blankets and pillows from our beds and lay them out on the floor between them. The two of us lay on our makeshift bed on the floor and stare up at the ceiling.

"Jay," Teddy says after a while. His voice is nothing more than a whisper.

"What is it?" I ask as I roll onto my side to face him.

"Do you know where that lamp is? I can't see anything in the dark."

"I'll go get the lamp." I stand up and hold my arms out in front of me as I feel my way around in the dark. I quickly find the lamp on the shelf, and with the press of a button, the plastic shade is filled with light. Our room is illuminated in a warm golden glow as I bring the lamp over to the floor and pass it to Teddy before laying back down.

Teddy smiles as the two of us crawl under the covers. We lay on our sides with the lamp between us, and the golden light gives Teddy's brown skin the illusion that it's glowing. This is our forest fort and we're the wooden supports. The residents of this fort are our stuffed bears, and they huddle around the lamp in the middle.

"I wish I could be a teddy bear," Teddy says wistfully as the two of us stare at the two bears sitting in front of the light with glowing fur. "I bet it's a pretty nice life."

"You are a teddy, though," I point out.

Teddy just laughs.

✦ ✦ ✦

After Teddy and I exit our classroom, the two of us follow our other classmates in a single file line down the hall. As we all make our way toward the cafeteria, a figure with dirty-blonde hair strides down the hallway.

"Quick!" Teddy tugs at my sleeve, his eyes falling on the person at the same time as mine. "Hide behind me!"

Too late. The blonde-haired girl spots me almost instantly. She's smiling as she walks over to me.

"Julia." The girl looks down at me. She's only a few years older than I am, but she's at least a head taller than me. "Have you been avoiding me?"

Teddy and I both look up at her silently.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you for asking." My sister looks back and forth between Teddy and me. "According to Mr. Wright, I happen to be the favorite so far out of all of the other students."

"Congratulations," I say.

"That's all you have to say?"

"Jay and I aren't trying to compete with you," Teddy says tiredly. "We've told you this before."

My sister has a disbelieving expression on her face. "You're not?"

I shake my head. "We're really not trying to compete with you."

"Genesis." Mr. Wright appears from around the corner. "Come, we've got another test to run."

My sister spins around to face Mr. Wright.

"Good luck," I say softly to my sister.

Genesis just sneers at me before she turns on her heel and follows Mr. Wright down the hall.

When she's out of earshot, Teddy and I exchange a glance.

"I don't get it." Teddy shakes his head as we trail after our classmates toward the cafeteria. "We're not even in the same grade. Wouldn't she want to compete with someone on the same level as her?"

I frown. "Maybe she thinks I'm on the same level as her since I'm her sister." Then I shake my head as well. "No, she always thinks that she's better than me. I've never been on the same level as her."

Teddy offers me a smile. "She's gone now. Come on, let's go get some lunch."

I nod as I let Teddy take me by the hand and lead me down the hall. Even though Genesis is my sister, or at least she's supposed to be, I can't seem to understand her at all. Teddy is a person I understand much better.

✦ ✦ ✦

Teddy and I are back in our room. The two of us are talking together on his bed when Teddy suddenly clutches his head.

"Teddy!" I turn to him in concern. "Are you okay?"

"My head." Teddy grimaces, and his fingers dig into his dark hair. "My head hurts all of a sudden."

"You should lay down." I quickly hop off of the bed to give Teddy more space. "Laying down helps if you start to feel dizzy."

Teddy nods as he takes my advice and lays down. "This happened to you as well?"

"It did." I take a seat on the floor next to Teddy's bed. "But it doesn't last very long. A few minutes at most."

Teddy hisses softly before looking over at me. "Jay, will you lay here with me?"

"Okay."

Teddy closes his eyes, taking a deep breath as he winces against his headache.

"It will be over soon." I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"It will be over soon," Teddy echoes. But I can hear the pain in his voice, and it hurts me as well.

✦ ✦ ✦

"What are you drawing today?" Teddy peeks over my shoulder.

"I'm drawing the two of us." I show my friend my half-complete drawing. "This is you," I point to the bear-shaped blob on the left side of the page, "and this is me."

"Wow!" Teddy claps his hands together, impressed. "We really are teddy bears!"

There's a clicking sound as the door to the classroom swings open. "Good morning, fourth grade." Our teacher strides into the classroom. The first thing I notice is that we have a new teacher today. We usually go through about three or four teachers a year. I don't know what happened to them or where they went since I've never seen any of them again. Maybe they don't like teaching a bunch of elementary-aged children. Or maybe Mr. Wright's not paying them enough. He's the one in charge.

New teacher. Teddy and I exchange a glance.

Our new teacher eyes our classroom in an almost frightened sort of way as his gaze falls over the windowless walls. Our teacher shakes his head as he tries to center himself, but I can see his hands shaking slightly as he looks through his notes. "Let's begin class."

✦ ✦ ✦

"What do you think of our new teacher?" I absently ask Teddy. The two of us are back in our room now. "How long do you think this one's going to last?"

"He seems nice," Teddy muses. "He just doesn't seem to like our classroom much. Or our classmates."

I nod my head. Our new teacher had refused to look any of us in the eye. "I don't think he wants to be here," I say quietly.

"Unlike us, though," Teddy says darkly, "he can leave whenever he wants."

✦ ✦ ✦

When we show up to class the next day, our new teacher has already been replaced. Whatever happened to him, I'll probably never find out.

Chapter Three
World in Monochrome

A couple of weeks have passed since the first day of school and I'm beginning to adjust to the new flow. It's lunchtime, and I sit outside the main school building on the bench next to the door. The pollution isn't horrendous today.

People walk past me as they enter and exit the school building. Some of their faces are familiar, others completely foreign. None of them giving me a second glance. Wait, there's someone I recognize. A girl with dark hair walks past, and I really do pull my sweatshirt over my face this time. Last year the two of us had hung out for a short while. I had enjoyed her company, but it seemed as if she hadn't enjoyed mine since I happened to walk in on her telling a group of other students that she didn't have any friends. I stopped trying to find her after that.

"Julia," someone says loudly, and I blink, snapping to attention as I look around for the source of the voice. But it doesn't seem like anyone's talking to me. Suddenly I spot a group of girls looking at me funny.

"That's right," one of the girls says in an undertone to her friends, "isn't that girl's name Julia too?"

I ignore them. My face heats as I hide under my sweatshirt. Why did I think that anyone had called me?

A girl with black hair leaves the group to walk over to where I'm sitting. "So you're the other Julia." Even though my sweatshirt is pulled over my nose and mouth, I can smell her perfume. It smells toxic.

I just nod my head. At a closer look, the roots of her hair are blonde-a lighter shade of blonde than mine. But it's been dyed black; the ink is so dark it looks superficial.

"When's your birthday?" Julia Bennet asks. She's holding her phone in one long-nailed hand and the tiniest backpack I've ever seen in the other.

I blink at the unexpected question. "I'm sorry?"

"When's your birthday?" she repeats.

The truth is that I don't know when my birthday is. No one ever told me what it was. "December," I say.

"Oh." Julia Bennet's face falls, her eyes disappointed behind layers upon layers of makeup. "That's too bad."

"I-I'm sorry?" I say again. I can feel the eyes of her friends on me and I shrink back. I should have never come out here. At least I know now to never return.

"I was wondering that since we had the same name, maybe we'd also have the same birthday." The dark-haired girl shrugs. "Maybe we could be twins."

I nearly laugh in exasperation. What makes you think having the same name has anything to do with being born on the same day? I'm sure you've met many Julias before me. Do you ask all of them the same thing too? At least that's what I want to say. But I can't muster the confidence to put my thoughts into words, and my voice is refusing to work properly at this point. So instead, I just shake my head.

"Have a good lunch I guess." Julia Bennet turns away, losing all interest in me.

"You too," I manage to get out.

"Did you see what she was wearing?" One of Julia Bennet's friends giggles as they walk away. "Maybe she doesn't have much money, but it's summer! It's hot outside!"

I frown slightly. I know they don't think I can hear them, but I can. I prefer no attention over this kind, and I do not have enough confidence to wear the mini skirts and crop tops that Julia Bennet and her friends all sport. I'm not comfortable enough in my own skin as it is, and the day I try to do my own makeup is the day I accidentally take one of my eyes out.

This was the first interaction I've ever had with Julia Bennet, and it was almost even more awkward than I thought it would be.

I slowly stand up and make my way back inside the school building. I know I shouldn't care about what other people say about me. But I do. I do care about what other people think of me. It's difficult to ignore all the people in the world forever.

I miss Teddy. My heart clenches painfully.

I amble over to my next class and stand in the hallway until the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.

Soon it's the last class of the day.

"Alright everyone." Ms. Fujiwara smiles at us from the front of the classroom. "Today we're going to be making models of our galaxy. I thought it would be fun for us to do some sort of art project this week. I'll demonstrate."

I watch as Ms. Fujiwara selects a variety of different sized bottle caps to be her planets before taking the hot glue gun warming on the table next to her and carefully attaching them to a cardboard backdrop.

A light flashes next to me, and I turn my head to find that Leon is holding his phone under his desk. He's texting messages to someone.

"And that's what we're doing today," Ms. Fujiwara says as she concludes her demonstration. "I hope this activity will make for a pretty low-stress Monday. We only have two hot glue guns, so you'll have to take turns."

I stand up with the rest of the class and all of us make our way over to the front of the classroom to collect our materials. When I return to my desk, Leon is still sitting in the exact same place with his phone. I ignore him as I start getting to work on my own model.

"Julia," Leon says a few minutes later.

I don't look up from my model. I've almost finished laying everything out. Soon all that's left to do is glue it to the cardboard.

"Julia," Leon says again.

I slowly turn to face him. He's looking at me. "Are you talking to me?" I manage to say. The moment the words leave my mouth, I know they're stupid.

"Who else would I be talking to?" Leon rolls his eyes. "What exactly are we doing?"

"Maybe if you were paying attention to Ms. Fujiwara's instructions, you'd know what to do." I don't know if I have enough energy to repeat Ms. Fujiwara's instructions even if I wanted to.

"Come on, Julia." Leon leans over to look at my model. "Don't be that kind of person."

I quickly stand up from the table and take my model with me. "You should go ask someone else." I can feel Leon's eyes on my back as I walk over to the hot glue station.

As I get into line with the other students waiting to use the glue, suddenly someone at the hot glue station lets out a shriek. "Spider!"

"Kill it!" one of my classmates yell. "Melt it with the hot glue!"

I can't tell what's happening at the hot glue station, and I certainly can't see the spider, but I can sense the spider's fear. I can hear the beating of that tiny heart and feel the pure terror of being surrounded by a group of giants. I can hear its heartbeat.

I don't know when I started acting on impulse, but my feet start to move on their own as I hurry over to the table. "Stop!" I say. My voice comes out panicked as I set down my model. It doesn't take me long to locate the spider. It's a tiny thing with spindly legs scuttling over the table.

My classmates freeze, most of them with shocked looks on their faces as I take a piece of notepaper from my pocket and carefully use it to pick up the spider. I then hurry over to the window, pulling it open before gently shaking the tiny spider out. It slides from my notepaper and is swept up by the wind.

I let out a breath as I close the window. I turn back around to find my classmates staring at me.

"Why did you take the spider outside?" one of my classmates says angrily. "We could have melted it with the hot glue!"

"Isn't that a bit cruel?" I shoot back. I don't know what possessed me to stand up for the spider, but at that moment, it just seemed like the right thing to do. "Would you like it if someone tried to burn you to death with hot glue?"

"Whoa, chill out," my classmate says, taken aback. "It's just a spider."

"Spiders scare me," another one of my classmates speaks up. "Couldn't we just have killed it?"

I frown. "It's gone now."

My classmates open their mouths again, but suddenly Ms. Fujiwara is there. "The spider's gone," she says. "Let's all get back to working on our projects."

My classmates nod, grumble and glaring at me as they return to their work.

"You did a good job, Julia," Ms. Fujiwara says quietly as she turns to me.

My momentary confidence has vanished and all I can do is nod. I want to shrink back from all of the eyes that are still on me.

"Do you like spiders?" Ms. Fujiwara askes lightly.

I shake my head.

Ms. Fujiwara smiles softly. "Then that makes it all the more admirable."

"I didn't want it to die," I say breathlessly.

"Ms. Teacher," someone says as they walk over. I look up to find Leon trying to get Ms. Fujiwara's attention. "Uh, what are we supposed to be doing?"

I shake my head as I head back to my desk.

✦ ✦ ✦

I sit in the hallway, staring absently out the windows at the hazy sky beyond. My view is obscured by tall buildings and everything is gray. There's a world of color out there somewhere. A vibrant world on the internet-a world that connects people through phones and computers. But I don't have access to that kind of world, and what I'm left with is reality.

Sometimes I like to pretend that Teddy's here with me. Sometimes I like to pretend that he's sitting beside me. His voice is familiar as he laughs.

"Julia," a familiar voice says, and I'm drawn from my thoughts. Do I dare look up?

I turn my head to find Ms. Fujiwara walking toward me. I quickly climb to my feet.

"Do you always spend your lunches alone here in the hallway?" Ms. Fujiwara asks.

I shake my head. "I'm not always in the hallway-sometimes I'm in the staircase or even outside if the pollution isn't too bad."

"What about your friends?"

"I don't have any here at school." Just as the words leave my mouth, there's the sound of fabric tearing and suddenly my backpack has split open. I drop to the floor, and my face burns as I quickly collect its contents. "I don't know what happened." I stare at my backpack and the hole in the bottom of it. "I didn't think it was that old."

Ms. Fujiwara eyes my backpack. "I think you might have to buy another one. The bottom seems to be mostly plastic and I don't think it can be sewed up easily."

"Do you have any tape? I don't think I can buy another backpack."

"Come with me." Ms. Fujiwara motions for me to follow her down the hallway. "I think I should have some tape in my classroom."

I nod and hold an arm over the bottom of my backpack to prevent anything else from sliding out. When we reach the classroom, Ms. Fujiwara pulls a roll of tape from her desk and hands it to me. I take it from her and silently get to work on patching up the hole in my backpack.

"Would you be interested in making a little extra money?" Ms. Fujiwara asks after a while. "I've been looking for someone who might be interested in babysitting my daughter. She's a third-grader and she'll be turning eight later this year."

I look up. "Of course I'm interested." The longer I can avoid my own dreary apartment, the happier I will be.

Ms. Fujiwara smiles.

"When do I start?" I ask. Despite my willingness, my voice still comes out as a stammer. Confidence is just something I don't have.

"You can start anytime you want." Ms. Fujiwara pulls out her phone. "I can text you the directions to my house."

"I don't have a phone," I tell her awkwardly.

Ms. Fujiwara looks up at me. "That's alright-I can write it down instead." I nod and silently watch as she scribbles it down on a piece of paper. "I was hoping I would be able to get one of my students to look after my daughter," Ms. Fujiwara says as she continues to write. "I feel a lot better knowing the person I'm sending than having someone I've never met before. Here-" she hands me the sheet of paper. "It's a little far, so if it's too much trouble-"

"It's no trouble," I cut her off as I scan the paper. "I'll do it." This is my chance to finally make my useless self useful. And I will do my absolute best.

"I stay late at school Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday," Ms. Fujiwara informs me. "Those are the days my daughter needs someone to look after her. My husband only has time to pick her up from school and drop her off at the house before he has to be on his way to his own job. It's not that I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone in the house, it's more that she needs a friend."

"A friend?" I blink. Maybe this will be a little more difficult than I first thought. "Don't worry-I'll do my best."

"Good." Ms. Fujiwara smiles. "Since it's Wednesday today, you're welcome to start whenever you like. Oh, this is my daughter." Ms. Fujiwara shows me a picture on her phone and I lean forward. "Her name is Miyoko." The young girl in the picture is laughing. Her dark hair is pulled back into two ponytails and her eyes are bright gems.

"I can start tomorrow," I say.

"I'll send a message to my husband and have him let Miyoko know that you'll be there then." Ms. Fujiwara puts her phone away. "Thank you, Julia."

✦ ✦ ✦

I cough as I step out of my apartment building. The pollution is so bad today I can't even see properly through the haze. My eyes water behind my glasses and I stagger along the grimy sidewalk. There are more cars out today than usual due to the atrocious air quality. No one can see through this kind of smog anyway, and I know for a fact that most people would try to avoid walking through it if they can help it.

The particles are nearly suffocating as I wait at the bus stop. There's no one here today.

When the bus finally rolls up with yellow-orange headlights cutting through the haze, I hurry over to the doors and practically throw myself inside.

"Hey, girl,"-the bus driver looks over at me-"you aren't heading to school, are you? Haven't you heard that the district sent out an email telling all the students to remain home due to the pollution today?"

"There's no school today?"

The bus driver nods. "You should head back home."

"Oh." I step back outside. I make my way back down the streets with both of my hands clapped over my nose and mouth. As I walk, I pass several figures laying on the streets. Some of them aren't moving. But their hearts are still beating. For now at least.

My feet seem to drag as I take the stairs back to my apartment. This isn't the first time school has been canceled because of the high pollution levels.

Even though I'm glad I don't have to stay outside in the bad air for any longer, I'm not very fond of the thought of staying in my apartment for the entire day. I'm not very fond of the idea of staying anywhere alone with no one but myself to keep me company.

Before I know it, my apartment door is closing behind me. I stand in the darkness of the small space and slowly drop my backpack down on the floor. I follow my backpack a moment later as I sink into the cold floor.

I pull my glasses off and set them down on the floor next to me before throwing an arm over my eyes. This is not the kind of world I thought it was during my childhood. And something about that fact almost feels like a betrayal in a way. I had convinced myself that the world was a beautiful place-I had let Teddy convince me that the world was beautiful.

I let out a laugh. I've been betrayed by myself, and I have no one to blame other than myself. It's funny in a way how I thought one day I'd be able to see the brilliant blue of the sky and the glittering stars of the silver-flecked night. But when the blindfold was finally removed from my eyes, all that there was was a gray haze.

I don't know how long I've been lying on the floor. Minutes, hours, days, I can't tell. Even if I wanted to rise, I don't know if I'd be able to.

Heavy. My body feels so heavy. It would be so much easier to be nothing-a consciousness at most. My body is useless to me. It's just another thing I have to drag around-another thing that continues to weigh me down. I wish I could leave it behind.

A bird. If there's a next life, I want to be reborn as a bird. As a bird, I'd be able to stretch my wings and fly away. As a bird, I'd be able to fly into the sky. The true sky.

I slowly remove my arm from my eyes. Have I become a bird yet? No. I'm still a human.

The long floppy sleeve of my sweatshirt has slipped down, the fabric bundling around my elbow. I stare at my arm. I'm so pale and skeletal that I look sickly.

Suddenly my head throbs, and I hiss quietly. A soft blue light the color of ice floods my apartment as my veins glow. No, no, no. I quickly pull my sleeve back over my arm and the light fades.

I let out a breath as I slowly sit up. My dirty-blonde hair is limp as it hangs around my face. I squeeze my eyes shut as I grimace against the throbbing of my head. I can feel the energy crackling through me-it's running through my blood.

Gradually, my head stops pounding and the crackling subsides. Taking another breath, I slowly lift my sleeve. My veins have stopped glowing.

I stand up with shaky legs. At the moment, I don't care how bad the pollution levels are. I just can't stay here in my apartment.

Leaving my glasses where they are on the floor, I drag myself out the door, down the hallway, and finally up the stairs to the empty roof.

I take a cross-legged seat on the concrete and stare out at the city. I can hear the cars as they drive down the street, and if I look carefully, I can make out their headlights as they glow through the smog.

Slowly, I scoot over to the edge of the building. My legs dangle off the roof as I sit there, gazing out at the buildings blocking the horizon. I'm not afraid of being so high up. I've never been afraid of heights.

It would be so easy to fling myself into the open air, but I won't do it. I thought about it before, though. I've thought about it, and then in turn, I end up hating myself even more for thinking about it.

A soft breeze picks up and sets my hair fluttering.

I continue to gaze at the buildings that make up this man-made skyline. Teddy. When will I be able to see you again?

✦ ✦ ✦

Friday seems like the pollution levels are still too high for school to be in session, but I go to the bus stop to consult the bus driver anyway. It turns out that we do have school today.

When I arrive at the campus, there aren't as many students hanging around outside the building, and the ones that are are wearing masks. The moment the bus stops outside the main building, everyone makes a mad dash for the doors to the school and I have to do everything I can not to get knocked over by the rush of people.

Inside the building the hallways are jam-packed, and I can feel my breathing becoming shorter and shorter as I squeeze past cluster after cluster of students.

Luckily for me, I don't have to wait long for the first bell to ring, signaling the start of school. I follow the wave of students moving down the hall. There's bodies pressing on me from every side, and the sound of talking is so loud I can barely even hear myself think.

I manage to get through most of the day without anything out of the ordinary happening and soon it's the last class of the day. I'm sitting at my desk, carefully reading the pages Ms. Fujiwara has assigned us in our textbooks when suddenly a hand comes out of nowhere and snatches my glasses right off of my face.

"Hey!" I exclaim, and my head snaps up to find Leon holding my glasses up to his eyes.

"Wow, Julia," Leon says as he squints through the glass, "your eyesight really is terrible."

"Give those back." I reach for my glasses. My voice is already starting to shake. In truth, my eyesight is not terrible at all. It's quite the opposite: my eyesight is impeccable. It's only with the glasses that I can see everything normally as my fellow classmates do. "Please give those back. I need them."

"No kidding." Leon sets my glasses down on the desk in front of me and I snatch them up.

Who said you could take my glasses off my face like that? I want to say. I don't think Leon meant any harm by taking my glasses, but it had definitely sent my anxiety spiking. "Why did you do that?"

Leon lowers his voice. "Because this class is boring!"

"I don't think so." I shake my head as I turn back to my textbook, my voice surprisingly steady. "I like this class and the teacher. Please stop distracting me."

Leon curses. "Fine, alright."

I let out a breath. I'm really not sure how much I like sitting next to Leon. I think Ms. Fujiwara is a great teacher.

Chapter Four
A Memory of Dusk

Every day is the same sunless day. Every day is the same metal halls. It's been like this for as long as I can remember.

"Jay." Teddy takes my hand in his and laces his fingers through mine. His hands are warm, and I hold them tightly, savoring their warmth. The two of us are lying on the floor under our fort of blankets. We have a chair in our room now and we're using it as the main support. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," I whisper. The lamp placed under the chair's legs illuminates Teddy's face. "I was just confused, that's all. I wasn't expecting them to shave my hair off."

"I know." Teddy lets out a heavy sigh. "At least now we know that today's your birthday."

"You're right." Then I frown. "But what day is today?"

Teddy smiles. "Today is today. And today is your birthday. Happy birthday, Jay."

I find myself smiling as I look at Teddy through the wooden legs of the chair between us. "Mr. Wright said that I'm ten years old today."

"I don't know when my birthday is, but do you think they're going to shave my hair then too?" Teddy's gaze turns serious. "I was really worried, Jay. When they asked you to go with them I thought something bad had happened. I'm glad that you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to you."

"We'll get through this together," I say with a lot more confidence than I feel. "I'll always be here with you."

"Thank you, Jay." Teddy closes his eyes, and the light of the lamp causing his long lashes to glow gold.

I give his hands a squeeze.

"Jay," Teddy says after a while. "Your hands are cold."

I hastily let go of Teddy's hands, but my friend catches them and holds them tightly in his own.

"I'll always be here to warm them up." Teddy beams, and I smile.

"Do you think I look better with short hair or long hair?" I ask.

"They're different. But both of them are still you. I think I like them both."

I sit up, and Teddy does too. Tiptoeing over to my bed, I take the teddy bear sitting on top of it off and return to the floor with the stuffed animal in my arms.

"I'm lucky to have so many teddy bears." I set my bear down next to our lamp. "But do you know which teddy is my favorite one?"

"Which one?" Teddy asks with wide eyes.

"This one." I take a seat next to Teddy and wrap my arms around him tightly. "This is my favorite teddy."

Teddy laughs as he hugs me back. "And you're my favorite jay, Jay."

"What does that mean?" I laugh. "J like the letter j?"

"No." Teddy shakes his head, still smiling as he draws away to hold my gaze. "A jay is a type of bird. A blue jay-they're called blue jays. And you have blue eyes."

✦ ✦ ✦

"Alright." Mr. Wright takes a seat in front of one of the monitors as his helpers begin to hook me up to it. "Let's get ready to start." I've got wires and tubes coming out of my arms and legs. I squeeze my eyes shut against the blinding light that shines down over me.

All I can do is lay there as the scientists poke me with a series of needles as they inject some kind of blue liquid into me. My head throbs as the needles seem to shoot through my very skull. I just squeeze my eyes closed. It will be over soon. The room is spinning. My flesh is burning.

Even after I'm escorted back to the room I share with Teddy, I'm still feel phantom needles against my skin.

Chapter Five
The Emptiness of Space

It's Monday, and I sit on the subway with Ms. Fujiwara's directions in hand. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Ms. Fujiwara's house from school so I manage to complete most of my homework during the commute.

The subway stops a few blocks away from Ms. Fujiwara's place. I've never been this far before. I seem to be on the outskirts of the city and the buildings are not nearly as tall. The pollution levels seem to be better too.

This neighborhood has more trees in it than I have seen in my life-the vibrant green is a stark contrast to the hazy sky. I make my way down the seven blocks to Ms. Fujiwara's house and hold my breath as I press the doorbell.

I don't have to wait long for footsteps to sound, and the door opens with a soft click. Ms. Fujiwara's daughter is standing in the doorway with a frown on her face. Even though her dark hair is in the same ponytails as they were in the picture Ms. Fujiwara showed me the week before, there isn't a trace of any smile on her face.

"Are you Julia?" she asks as she looks up at me with large eyes.

I nod. "I'm Julia. Your mom asked me to be your friend."

"My mom asked you to be my friend," Miyoko echos as she looks me up and down. Then she beckons me inside. Her dress swishes around her legs as she turns on her heel. "My mom really thinks that we can be friends? Oh, shoes off, please."

I offer her a smile as I step inside the house and slide off my shoes. "Do you think we can be friends?"

"I don't have any friends at school," Miyoko admits as she turns to face me.

"I don't have any friends either," I say quietly. Somehow it's easier to talk to an elementary-schooler than kids my age, and I find that I can speak properly without my anxiety kicking in.

"I'll be your friend, then!" Miyoko's eyes light up eagerly. "This is so exciting! Do you like to play with dolls? I have dolls in my room!"

Am I a little too old for dolls? Maybe. But I nod my head all the same, and Miyoko claps her hands together, overjoyed.

"Let me show you around the house first." Miyoko's ponytails bounce as she skips through the living room. "Then we can go to my room after I've introduced you to everyone. Oh! My mom said that it's okay for us to watch a movie too."

"Okay." I find myself smiling as well.

"First we have the living room." Miyoko gestures to the room we're standing in. The floral curtains are drawn back from the windows to highlight the green leaves of the trees lining the sidewalk beyond. "And here's the dining room and kitchen. Our house is a little small. My room is upstairs and my parent's room is also upstairs, but I want you to meet Luna first."

"Luna?"

Miyoko pushes open the door to the backyard. "Out here." The moment the door opens, a bundle of white fluff bounds over to Miyoko and the dark-haired girl giggles. "This is Luna. She's my baby and my magical guardian."

I have to do a double-take. What I first thought was a large dog turns out to be a lamb. "She's adorable."

"Isn't she?" Miyoko kneels down to stroke the lamb's soft woolen coat. Her eyes gentle and her pink nail polish stands out against the white wool. "I've been taking care of her by myself for the past few months. Originally my neighbors bought her to eat. But then they decided that they didn't want lamb and they gave her to my parents. Luna and I are soul mates. So now I'm taking care of her. She's really sweet. Do you want to pet her?"

"May I?" I ask mildly.

"Of course." Miyoko straightens and brushes the grass and dirt from her skirts. "She loves attention."

I tentatively reach out a hand and stroke the lamb's back. Luna doesn't run away from me so that's a good sign.

When I'm done, Miyoko picks up the lamb in her arms. "Let's go to my room. This way."

I follow the dark-haired girl up the stairs and through one of the three doors beyond. Miyoko's room is fairly small, and the walls are covered in posters and drawings of princesses and mystical animals.

Miyoko sets Luna down on the floor and sits down to slide a drawer out from under her bed. "This is Miyoko." Miyoko carefully takes one of the dolls from the box and holds her up for me to see. The doll has long black hair and is dressed in an elegant pink gown. "She's a warrior princess who rides into battle on the back of her dragon! Also, she's me. See? Oh, and this is her dragon."

"Dragon?"

Miyoko reaches up and takes one of the stuffed animals off of her bed and sets it down on the floor next to her. The dragon plushie is a soft purple in color and its fur is covered in glittering silver scales. "They're best friends. You can be Princess Rose." Miyoko reaches into the box under her bed and takes out another doll. This one has blonde hair and wears a red dress. "Princess Rose is Miyoko's friend, and she's super powerful when it comes to fighting off the bad guys."

"Who are the bad guys?" I ask as I take the doll from Miyoko.

"The sock monsters," Miyoko says knowingly. "And the glove monsters. Here-" Miyoko crawls under her bed and reaches for something next to the back wall. "This is Princess Rose's mount." She emerges with a plastic dinosaur which she proceeds to hand to me. "I know it's not as nice as the dragon, but my dad likes it." Miyoko wrinkles her nose. "It does have its moments, though. See? It lights up. And I guess the lights are kind of pretty."

"I think it's really neat." I smile as I watch the dinosaur glow different colors.

Miyoko pulls out a drawer of doll clothes. "We can change their outfits as we go along. Long, long, ago, there were two princesses! Princess Miyoko and Princess Rose!"

As the two of us play with the dolls and stuffed animals, narrating their adventures and voicing their dialogue, I find myself having more fun than I've ever had in a long time. There's something refreshing about it. I feel like I can really escape reality, and for a short time, I really am this Princess Rose who rides into battle on the back of a glowing stegosaurus. I really am fighting alongside Princess Miyoko, my best friend. I'm dancing through the leafy forests with the fireflies glowing just as brightly as the stars in the clear night. I'm drinking tea on the rooftops of the castle with the warm sun beating down on me from a brilliant blue sky.

There's something beautiful about Miyoko's imagination. Her world is so colorful, so vivid, so beautiful.

"Look, Princess Rose!" Miyoko lifts the arm of her own doll, pointing to the drawer on the other side of her room. "The sock monsters are planning their attack! Quick! Let's change into our battle clothes!"

Miyoko and I take a brief pause from our story to change our dolls into their battle clothes: a firefighter's outfit for Princess Miyoko and the white lab coat of a scientist for Princess Rose. Miyoko has her doll changed within a matter of minutes while I'm still struggling to figure out how my doll's shoes come off.

"Would you like some help?" Miyoko asks. She gently sets her doll aside to help me with mine.

My face heats slightly. "Yes please."

"It just takes practice," Miyoko says knowingly as she skillfully removes Princess Rose's dress and swaps it for the scientist outfit. "My mom actually got these outfits for me about maybe a year ago. I told her that my dolls needed hero clothes, and these were what she brought."

I grin. "I think it's brilliant."

"Me too." Miyoko hands Princess Rose back to me, then jumps to her feet and hurries over to a drawer. I watch as she reaches inside and pulls out a handful of socks. "Oh no!"-she tosses the socks over to me-"the sock monsters are attacking! The socks want to bring evil to the world! We've got to show them the power of love and friendship!"

The power of love and friendship. I smile to myself as I set my doll on top of the glowing dinosaur.

"Let's use our magic!" Miyoko holds her dragon up in the air with her doll perched on top of it. Princess Mituski's plastic arms are extended in a battle cry. "Summon the almighty Luna!"

As if on cue, Luna hops over and sniffs at the socks scattered over the floor.

"And the socks retreat!" Miyoko rushes forward and scoops up all of the socks. These she dumps back into her drawer. "The princesses have protected everyone and the world is safe! After their battle, Princess Miyoko and Princess Rose return to their castle to await the next time their help is needed. The end."

I clap my hands together, grinning ear to ear.

"That was fun!" Miyoko is smiling widely. Her eyes sparkling as she gets to work changing her dolls back into their dresses. "Wasn't that fun?"

"Yes." I don't even have to think about my answer.

"I haven't had anyone other than my mom and dad play dolls with me before," Miyoko says in a rush. "Oh, look at the time! We only have an hour left until my mom gets home. I think that should be enough time to watch a movie. I have a movie I really want to show you."

Only an hour left? I can't believe it's already been two hours. But Miyoko's right; the sky outside has already started to go dark and the street lights are flickering on one by one.

I follow the dark-haired girl out of her bedroom and down the stairs to the living room. Luna trails after us, not wanting to be left out.

"I've always wanted to watch this movie with someone," Miyoko says happily as she takes a seat on the couch after sliding a disk into the DVD player. "I've always wanted someone to come over and watch it with me."

I take a seat on the couch next to the dark-haired girl as the movie starts. I didn't expect too much from a kid's movie, but I'm drawn in almost immediately. The story is about a princess who goes on an adventure to save her friend. It's full of songs that will undoubtedly be stuck in my head for days mixed with the graceful dances and movements of ballet.

Whenever a new musical number starts, Miyoko jumps to her feet and sings along with the lyrics. She's got every word memorized by heart. It doesn't come as a surprise that Miyoko's got all of the dances memorized as well.

When the movie ends and the colors cut away to the credits, I find myself staring at the screen. This couldn't just be a kid's movie, right? The messages the movie left were powerful. The message about how one girl's power could change the world.

"What did you think?" Miyoko asks as she turns to me.

"I think this is my new favorite movie," I say. I hadn't expected myself to enjoy the story as much as I did. There was something truly magical about the world-something beautiful about the dances and songs.

"I'm so happy!" Miyoko dances around. "There's a lot more of them too. This was the movie that made me decide that I wanted to be a princess."

"You want to be a princess?"

"Of course." Miyoko's eyes sparkle. "Princesses have kind hearts and pure souls and with the help of their animal sidekick, they bring peace to the world. And they get to wear pretty dresses," the dark-haired girl adds as an afterthought. "They live in a world of magic and color. Who wouldn't want to be part of that kind of world? They're strong and independent and everything I want to be."

"Do you think I could be a princess too?" I ask.

"Yes!" Miyoko nods her head energetically. "Anyone can be a princess!" Then she frowns slightly. "But we might have to do something about what you're wearing."

Just as I look down at my oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants, there's the jingling of keys and the front door swings open. Ms. Fujiwara enters the house and sets her bag down next to the door.

"Mom!" Miyoko exclaims excitedly.

"Ms. Fujiwara," I say by way of greeting as I stand up.

"How did it go?" Ms. Fujiwara smiles as Miyoko hurries over to her.

"I had a lot of fun!" Miyoko beams at her mother. Then she turns to me with wide eyes. "You'll come back, right?"

"If you want me to, of course I will."

"Here." Ms. Fujiwara walks over to me and presses a few dollar bills into my hands. "I know it isn't too much, but-"

"I-I don't need the money." I hastily try to hand it back to my teacher. "This is way too much."

Ms. Fujiwara shakes her head. "You should take it. I don't want you to be working for nothing."

Working for nothing? I'm not working for nothing, I want to say. To me, playing dolls with Miyoko is better than any amount of money. Instead, I just stare at the dollar bills in my hand. "I can't take this," I say again.

Ms. Fujiwara sighs. "How about this; you take this money and buy yourself a new backpack. We can discuss this more next time."

I nod my head as I pocket the bills. "Thank you."

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Ms. Fujiwara asks. "It's late, and I don't think the two of you have eaten anything."

I shake my head. "I couldn't." Even though I do want to stay longer, I know I shouldn't trouble Ms. Fujiwara and Miyoko. I also should probably catch the subway back before it gets too late.

"Alright, then," Miyoko says sadly. "See you next time, Julia."

"Safe travels," Ms. Fujiwara says as I pull on my shoes.

I nod as I step outside into the night beyond. I take a deep breath as the door swings shut behind me. It's about eight o'clock now, and it's going to take me another hour and a half or so to get back to my apartment.

The air isn't all that bad here. As I walk down the quiet street, the occasional car driving past illuminates the fog with its headlights.

There's something about meeting Miyoko-something about playing with her-that reminds me of my own childhood. It makes me think about what I missed out on.

I quicken my pace. Even if I can't see the stars in the night sky, there's something different about being in this neighborhood than in the heart of the city. There are trees here. Trees and flowers and other plants. Here, none of the residences are taller than four of five stories. Even though the tall buildings of the inner city still shoot up to scrape the sky and shape the horizon with their blocky walls, they're in the distance.

I arrive at the subway station a few minutes later-just in time to catch my train back to my apartment. It doesn't take me long to finish my homework, and soon I'm sitting with my backpack on my lap, staring absently out the window at the dark tunnel beyond.

It's nearly ten o'clock by the time the train rolls into the station. It's not as late as I thought it would be and I climb the stairs out from the underground station. The city is still bustling; cars drive through the thick, hazy air and people mill about with their faces illuminated by their phones.

I pull my sweatshirt up over my nose and mouth as I walk briskly down the streets. The closest subway stop to my apartment is about four blocks away, and I'm standing at the doors to the building in a matter of minutes.

I silently climb the stairs to my apartment. I can still hear the melody of the songs from Miyoko's favorite movie in my head, and I softly hum along as I unlock the door to my apartment. After setting my backpack down on the floor, I take off my glasses and set them down as well.

Once the glasses have been removed, the empty room suddenly comes into a much sharper focus. I lay down on the floor and roll onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. I know I haven't eaten anything, but that's alright. I don't need much food to survive. I don't need much sleep either. In truth, I'm not a normal human. Maybe I was once, but I haven't been for a very long time.

I want to be a child again.

I want to go back to the time where I could let my imagination carry me anywhere I wanted to be. I want to go back to the time of Teddy and teddy bears.

I squeeze my eyes shut as my head throbs.

Teddy. Everything is so cold without you here. Is everything cold for you too? Have you been missing me the way I've been missing you?

Don't worry, Teddy. I'll find you soon. And then the two of us can be together for the rest of eternity.

Chapter Six
A Memory of Dust

"Look." Genesis is smiling as the two of us sit in front of a glass box. "What do you think of them?"

"They look sweet." I watch the three mice in the box scuttle around with their tiny feet tapping over the dirt at the bottom of the habitat. "Are they your pets?" It is no secret that Mr. Wright favors my sister. He always gives her the most attention out of all the other kids at the facility and always gives her whatever she asks for.

"Pets?" Genesis is still smiling at the mice. "No, of course not. I'm doing an experiment."

"Experiment?" I press my nose against the glass. The mice are so cute. And as they shuffle around completely oblivious to my gaze, they remind me of myself a bit.

"I was bored." Genesis places a hand on the glass as she shakes back her long dirty-blonde hair. "And I thought that it might be fun to do an experiment." Unlike me, Genesis hasn't gotten her hair shaved off. Ever since I turned ten, I haven't been allowed to grow out my hair. The other kids too-all of us sport the same hairless look now.

"What kind of experiment?" I push. I'm in the sixth grade now, and we've occasionally been doing experiments in class.

"It's the kind of experiment where we observe animal behavior," Genesis explains. A smile crosses her face. "See how we have three mice here? Well, I've had them in this habitat for a couple of weeks now. These three mice have never met until this experiment, and even though they didn't know each other until now, they've grown close after being confined in such a small space. Now watch what happens when we take one out."

I watch as Genesis pulls the top off of the habitat and reaches down to pull out one of the mice. Something about the way my sister's looking at the mouse sends a shiver running down my spine.

"Wait!" I cry out as I realize what she's about to do.

Genesis's eyes seem to flash, and my heart almost stops alongside the mouse's as my sister drops the dead mouse back into the habitat. The two other mice inside jump up in a panic, their soft squeaks like knives to the heart. Genesis places the lid back onto the habitat before wiping her hands on her pants.

I'm just standing there in complete horror as I look from the mice in the habitat to my sister and then back again. I stare up at her. "You just killed that mouse!"

"I did. What are you going to do about it?"

My hands clenched into fists at my side. "No wonder Mr. Wright favors you-you're just as crazy as he is!"

"Crazy?" Genesis giggles. "I'm not crazy. I'm just having fun. But isn't it thrilling? Isn't it a thrilling feeling to know that you can end a life just like that?"

My voice drops. "I only agreed to this because I thought you were making an effort for the first time to get to know me as a sister."

Genesis blinks in surprise. "Why would I do that?"

I turn on my heel. I need to get out of here. As I storm out the door, in my haste to get back to my room, I almost walk straight into a tall figure dressed in a white coat.

"Watch where you're going," a familiar voice says.

I freeze. It's Mr. Wright. "I'm sorry." I lower my head to hide my puffy eyes. "I'll be more careful next time."

"Good," Mr. Wright says before he continues on his way down the hall without a backward glance. Then he pauses. "Oh, Julia. You've been selected along with a few of your classmates to run a test for me."

My heart sinks.

✦ ✦ ✦

I sit huddled in the corner of the room with my teeth chattering and breath puffing out in front of me. There's a fluffy animal on the opposite side of the room as me. A baby sheep.

The sheep stares at me, and I stare at the sheep. My cold tolerance is already more than a normal person's, but I've been locked in this cold room for what could have been hours or days or years.

I know what Mr. Wright wants me to do. He wants to test my power. Only by using a blast of the electric blue energy that flows through my veins will I be able to warm myself.

The sheep is such a small creature I don't think it will be able to survive such a blast. And I don't want to kill it. I won't kill it.

At least with me here, Teddy won't need to do such an experiment. And so I continue to sit in the cold room, shivering as the ice creeps deeper and deeper into my mind. It's been days now, and I'm still shivering. I know I'm being stubborn, but I feel for the sheep. It never asked to be here, and neither did I.

There's no food here-no water either. I don't know how much time has passed before the sheep has stopped moving. I haven't done anything, and it's already frozen to death.

Maybe I'll die here too. That wouldn't be so bad. But what about Teddy? I can't just leave him here in this place all alone. But the ice is digging in too deep, and it doesn't take long before the world starts to fade around me.

✦ ✦ ✦

When I open my eyes, I'm back in my bed. Teddy's sitting at my side and his expression is anxious as he watches me.

"Jay!" Teddy exclaims as I stir. My head is throbbing painfully.

"Teddy." I shake my head as he helps me into a sitting position. "I'm still alive?"

"You're still alive." Teddy's eyes are full of concern as he looks at me. "Just what exactly happened to you? Mr. Wright's assistants brought you back here half dead."

I grimace. "They wanted to see if I could kill a small animal, or at least what kind of harm a blast of electricity would do to it. I refused to do it, and they probably left me in there for days."

"It's been two weeks." Teddy's face is pale. "Almost three. I'm so glad you're okay."

I blink as Teddy wraps his arms around me tightly in a hug, but after a moment, I wrap my arms around him as well, returning the embrace. And as long as Teddy's here with me, I can keep going.

Chapter Seven
Complications Part One

School is the same as always, but I find it easier to get through the day knowing that I'll get to visit Miyoko. It's been a few months now since school has started and a month since I started my babysitting gig. This school year has been a lot more enjoyable than the previous one with Ms. Fujiwara as one of my teachers. I appreciate how she goes out of her way to check in with me during lunch and make sure I'm doing alright.

It's November now. Almost December. I follow the wave of students and head toward my last class of the day. Astrophysics is by far my favorite subject and I don't mind ending the day with it. On the days that Ms. Fujiwara can go home early, she lets me stay in her classroom and finish my homework there. It's much quieter in her classroom than in the library. I carry all of my textbooks on me anyway, and it's nice not having to share a table with a bunch of students talking in loud whispers about everything but their homework.

To my surprise, Leon is already at our desk when I enter the classroom. I take my seat next to him, eyeing him almost suspiciously as I set my backpack down. This is a first. He's almost always late to class. Did he finally decide that he wants to be a good student? Is he finally going to help me out with our group projects? Well, maybe the latter is too much to hope for.

"Julia," Leon says seriously as he looks me straight in the face, "will you go on a date with me?"

"What?" I stutter at the unexpected question. "Don't you already have a girlfriend? What happened to Julia Bennet?"

Everyone's looking at us now, and all I want to do is melt into the floor to hide from their eyes. "Say yes!" someone whispers in my direction.

"Leon's one of the most popular boys at school!" another whispers loudly. "Do it, Julia. Do it!"

"She's so lucky," another one of my classmates says enviously. "She's not even that pretty."

My head is spinning from all of their stares. I open my mouth but no sound comes out. I can't think straight, and I can feel myself beginning to tense up. Why does Leon all of a sudden want to ask me out on a date? He's never taken any interest in me before, and I certainly haven't shown any interest in him.

What should I do? Do I decline Leon on the spot with all of these people watching? If I turn him down here and now, my classmates won't let me hear the end of it. But if I accept the offer, my classmates will be breathing down my neck from this day forth. Maybe Leon genuinely just wants to get to know me better. Or maybe he wants to get close enough to me to have me do his homework for him.

"Julia?" Leon says expectantly. "Just this once, will you?"

"I-" I start, but the bell rings signaling the start of class. Ms. Fujiwara steps into the classroom and everyone scrambles to take their seats.

What's even more surprising is that during today's class, Leon actually helps me with our group project. When the bell at the end of the class rings, Leon helps me stack my chair on my desk as I pull on my backpack.

"Well?" Leon asks again. "It doesn't even have to be a date. We could just, you know, hang out."

"I'll think about it." My voice is high. My anxiety has kicked back in, and at an awful time too. I can feel eyes on the back of my head. I've used up all of my confidence for the day, and now there's nothing more I want to do than hop on the train to see Miyoko.

Leon nods his head. "I'll wait for your answer." He flashes me a smile before he walks out of the classroom.

I stare silently at his back as he vanishes into the crowded hallway. Something about this whole ordeal makes me uncomfortable. I don't know how to feel about Leon suddenly wanting to be nice to me.

✦ ✦ ✦

"You were asked out on a date?" Miyoko looks up at me. "What did you say?"

I exhale through my nose. "I said I would think about it. I thought you might know more about this kind of stuff than me."

"Hmm." Miyoko hums thoughtfully as she sets down her bottle of pink nail polish and reaches for a purple one. "Tell me more about who asked you." Miyoko and I are sitting in the small bathroom across from Miyoko's room. I had helped the dark-haired girl do her nails, and when I finished, Miyoko had convinced me to let her do mine. I agreed, and so far, Miyoko has been doing a much better job at applying the polish than I had done on her.

"His name is Leon. He's my table mate."

"And what kind of feeling do you have when you're around him?"

"I'm not too sure. None, really. Well, mostly annoyance."

Miyoko finishes my nails and sits back to wait for them to dry. "If you don't like his company, don't go out with him. Besides"-she wrinkles her nose-"boys are gross."

"What?" I let out another laugh. "My best friend before I started high school was a boy."

"Hmm." Miyoko hums again as she picks up the bottle of clear topcoat. "What's important is do you want to go on a date?"

"I don't know." I watch as Miyoko skillfully brushes the clear polish over my nails. "Will I regret it more if I go or stay behind? If I go, maybe I'll be able to come away with a new friend. Leon was almost pleasant to be around today. Dates don't have to be romantic, right?"

Miyoko's dark hair swishes as she nods her head. "I guess it shouldn't be too bad to go on one, then. If you don't like hanging out with him or if you find that you don't want him to be your friend, you don't have to continue spending time with him."

It's my turn to nod. "I'll go." Then I frown slightly. "How should I act? How should I dress? What do people even talk about on dates?"

"Here's my advice." Miyoko sits back and caps the bottle of polish before fanning my nails with a hand. "Just be yourself. Don't feel like you have to change yourself to please someone you don't even know. And if this Leon isn't willing to respect you, leave. He doesn't deserve to be your friend."

I smile. "Thank you. I'll do just that."

Miyoko smiles back, and the gaps between her teeth show.

As we wait for my nails to dry, Miyoko sits on her stool behind me and plays with my hair. "Once upon a time, there was a princess who was also an undercover agent," Miyoko narrates. "She wore her hair up in a bun just like this with a single strand in the front for beauty."

When we determine that my nails have fully dried, Miyoko and I head back across the hallway to her room. There we sing our favorite songs from Miyoko's princess movies and dance around.

Finally exhausted, the two of us collapse onto her fluffy carpet. We giggle as we stare up at the paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Miyoko finally asks. "My mom said that she's going to get home later than usual tonight since she needs to buy some stuff at the market. She said that I should make us some dinner."

"You know how to cook?" I turn to the dark-haired girl, impressed.

"I can make rice," Miyoko says proudly. "That's about it, though. My mom said that there are some leftovers in the fridge that we can warm up. We can have the leftovers with the rice, if that's okay with you."

"That sounds good."

"I started the rice earlier. I'll got check on it." Miyoko hops to her feet and brushes invisible specks of dust from her skirts. "Could you bring Luna in for me?"

I nod as the two of us make our way down the stairs. I push open the door to the backyard while Miyoko continues on her way to the kitchen. Luna happily bounces over the moment she sees me, bleating softly. "Hello, Luna." I smile as I crouch down to stroke the lambs' cloud-like wool. "Let's bring you inside."

I scoop the lamb into my arms and turn to head back inside. As I move to walk back through the door, I notice for the first time that there are vines hanging above the doorway. The green tendrils snake around the wooden beams of the awning. It's early winter now, but maybe in the spring, there will be flowers. I make my way back inside and gently close the door behind me.

In the living room, Miyoko and I take a seat on the couch. Luna runs around at our feet, nibbling at the carpet. We've probably gone through Miyoko's entire movie collection by this point, and now we've been rewatching our favorites. Miyoko has all of the songs memorized and even knows a good portion of the dialogue. I've been starting to memorize more and more of the songs, and the two of us sing along, laughing at our out-of-tune voices.

Why did I ever think I was too old for this? I wish I could go back to elementary school. If I was an elementary student, I could be Miyoko's friend at school. Did Ms. Fujiwara choose me to be Miyoko's friend because of how similar we are? At first glance, I doubt I seem anything like Miyoko; my clothes are always baggy and dull, and my hair is lifeless. On the other hand, Miyoko always wears dresses with ribbons and flowers and sparkles. If I hadn't decided to be brave, I wouldn't have met her.

The sound of music plays in the kitchen as the rice cooker signals that the rice is ready. Miyoko jumps up from the couch and returns a few minutes later with two bowls of white rice. "Here." Miyoko offers one of the bowls to me. "We can eat this while we watch the rest of the movie."

✦ ✦ ✦

The next day is Tuesday, and when I arrive at the astrophysics classroom, I breathlessly tell Leon that I agree to one date. By this point, word has gotten around that he and the other Julia fell out with each other. Maybe this is an opportunity given to me by fate. Maybe this is the start of my social life.

"I'll take you to a movie on Sunday," Leon says. "The movie starts at eight so maybe we can have dinner somewhere before that."

"I don't have much money, though."

"It's my treat." Leon shakes his head. "I can pick you up. Where should I meet you?"

"In front of the school is fine."

As the week goes by, Leon continues to help me out on our group work. Sunday finally rolls around, and I stand outside the school waiting for Leon to show up. I don't have to wait long before a car pulls up and the window on the driver's side rolls down as Leon waves to me. "Julia!"

Leon drives. Leon drives! I don't know why I'm so surprised by this. He better be a good driver. If he's as good of a driver as he is a student, I don't know whether I want to be in the same car as him. I take a deep breath and walk over to the car. Leon motions for me to climb into the passenger seat.

It's very awkward sitting in Leon's car. Neither of us talks as Leon drives to the movie theater. The only thing I know for certain is that Leon is not a very careful driver, and it's starting to make me nervous.

"What movie will we be watching?" I decide to ask.

"You'll see when we get there," Leon replies distractedly.

We roll into the parking lot of the movie theater. Leon checks his phone. "We have half an hour before the movie starts. We can buy some food from one of the stores nearby."

"I'm not actually that hungry."

"You don't want food?" Leon blinks. "Alright, then. Let's go find our seats."

I follow Leon into the movie theater and linger behind as Leon goes to the counter to get our tickets stamped. When he returns, the two of us continue into the theater. It's dark, and the large screen casting the room in an ever-changing glow.

Our seats are in the middle of the theater and there's the sound of quiet chatter as the theater begins to fill up. I take one deep breath to calm myself. Another breath. There are so many people here and the air's beginning to thin.

Finally, the screen for the movie pops up. Something tells me there won't be any musical numbers in this one.

"What kind of movie is this?" I whisper to Leon.

"It's a horror movie of course," Leon says. "Look, the movie is starting."

I turn toward the screen and my heart rate increases. I've never watched a horror movie before. I get through the first ten minutes of the movie alright, but when the killer character shows up on the screen for the first time, I pull my knees to my chest and bury my head in my arms.

I can hear the sounds of the characters on the screen screaming-the sounds of knives stabbing flesh, bones breaking, and other unpleasant squishing and ripping noises that I can't quite put my finger on. I will not look up. When will the movie be over?

The audience oohs and awes, but I just focus on my breathing. It's difficult with all of the sudden loud noises from the movie and the screams of the characters. And then suddenly there's the sound of gunshots. I freeze, and my breath freezes with it.

It's fake, I try to tell myself. But the room is spinning and my head is throbbing. I raise my head from my arms and inhale through my nose. I catch a glimpse of the scene playing out in the movie: the killer is firing at the main characters as they run through a dark graveyard.

The moment my eyes fall on the gun, a switch seems to flip in my brain. I need to get out of here now.

I have to tap Leon multiple times on the shoulder to get his attention. "I'm going to go to the bathroom," I say.

Leon just nods as he turns back to the movie.

I stand from my seat and follow the glowing arrows out of the theater. The door swings shut behind me and the sound of gunshots vanish. I let out a breath as I walk toward the bathroom. The women's room is empty, and I gently push back one of the sleeves of my sweatshirt. My veins are glowing with a faint blue light. I take another deep breath. And slowly, the light begins to fade.

My heart's still beating a little too quickly and I brace my hands against one of the sinks. I raise my eyes to the mirror. I haven't looked at myself, like really looked at myself, in a long time. There's a girl with dirty-blonde hair in the mirror staring back at me. Her blue eyes are panicked behind her glasses.

I turn on the water and wash my hands. I'm okay. Everything's okay now.

I leave the bathroom and linger in the lobby. There's a clock above the main desk. There's a little over an hour of the movie left. As I stand in the lobby, I softly hum the songs Miyoko and I sang the last time we were together.

An hour or so later, the door to the theater opens, and Leon and the other people file out. It's dark outside now; the dreary day has melted into a starless night.

"Where did you go?" Leon asks as he walks over to me. "Is everything alright?"

"I went to the bathroom," I tell him. My anxiety is kicking in again.

Leon shrugs. "Ready to go back?"

I nod my head. Between the movie theater and my dark apartment, the latter suddenly seems very appealing.

Leon and I walk in silence back to the parking lot. The drive back to the school is just as quiet and I find myself holding my breath, counting down the minutes until I can go hide in my apartment.

The car slows to a stop a few blocks away from our school as Leon pulls over on the side of the road. I reach for the door, but it's still locked when I try the handle. I blink as I turn to Leon. "Uh, thank you for bringing me to the movies. I appreciate it."

Leon is looking at me strangely.

I inhale sharply as he reaches for the sleeve of my sweatshirt. Did he see the blue glow coming from my veins? I'm panicking now. He can't know, he can't know. No one's supposed to know.

"W-what are you doing?" I yank my sleeve out of his grasp. My head is spinning. Did Leon see the glow earlier or not?

Leon takes of his jacket. "Come on, Julia. Don't you like me?"

"I'm sorry?" I say quickly as I snap back to reality. It doesn't seem like he saw the light. Good. That's good. But what's happening now doesn't seem good. "Can I get out, please?" I blurt out as I find my voice. Suddenly, I really want to get out of Leon's car.

"Come on, Julia. This isn't a proper date otherwise."

"No," I say angrily. "I get it now. I understand everything. I know that you and Julia Bennet broke up or something. You want to make her jealous. So you decided to date me: the other Julia. Next time, don't drag other people into your silly breakup problems. I don't have anything against Julia Bennet. I thought maybe you really did just want to get to know me better as your table mate. But I was wrong. Which one of your little friend's ideas was it for you to take me out on a date? Or was that all you?"

I'm breathing heavily now and Leon is just staring at me as if he's never heard me say so many words at once.

I take another breath. "Let me out of the car. I'm going home."

There's a click as Leon unlocks the doors to the car. I throw my door open and hurry out into the night.

My heart is pounding too quickly in my chest as I walk down the sidewalk. Today was a disaster. I shouldn't have gone on the date. What was I even thinking? I'm going to ask Ms. Fujiwara for a seat change tomorrow. I can't be near him anymore.

My mind is racing so much that I'm not paying much attention to my surroundings. I don't sense the set of hands coming at me before it's too late. I barely have time to scream before the hands clamp themselves over my mouth and forcefully drag me into a dark alleyway between two towering buildings.

Chapter Eight
A Memory of Darkness

"Sometimes," Teddy says as the two of us lay on the floor in our room, "sometimes I wonder if there's more to life than this." The walls have begun to close in on us; our windowless room is not nearly as big as it once had been. We've grown. Both of us.

I look up at the ceiling. "There is more to life than this-we've just never gotten to see the outside world. And now, I don't think we'll ever be able to."

"We're dying, Jay." Teddy's voice is sad. "All of us are. Our bodies have gotten stronger, but at what cost? None of us will live to be twenty."

"I know." I reach for Teddy's hand. "Isn't this what we've been hoping for? An end? Maybe this is the ending we've been waiting for."

"Even if it's the end, don't you want to see the sky in person if only once?"

"I do. But how? We've never tried to sneak out of the facility before. Is it even possible?"

"We don't know if it's possible unless we try." Teddy raises himself up into a sitting possession, clutching his head with his free hand. "Do you want to see the sky, Jay? We have nothing left to lose except each other. We only need to see it once. Just once. Then we can die in peace knowing that we've finally seen that vast blue ocean."

"That would be nice." I smile softly. "What else will we be able to see above ground? Oh, I know! Trees! Plants, flowers, grass. There will be birds in the sky, fluffy clouds, and sunlight. The sun, Teddy. The sun!"

"The sun, moon, and stars are waiting out there." Teddy gazes up at the ceiling as if he can see straight through it to the sky beyond. "There's a different world out there."

"I know." I give Teddy's hand a squeeze. "I want to see it too. If we ask to go outside, do you think they'll let us?"

"It never hurts to ask," Teddy says determinedly.

✦ ✦ ✦

The following day, Teddy and I linger in the hallways after class instead of heading to the cafeteria like everyone else. One of the scientists comes up to us. Half of her face is hidden behind a surgical mask. "Do the two of you need something?"

"We'd like to go outside and see the sky," Teddy says simply.

The scientist blinks. "You want to go outside?"

"We've never seen the sky before," I add. "All we want is to see it once before we die."

Something like sadness flickers behind the scientist's eyes as she looks back and forth between Teddy and me. There's a long silence before she speaks again. "I can take the two of you outside."

"Really?" Teddy and I say excitedly.

The scientist nods. "You can't stay out there for more than ten minutes, though." Then after another long pause, the scientist turns on her heel. "Follow me," she says quietly.

Teddy and I exchange a glance before we hurry after her. We follow the scientist down hallway after hallway and then up a seemingly endless flight of steps. As I expected, guards stand in front of all the important doors, but they let us pass when they see we're with the scientist.

Finally, we reach the last door. The scientist types in a code in the glowing keypad and the door swings open. The scientist steps aside for us to move past her. The air is full of smog and other particles. It stings at my eyes and irritates my skin, but I take a step forward. Then another and another. Teddy's at my side as we move into the open space beyond. The first thing I notice is that everything is so gray.

Teddy inhales sharply, but then coughs as he breathes in more of the polluted air. "I don't understand." Teddy shakes his head despairingly as the two of us look up at the sky for the first time. "Why isn't it blue? Why can't we see the sun?"

The sky is a dull gray in color, thick with smog. Tall buildings shoot up around us on all sides, and their windows are like mirrors reflecting the dullness of the sky. This isn't right. Where are the trees and plants and flowers? There isn't a single tree in sight. Not a single bird in the sky.

I take another step forward. We're standing in an empty lot surrounded by a chain-link fence. So we're in the middle of a city.

"Where's the sky?" I whisper. "Where's the sky?"

"Maybe we came out on a bad day," Teddy says.

"It's always like this," the scientist says from where she's standing by the door. "Now that you've seen what an ugly place this world is, would you really want to be part of it?"

Teddy's eyes are wide in disbelief as he looks around.

"We should go back," the scientist says softly. "Mr. Wright won't be happy if he knows that I took the two of you out. Don't tell him, okay?"

I nod silently. Teddy and I look up at the gray sky one last time before we follow her back through the door. The moment the door closes behind us is the moment where I can breathe again.

Teddy's face is pale. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither." I just feel numb. "I don't know what to think anymore."

Chapter Nine
The Start of Something New

I'm in full-out panic mode as the hands drag me into the alleyway. I thrash and kick, but the hands hold strong. Is it Leon? Did he follow me?

In one swift motion, I tear myself away from my attacker. My inhuman strength sending me flying forward. I hiss and blue light flares around me, illuminating the alley as my veins glow. My head throbs painfully, and I grimace as I yank off my glasses. The alley comes into sharp focus. But my hands are shaking and my glasses slip through my fingers. The glass shatters as it hits the ground.

A middle-aged man is lying on the concrete. He groans in pain as he slowly sits up. Blue static is still crackling around him from where I used it to break free from his grasp.

"Who are you?" I demand as I stagger backward. "What do you want?"

"Sorry about that, Julia." The man stands up and brushes off his suit. "I had to make sure it was you."

Make sure it was me? With grabbing me and pulling me into an alley? "How do you know my name?" I say instead.

The man smiles at me. "Julia Wright, we've been looking for you."

We? Who's we? Are there more people here? No, that can't be right. I don't sense anyone else around.

The man raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to offer you a job."

"A job?" I blink in disbelief. I already have a job babysitting Miyoko. I don't need another one, and certainly not one offered by someone who had just jumped me.

"I know very well what you're capable of, Julia." The man continues to smile. It's not a hostile smile. It's a very friendly smile, but I'm not buying it. "We've been looking for you for the past few years. We've been looking for anyone who might have escaped that lab."

"Are there others?" I ask sharply.

The man shakes his head. "We've only found you. Think about what I'm offering here: if you join us, you can use your abilities to help people. We know you live in a tiny apartment. We'll pay you handsomely, Julia. You could buy yourself your own house in a much nicer part of the city."

"How do I know that you're not trying to trick me? How do I know that you aren't working for my dad?"

The man's face darkens. "Your dad is our sworn enemy. We'd never work for him. We're here to ask you to help us stop him."

"Stop him?"

"Don't you want to put an end to your dad's business once and for all?" the man asks. "After everything he did to you and those other poor kids, don't you want to see him finally brought to justice?"

"Of course I don't want to let him just walk away like that. But what is it exactly that you need me for?"

"We need you to lure him out of whatever cave he's hiding in." The man reaches into the pocket of his suit and pulls out what looks like a stack of cards. "And only when he's out can we expose him for his illegal activities. Oh, these are for you." The man sets the stack of cards down on the concrete at his feet before holding his hands up in surrender again. "I promise we're not trying to hurt you."

"I'll think about it," I say softly as I stare down at the cards. "If I do want the job, how do I contact you?"

"If you want the job"-the man brushes dirt from his suit, and his silhouette is outlined in the yellow-orange lights from the city beyond the alleyway-"all you need to do is come to this alley and we'll send someone to meet with you."

"Okay." I'm still breathing much faster than normal.

"Think about it." The man inclines his head in my direction. "I hope you'll decide to join us." And with that said, the man turns on his heel and vanishes into the night.

I'm left standing in the alley, gaping at the place he had been standing moments before. I take one deep breath and then another one. Slowly the glow flickering through my veins fades. My head is spinning, and I stagger. I drop to my knees on the hard cement. Will he really help me expose my dad?

Cards. That's right, the man left the cards for me.

I reach out a shaky hand and pull the stack of cards toward me. On closer inspection, what I had first thought were cards actually turn out to be newspaper clippings. They're pictures from a newspaper. All of the pictures are of large crowds of people. What they've crowded around or why they need to be in a crowd in the first place is a mystery to me, but as I squint at their faces, my eyes widen.

My dad's face is in this crowd. Even though it's been a few years now, I would recognize him anywhere. All of the pictures are like that. Crowded city streets with my dad standing somewhere in the crowd.

It's only when I reach the last picture that I see a blonde-haired figure standing next to him. I inhale sharply. It's Genesis.

✦ ✦ ✦

By the time I get back to my apartment, all I have time to do is grab my backpack and head back out the door. I'm not sure how long I sat in the alley, but if I don't get a move on now, I'm going to miss my bus.

As I sit on the bus, I pull the newspaper clippings out from where I had stuffed them into the pockets of my sweatpants. What was my das doing in the news? What was the context of these pictures? With the thinness of the paper, it has to be a newspaper, right? But Genesis . . . it's been years since I've last seen my sister.

I tuck the pictures back into my pocket. Without my glasses, the world is much sharper. In fact, it's so sharp that I want to claw my eyes out. I can see every little speck of dust in the air, every little hair on the neck of the bus driver four rows in front of me. I can hear the heartbeats of the people surrounding me. They seem to be getting to me more today than in the past, and it's all I can do to not go insane. Normal. I need to act normal.

The bus pulls up in front of the school and everyone hops off. I follow my fellow students out of the bus and up the steps to the school building. Immediately, I feel the stares. They're looking at me. They're looking at me.

I yank my sweatshirt up over my mouth and nose. The sky is as gray as always, and I quickly hurry into the main building. The hallways are packed, and I squeeze through the huddles of people blocking the walkway. Loud. It's so loud here.

Suddenly someone taps me on the shoulder and I nearly jump out of my skin. I whirl around to find a girl with dyed black hair and a crop top standing behind me. Julia Bennet.

"Are you alright?" Julia Bennet asks, and her voice gets swept away by the cacophony of voices echoing through the hallway.

"What?"

"Leon didn't do anything to you, did he?" Julia Bennet looks at me sympathetically. "I heard from his friends that you raged at him and ended the date by storming out of his car."

"I'm fine. He's your boyfriend, Julia. The two of you should make up. Talk things out or something. I don't want to get involved."

The bell rings, signaling the start of the school day. I turn and make my way down the hall. I don't want the attention. I don't want any of it.

✦ ✦ ✦

I spend lunch in Ms. Fujiwara's classroom. When I open the door to the classroom, Ms. Fujiwara stands up from her desk the moment I enter. She hurries over to me from the other side of the room.

"Julia," Ms. Fujiwara greets me, "Miyoko told me that you decided to go on a date with Leon. How was it?"

"Could I get my seat changed?" I ask quietly. It's only lunch, and yet all of my energy is already gone.

Ms. Fujiwara looks concerned, but she just nods her head.

I take a seat at one of the desks. "Nothing happened . . . I just don't want to be around him if I can help it."

Ms. Fujiwara nods as she scribbles something down on her clipboard. "I'll have you sit next to Talulah, is that okay?"

"That sounds good. Thank you."

Both of us fall silent for a long moment before Ms. Fujiwara blinks as if she just noticed something. "What happened to your glasses?"

"They broke," I tell her. "My vision really isn't that bad without them, though. I can manage for a few days before I can get a replacement. I think I even have an extra pair in my apartment somewhere."

✦ ✦ ✦

When it's time for astrophysics, Ms. Fujiwara switches my seat just like she said she would. I now sit toward the front of the classroom next to Taluhla.

"Hi, Julia," Talula says as she takes a seat next to me. "Ms. Fujiwara told me about the seat change. Oh, I like your nails!"

"Thanks." I smile as I look down at my colorful nails. "A friend of mine did them."

Throughout the entire class, I can feel people's eyes on my back, but I pay them no mind.

The last bell of the day rings and I pack up my things. I'm going to go to Ms. Fujiwara's house again today.

Just as I make to exit the door, someone taps my shoulder and I whirl around. It's Leon. Don't touch me, I want to say. But my voice doesn't seem to work, and all I can do is raise my brows in a silent question.

"Julia," Leon says. There's something different about his demeanor today. "Can we talk privately?"

I'd rather not talk to Leon, and I glance over to find Ms. Fujiwara walking over to where Leon and I are standing by the door. "Leon." Ms. Fujiwara is frowning. "We need to have a talk."

As Ms. Fujiwara leads Leon away from the door, I take the opportunity to make a run for it.

I do my homework on the subway. The skies beyond the scratched windows are a pale gray in color. I don't know what to think anymore. I don't know what to do anymore.

I reach into the pockets of my sweatpants and pull out the small stack of pictures the man in the suit had given me the previous night. The city blurs past me, and the sound of the wheels over the metal tracks cut through some of the fog in my head. Can I really use my abilities to help people?

My head throbs again, and I know my veins are glowing under the sleeves of my sweatshirt.

Normal. What I wouldn't give to be normal. But as of now, I'm stuck with myself, and all I can do is do my best with it.

✦ ✦ ✦

I ring the bell to Ms. Fujiwara's house and Miyoko instantly throws the door open as if she's been waiting for me.

"Princess Julia!" Miyoko says excitedly. She's wearing a glittering tiara and the plastic is such a bright shade of yellow it can't possibly pass for gold. "I've got your tiara right here!"

Miyoko presses another yellow crown into my hands, and I laugh as I slide off my shoes. But my smile falters when I notice the claw-like scratches on the right side of Miyoko's face.

"What happened to you?" I crouch down in alarm to look at Miyoko face to face. "What happened to your face?"

"My classmates bullied me again." Miyoko's eyes turn sad as she touches her raw cheek with a hand. "I was just sitting on one of the benches during recess, reading a book like I always do. But then they stole my book, and one of them scratched my face while they were trying to keep it away from me."

I shake my head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Miyoko."

Miyoko just gives me a sad smile. "Let's go to my room. Luna's waiting for you there."

I nod and let the dark-haired girl lead me upstairs. When Miyoko pulls the door to her room open, Luna instantly rushes at me.

"Luna!" I exclaim as I laugh at the lamb's enthusiastic greeting.

Miyoko blinks as if she just realized something all of a sudden. "Julia, what happened to your glasses?"

"I wasn't very careful and they broke." I let out a sigh as I bend down to pat Luna on the head. "My glasses were more decorative anyway. I don't really need them."

"You look different without glasses." Miyoko's inky hair swishing as she tilts her head to the side. "You really do look like a real princess."

"Me?" I laugh. "A princess?"

"Yes." Miyoko nods her head enthusiastically. "You're definitely a princess." Miyoko takes a seat on her bed and pats the space beside her. "What happened with that date?"

I sigh as I sit down next to her. "It didn't end well. He took me to see a horror movie and I ended up leaving."

To my surprise, Miyoko wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. "I'm glad you gave the date a try. I'm sure you'll have better experiences in the future."

I raise my gaze to the paper butterflies on Miyoko's ceiling. "I hope so."

Miyoko flops over backward to stare up at the ceiling as well. For a while, the two of us look up at the ceiling together, watching the paper butterflies drift back and forth on a phantom breeze.

"Do you want to play dolls?" I ask after a while.

"Okay." Miyoko nods as she rolls off her bed. She straightens her skirts before she collects her dolls from their plastic baskets. Then she blinks as she picks something up from the floor. "Is this yours?"

I slide off of the bed as Miyoko holds up a piece of folded newspaper. "It is." I nod as Miyoko hands it back to me. "Actually, I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it?" Miyoko looks up at me expectantly.

"I was just offered a new job," I explain. "I just don't know if I want to take this job or not. Do you see this man here?" I point to where my dad is standing in the crowd of people. "That's my dad. If I take this job, it means I might have to cross paths with him. And this girl here"- I pull out the picture with Genesis-"she's my sister. I can't afford to cross paths with her either."

"Hmm." Miyoko hums softly as she gingerly takes the pictures from me. "Even if you don't want to see them, they are your family. You'll have to face them head-on eventually."

"What if. . ." I stare at my dad's tiny face in the middle of the crowd. "What if my dad's done things that are against the law?"

"Then wouldn't that give you even more of a reason to face him? To confront him?"

"You're right." I stare at the paper in my hands, and something like determination sparks within me. I'm probably the only one who can stop him too, I realize with a sudden jolt.

"But if doing this job puts you in danger in any way," Miyoko says seriously as she holds my gaze, "don't do it."

I sigh. "Thank you, Miyoko. I think I'll take the job. I know what I have to do now."

✦ ✦ ✦

When Wednesday comes around, instead of going to the bus stop after school, I make my way to the alley where I had met the man in the suit. Just as the man said, I don't have to wait long before a woman in heels appears.

"Have you made up your mind?" the woman asks.

I nod my head. "I want to join you. I want to stop my dad."

The woman smiles. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" I ask. I'm watching the woman in surprise as she walks past me and moves deeper into the alley.

"To our headquarters," the woman's voice echos. Getting over my momentary confusion, I follow the woman down the narrow stretch. When the woman reaches the back of the alley, she stops in front of a metal door and punches in a code. "Our passcode changes every two hours," the woman says when she notices me watching her. There's a clicking sound as the door slides open.

The woman steps inside. "This way." I follow her over the threshold and the door slides shut behind me with a quiet click. Dark. It's so dark. Even with my enhanced vision, I still can't see anything except for the woman in front of me-can't hear anything except for the tapping of her high heels over the ground. We're in some kind of garage, I realize.

The woman stops in front of another door and punches in another code to a glowing keypad. The door swings open, and I blink as light floods in from the large space beyond. I step through the door to find cars parked in neat rows.

The woman walks over to the closest car and gets into the driver's seat. She motions for me to take the passenger seat next to her, and I enter the car. After I fasten my seat belt, the woman starts her car and we roll through another large door and out into the city beyond.

After a twenty-minute ride, our car rolls into the garage of a towering skyscraper. The glass windows lining the sides of the building are gray mirrors as they reflect the dull sky. We climb out of the car and enter an elevator. I can feel my nails dig into my palm as I watch the little digital numbers flash. I count the stories as we continue to climb. Floor twenty, floor thirty, floor forty. I shake my head in an attempt to clear it as we finally come to a stop at floor seventy. Seventy floors. Seventy floors! And this isn't even the tallest building on the block.

Heights normally don't scare me, but as we step out of the elevator and into the glass-windowed room beyond, I start to feel dizzy. The entity city spreads out before me and the streets below are hidden behind a layer of smog.

"The top four stories of this building belong to us." The woman gestures to the figures sitting around simple but elegant tables. "Come here." The woman leads me over to a table toward the back of the office-like space and motions for me to take a seat. Next, she pulls out a clipboard of papers and sets it down in front of me. "Take your time reading through the information here. When you're done, all you have to do is sign your name. The moment you sign is when your contract with us starts."

I nod my head as I tentatively pick up the clipboard. It takes me about an hour to get through all of the papers and I finally sign my name on the last page.

The woman has been waiting patiently on the opposite side of the table with her long nails tapping over the screen of her phone. When I slide the clipboard across the table to her, she smiles. "Welcome, Julia. Let's begin, shall we?"

Chapter Ten
A Memory of Death

"Jay." Teddy is sitting in the corner of our room. His eyes stare unseeingly at the wall. "What's going to happen to us? What happens after we die?"

"We just stop," I say softly. "Everything stops."

Ever since we went to see the sky, Teddy seems more depressed than usual. I can't blame him, though. I feel like that little candle of hope deep inside of me was snuffed out as well.

Teddy clutches his head in despair. "I want the pain to stop. But I don't want to leave you either."

I take a seat next to Teddy and wrap my arms around him in a warm embrace. Teddy hugs me back. His fingers dig a little too deeply into my back.

It's been almost a week and a half now since our classes were canceled. We're no longer allowed to leave our rooms either. We've been locked in here for days without any food, and our only source of water is from the stink in the small bathroom we share.

"What do we do now?" Teddy asks hopelessly. "I'm scared."

"I know," I whisper. I look over his shoulder at the pictures the two of us had drawn together all of those years ago. They're still hanging on the wall of our room up to this day, and the bright colors add life to the otherwise monochromatic atmosphere.

✦ ✦ ✦

It's another three or four days before the sound of soft beeping floats into our room. The keypad. Someone's unlocking the door.

My eyes are wide as I exchange a glance with Teddy. Teddy's expression is just as frightened as mine, and his face is already paling.

There's a click, and then the door swings open. For a moment there's only silence as the guards in the doorway stare at us and we stare at them. Then they're moving; the two of them draw their stun guns on me. I know what's about to happen before it does. I don't have the strength or energy to avoid the blast, and I tumble to the floor. My limbs are seizing up.

"Jay!" Teddy leaps up from where he's sitting on his bed, but just as he takes a step forward, the guards hit him with a blast and Teddy topples to the floor next to me.

What's going on? I want to ask my question, but my mouth won't move. I want to reach out to Teddy, but my arms won't work. It's then that I realize my head is spinning. Dizzy. I feel so dizzy.

A single tear slides down the side of my face, and then everything fades to black.

✦ ✦ ✦

When I awake, I can't see anything. A cloth bag has been stuffed over my head and my hands are tied tightly behind my back. I panic. Where's Teddy?

I'm lying on a hard surface, and it takes me a good moment to realize that whatever I'm on is moving. I can hear an engine whirring softly and the sound of tires.

I slowly heave myself into a sitting position, but whatever's transporting me gives a jolt, and I topple back over onto what seems eerily like a human body.

"Ouch," someone says.

I blink. "Crystal?"

"Julia?"

Crystal is one of my many classmates. If Crystal is here, does that mean that the rest of my class is here too?

"Teddy," I whisper, "are you here?"

"Jay." Teddy's voice floats to me from somewhere far in the distance. "I'm here too."

I don't know whether to feel relieved or more worried. "Where are we being taken?"

"None of us know," another one of my classmates answers. "The guards wouldn't tell us anything before they tasered us."

"You're being taken to Mr. Wright," a familiar voice purrs. Genesis. My sister is here too.

"Genesis!" I look around for the source of her voice as if I can see her through the sack over my head. "We need to get out of here."

Genesis just laughs. "Get out of here? You'll have to get past me first."

"What?" I can feel my panic rising.

"Haven't you heard? After all of those years of experimenting, I've become the first successful one of us. I'm stronger than any average human. Faster than any average human. It takes too many resources to keep you and the others. We no longer need the rest of you."

I freeze as I suddenly realize that we're slowing to a stop. Have we reached whatever new location we're being transported to?

Footsteps. I can hear footsteps.

Teddy nudges me with his elbow. He can hear them too.

There's a click followed by the sound of some kind of door being pulled open. "All of you get out," a gruff voice instructs us. "Single file now. Walk." There's the sound of my classmates shuffling to their feet as they blindly making their way toward the sound of the voice.

Teddy is right behind me as we get in line with the rest of our classmates. The first thing I notice is that the ground is uneven. Dirt. It has to be dirt. Does that mean we're no longer in the city anymore?

"Keep walking," the gruff voice instructs.

The air is slightly damp if not a little humid. Cold. I can feel the cold seep through my shoes and pants. It has to be very early in the morning.

"Stop," the voice commands, and we all halt. Before I know it, someone's pulled the bag from my head and the world slowly comes into focus. We're standing in the middle of an open stretch of dirt. The tall buildings of the city rise up in the distance and make up the gray skyline. The morning air is damp and the air is full of smog.

Teddy is standing at my side. All the blood has drained from his face, and his dark hair sticks up in all directions. "Look," Teddy says softly as he gestures to the ground behind us. Someone has dug a ditch in the dirt. My blood turns cold. That's where they're going to bury us.

"Hello, students," Mr. Wright's voice says. He appears a moment later, followed by a group of men with guns. Genesis is standing at his side with a smirk on her face. "Let's get this over with quickly, shall we?"

I even though my hands are still bound behind my back, I reach out toward Teddy. Teddy's fingers brush mine.

"We don't have all day," Mr. Wright barks at the gunmen.

"Uh, boss," one of the gunmen says hesitantly, "they're all children. You never said that they were children when we took the job."

Mr. Wright frowns. "Do you want the money or not?"

"This isn't right," the gunman says defiantly as he throws his gun to the dirt-covered ground. "I'm no good person, but this is where I draw my line."

"Oh?" Mr. Wright arches a brow.

As if on cue, Genesis springs forward. Her veins glow electric blue as she moves at a pace way too fast for a normal human being. And before the gunman can even scream, he's lying on the ground with blood dribbling from his mouth and nose.

I stare at my sister in horror as Genesis wipes her hands on her pants and moves back to Mr. Wright's side.

"Anybody else?" Mr. Wright asks.

The rest of the gunmen exchange a glance before they point their guns at my classmates and me.

"Good," Mr. Wright says silkily. "Quickly now. I've really got someplace to be within the hour."

The first bang sounds followed by the screams of my classmates. The scent of blood shoots up my nose and I'm paralyzed Everything is happening so fast and yet so slow at the same time.

I barely register the bullets tearing through me. Pain explodes through me as my vision goes red. I can hear Teddy's screams from next to me as he's struck as well amd we both go tumbling into the ditch behind us.

Teddy and I hit the dirt at the bottom of the ditch with a thud. Teddy's body is on top of mine; he's shielding me from stray bullets.

"Teddy," I gasp out. My head is spinning as I choke on my blood. I can barely see anything at this point. I can't tell if my eyes are stinging from my tears or the dirt in them. I wrap my free hand around his back, hugging him with what little strength I can muster.

I can still hear the gunfire, but it sounds so far away. Underwater. I'm underwater. Drowning, drowning . . .

✦ ✦ ✦

When I come to, the first thing I notice is that it's dark. Heavy and dark. I inhale sharply. There's a musty smell and it's hard to breath. I cough, choking as I clench my hands into fists. I feel dirt. There's dirt on every side of me. Everything hurts. It feels like I've been shot through the chest. My head spins. I have been shot through the chest.

"Jay." Teddy's voice is labored.

"Teddy?" My eyes whirl frantically as I search for him through the dark. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here with you. Genesis put a sack over your head when she deemed you were dead. They buried us in the ditch. They're long gone now."

I let out a muffled sob. "I'm not dead. I'm still alive."

I feel a light preassure against my forehead. This time, Teddy's voice is right in front of me. I can hear his heartbeat too. It's fading. "Jay, promise me that you'll try to find beauty in this world. And when you do find it, I want you to be happy."

I want to claw the sack from my head. I want to see Teddy's face. "Don't go, Teddy. Don't leave me here." My own face is streaked with tears.

"Promise me, Jay. Please."

"I promise."

My tears flow anew. "You saved me, didn't you. You brought me back to life."

"I transferred my powers to you," Teddy says. His voice is barely louder than a whisper. "I want you to live. Now that you're finally awake, I can rest . . ."

I sob again. I can't hear Teddy's heartbeat anymore. "Teddy? Teddy?"

Buried there in the dirt, I feel more helpless than I have ever felt in my life. The despair is suffocating. I'm suffocating.

I take a deep breath, trying my best to pull myself together. I need to get out of here.

With my body aching and limbs screaming in protest, I slowly begin to dig myself out of the ground. I manage to get the sack off my head. There's light as I gaze up at the dull sky.

Teddy. I continue to dig until I pull Teddy's lifeless body from the dirt. His head lolls like that of a rag doll's and I stifle a sob. I raise my head to the skyscrapers in the distance. If I can just get Teddy to the city, maybe there's someone there who can help him. My body cries in protest as I bend down and pull Teddy onto my back.

I wobble as I take one step forward. My limbs burn and my chest achs. A fresh wave of agony shoots through me. I've been shot too many times.

I slowly make my way toward the city with Teddy on my back. Both of us are caked head to toe in dirt and blood. Doctors. I need to get Teddy to a doctor.

I don't know how long I've been walking, but soon night has fallen. The pale gray of the sky has faded into a darker shade, and the smoggy air has grown chilly. My head is spinning and my breath is like shards of glass in my throat.

I let out a sharp cry as my foot hits an uneven patch of pavement and I go toppling forward. Teddy's body rolls off my back. His eyes are closed and unmoving.

"I'm sorry, Teddy." A tear trickles down my cheek. My legs won't move and all I can do is reach for Teddy's hand.

✦ ✦ ✦

I awaken to the sound of beeping. I panic. Am I back at the lab?

My eyes fly open. I'm not in the lab. Instead, I'm in a room I've never seen before. I'm lying in a bed with more tubes than I've ever seen before in my entire life connected to my body.

"She's awake!" a woman's voice says excitedly. "Look!"

The room is spinning, and I feel like I've been punched by an iron fist. Where am I? What am I doing here? Both of those are questions I want to ask, but I can't find the words.

Two women hurry to stand around my bed. One of them is a younger woman wearing a white coat, the other an older one wearing a sweater and headscarf.

The woman in the headscarf looks at me in relief. "I'm so glad you're awake-when I saw you and that other boy lying on the side of the road, the first thing I did was call an ambulance. What happened to the two of you?"

"Teddy," I finally say when I manage to find my voice. "Is Teddy here too?"

"The other boy?" The woman in the white coat and Ms. Akram exchange a glance.

My voice breaks. "What is it?"

"He was already beyond saving," the woman in the white coat says regretfully.

I stare blankly at the wall on the other side of the room. I let out a sob. Teddy's gone.

✦ ✦ ✦

I'm not sure when I feel asleep, but when I wake, it's night.

"How do you feel?" The woman in the white coat is sitting in front of a computer on the opposite side of the room. Her face illuminated by the light of the screen as I look over at her.

"Not very good," I admit.

The doctor looks up at me. "You were shot fifteen times in a variety of different places."

"Fifteen times?"

"Tell me," the woman says softly, "what's your name?"

"Julia."

"And how old are you?"

"I think I'm thirteen."

"The boy that was found with you . . . I heard you call him Teddy. Is that his name?"

"His name is Tamish."

"When I ran my tests on the two of you," the doctor says slowly, "it was hard for me not to notice that the two of you aren't exactly normal. There are traces of man made compounds in both of you. It's almost as if it's slowly been altering your DNA."

I stare blankly at the ceiling. "If you've already run tests, you must know that I don't have much longer to live." Suddenly I begin to panic. "If Mr. Wright finds out that I'm still alive and that you're helping me, he'll stop at nothing to kill you!"

The doctor inhales sharply. "Who's Mr. Wright?"

"He has a lab underground," I say. My words are coming out in a rush. "He has a genetically enhanced girl with him. How many other people know about me and that I'm here?"

"Just me," the doctor tells me. "When I noticed that something seemed off about the two of you, I decided to do the rest of the examinations myself."

"What about that other woman? Does she know?"

The doctor shakes her head. "She doesn't know. You don't know her, do you? Her name is Ms. Akram and she insisted on staying until she heard that you were in no fatal danger. She's still waiting outside too. You're very lucky that she saw you. If she hadn't been on her way back from taking her cat to the vet, I'm not sure if you would have survived."

"I'll have to thank her later, then."

"You don't have parents or guardians, do you?"

"No," I say shortly. "I don't."

The doctor falls silent, and all I can hear is the sound of her fingers flying over the keys of her keyboard.

"Where's Teddy?" I ask.

"He's already been taken to a place to be buried." The doctor's voice is soft.

"I made a promise to Teddy." Silent tears trickle down the sides of my face. "I promised him that I would live. But I have nowhere to go."

There's a knock on the door and the woman in the headscarf steps back into the room. "The nurses told me that you're awake." She looks at me and I quickly turn my head to the side to hide my tear-streaked face. But I'm not fast enough. "I'm sorry, dear," Ms. Akram says sadly. "I'm so sorry about your friend. I also couldn't help overhearing that you don't have anywhere to go or anyone to turn to."

I stiffen. "How much did you hear?"

"Just that much," Ms. Akram says as she offers me a soft smile. "I happen to know a place you could stay."

"I don't have any money."

Ms. Akram sighs. "That's fine, dear. I've already paid for your hospital bills as well."

"Why?" My voice shakes. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Kindness . . ." There's a wistful look in Ms. Akram's eyes. "Kindness is something this world could do more with. Should I need a reason to help a child that's suffering? I'm a mother and a grandmother. It's an instinct."

"Thank you," I breathe.

Ms. Akram's gaze turns sad. "I can tell that you've gone through a lot. Rest, child. The place I have isn't much, but at least you'll be able to stay out of the polluted air."

All I can do is nod as I crawl under the covers. I still need time to process everything. But maybe in this colorless world of sorrow, there really are good people. I just hope that with their kindness, I won't be dragging them down with me.

Chapter Eleven
First Flight

Back in Ms. Fujiwara's astrophysics classroom, I can tell that something seems off. There are only a few weeks left until we're off for winter break, but there are more eyes on me than usual.

I pay the eyes no mind. I've bought myself another pair of glasses; these ones have rectangular frames.

When the bell rings, I linger behind to say goodbye to Ms. Fujiwara before hurrying out the door. I can still feel eyes on me, but I ignore them as I make my way out of one of the side exits and to the subway station. The woman in heels had given me the address of the building she had brought me to and taking the subway was my fastest way to get there.

Unlike the long ride out of the city to Ms. Fujiwara's house, the ride to the office takes less than fifteen minutes. The woman in heels is waiting for me in front of the building, and she smiles as she motions for me to follow her.

"Your first task is going to be a big one," the woman informs me. "There's a lake in the next city that's caught fire. You're going to help put it out."

"A lake caught fire?"

"One of the oil pipes running beneath it broke. There were multiple boats on the surface at that time and people suspect that one of them is to blame for the fire."

"Were there people on the boats?" I ask quickly as the woman and I take the elevator to the top floors of the building. "How long ago did the fire start?"

The woman lets out a sigh. "It started half an hour ago. Originally we were just going to have you help get the people on the boats to safety, but then the fire happened. I'll explain more to you on the way. We've got your outfit ready. You should change first."

"Outfit?" I blink. That's right-the last time I was here a group of people had taken my measurements.

"We can't just have you running into the fire as you are now." The woman gives me a sideways look as we step out of the elevator. "Follow me."

I just nod as I follow the woman through a door to what appears to be a small dressing room. The first thing I notice is the mannequin placed in the middle of the room and the deep blue outfit it's wearing.

The woman smiles as she follows me gaze. "This is for you. After you put it on, we'll head to the lake." And with that said, she turns on her heel, leaving me alone in the dressing room with the outfit.

I stare at the mannequin. The outfit it's wearing is made up of metal plates and a glossy, tightly woven material. But the part of the outfit that catches my gaze the most are the wings protruding out of its back. They're blue and white and yellow, with metallic feathers glinting softly in the light.

I quickly change into the outfit. I don't want to keep the people on the boats waiting.

"I'm ready," I say breathlessly as I open the door of the dressing room. The woman in heels is waiting for me outside and she motions for me to follow her.

How are we going to get there? I want to ask, but my question is answered when the doors to the roof swing open and my eyes fall on the helicopter perched upon it. The woman and I board the helicopter, and then we're off. I've never flown before, and I can't tell if the nervous feeling in my stomach is from the flying itself or the task I'm about to take on.

"I'm glad the outfit fits." The woman in heels smiles at me. She has a long-fingered hand on the earpiece of her headphones. "Now all you're missing is your headgear."

"My headgear?" My voice sounds distorted through my mic.

When I had been measured for an outfit the other day, I had just thought that I was going to get some sort of uniform or maybe some kind of protective gear. Wearing this, everyone's eyes will certainly be on me.

"Here." The woman passes me a metallic blue helmet. It matches the same color theme as the rest of my outfit with the addition of a triangular beak shape. "You get to be a bird."

I nearly laugh at that as I take the helmet from her. What exactly am I going to be doing? Parading around in a bird costume? I guess it's better that no one recognizes my face.

"Just go in there and take the people on the boats to land," the woman explains. "With all of the traffic, the emergency help has still yet to reach the lake. We'll be the first ones there."

I nod silently as I stare at the helmet in my hands. What am I doing? The well-being of these people will be in my hands.

"We're here." The woman gestures to the lake below us. I hadn't even realized we arrived. "I'm going to open the door. I'll meet you back at our headquarters."

"You want me to jump down there?"

"Your wings aren't just an accessory, you know."

The wings. My eyes widened. The wings actually work?

"You can use them as a glider," the woman clarifies as she reads my look. "You'll have to figure out how to get yourself off the ground if you want to drift."

My metallically gloved hands shake as I unfasten my seat belt and pull off my headset. I've already tied my hair back, and it fits neatly under my helmet as I place it over my head.

I can see the boats in the water below. All of them are sitting on top of the lake, clearly worried that if they move in any direction, their boat may be engulfed in flames. The lake really is on fire; the surface of the water a roaring mouth of flame. It's only in the middle of the lake, though. But as I look on, I see that it's slowly creeping toward the boats as the oil spreads.

The woman in heels pulls the door to the helicopter open, and I only hesitate for a second before I leap into the open air beyond. The gray sky rushes past me as I tumble down, down, down.

As I tumble through the sky, the wings folded tightly on the back of my outfit spring open and suddenly I'm gliding. I land on the first boat and quickly make my way onto the deck. There's a middle-aged man standing on it and he stares at me in shock.

"Are you here to save me?" the man asks, his eyes going back and forth between me and the slowly spreading fire.

"Yes," I say quickly. "We need to hurry. I need to get to the others as well."

Before the man can ask any more questions, I take his arms and leap back into the air. The man lets out a yelp as we drift over the surface of the water, back toward the land and buildings beyond.

"What are you?" the man asks weakly as we touch down on the cement. "Some sort of god?"

I give the man an exasperated look, but then I remember that he can't see my face beneath my masked helmet. I can't linger, though. I've got to get the others. I take a running jump back into the air and drift toward the flames raging in the middle of the lake. I can jump higher than an average person, run faster than an average person, handle much more weight than an average person. Did the woman in heels and her other colleagues decide to give me wings because of that? How did they know the full extent of my abilities? Do they know the full extent of my abilities?

I land on one of the other boats. There are two people on this one-an older woman and a girl who's only a few years younger than I am.

"Momma, I'm scared." The girl tugs at her mom's sleeve. Both of their heads snap up a moment later as they notice me, and they both take a step back.

"I'm here to help get you to land," I tell them.

"You?" the mother says defensively. "Help us? What kind of costume is that? Do you work for the government?"

"I'm here to help you," I try again.

"Are you a superhero?" the young girl asks, and her eyes grow large. "You're the one who flew that other man to safety! Momma"-the girl turns back to her mother-"let's go with the superhero. She can help us."

"I don't know if I can take two of you at the same time," I say as I frown slightly. I'm not sure how much weight my wings can carry without all of us falling out of the sky.

The mother leads the young girl over to me. "Take my daughter first. I'll wait for you to come back."

I nod before scooping the girl up in my arms and leaping back into the air once again. We glide over the surface of the lake and finally land on the concrete of the streets beyond. It doesn't take me long to realize that a crowd has gathered there. They're watching the boats on the water as the fire slowly creeps toward them. They're watching me as well.

"I'll be right back with your mom," I tell the young girl as I gently set her down on the ground. "Don't worry."

The girl nods her head as I spring back into the air. My wings carrying me toward the flames. Where are the emergency vehicles? Where are the people to put the fire out?

I'm back on the boat with the girl's mother in a matter of minutes and fly her to safety. After setting her down beside her shaken daughter, I jump into the air yet again and make my way to one of the two boats that I have yet to visit.

"Help me!" a young man says helplessly as he waves his arms in an attempt to get my attention as I land on the deck of the nearest one. "Fly me out of here!"

"Save me first!" A young woman grabs my arm, and her nails scratch the armor-like metal coating me from head to toe. I tense. "He was the one who started the fire!"

"I'm going to get both of you off the boat," I explain as I try and fail to shake the woman off. "Should I take you first?"

"Don't listen to her!" The young man grabs my other arm. His grip is tight, and I tense again. "She's the one who started the fire!"

"Look," I say firmly, "it doesn't matter which one of you started the fire. You can both plead guilty when we get back on solid ground. If you can't decide who I should take first, I can go help the people on the other boat first."

"No!" The woman's grip on my arm tightens. "Save me!"

"No!" The man's grip tightens as well. "She's a liar! Save me first!"

"Can you do rock-paper-scissors or something?" I really don't know who to pick at this point.

The man and woman stare at each other for a moment before they do a round of rock-paper-scissors.

"I've won!" The woman holds up her rock over the man's scissors. "Take me off this boat."

I'm wasting time here. "Hold on tightly." I take the woman by the arms and leap into the air. But just as my feet leave the ground, I hear the sound of running footsteps, and a moment later, someone has grabbed my waist.

I twist around to find the young man clinging to me.

"Idiot!" the woman screams at him. Her voice is like a knife through my skull. "Now we're all going to go down!"

I grit my teeth from their combined weight as we drift toward the shore. The lake is actually quite large, and I have no doubt that it's incredibly deep. I've never learned to swim and I can't afford to fall. But we're losing height quickly, and the shore is still a good distance off.

"I can't hold on much longer!" The man panics. "Go faster! Go faster!"

"We're too heavy," I say through my teeth. "I hope the two of you know how to swim."

"Swim?" the woman says, horrified. "But the lake is toxic!"

Just before I can think of something to do, I feel the man's grip loosen around my waist and he falls into the murky waters below with a cry.

My mouth is open in shock as the woman and I continue to glide toward the shore. "Save him," the woman begs me. "You need to save him!"

"I'll try my best." I can feel the color drain from my face. When we get close enough to the edge of the lake, I drop the woman off in the shallow water before jumping back the way we came. Water flies in my wake. I can hear the woman's shriek as she lands in the water followed by the sound of more splashing as she hurries to shore.

Taking a deep breath, I let the wings on my outfit retract and I dive into the water. The moment I hit the water, it's almost as if everything has gone silent. Calm. The clam beneath the surface is almost eerie.

It's dark under the water and everything has slowed. I'm moving in slow motion as I kick my legs and move my arms, propelling myself deeper and deeper into the water's depths. The lake is bottomless-an infinite void of gray water and bubbles. Bubbles.

My eyes widen as I kick faster. The young man comes into my line of vision a moment later. He's sinking slowly; his eyes are closed as a stream of bubbles float from his nose and mouth.

I grab one of his arms and kick with all my might as I pull both of us back toward the surface.

After what feels like nothing short of an eternity, my head breaks through the surface and the sound of screaming reaches my ears. I whip my head around toward the source of the screams as I gasp for air. The people on the shore are screaming as they point wildly. I turn back toward the fire, and my eyes widen in horror as I find that the last boat has caught fire.

I grit my teeth, kicking with all my might as I swim toward the edge of the lake. I need to get to the last boat.

When I reach the shore, I quickly pass the unconscious man off to a group of onlookers before taking a running leap back into the air. My wings spring out behind me and I drift into the flames.

Choking on the ash, I land on the last boat to find an elderly man laying on the floor clutching his seared leg.

"Leave me here," the man gasps out as I blink down at him with watering eyes. The flesh of his leg raw and burnt under his shaking fingers. "Save yourself!"

"I'm here to save you," I say quickly. "Hold on tight."

Before the man can say anything more, I take off into the air and the two of us drift away from the fire. When we land on the street, it takes me a moment to register that people are cheering. It takes me another moment to realize that they're cheering for me.

I scan the crowd for the woman in heels, but I don't see her face. That's right, I'm supposed to meet her back at the headquarters. But before I make to take a running leap into the sky, I hesitate as I look over at the people I saved from the boats.

I frown slightly as I kneel down beside the unconscious man and place my hand on his wrist. There's a spark of electric blue, and then the man is coughing as his eyes fly open.

"Didn't I tell you that I was going to come back for you?" I say with a sigh. "Why did you have to jump?"

"I didn't think you were going to come back for me." The young man is looking everywhere except at me. "I figured your wings would be able to take us both."

"How did the fire start?" I ask instead.

The man and woman exchange a glance before the woman lets out a sigh. "I think we're both at fault. My boyfriend has a bad habit of smoking, and I keep telling him to stop before he gives himself lung cancer. But today he decided he wanted to smoke on his boat. I didn't want him smoking, and when he wouldn't put his cigarette away, I tried to take it from him. While we were struggling, it must have fallen into the water."

Suddenly there's the sound of sirens as the emergency vehicles finally arrive. The firetrucks encircle the lake before they start to put out the flames. That's my cue to leave. I've stuck around far too long anyway.

I jump into the sky and let my wings carry me back through the streets. Away from the lake and away from the crowd gathered there. I glide between the buildings with my wet hair plastered to my head under my helmet. I wasn't Julia back there. I was someone who's brave and strong and doesn't hesitate in the face of danger. All of the things Julia is not.

Ignoring the stares of the people in the lobby, I take the elevator all the way back to the top floor of the skyscraper before pulling off my mask. The woman in heels is waiting for me with a smile on her face. "Well done, Julia! Your first mission was a success!"

I just nod. I didn't realize how exhausted I am until now, and I can't bring myself to find any words.

The woman's gaze softens. "You did a good job. After you change back into your regular clothes, I'll drive you back to your apartment."

✦ ✦ ✦

After I return to my apartment, I spend the rest of the evening in agony. My headache is ruthless, and all I can do is squeeze my eyes shut as I curl into a ball on the floor.

All I need to do is make it to tomorrow. Tomorrow I get to see Miyoko.

My head throbs again, and I throw an arm over my eyes. According to the woman in heels, my next job will be a lot easier and a lot less troublesome than the first one.

The next day at school, the hallways are a buzz of noise. I yank my sweatshirt over my mouth and nose as I make my way down the halls. As I pass a group of students huddled around a row of lockers, I overhear snippets of their conversation.

"You won't believe it!" one of the students says to the others. "A real-life superhero! She had wings and everything!"

"I don't believe it," another snorts. "It's probably another influencer just trying to grab some short-lived attention. Besides, how do you know if that kid in the costume is even a girl?"

"What do you mean do I know if they're a girl?" the first says defensively, and I sneak a glance over my shoulder to watch as he holds up his phone for the others to see. "She's got boobs!"

"Let me see!" A third student snatches the phone from the first, and I turn away, yanking my sweatshirt even higher. I go straight to my first class of the day and take a seat at my desk. I slump down in my chair. At least people have stopped looking at me today. I don't feel as many eyes on the back of my head.

I spend lunch in Ms. Fujiwara's classroom, staring out the windows at the gray sky and smoggy city beyond. Blue skies were always some kind of hopeless wish.

"Are you looking forward to winter break, Julia?" Ms. Fujiwara asks.

"Not really," I admit. My own voice is quiet. "Actually I recently got a job, and I might end up working through the break."

"If your job conflicts with babysitting Miyoko, you don't need to come over as often."

I shake my head. "I still want to visit Miyoko. If you don't mind, that is."

Ms. Fujiwara offers me a soft smile. "Miyoko's always very happy when you come over. You're the first real friend she's had in a while."

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia!" Miyoko says excitedly as she pulls open the door. "Guess what, guess what, guess what!"

"What is it?" I laugh at the dark-haired girl's energy.

"There's a new princess movie!" Miyoko's eyes are as bright as the sequins on her lilac dress. "My dad bought it for me yesterday. I haven't watched it yet, though-I've been waiting to watch it with you."

"You were waiting to watch it with me?"

"Of course," Miyoko says knowingly as she skips over to the couch where Luna is dozing. "It's much more fun to watch movies together."

I take a seat next to Miyoko on the couch, and we spend the next hour watching the new movie together. Again, I'm swept up into a new world of color and music and magic. The songs are a big hit, and Miyoko and I find ourselves singing along in no time.

When the movie ends, I turn to Miyoko. "What did you think?"

"It was good." Miyoko nods her head approvingly. "The animation has improved as well. But it's still not as good as my favorite one. I think we still have some time before my mom gets home. Want to play upstairs?"

I smile. "I'd love to."

Miyoko and I spend the rest of the evening playing with the dark-haired girl's dolls and stuffed animals. There's no epic battle or fight this time, and instead, Princess Miyoko and Princess Rose spend the day at their castle taking care of the sacred guardian Luna as well as sitting around enjoying tea and cakes.

"Do you want to go outside?" Miyoko asks when we decided it's time to take a break. "The pollution wasn't too bad when I was out earlier."

"Okay." I nod as I rise to my feet. It's dark outside now, and I can see the reflection of Miyoko's room in the glass of her window overlooking the backyard.

"Oh-" Miyoko pauses as she reaches under her bed and pulls out the plastic dinosaur buried deep beneath a pile of other stuffed animals. "This might be fun to have outside." Miyoko passes me the dinosaur before scooping up a sleepy Luna in her arms.

Outside, the two of us take a seat at the wooden table and chairs in the middle of the backyard, and I look on as the dark-haired girl sets Luna down at her feet. Next, she motions for me to set the plastic dinosaur down on the table. Miyoko then switches on the light button and the dinosaur begins to glow. First, it's red and then it's blue and green and purple.

"It's kind of pretty in the dark," Miyoko observes as she leans back in her chair. "I like the purple the best. The blue is quite nice too."

"I also like the purple and blue," I agree as I watch the dinosaur slowly change colors. The glow illuminates Miyoko's face in a series of different shades, and her eyes are like glassy mirrors as they reflect the light.

"I read somewhere that dinosaurs had feathers," Miyoko says thoughtfully, tapping her chin in remembrance. "My classmates didn't believe me when I told them, though. I kept trying to tell them that lizards and birds were related as well, but they still refused to believe me. It's impossible to explain anything to them."

"You sure know a lot about dinosaurs," I remark.

"Of course. I did a research project on them once. It was a few years back."

Luna bleats happily as she nibbles at the grass under the table. The night air cool and crisp. The pollution is really not bad at all tonight.

"I like the purple the best." Miyoko sighs contentedly as she watches the dinosaur cycle through its colors.

"I like the green," a voice comes from the doorway. I look over my shoulder to find a dark-haired man silhouetted by the light of the house beyond.

Miyoko blinks as she raises her head from the table. "Dad!"

Chapter Twelve
Complications Part Two

Mr. Fujiwara's gaze falls on me. "You must be Julia. Miyoko has told me a lot about you."

"This is my dad," Miyoko tells me before skipping over to her father. "You're home early."

Mr. Fujiwara smiles wryly as he pats his daughter on the head. "Are you that unhappy to see me?"

Miyoko tugs on the sleeve of her dad's suit jacket. "Of course not. You never get back until after my bedtime. Did something happen?"

Mr. Fujiwara sighs softly. "Not really. The workplace was just too distracted today. Our boss was too preoccupied with the news and we all got to leave early."

Miyoko blinks. "The news?"

Mr. Fujiwara sighs again. "It's late now. I'll go make some dinner for the two of you."

"You don't need to." I hastily jump to my feet. "Now that you're back, I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"You're leaving?" Miyoko asks. Her eyes are sad.

"It's no trouble." Mr. Fujiwara turns to head back inside. "I think Miyoko would like you to stay a little longer as well. If you don't mind, of course. The two of you should come inside. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Then he pauses in the doorway. "I don't think I've seen the dinosaur out for a while."

Miyoko folds her arms over her chest. "The lights can attract fairies, Dad."

As Mr. Fujiwara gets dinner ready, Miyoko and I make our way back up to her room where our dolls are as exactly as we left them. "I've never met your dad before," I remark as I watch Miyoko give Luna a hug before setting the lamb down on her bed. "He seems nice."

Miyoko turns to look up at me. "He's one of the most important people in my life. I love him, and he loves me. His only shortcoming is that he can't see the magic in the world. He doesn't understand that the world I see is a much different place than the one he sees. All he does is work, work, work. Sometimes he gets angry, and he can be scary. I try my to be a good, but sometimes I can't do everything he wants me to do-I can't be everything he wants me to be."

I place a reassuring hand on Miyoko's shoulder.

Miyoko sighs, and something like sadness flickers behind her dark brown eyes.

"Having a family is something I've always wished for," I say wistfully.

"I knew you lived alone." Miyoko's voice is soft. "But I don't think you've ever told me what happened with your family. You told me that your father was a bad man, and that was about it. I figured that you'd tell me when and if you were ready to share." Miyoko offers me a smile. "Of course. Would you like a hug?"

I smile weakly back. "Hugs are nice."

Miyoko hops over to me and wraps her arms around my middle. She's short and barely reaches my shoulders. But her hug is warm and genuine.

✦ ✦ ✦

When I return to my apartment building, I run into Ms. Akram in the lobby and end up in her apartment. Now I'm sitting across from her at the dining room table even though I've already eaten at the Fujiwara's house. One of her cats has jumped up onto my lap and it purrs contentedly.

The TV hums softly in the background. "It seems like we have a new superhero in town," one reporter is saying as a clip of the fire on the lake plays. "'Blue Jay' is what people have been calling her."

I nearly choke on the piece of cake I just put in my mouth.

"What's wrong, dear?" Ms. Akram asks in concern. "You haven't heard about the fire on the lake the other day? It was quite horrible and people still can't believe something like that actually happened."

"Blue Jay?" I say, not quite believing what I'm hearing from the television myself.

Ms. Akram turns to follow my gaze to the TV. "The way she can jump into the air like that, and the way she's running around . . . She's no ordinary person."

"What do you think of having a so-called superhero in the city?"

Ms. Akram shrugs lightly. "I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. She's helping people, after all. Why wouldn't our city want her?"

✦ ✦ ✦

The rest of the week goes smoothly, and soon winter break is upon us. Ms. Fujiwara took Miyoko on a road trip and the two of them aren't scheduled to return until the day before school starts back up.

I spend the mornings sitting in the stairwell of my apartment building doing my homework, the afternoons flying around the city in my blue armored suit helping people in need, and the evenings at Ms. Akram's apartment enjoying her cooking and binge-watching shows.

Before I know it, one week has already flown by. I'm sitting on Ms. Akram's couch with one of her cats on my lap. Everything has seemed to slow. The pollution levels have reached an all-time high and I can't even walk outside the apartment without gagging.

The days have started to blur together again in a smear of gray and smog. I've been trying to avoid the news recently as well. I don't want to hear about what people have been saying about Blue Jay. And something about that name . . .

In the two or so years that I have been at the school, Mr. Wright still has yet to show up. Genesis too for that matter. It seems like they both really do think I died for good. But now I'm putting myself out there again. This time I'll be the one luring Genesis and Mr. Wright into a trap. And this time, I'll be able to work together with the other people at the office to expose them.

I miss Teddy. I miss my best friend. Our childhoods were taken from us. But ever since I met Miyoko, I felt as if I could start over and experience it for a second time. By meeting her, she's taught me a lot of things about the world. By meeting her, I realized that the world isn't only a place of dirt and depression. There are still beautiful things in it if you're willing to open your eyes and see them.

✦ ✦ ✦

"Where do you want me to go today?" I ask the woman in heels. The two of us are standing on the roof of the skyscraper as we prepare to board the helicopter. The city spreads out beneath us in a series of gray blocks, and the sound of cars drift up to us from somewhere very far away.

"Today we've been tipped off by the police radio that one of the banks on the side of the city has just been broken into. If we move quickly, we can catch the criminals and make sure that the bank stays safe."

"What about the police?" My hair is already tied back and ready for me to place my helmet-like mask over it. "Doesn't the bank have guards?"

The woman in heels shakes her head. "The police can't do anything. The criminals have taken the civilians inside the bank hostage."

My stomach clenches. I can't let my nerves get to me. I'm not Julia here, I have to remind myself. Blue Jay isn't Julia. She's a completely different person.

A short time later, we come to a stop with the helicopter hovering in mid-air. "Look there." The woman in heels points to the tall building at the end of the block. There's a crowd of people gathered outside and the red and blue lights of police cars flash among them. "That's the bank."

I pull my helmet over my hair, and the electricity begins to crackle through my veins.

The woman pulls open the helicopter door for me. "Good luck."

I jump out of the helicopter and the air rushes up to greet me as I fall through the air. The streets below growing closer and closer with each second. My metallic wings unfold, and then I'm flying. As I glide toward the bank, I can see the heads of the onlookers snap up, and their eyes widen as their gaze falls on me.

I can hear the police yelling for me to freeze as I land on the street and sprint the rest of the way to the bank, but I brush past them. As I rush into the lobby, I'm greeted by even more eyes. I take note of the situation right away: a group of men in masks are standing in front of a group of terrified-looking people. The men each have a knife in hand.

"Who are you?" one of the masked men demands as his hand tightens on the hilt of his knife.

"Hey!" another says, pointing his own blade in my direction, "That's that Blue Jay girl from TV!"

A third masked man laughs. "Will you look at that? This girl wants to play the hero. And look at her costume! What do you think you are, some sort of superhero?"

"Turn yourselves in now and no one will get hurt," I say. My voice is much calmer than I feel.

The masked men exchange a glance. "And what if we don't want to turn ourselves in? Are you going to stop us?"

I silently fold my arms over my chest. "Now do you want to come one at a time or should I take all of you down at once?"

One of the men rushes at me, but I'm ready for him. As he reaches out to grab me, I jump into the air. My foot comes into contact with the man's chest, and there's a spark of electric blue before the man topples to the floor unconscious.

The other masked men look at me in shock. But they quickly get over it, and all of them angrily rush at me with their knives at the ready. I can tell that none of them know the first thing about fighting as they wildly swing their blades at me. Slow. They're so slow, though. Or maybe it's because I'm so fast.

I flick my hand in the direction of one of the men and a spark of eclectic blue crackles in the air. He collapses onto the ground.

"What tricks are you playing, girl?" one of the men demands as they stare at their downed comrade.

I look back and forth between the masked men. "Will you turn yourselves in or do I have to knock you all out first?"

"Get her!" one of the men yells, and then they're all charging at me again.

There's another spark of electricity and the remaining men crash to the floor. I stare down at them, frowning slightly. Then I blink as I suddenly remember the civilians cowering against the wall. "All of you should leave," I tell them. "We'll let the police do the rest."

None of them need to be told twice before they hurry toward the doors.

When I exit the bank, the police seem to be in a state of shock. I frown. It looks like the television crew has arrived. It's time for me to get out of here.

As I leap into the air, I notice something odd about the bank. Even though the bank is a very tall building itself, the building next to it is just as tall with the walls of each building nearly touching. Windows. If there are windows facing each other, with coordination, that would be an easy way to get in and out.

I turn around and land on the street next to the police. "Check the windows of the building next to the bank," I say quietly. "I think that's how those men got in with weapons." And with that said, I take to the air and make my way back toward the skyscrapers in the distance.

✦ ✦ ✦

"The Blue Jay has done it again!" the television announcer declares as I stare absently at the screen from the couch of Ms. Akram's apartment. "This time, her superpowers have been revealed! Just look at the fight that went down with her and the bank robbers. It's incredible-here, have a look."

My hand stills over the soft fur of the cat I'm petting as my fight against the bank robbers plays itself out on the screen. I yank my sweatshirt up over my face and my glasses skew to the side. This is what I wanted, right? I wanted to be noticed and attract the attention of Mr. Wright.

I spend the rest of winter break flying around the city. It seems like wherever I go, the cameras follow. That's okay, I have to remind myself. The more I put myself out there, the faster Mr. Wright and Genesis will turn up-even if the thought of seeing either of them again results in my spine prickling unpleasantly.

✦ ✦ ✦

I walk to the bus stop as usual. The chill fogs up my glasses, and I really do have to squint to make out the headlights of the bus as they make their way toward the stop. The sky is gray as always with no sign of the sun. At least I have one thing to look forward to today: I get to go to the Fujiwaras' house today to babysit Miyoko.

When the bus rolls to a stop outside the main school building, I shuffle out with the rest of my fellow students. Almost instantly, I can feel the eyes on me.

My neck prickles and my breath seems to catch in my throat. Why are they looking at me? Eyes I've never seen before are staring at me.

I yank my sweatshirt over my nose and mouth and decide to make a run for the front entrance. Unlike the sympathetic glances I had been getting before winter break, there's something almost hostile in these.

I hurry into the hallway and the space around me erupts in the boom of chatter. I clap my hands over my ears. I've forgotten how loud the hallways are. I've forgotten how cramped they are.

As I stumble toward my first class, I can still feel the eyes digging into my back, my sides, my front. What is going on? I can hear them jeering, but everything has blended together so much that I can't understand what they're saying.

I finally reach my first-period class and pull open the door. I'm the first one here, and the classroom is empty. I make my way to my seat. It's much quieter here in the classroom than outside in the halls.

It doesn't take long for the first bell to ring, and my other classmates begin to file in. The eyes are back. They're staring at me again.

"Is it true what they're saying about Julia Wright?" one of my classmates is saying in a low voice. "She and Leon hooked up?"

"Wait, which Julia are we talking about?" another classmate inquiries. "The popular Julia or the other Julia?"

"The other Julia obviously," the first classmate says. "I never thought she was that kind of person."

"It was when Leon took her out on a date," a different classmate chimes in. "She wants attention. Well, she's getting attention alright. Now that I'm thinking about it, I never really liked Julia Wright. There's always been something off about her. I'm glad they aren't together. She doesn't deserve to be Leon's girlfriend."

At first, I can't even believe what I'm hearing. Where did this even come from? I frown to myself as I yank my sweatshirt higher over my face.

Fortunately, I'm able to make it to lunch without anyone coming up to talk to me. All of them seem to be watching me from afar.

I arrive at Ms. Fujiwara's classroom for lunch, and it feels like I can breathe properly for the first time.

"Julia," Ms. Fujiwara greets me warmly. "How was your winter break? What did you do?"

"Uh," I hesitate slightly. "Community service? Ms. Fujiwara, have you heard what the students are saying about me? I don't know what to do."

Ms. Fujiwara lets out a soft sigh. "I've heard people talking. I know it's easy for me to say, but try not to listen to them."

"What do I do about all their stares?" I whisper. My voice is failing me. "I can't-the eyes-it's too much."

Ms. Fujiwara offers me a small smile. "You can stay in my classroom during lunch. If things escalate, I'll do my best to bring it up with the administration."

✦ ✦ ✦

The rest of the day up until sixth period goes smoothly. Or at least as smoothly as it can go with the entire school's eyes glued to my back. When I enter the astrophysics classroom, I find Leon waiting for me. He's standing in the doorway, blocking my entrance to the classroom.

"Move, please," I say, trying to muster as much strength into my voice as I can.

"Julia," Leon says. "Can we talk? Please?"

"I don't know what there is to talk about," I stammer. A crowd has gathered around the doorway. They're watching the exchange between Leon and me.

Leon eyes the crowd, then lowers his voice. "Let's talk after school."

"Move, please," I say again. This time Leon steps aside to let me into the classroom, but I can feel the stares of everyone in the hallway on my back. They're watching. They're watching.

Chapter Thirteen
Wisteria Rain

"You're getting bullied at school?" Miyoko asks. Her eyes are wide and horrified. The two of us are sitting on the floor of her room with Luna lying on the floor between us like a fluffy woolen carpet.

"It's not bullying, per se." I shake my head with a sigh. "Do you remember that boy who wanted me to go on a date with him? Leon? I think he might have something to do with it. He even wanted to try and talk to me after school today, but I snuck away. What do I do? I'm not used to this kind of attention."

Miyoko wrings her hands together on her lap. "If you don't give them a reaction, they'll stop bothering you eventually. They're just bored. They're looking for someone to entertain them."

"So you're saying I should just ignore them?"

"If they're not physically harming you, ignoring them. Think about it. These people might be your classmates now, but for how much longer? Wait long enough and you'll never have to see them again."

I exhale. "I'll take your advice, then."

Miyoko reaches over a drowsy Luna to put a comforting hand on my arm. "What do you want to do today? Let's do something fun."

"Do you want to continue our story with Princess Rose and Princess Miyoko?"

Miyoko beams. "Sure!"

The two of us spend the rest of our time together going on another adventure with the dolls and later make our way downstairs to watch a movie. We're watching our favorite one again, and I find that it's very easy after all to forget about everything weighing down on me.

"Hey, Miyoko," I say as I suddenly remember the question I had wanted to ask the dark-haired girl. But just as I open my mouth, there's the sound of keys jingling and the door swings open to reveal Ms. Fujiwara.

Miyoko looks at me expectantly, but I just shake my head. Another time, then.

✦ ✦ ✦

As the days go by, the rumors about me continue to get worse and worse. Things escalate from Julia Wright is a liar to Julia Wright is a slut, and then finally all the way to Julia Wright is a horrible human being.

But Miyoko was right. At first, all of the whispers and glances in my direction were enough to make me freeze up as my anxiety spiked at an all-time high. When I think about it more, I find that I don't care. I don't care what other people think about me. And when I put things that way, suddenly all of the whispers and stares seem to lose their weight.

For the first week, it actually seems to work. People have gone back to ignoring me the same way I've been ignoring them. Without me giving anyone a reaction, they've already started to grow bored with the whole situation.

Things only start going downhill again when someone shoves me in the hallway. The first thing that pops into my head is that it must be an accident.

"Sorry," I mutter instinctively.

But suddenly the same boy who shoved past me sticks out a leg in an attempt to trip me. I maneuver around his outstretched foot, but someone from behind pushes me forward, and I hit the floor with a thud. I just lie there facing the floor for a moment in stunned silence. Then gritting my teeth, I slowly rise to my feet and continue on my way. I can feel the eyes on me. I can hear people snickering. Laughing. They're laughing at me.

The next couple of weeks are probably the worst that I've ever had at school: I've been tripped and shoved multiple times in the hallways, nearly had my backpack stolen, and people constantly jeering and calling me names. When someone shoved me down one of the stairwells, my glasses finally cracked. While it's only a few of them who have decided to push me around, no one's come to my aid either.

I spend my lunchtimes in Ms. Fujiwara's classroom. She tells me that she's brought the current bullying issue up with the school, but even though they said they're looking into it, nothing seems to be happening.

It's Friday, and the last bell rings, signaling the end of class. At first, I linger in the classroom hoping that Leon will leave before me. He doesn't, though. He's still lingering in the classroom as well.

I exchange a glance with Ms. Fujiwara before quickly shuffling toward the door. Even without looking back, I can tell that Leon is trailing me down the hallway. Instead of waiting for him to catch up to me, I duck into the girl's bathroom for the first time this year.

Instantly the smell of toxic chemicals hits me full in the face, and I really do gag as I yank my sweatshirt up over my mouth and nose.

"Julia?" a voice asks.

Are they talking to me? I slowly look over at the girl standing in front of the row of sinks. With her artificial black hair, she's very easy to recognize.

"Julia Bennet." My already quiet voice is muffled from beneath my sweatshirt.

"I've never seen you in here before," Julia Bennet remarks. "And I'm practically always here." She's holding her phone in one long-nailed hand and a vape pen in the other. "I've heard about what's been happening to you, by the way. I can't imagine getting pushed around like that would be any fun. I believe you, though. Leon wouldn't hook up with you. I think he or his friends might be behind the rumors."

"Have you and Leon made up?" I ask with a sigh.

Julia Bennet flips her hair over her shoulder. "You were right, Julia. Leon isn't the right boyfriend for me."

"If you're still on good terms with Leon," I start slowly, "and if you believe that Leon is the one trying to get me in trouble, why don't you try to tell him off? You could clear up this entire issue."

"I could," Julia Bennet says distractedly as she looks down at the glowing screen of her phone, "but you're on your own in this one. I'm kind of busy, you see."

I just stare at her for a long moment before turning on my heel and marching out of the bathroom.

Thankfully Leon is nowhere in sight, and I make my way down the steadily emptying hallways in silence.

✦ ✦ ✦

"I'm sorry you have to do this." I pinch the bridge of my nose. I still haven't gotten a replacement for my glasses yet, and the cracked frames sit on the sink counter next to me.

"Don't worry about it," Miyoko reassures me as she skillfully places a wad of peanut butter on my hair. "I've had to do this before myself."

Somehow, somebody managed to stick a piece of chewing gum in my hair.

"People have done this to you before?" I ask as I meet Miyoko's eyes in the bathroom mirror. "I'm really sorry, Miyoko."

Miyoko's eyes darken. "My classmates thought it was hilarious. They wanted to see me cry. But I only cried once I got home. Oh look! I got the gum out!"

"Thank you." I swivel around in my seat to give the dark-haired girl a weak smile. "I never would have thought that peanut butter actually works."

"Vegetable oil works too." Miyoko hops down from her stool before crouching down to rummage around in the cabinet beneath the sink. She's pulled her inky hair back into a ponytail and the sleeves of her green dress are rolled up to her elbows. Here"-Miyoko pulls out a bottle of shampoo from the cabinet-"you'll want to wash the peanut butter out of your hair. Otherwise Luna's going to want to eat it. Do you want to take a shower or attempt washing it in the sink?"

I take the bottle from Miyoko. "The sink is fine."

When the two of us finish washing my hair, we walk back across the hall to Miyoko's room. Luna's waiting for us in the room and she happily hops up from the fluffy rug to greet us.

Miyoko takes a seat on the carpet. "I remember that you wanted to ask me something."

"Oh yeah." I take a seat across from her, and Luna bounces onto my lap. There must still be some residual from the peanut butter in my hair since the lamb seems more interested in me than usual. Or maybe it's the sweet scent of the shampoo that's caught her attention. "It's about my dad and sister."

"I'll do my best to help you," Miyoko says determinedly. "But do keep in mind that I'm only eight years old. I don't know all the secrets of the universe."

I arch a brow. "You know some of the secrets of the universe?"

"I was probably a fairy princess in my past life. And it's only because I've figured out the secrets of the universe that I've been demoted to this human state. What do you want to ask?"

I draw in a breath. "My dad and sister . . . neither of them are good people. I want to stop them. I'm willing to anything to stop them. It's something I've been thinking a lot about recently. But they're also my family. If it comes down to it, do I take action on them? Or should I try to reason with them?"

Miyoko frowns slightly. "They sound like criminals. Do you think they'll listen to reason?"

I let out a sigh. "I don't think so. And I was afraid of that. But now that I've said it out loud, I think I know what I have to do."

Luna stands up from my lap and hops over to Miyoko. Miyoko smiles softly as she gently pets the lamb's fluffy wool. The lamb playfully nibbling at one of her fingers in return.

"I want to be a kid forever." Miyoko's eyes turn distant as she continues to absently run a hand through Luna's wool. "The problems of the adult world are something I wish I didn't need to think about. I wish I could stop time. I wish I could pause it, and we could live in this present forever. I want you to be my friend forever."

"When I was a kid," I whisper, "I wished the same thing. I wished I could freeze time. I wished that I could stay with my best friend forever. But Teddy's left this world."

Miyoko's eyes fill with sorrow. "I'm so sorry."

"It's all in the past now." I shake my head, and a single tear slides down the side of my face. I quickly reach up to wipe it away with a sleeve. "I'm the only one who remembers him. I'm the only one who will continue to think about him."

Miyoko takes my hands in hers and gives them a reassuring squeeze. "I hope you can find happiness in the present as well. Happiness is important, and I'm sure Teddy would have wanted you to be happy."

"He would." I nod as I lift my eyes to meet Miyoko's gaze.

"What are you planning to do next?"

"What am I planning to do next? I'll try my best to live. I'll try my best to do things that make me happy."

Miyoko smiles. "Good. Life is too short to be unhappy."

✦ ✦ ✦

"Name please." The woman sitting behind the desk looks up at me.

"Julia Wright," I say, mustering as much confidence in my voice as I can. "I'm here for my new schedule."

"Now I remember, dear." The woman's long nails tap over her keyboard. "I've heard about your bullying problem. I'm really sorry the school hasn't been doing anything to help." I wait as she prints out the new sheet of paper from the printer and holds it out to me. I reach over to take it from her, and my eyes scan over my list of classes. Now my astrophysics class is right before lunch instead of at the end of the day.

"Your nails are quite pretty," the woman remarks. I blink. I had been so focused on my schedule that I had forgotten she was still watching me.

"Oh." A faint smile crosses my face as I look down at my painted nails. "I've been babysitting Ms. Fujiwara's daughter recently. She's the one who did them."

"I didn't know Ms. Fujiwara has a daughter," the woman says before turning back to her computer. "Hopefully with your new classes the bullying will stop."

"I hope so too," I say quietly. After I thank the woman, I exit her office and make my way toward my new first-period class. It's been almost a month now since the bullying has started. Ms. Fujiwara had tried her best to get the principal and other administrators involved, but none of them were very willing to lend a helping hand. When it seemed like we weren't going to get any support from them, Ms. Fujiwara had been the one to suggest that I get a schedule change.

I give my new schedule a few days and find to my amazement that the bullying really does subside. I don't even see Leon around the school anymore. With so many students, most of them don't even cross paths with me.

Another thing I've noticed is how the initial interest about Blue Jay had started to subside as well. It seems that people have started to accept that there's a girl with unnatural powers flying around the city helping people in need. Even though I'm always on TV, I still haven't gotten used to it. Whenever I'm watching the news at Ms. Akram's apartment, there's always one reporter or another inquiring about Blue Jay's identity. People want to know who's behind the mask.

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia Wright." Someone is calling my name.

I pause in the hallway and slowly turn to look over the heads of the other students leaving the school. My eyes fall on Leon. I take a deep breath. I've avoided him long enough. I might as well hear what he has to say.

I remain standing where I am until Leon comes to a stop in front of me. "Julia," Leon says. "Will you hear me out? I want to apologize."

I stare at him blankly. "Apologize?" By now the halls have cleared.

Leon nods. "At the time, I had just broken up with my girlfriend. Yes, I approached you because you had the same name as her and I wanted to make her jealous. I didn't think I scared you off until you started avoiding me completely. At first, I didn't think much of it, but I can't let it go now. I feel bad about it."

"I . . ." I'm still looking at him suspiciously.

"I'm serious. I want to make it up to you."

I glance around uncomfortably. "I'll accept your apology. I've got to go."

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia!" Miyoko says excitedly as she pulls open the door to greet me.

I smile. "Hello, Miyoko."

"Guess what, guess what!" Miyoko's eyes are bright. "The weather forecast says that there's a chance of blue skies today!"

"Blue skies? But there's almost never blue skies."

"Exactly!" Miyoko dances around excitedly as I slide off my shoes. "Let's go outside and wait! Luna's already out there."

"Alright." I laugh as I let Miyoko lead me toward the door to the backyard. I know even a glimpse of the blue sky is probably too much to ask for, but I wish I can see it. I wish I can see it with Miyoko.

Miyoko pushes open the door, and I follow her out onto the grass. Miyoko takes a seat on the ground and I take a seat at one of the chairs around the small wooden table. Two of us lift our heads to the sky. It's still a shade of pale gray; the smog hangs like a blanket over the neighborhood.

The two of us are waiting in silence until Miyoko suddenly raises an arm, pointing. "Look!" she says excitedly. "Do you see it?"

I quickly follow Miyoko's outstretched finger, and my eyes widened. There in the middle of the gray ocean is a patch of blue. I look on in awe as the small patch slowly grows and grows and grows. The smog is parting.

It feels like I've been waiting for this moment for years. Miyoko and I watch as the blue paints the sky in a hue that's almost been forgotten.

My voice breaks. "I can see the sky."

"It's so pretty!" Miyoko is smiling ear to ear. "This is what the sky is supposed to look like."

There's a rustling sound as the wind picks up. It's dancing through the grass and sends my hair flying. I blink as the blue sky fills with pale purple petals. Each petal twirls in the breeze as they gracefully drift to dot the grassy ground.

I look around for the source of the petals and my eyes fall on the vines snaking up the wooden awning of the backdoor. Except vines aren't the only thing I see now. Purple wisteria has begun to bloom. That's right-spring has come.

"This is the way the world should be," Miyoko says blissfully as she reaches up to catch one of the petals in a cupped hand. "Blue skies, peaceful, and full of flowers. I have my camera here-let's take pictures!"

The two of us sit outside for an hour, but when the hour's up, the blue sky is gone and the world returns to its gray state. But even though the sky has vanished, the world doesn't seem quite as dreary as usual.

"You came just in time." Miyoko beams as she stands up from the ground and brushes grass from her skirts. "It's almost like the blue skies were waiting for you."

I smile as I look back up at the sky. This really is the first time I've seen a blue sky in person. It's so much different than how it looks in the pictures. It really is a blue ocean in the air. If I hadn't come to the Fujiwara's house, would I have seen this blue sky by myself? No, if I hadn't met Ms. Fujiwara and Miyoko, I'd probably still be hiding away in my dark apartment. Even if the sky was blue, I'd never know. I'd never see it.

I'm not alone anymore. Something has shifted inside of me. I feel at peace in a way. My end is growing closer, and I've finally gotten to see the sky. That's all I've ever wanted-I'll be able to go with no regrets.

But that's not entirely true either. I will have regrets. As I look over at Miyoko I find myself thinking that my biggest regret would be not being able to be her friend for much longer.

Chapter Fourteen
The Beginning of the End

The next day, I'm sitting on the stairway during lunch. The hallway is quiet, and I'm reading a book when a figure appears in my line of vision. I look up to find Leon standing there, holding out a chocolate chip cookie to me.

"Uh, no thank you," I say as I decline it.

"You don't like chocolate chip?"

I silently shake my head.

I go back to my book, but then I blink as Leon holds out a second cookie. "How about oatmeal?"

This time, I hesitantly reach out and take the cookie from him. It's still in its plastic wrapper, and the crinkling of the plastic is loud in the otherwise silent stairwell. To my surprise, Leon takes a seat a few steps down from me. He's on the opposite side of the stairs, leaving the middle clear for anyone who might pass by.

"How did you find me?" I finally ask.

Leon takes a bite of the chocolate chip cookie. "I've seen you here before, actually. Doesn't it get lonely sitting on the stairs?"

I set my book to the side to tear the wrapper of the oatmeal cookie open. "Yes," I say quietly. "It does get lonely. Where did the cookies come from?"

"I bought them yesterday after school at the convenience store. I wanted to give one to you, but you were avoiding me. I didn't know what kind you would like either, so I bought multiple." I look on, stunned as Leon opens his backpack to reveal at least five other kinds of cookies. "If you like any of these, you can take them."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"Here." Leon holds out the cookies to me anyway. "If you don't want them, you can give them away. I shouldn't have this much sugar."

Well, at least if I don't want them, I'm sure Miyoko will happily take them. "Alright."

✦ ✦ ✦

"I've never hung out with a friend like this before," Miyoko says excitedly. Her voice is muffled by her mask as she skips down the sidewalk.

I smile at her enthusiasm. "Me neither. It was much easier to convince your mom than I thought." It's a Saturday, and Miyoko had previously asked Ms. Fujiwara if the two of us could spend more time together. Ms. Fujiwara had been the one to suggest that we take the opportunity to leave the house and walk around the neighborhood.

"I don't know why I didn't think of asking her earlier." Miyoko's ponytails bounce as she shakes her head. "We could have hung out like this more. Now that we're here, what should we do? Should we get snacks? My mom gave me twenty-five dollars for us to spend."

Miyoko and I stop at a small cafe a few blocks away from the Fujiwaras' house, and we decide on ordering a muffin and croissant.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I've never been to a cafe before?" I ask as Miyoko and I make our way over to one of the tables. The atmosphere is warm and full of the scent of coffee and freshly baked goods.

"Of course I'll believe you." Miyoko looks up at me from where she's counting how much money we have leftover. "Here, I got us one of those plastic knives. We can split these in half." Miyoko's feet dangle above the ground as she eagerly watches me slice the pastries in half.

"There we go." I place the larger slices on Miyoko's plate.

Miyoko takes a bite. "These are much better than those cookies. It's sweet, but not too sweet."

The two of us chat as we eat, talking about what kind of tea party we can throw with Miyoko's stuffed animals next.

"Having friends is nice," Miyoko says wistfully as she finishes off her half of the croissant. "I wish you really were my big sister. Then the two of us could always do things like this together-always go places like this together."

Suddenly a flash of movement outside the cafe window catches my eye, and I turn to look beyond the glass. There's a young woman standing outside. She's wearing a thick winter coat despite the fact that spring has just begun to emerge. But even from this distance, I can see her dirty-blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes.

She notices my eyes on her, and she smiles.

A shiver runs down my spine as the woman turns on her heel and continues on her way down the street.

"Julia?" Miyoko asks worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

"It's nothing." I shake my head as I tear my gaze away from the window. "I just thought I saw someone I once knew."

✦ ✦ ✦

Over the next few days at school, Leon finds me again on the staircase during lunch. He sits a few stairs away, scrolling on his phone while I read my book. One day, Leon looks up at me. "What are you reading?"

I hold up the book to show him the cover. "It's a fantasy book about a vampire queen."

Leon frowns faintly. "It looks dark."

"It is a little bit, but it's a good story."

"You like dark stories but not horror movies?"

I put the folded piece of line paper I'm using as a bookmark in my book and close it. "It's different seeing images on a screen."

"What kind of movies do you like, then?"

"Colorful ones. Musicals, I guess."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

I end up spending most of lunch talking with Leon. It isn't as awkward as I thought, and to my surprise, lunch seems to go by much quicker than before. On the days Leon doesn't show up, I surprise myself even more when I find myself thinking how I miss the company.

Friday comes around, and Leon's back.

"Are you doing anything over the weekend?" he asks.

I give him a skeptical look. "This isn't another date, is it?"

Leon shakes his head. "No. Do you think we could just hang out? I like talking with you here. You're not toxic like my friends."

I raise a brow. "Maybe you need some new friends."

"I'm not trying to shift the blame to someone else, but they were the ones who told me I should ask you out to make Julia Bennet jealous. They were the ones spreading rumors as well. I've stopped hanging out with them."

"Good," I say shortly. I glance over at him. "What were you doing that day when you were reaching for my sleeve?"

"My friends told me I should make out with you and record it," Leon admits.

"If I hadn't left, would you have?"

Leon is silent for a moment. "I don't know. If you don't want to hang out with me, though, I get it."

"I'll try this once. I can do Sunday. Does that work for you?"

✦ ✦ ✦

I sit silently in the helicopter as we fly over the city. I'm in my suit and my helmet rests on my lap. "Have you gotten any news about my dad?" I ask the woman in heels.

The woman frowns. "Nothing yet. We're still waiting for him to make his move. Why do you ask?"

"It's been months now. I'm starting to get worried why he hasn't shown himself yet." Or maybe he really has no intention of showing himself.

The woman in heels glances over at me. "I'll ask the higher-ups later. Look, we've arrived."

I look out the window to find what looks like a collapsed building. Today my task is to go into the building and help those trapped inside.

I pull my helmet over my head and leap out into the gray sky. After drifting down to the caved roof of the building, I carefully drop down and make my way inside.

I listen carefully as I walk, listening for any sign of movement or heartbeats. Oddly enough, all I can hear are the sounds of the sirens and people gathered outside. My heart sinks. Unless . . . they're already dead?

As I move down floor after floor, I suddenly hear the faint sound of a beating heart. There-that's where I need to go. But as I move toward the sound, it stops. I freeze. What is going on?

Before I can decide what to do next, there's an explosion of metal and wood as the wall next to me bursts open. I leap away from the blast and throw my arms up instinctively to shield my face. When the dust clears, a young woman with dirty-blonde hair is standing in the place where the wall had once been.

"Genesis," I breathe.

Genesis smirks. "That would be me."

"What are you doing here?" I ask in shock. My skin is prickling unpleasantly.

"Mr. Wright sent me," Genesis says as she looks me up and down. "What are you doing, Julia? Trying to play the hero?"

"If I'm the hero, what does that make you?"

"I knew you'd come." Genesis ignores me as she takes a step forward. I flinch. "You're too late, though."

"You did this!" I stare at my sister in disbelief. "They said that there was no reason for this building to have collapsed. You were the one who blew it up!"

"It got you to come here, no?"

"What do you want with me?"

"Mr. Wright wants you back, Julia."

"Is it because the two of you failed to kill me that day, and now you want to send me to a permanent grave?"

"Yes." Genesis lifts her eyes to meet mine. As she holds my gaze, it's almost like she can see straight through my mask. "And no."

"No?"

"It's true that Mr. Wright wants you dead," Genesis explains, "but he decided to leave you to me."

"That day when my classmates were all murdered, did you think I'd survive?"

"Did I think that you'd survive?" Genesis repeats slowly. "No, I did not. Mr. Wright checked. And I even checked myself. You were dead, Julia. How did you manage to come back to life?" Genesis is looking at me in a way that sends a shiver down my spine.

"Where is Mr. Wright right now?" I demand.

"You'll know his whereabouts when I take you to him!"

I barely have time to dodge before Genesis throws herself at me. Her eyes and veins glow with an electric blue light.

It's nearly impossible to keep up with Genesis as I dodge and duck away from her onslaught of punches. As I try my best to retreat, I glance around the floor of the building. There's a window at the end of the hall . . .

Genesis seems to realize what I'm about to do, and she shrieks, lunging forward as she hurls a bolt of blue electricity in my direction.

In one swift motion, I throw myself out the window. My wings spread open, and suddenly I'm shooting out into the sky. As I glance over my shoulder, I can see Genesis standing behind the window. I need to get back to the office and tell the woman in heels what happened.

✦ ✦ ✦

"What?" the woman in heels looks at me in shock. "Your sister was there?"

"Yes," I say breathlessly. "What do we do now? I've got them to show themselves. What's the next step?"

The woman in heels exchanges a glance with the other workers who have gathered around us. "I'll need to go talk to the boss. Someone call the boss over."

The boss? Is the boss the man in the suit who gave me the pictures of my dad and sister?

I don't have to wait long before my question is answered. The elevator door slides open and the man in the suit appears.

"We need to talk," the woman in heels says as the man walks over to us. Then she looks over at me. I know that's my cue to leave, but this might be my only chance to speak to the man in the suit.

"Wait," I say as I turn to the man. "I want to know how you got those pictures of my dad and sister. I want to know where those pictures came from."

The man blinks mildly. "The pictures? Those pictures came from some of the political campaign rallies last year."

"You can go change back into your regular clothes," the woman in heels tells me. This time it's a direct dismissal.

✦ ✦ ✦

I sit on the couch in Ms. Akram's apartment with the TV humming softly in front of me. All of Ms. Akram's cats have piled up on top of me in a mountain of fur and fluff.

"Who is this Blue Jay?" the reporters are saying. "She appears wherever there's a big problem. And wherever she goes, the cameras follow."

"But what about the little problems?" another reporter speaks up. "Where is she when there are problems the TV crew can't get to? Doesn't something seem a little off about her?"

"Nonsense!" The first reporter laughs it off. "I meant that as a good thing!"

The second reporter frowns at the first. "I think she won't go anywhere the cameras are not. She only handles the problems that make her look good. I think she's only in it for fame. And who knows? Maybe she's getting money from someone to do this."

"Ms. Akram," I ask quietly, "do you think what the reporter is saying is true?"

Ms. Akram looks over at the TV. "I don't know. She might not be helping everyone, but she is helping people."

I frown slightly as the screen switches to an advertisement. I always thought the reason why I always worked at all the big incidents was so that we could broadcast my location for Mr. Wright and Genesis to see. Now that Mr. Wright and Genesis know I exist, I don't see why I can't start helping others. I'll have to ask the woman in heels later. After all, the reporter did bring up a very good point.

✦ ✦ ✦

On Sunday, I meet Leon inside a shopping center. I've never been to a mall before, and I try to hide my awe as I look around at all the lights and stores and people. It doesn't take long for Leon to find me.

"I'm not planning to buy anything," I start.

"We'll just walk around," Leon reassures me. "There's plenty to see, and the air is clean inside, so that's a bonus."

The two of us walk through the mall, chatting among ourselves. It's fun window shopping, and when it's time to leave, I don't regret going.

By now, there's rumors going around at school that Leon and the "other Julia" are dating for real this time. Both of us ignore them. I think this is the first time I've actually had a friend at school. I'm not sure how Julia Bennet feels about this, but fortunately, I haven't seen her around.

The following weekend, I meet Leon at a park. It's late afternoon, and the pollution levels are much better than usual. There are lots of people at the park today, and once the sun starts to go down, music fills the air.

Surprised, I stand up from where Leon and I are sitting on one of the park benches, craning my neck to get a better look.

Leon stands up as well. "Want to take a look?"

The two of us walk over to find that there's a group of people dancing partner dancing under the park lights. One of them notices us and motions for us to join, smiling encouragingly.

Leon offers me a hand. "Want to dance?"

"I don't know how," I say awkwardly.

Leon grins. "I don't know either."

A laugh escapes me as I shake my head. Even so, I reach out and take his hand.

The two of us dance around, trying our best to copy the moves of the people around us. There's a lot of stepping on each other's feet, but I'm laughing. Leon's laughing too, and we dance until we can't dance anymore. We finally make our way off the grass and away from the glow of the park lights.

"I'll walk you to the bus stop," Leon says.

I nod.

When I arrive back at my apartment that night, I'm not sure what to think. I had fun dancing with Leon.

✦ ✦ ✦

"There's something I want to ask you," I say as I look over at the woman in heels. The two of us are sitting across from each other at one of the glass tables in the office building. The city spreads out beneath us outside the large windows that seem to make up the walls. The gray sky is so close that if I were to reach outside, I'd be able to touch it.

"What is it?" the woman asks.

I lift my eyes to hold her gaze. "Why haven't I been able to help anyone outside the reach of the news cameras? All the work I've done has been in front of the cameras."

"What do you mean?" the woman says a little too quickly, clearly caught off guard by the question.

I raise my brows at her reaction.

"Wasn't the plan to get noticed by Mr. Wright and your sister?" the woman says as she quickly regains her composure. "Of course you'd need to be on TV for that to happen."

"But what about now? Now that we know that both of them know that I'm here in the city, not all of the jobs need to be broadcasted."

"You're the one working for us. How would you know where to go if we didn't tell you? How would you know who needs help or not without our guidance?"

"I have another question." I'm still frowning as I change the topic. "How do you plan to handle Mr. Wright and Genesis?"

The woman gives me a reassuring smile. "We've been coming up with a plan to expose them once and for all." Her face is impossible for me to read.

"How soon will this plan be ready? You and I both know that I don't have much time left."

The woman is smiling now. "Don't worry. When everything is ready, you'll be the first person to know."

"Alright," I say, still not completely reassured.

The woman in heels stands up from her seat. "I'm glad you understand. You did a good job today with your mission."

✦ ✦ ✦

Even though finals are still months away, the buzz around them has started to fill the air as I shuffle through the packed school hallways. That's right, finals. The monster that looms at the end of the tunnel.

Today I spend lunch in Ms. Fujiwara's classroom, walking around and admiring the new posters my astrophysics teacher has put up. The ones of the star-filled sky are my favorite.

"Do you like the new posters?" Ms. Fujiwara smiles as she comes up beside me to follow my gaze to the wall.

"They're magical. I've never seen a clear night sky in person before. When I was younger, my friend and I wished to see it if only once."

"Miyoko told me about your friend." Ms. Fujiwara's smile fades. "I'm sorry."

I drop my gaze from the posters. "My friend wanted me to be happy. Spending time with Miyoko makes me happy."

Ms. Fujiwara sighs as she takes a seat at one of the classroom desks. "Miyoko hasn't had an easy childhood. I'm really glad she was able to meet you. Ever since you started coming over, she's become much happier. I think she's learned a lot from you."

I blink. "Learned a lot from me?"

Ms. Fujiwara just smiles.

✦ ✦ ✦

"So you think your boss might be doing something bad?" Miyoko muses as the two of us walk around the house, collecting all of the pillows available. "You think your boss might be using you?"

"That's what I'm afraid of," I say from behind the stack of pillows in my arms. I watch as Miyoko places one of the smaller pillows on Luna's back, but it only balances for a few seconds before the lamb shakes it off.

"Hmm." Miyoko hums thoughtfully as we make our way back up to her room. "First of all, who's the one benefiting from what your boss is having you do? Is it you or your boss?"

"I think it might be my boss." At the end of each month, I receive my payment for doing my job. And it's no small sum of money either. He couldn't be that rich from just helping people.

"It seems like you've figured something out." Miyoko gives me a small smile. "Look, I've finished the pillow nest."

I look down at the circle of pillows Miyoko has placed on the fuzzy carpet. "So this is what all of the pillows were for."

"It's a pillow nest!" Miyoko says happily. "We get to be birds today. Oh, I just remembered something!" Miyoko jumps up and hurries over to her closet. She pulls out two long scarves and passes one of them to me. "These can be our wings." Miyoko wraps her own scarf around her neck, and the long ends hang over her back. "See?"

I laugh as I put on the scarf Miyoko handed to me.

"We'll be a family of birds." Miyoko hops into the pillow nest. "I'll be the mommy bird, Luna will be the baby bird, and you can be the grandma bird!"

"The grandma bird?"

"You're older than me," Miyoko points out.

Looks like I'm the grandma bird now.

The two of us end up playing all the way until Ms. Fujiwara gets home. "Hello, girls," Ms. Fujiwara says as she appears in the doorway to Miyoko's bedroom. "No movie tonight?"

"Mom!" Miyoko looks up with a smile on her face. "Do you want to play birds with us too? You can be the great grandmother bird!"

Ms. Fujiwara blinks. "Great grandmother bird?"

"You're older than me," Miyoko remarks. "And you're older than Julia."

"It's almost nine o'clock." Ms. Fujiwara looks from the analog clock mounted on the back wall of Miyoko's room to our pillow nest on the floor. "Have the two of you eaten anything yet?"

It's Miyoko's turn to blink. "I didn't realize it was this late."

I turn to look out the window. The sky outside is dark, and my reflection in the glass stares back at me. I hadn't realized it was this late either.

Miyoko's brow furrows. "It's almost my bedtime." Then she looks up at Ms. Fujiwara. "Do you think Julia could stay over?"

"I guess she could if she wanted to. Do you want to, Julia?"

"I-" I start. Do I want to stay over? Yes. Would I rather spend the night at the Fujiwara's house than in my own dark apartment? Yes, yes I would. I sigh. "I should probably head back to my apartment." It's probably for the best that I do. I don't want to cause Ms. Fujiwara or Miyoko any unneeded trouble.

"Alright," Miyoko says sadly.

"I'll help you put these away." I gently lift a sleeping Luna off one of Miyoko's pillows before beginning to collect them.

Miyoko silently nods her head as she scoops up another few of the pillows in her arms. "Maybe you could stay over another time, then."

When we finished putting back all of the pillows in their rightful places, Miyoko and Ms. Fujiwara accompany me to the front door. "Be careful out there," Miyoko says quietly.

"I will," I reassure her as I pull on my shoes. "Thank you. Both of you."

✦ ✦ ✦

The following weekend, Leon and I are at my apartment, watching a musical on his laptop. "Julia . . ." Leon is looking at me.

I turn to him expectantly.

"I think I like you."

"I-" I start. Anyone who gets too close to me will be put in danger. Besides, even though I've enjoyed Leon's company, I still don't know him very well. He doesn't know me very well. In fact, he doesn't even know who I really am apart from what I was willing to share with him. What part of me does he like? I'm gloomy and introverted, and on a good day, I can only put a few sentences together.

Leon is still watching me, but instead of finishing my sentence, I take a breath and pull my sweatshirt over my head. Now in my tank top, my arms are completely exposed. An icy blue light fills the dark room as my veins glow.

Leon's eyes grow large.

I sigh as I straighten my glasses. "Yes, I'm the girl from TV. The one with the special powers."

Leon seems to get over his momentary surprise. "I think that's cool."

"Being too close to me is dangerous. Wherever I am, dangerous people will also be. They'll use you against me. They won't leave you alone either. And I don't want you to be put in danger."

Leon is silent for a moment. "There's dangerous people after you?"

I nod. "They've probably seen us together already." I pull my sweatshirt back on, and the blue glow fades. "You should go. I shouldn't have gotten close to you."

"What should I do?" Leon asks quietly.

"You should try to transfer schools," I say heavily. "Get as far away from me as you can. Only that way will you be safe. Lay low for some time. Let's pretend it didn't work out."

Leon looks conflicted before he finally nods. "Alright. I'll keep your secret."

✦ ✦ ✦

I want to give the people at the office the benefit of the doubt. But it's been almost a month now, and I've heard no word about the plan regarding Mr. Wright and Genesis. It's almost as if the woman in heels and the others think that if they don't talk about it, I'll eventually forget. I won't forget, though, and whenever I try pestering them about it, I'm quickly dismissed.

The missions I'm being sent on are getting sillier and sillier as well, one of them even being something as trivial as rescuing a kitten from a tree. With my armor and wings, I could be helping those who really need it. I don't completely understand what's going on, but the one thing I know for sure is that I can't work here anymore. Even though I'm being paid more money than I'll ever need, our interests no longer align.

When I arrive at the office, I make a beeline for the woman in heels. "There's something I want to tell you," I say breathlessly. My voice doesn't betray me this time, and I hope my eyes reflect the determination I feel.

The woman turns to me. "What is it?"

I take a deep breath. "I quit."

Chapter Fifteen
Off to See the Stars

"You quit? But I thought you wanted to expose your father and sister."

"I do want to expose them," I say heavily. "But now that we know Mr. Wright and Genesis are in the city, what have any of you done? You said you had a plan, and I believed you. But it's been a month now and you still show no sign of wanting to go after them. I agreed to the job because I wanted to help people, and now you aren't even letting me do that. If there's no big job in front of the cameras that I can take, you send me out on the silliest missions."

The woman in heels blinks. It's obvious she's never heard this many words from me at once.

"I want to stop my dad and sister before they cause any more trouble." My voice is firm. "But it seems apparent to me now that you aren't going to help me. I don't want to keep working for you. I've done some research of my own and that boss of yours isn't a good person either. He's caught up in politics and wants to use me."

"I-" the woman stammers, clearly at a loss for words. It's more than enough for me to confirm that my suspicions.

"I can't work for you anymore, but I'm still going to put a stop to my dad's plans even if I have to do it by myself." And with that said, I turn on my heel and walk back toward the elevator. There. I said it.

"Wait!" the woman in heels calls after me. "Don't you at least want your month's payment before you leave?"

"No," I say shortly without a backward glance over my shoulder. I don't want the dirty money.

The elevator doors slide close behind me, and then I'm standing alone in silence as I watch the floors go by. I don't need to work for these people at the office to make myself useful. Instead of being flown from location to location in a helicopter, I can just walk around the city and see who might need a hand. I might not have armor or wings anymore, but I'll manage.

When the elevator doors slide open, the man in the suit is standing before me with his arms folded over his chest. "You really want to leave?"

I refuse to back down from his gaze. "I do."

The man frowns slightly. "If that's the cause. I have no reason to stop you."

Then what are you doing here now? I want to ask as I raise my brows in a silent question.

"It's just that . . ." the man starts. "You really want to stop working for us? You could help us, and in return, we'd help you."

"When will you help me? I don't have that kind of time to keep waiting." I take a step out of the elevator. Another step and I'm walking past the man in the suit. "You know I don't have that kind of time either, and that's why you keep delaying. If you delay long enough, I won't be around anymore. I'm done. And I'm not coming back here."

✦ ✦ ✦

I still see Leon at school over the next week. He still finds me in the stairway, but the week after that, he's gone. I do run into Julia Bennet, though, and she tells me that Leon has transferred schools.

Now in Ms. Fujiwara's classroom, I'm sharing the news off my resignation with her.

"You quit your job?" Ms. Fujiwara looks over at me.

I nod. "It was not the job I expected it to be. But at least now I don't have to worry about it conflicting with babysitting Miyoko."

Suddenly there's a knock on the classroom door, and it swings open to reveal a couple of students I've never seen before. I sink down in my chair and drop my gaze to the surface of my desk.

"Ms. Fujiwara," one of the students says as they walk over to where Ms. Fujiwara is sitting at the front of the classroom, "my friend wants to know if we're going to have homework over spring break or not."

Ms. Fujiwara offers them a smile. "I won't be assigning anything; I want everyone to try and relax over break as much as they can. With finals coming up, I don't want to put any unneeded stress on anyone."

"Thank you!" The students beam before leaving the classroom as quickly as they came.

"Spring break?" I look up at Ms. Fujiwara. "When's spring break?"

Ms. Fujiwara points to the calendar next to her desk. "Spring break is next week. Everyone gets next week off. There's actually something I wanted to discuss with you about spring break," Ms. Fujiwara says as she stands up from her desk. "Or rather, it's something Miyoko suggested."

✦ ✦ ✦

"I'm so happy you can come with us," Miyoko says as she tugs on my sleeve. There's a smile on her face and sparkles in her eyes as we help Ms. Fujiwara pack what we need into the trunk of her car.

"I'm pretty excited too." I laugh as the two of us climb into the backseats of the car. During the time I was hanging out with Leon, I shared updates with Miyoko. But now that he had left my life, the two of us had agreed not to talk about him again.

"It's too bad Luna can't come along." Miyoko sighs as she pulls on her seat belt. Her feet just barely brush the ground. "But she'll be fine by herself in the backyard. And I asked my dad to check up on her every now and then since he wasn't able to get time off from work."

"Are we ready to go?" Ms. Fujiwara asks as she slides into the driver's seat.

"Yes!" Miyoko and I cheer.

Ms. Fujiwara looks back at the two of us before starting the engine. "Off we go."

I look out my window and watch as the city rolls past us. The sky outside is hazy.

"Do you want to play a game?" Miyoko asks.

I smile as I turn to the dark-haired girl. "Sure."

Miyoko beams. "My mom can play too. This can be a story game. Each person can invent a character, and then we'll take turns saying one sentence about the story."

"Sounds good. Do you want to go first?"

"Okay," Miyoko says. "One of our three characters can be a unicorn!"

"Another one of the characters can be a young girl," I add as Miyoko turns to me expectantly.

"And what about your character, Mom?" Miyoko looks at Ms. Fujiwara.

"How about an astrophysics teacher?"

"Alright, then." Miyoko gives her mom a sideways look. "Should I start the story?"

"Go ahead."

"Once upon a time, in a magical world of magic, there was a forest."

"And in that forest," I say as Miyoko looks to me again, "there was a young girl."

"The girl was on the way to school," Ms. Fujiwara adds.

"Along the way," Miyoko says thoughtfully, "the girl encountered a sparkly unicorn with wings."

"She asked the unicorn if one day she'd be able to fly through the sky as well."

"But the girl soon discovered that one of the unicorn's wings was broken."

"The girl happened to be a fairy herself, and even though she didn't have wings, she did know some magic."

"The girl quickly used her magic to heal the unicorn's wings."

"The unicorn was very thankful to the young girl, and when the girl asked where the unicorn was going, she quickly discovered that the unicorn was on the same path as her to go to school and see the astrophysics teacher."

As the three of us continue to tell our story, the plot gets more and more confusing. Miyoko and I seem to be pretty much on the same page, but Ms. Fujiwara's contributions to the story keep sending things spinning in different directions. On one of Miyoko's turns, she claimed that the astrophysics teacher was a magical witch who knew the ways of the universe. On the other hand, during one of Ms. Fujiwara's turns, she claimed that the astrophysics teacher was a part-time firewoman and drove around in a red fire truck.

When the story finally wrapped up, we had the fairy girl and the unicorn visiting the princess in the castle, the castle knights turned out to all be scientists, and the princess herself was a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Even though the story made no sense, it was fun, and all of us ended up laughing at one point or another.

Before I know it, we're rolling onto the freeway, leaving the city and all of its buildings behind. Miyoko and I play a number of other games to occupy our time, and when lunchtime comes around, we open one of the boxes Ms. Fujiwara packed. The bread is cut into the shape of a flower.

"Do you think the clouds over there look a little bit like a butterfly?" Miyoko points out her window.

I lean over and follow her finger to the patch of dark clouds she's pointing at. "It does look a little bit like a butterfly." I blink as I trace the cloudy wings with my eyes. "Oh, and look! That one over there looks a little bit like Luna!"

"You're right!" Miyoko says excitedly.

When night falls, Ms. Fujiwara pulls over into the lot of one of the small inns on the side of the freeway.

"I hope you don't mind sleeping in the car," Ms. Fujiwara tells me. "We come this way a lot, and the people who run the inn know Miyoko and me. We can use their bathrooms in the reception area to wash up."

We all return to the car and open another one of the boxes Ms. Fujiwara has packed for dinner. There's something cozy about sitting in the car with the lights on, and the rest of the world outside bathed in darkness.

Miyoko and I happily talk about our favorite movies we've watched together and how it's a shame the new stories aren't as good as the older ones.

Ms. Fujiwara turns out the lights at nine, and Miyoko quickly falls asleep hugging one of the stuffed animals she brought. I smile to myself as I rest my head against the window of the car. Getting away from the city was something I needed.

When morning comes, we're off again driving down the freeway. The farther from the city we go, the clearer the sky and air seem to become.

"The air should be good around here," Ms. Fujiwara informs us. "If either of you wants to open a window, now would be a good time."

Miyoko eagerly cracks open her window, and the wind rushes into the car. It only takes a second before it sends all of our hair flying. There's something different about this air: it's clean.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Miyoko laughs as her inky hair whips around in every direction. "This is how the world should be. Air that you can breathe, a sky that you can see, and warm sunlight to bask in!"

"We only have one of those things right now," Ms. Fujiwara says as she shakes her head. She's smiling, though, as she rolls her own window down. "But we'll have the other two soon."

"Yes!" Miyoko beams. "By lunchtime today, the sky should start to clear up!"

I smile back. The scenery outside the car windows is beginning to change as well. Instead of piles of dirt lining the road, now there's grass. Green grass.

When lunchtime rolls around, the clouds really do seem to vanish. I stare up at the infinite stretch of blue sky outside the car window. This is the blue sky Teddy and I longed to see. I watch the birds fly through it as they dance in and out of the cotton-white clouds. I never would have thought that right outside the city, the sky would be so clear. I thought the world had been under a constant haze with the sky always hidden away. But maybe it was just my world that had been in the haze.

Ms. Fujiwara turns onto one of the freeways exits, and a few hours later, we end up on a hiking trail. "We've been in the car for many hours," Ms. Fujiwara explains as we all get out to stretch our stiff legs. "A little walk will probably be good for us."

Miyoko and I trail after Ms. Fujiwara as we make our way onto the dirt path. As we walk, the trees start to get thicker and thicker.

"It's a magical forest," Miyoko says as she skips along. "Do you think we'll find fairies?"

"I don't know if we'll find fairies," I say as I look around the trees and the little flowers that spring up among their trunks, "but we'll definitely find other little flying things."

"Look, look!" Miyoko points excitedly. "A butterfly! And is that a ladybug?"

When we reach the end of the trail, we come across a large grassy area with wooden picnic tables and benches. Ms. Fujiwara walks over to one of the tables and sets down her backpack. While she unpacks a snack for us, Miyoko and I linger by the trees collecting fallen twigs to make a fairy house.

"What do you think?" Miyoko asks as the two of us take a step back to examine our work. We ended up building our fairy house at the base of one of the trees; the twigs we collected are placed neatly in the shape of a house with a number of leaves laid over the top to make up the roof.

"If I were a fairy, I would definitely want to spend some time there," I say confidently.

Miyoko beams. "Me too."

"Does anyone want snacks?" Ms. Fujiwara calls over to us from the picnic tables. "Or are you going to make me eat them all by myself?"

The sun is shining like a brilliant light high above, and its warmth washes over the trees and grass and ground. The three of us sit at the table eating the snacks Ms. Fujiwara has laid out. All of us are looking up at the blue sky above us. It's hard to draw my eyes away from the sea of blue. Something about it is not normal, and yet at the same time, it's the most normal sky I've ever seen. If only I could stay in this grassy clearing forever.

"Are we ready to head back to the car?" Ms. Fujiwara asks after a while. "We still have a little ways to go before we reach our stopping point for the night."

Miyoko and I reluctantly stand up from the benches. We retrace our steps back down the trail, and by the time we return to the car, it's already five p.m.

"There's a small restaurant we can stop off at for dinner," Ms. Fujiwara tells us as we pull on our seatbelts. "It's probably a two-hour drive from here so I hope you don't mind eating a little later."

"What game do you want to play this time?" I turn to Miyoko as we roll back onto the freeway.

"Let's play what you think your spirit animal would be."

"Is that actually a game? Or is that just a question?"

"It could be either," Miyoko says knowingly. "I think your spirit animal would be a bird."

"A bird?" I find a wry smile playing on my lips. "What makes you think that?"

"I have a very good feeling that it's a bird," Miyoko says confidently. "What do you think mine would be? I think this one should be pretty easy. They have four legs and are super magical."

"A unicorn?"

"Exactly!" Miyoko claps her hands together. "Oh, my mom always says that her spirit animal is a frog."

Ms. Fujiwara laughs. "Frogs are very cool."

✦ ✦ ✦

An hour or so later, we pull into the parking lot of a small shopping center. Miyoko and I climb out of the car, and we follow Ms. Fujiwara into one of the restaurants.

"What kind of pizza do we want to order?" Ms. Fujiwara asks from where she's sitting next to Miyoko.

"I don't mind," I say as Ms. Fujiwara and Miyoko both turn to look at me. "I'm not particularly picky."

Ms. Fujiwara closes her menu. "Does cheese pizza sound good, then?" Miyoko and I nod, and Ms. Fujiwara calls the waiter over.

As we wait for our food, the sky outside begins to change colors, and I watch in awe as it goes from blue to a pale pink streaked with fiery orange. As I continue to watch, the colors darken as the sun sinks lower and lower toward the horizon. The sky is a painting with each stroke of color carefully brushed over its infinite canvas.

"You don't see this in the city," I breathe as I watch the last rays of sunlight melt into an inky night.

The pizza arrives shortly, and we all dig in.

When we finish eating, we make our way back outside to the car. "We have another couple of hours before we arrive at the campsite," Ms. Fujiwara informs us. "If you're tired, you can take a nap. I can wake you up when we get there."

"Okay." Miyoko yawns as she rests her head against her window. "It's past my bedtime anyway."

As Miyoko dozes off, I look out my window at the racing lights of the cars zooming past outside. There are much fewer cars on the freeway here than right outside the city. It's almost as if I've been transported to a different world.

✦ ✦ ✦

"We're here," Ms. Fujiwara says, and I open my eyes. I blink against the sudden light.

"Is it morning?" Miyoko asks. She too is squinting as she rubs the sleep from her eyes. "But we should have arrived sometime in the night."

Ms. Fujiwara smiles. "We did arrive sometime in the night. But the two of you were sleeping."

I push open the car door. My legs are stiff as I stand up, and then my feet shakily come into contact with a grass-covered ground. My breath catches in my throat as I look around. I'm standing on the edge of a grassy field with trees and wildflowers springing up all around. There's a small hill in the distance, and beyond that, water sparkles. A river? A lake? The ocean?

Behind us appears to be some kind of parking lot, an area with picnic tables and portable toilets sitting just off the grass. Ms. Fujiwara pops open the trunk of her car and pulls out the tent that's been tucked away there.

Each of us has a slice of leftover pizza before we help pitch the tent at the bottom of the small hill. A soft breeze rustles through the grass and blows the sweet smell of flowers around us. I take a deep breath of air, and it feels like I'm breathing for the first time.

"All done." Ms. Fujiwara steps back as we all admire our work. The tent is quite big, but Miyoko and I spend the day outside running through the grass and making little leaf boats to sail on the lake.

Miyoko and I pretend that we're fairies who live in the fields and fly around as we go about our daily lives. At lunchtime, we return to the picnic tables to finish off the last of our pizza before hurrying off again to continue our play.

"I'm so glad you were able to come here with us," Miyoko remarks as the two of us lay next to each other on the top of the small hill, staring up at the brilliant blue sky. "Isn't it nice?"

I nod my head, watching the clouds drift lazily along. "It is."

"In the future"-Miyoko reaches out an arm and extends it upward as if she can grasp the sky with her fingertips-"in the future, I'd want to live in a place like this. I'd bring my mom and dad and Luna. You could come too. But even though I wish I could move away, I don't want to leave my home behind either. I've lived there all of my life, and even though I've had my share of bad memories-bad experiences-I've had a lot of good ones, too."

"Maybe we can bring the clear skies to the city," I suggest.

"Bring the clear skies to the city?" Miyoko echos. "I don't know if that's possible."

I shake my head. "I think it's very possible. First, we'd need someone very wise to take over the role of the mayor or even president. Someone with a kind heart and pure soul."

"A princess?" Miyoko asks quickly. Her eyes are wide as she looks at me. "Do you know any princesses?"

"I do, actually. And I'm looking at her now."

"Me?" Miyoko points to herself, clearly stunned. "You really think I have what it takes?"

I turn back to the sky. "You care about people. You care about the world. What better leader could we ask for?"

Miyoko sits up to look out over the lake glittering at the bottom of the hill. "But I'm only eight years old."

I sit up as well. "The youth is the future. You are part of our future."

"But what about you?"

"Me? I'll do my best to fight for our future, too."

Miyoko gazes out over the sparkling waters. "Ever since I met you, I knew that I wanted to be just like you when I grew up."

"You want to be like me?" I blink, caught off guard by the dark-haired girl's sudden statement.

"Yes." Miyoko's eyes sparkle with determination as she turns to face me. "I want to be someone like you. Even though you've had a difficult past, you've risen above it. You're strong, Julia. You're a good person, a good friend."

The two of us fall silent as we sit there on the hill, watching as the sky changes colors. The slowly washes over the grass and gives a rosy-pink flush to the land. It doesn't take long for the sun to drop completely from the sky and for the stars to emerge. They appear slowly at first, one by one, but then in a blink of an eye, the entire night is filled with them.

Miyoko lets out a sigh. "It's so pretty."

"It is." I can't draw my eyes away from the hundreds of little lights. The pictures in the books have not done the real thing justice, and I'm enchanted by the way the stars are reflected off the mirror-like surface of the lake.

"If the future will be full of stars like this"-Miyoko reaches her arm out again this time to touch the dancing lights-"that would be a future I wouldn't want to miss."

I turn to the dark-haired girl. Her inky hair is glowing silver in the moonlight. "Miyoko, do you think you could promise me something?"

"What is it?" Miyoko's eyes are glassy in the light as she looks over at me.

"I want you to live. No matter how difficult things get, I want you to keep living."

Miyoko averts her gaze. "When I first decided to take care of Luna, I promised my parents that I'd make sure I'd live as long as she. I think they hoped by that time, I'd want to live. And after meeting you, I think that I really do want to live." There's something like determination in the dark-haired girl's voice as she continues, "I want to live and become the person you think I can be."

I smile. "Is that a promise, then?"

"It's a promise." Miyoko smiles back, and I can't tell whether her eyes are glowing from the moonlight or the light she's always held deep within.

Instead of sleeping inside the tent, Miyoko and I have set up our sleeping bags outside on the grass so we can look up at the stars. It doesn't take long for Miyoko to fall asleep. Her breathing is steady. But I don't want to fall asleep. I want to remain awake-I want to keep looking at the stars. After all, this might be my last chance to see them.

If only Teddy were here to see them with me. Teddy would have liked the stars.

✦ ✦ ✦

We spend another full day and night at the campsite before it's time for us to head back. Miyoko and I are quieter in the car this time. It's difficult to be excited when we both know what we're returning to.

The sky gradually becomes hazier, and the air progressively less breathable the closer we make our way toward the city.

When we arrive at the Fujiwara's house, it's already Saturday, and the week is almost over. Miyoko and I hop out of the car. The two of us sprint toward the front door with our hands pressed over our noses and mouths in an attempt to block out the pollution. Somehow it seems to have gotten even worse than before. Or maybe it's just because we've been away for too long.

Miyoko fumbles with the keys, and we both stagger inside the moment the door swings open.

"We're back," Ms. Fujiwara says as Mr. Fujiwara turns to look over at us from where he's sitting at the dining room table.

"Welcome back." Mr. Fujiwara sets down the newspaper he's been reading as he stands up to greet us. "How was the trip?"

Miyoko beams. "It was lots of fun. I wish you could have been there."

Mr. Fujiwara sighs. "I had hoped I could come along, but you know how my work is."

"How's Luna?" Miyoko changes the topic. "Does she miss me?"

"I've put her in your room." Mr. Fujiwara nods in the direction of the stairs. "The air is worse than usual today and I didn't think she should be outside."

Miyoko smiles brightly before turning to me. "Shall we go check on her?"

"Sure." I smile back as Miyoko leads the way to her room, skipping up the stairs and down the short hallway.

"Luna!" Miyoko exclaims as the lamb jumps over to her, bleating happily.

I laugh as Miyoko scoops Luna up in her arms. "I think she definitely missed you."

"Me too." Miyoko giggles as Luna nuzzles her with her fluffy head.

One moment I'm smiling as I watch Miyoko cuddle with Luna, but then pain suddenly shoots through my head, and I stagger.

Chapter Sixteen
Complications Part Three

"Julia?" Miyoko's own head snaps up, and her eyes fill with concern as she quickly sets Luna down on her bed. "Are you okay?"

I'm fine, I want to say, but I can't seem to get the words out. I don't think I've ever had a headache here at the Fujiwaras' house before. I clap a hand to my head. Suddenly another knife seems to shoot through my skull, and I drop to my knees.

"Julia!" Miyoko drops down beside me. The panic is clear on her face. "Julia!"

"I'm fine, really," I manage to get out. "This happens a lot."

"This happens to you a lot?" Miyoko echos, horrified. "Wait here, I-I'll go get my parents-"

"There's no need." I shake my head as I grit my teeth. "It will stop soon." I lift my other hand to my head, and my fingers claw through my hair as my vision sways.

"Julia," Miyoko says again, quieter this time. "You're glowing."

"What?" I blink. Then I freeze as I notice the soft blue light. When I grabbed my head, one of the sleeves of my sweatshirt had slipped down to reveal the glowing veins beneath. "I-" I start. But before I can continue what I was about to say, a new wave of pain surges through my head, and I collapse onto the carpet.

"Julia!" Miyoko is at my side in an instant.

"You should stay away." The pain surging through my head is making it impossible to think. "I'm not normal."

There's a knock on the door, and Miyoko and I freeze.

"I heard a crashing noise," Mr. Fujiwara's voice says worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

Miyoko and I exchange a glance. Don't tell them, I silently plead.

"We're fine," the dark-haired girl calls back. "I just dropped something, that's all."

"Oh," Mr. Fujiwara says. "Alright, then."

I let out a breath as his footsteps make their way back down the stairs.

I remain laying on the floor for a good ten minutes before my headache finally subsides. Miyoko remains by my side the entire time. Concern is written over her features.

After a while, I slowly sit up. "I'm fine now." What kind of explanation am I supposed to give Miyoko?

"You're that girl from the news!" Miyoko's eyes widen as she puts the pieces together. "You're the girl with the special powers-you're Blue Jay."

"It looks like I can't hide it. Please don't tell anyone, though. I have people looking for me."

Miyoko rapidly shakes her head. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Is that what you've been worried about? That I'll tell people?"

"It's not that." I roll back the sleeves of my sweatshirt. My veins are still glowing faintly. "It's just that I didn't want you to know in case you got caught up in this mess. The people coming after me are out to kill me. If you get in their way, they won't let you off either."

Miyoko drops her gaze as she wrings her hands together in her lap. "You could have told me earlier. If you ever needed help, I could have done my best to help you."

"Thank you." I offer the dark-haired girl a weak smile. "I won't keep any more secrets from you. I promise."

"Did someone do this to you?" Miyoko's eyes are still wide as she looks back up at me. "Is it your dad?"

I let out a humorless laugh. "How did you know?"

"I remember you telling me that he was doing illegal things. But I never thought it would be like this."

"He ran an underground lab that did human experimentation." I close my eyes briefly as if by shutting them, I can shut out the memories. "I was unfortunate to end up there along with a group of other kids around my age. I don't know where any of them came from, but we were all in the same situation. Recently, I was offered a job by a group of people who claimed they wanted to expose my dad for what he did. But I left when I realized they didn't really want to do anything about him. I decided that it would be better for me to go after him myself."

"You really think you can expose him by yourself?" Miyoko asks. "Someone like that can't be easy to get to."

I shake my head dejectedly. "You're right. My older sister, Genesis, is guarding him. She's been enhanced just like me."

"I'll help you," Miyoko says determinedly as she holds my gaze. "I'll help you expose him. If there's anything you need me to do, just tell me, and I'll try my best to get it done."

I smile. "Thank you, Miyoko. Actually, I do have a task for you."

"What is it?"

"Are you good with technology?"

"I can do technology-I know how to use a computer."

"Perfect. Do you remember those pictures of my dad I showed you before? Right now they're in my backpack back at my apartment, but when I come over on Monday I'll hand them over to you. I'm curious to see if you can find the full picture that they came from."

"Leave it to me," Miyoko says confidently. "I'll do my best."

✦ ✦ ✦

On Monday, the first thing I notice when I enter the halls of the school is the eyes. They're watching me again. I yank my sweatshirt up over my mouth and nose as I shuffle toward my first-period class. What could have happened this time?

I take a seat at my desk and slump down as I wait for the bell to ring. But just a couple of minutes after I've sat down, the door to the classroom swings open, and a group of students walks in. I don't pay them any attention at first until I realize with a sinking feeling that they're walking straight to me.

"Uh, Julia," one of them says when they stop in front of my table, "we're, uh, sorry for what we did the past few months."

"What?" I blink.

"We didn't realize those rumors were all made up," one of them says. "So uh, we want to apologize for spreading all of that stuff on our social media about you."

I frown. "What's making you regret it now?"

But before they can say more, the first bell rings, and they all look at me one last time before shuffling out of the classroom.

I let out a breath. At this point, I'd just prefer it if people would just leave me alone.

As I make my way from class to class, I can feel the sympathetic gazes of my classmates on me. I pay them no mind. These are the same people who were sneering at me a month or so ago.

Somewhere around the middle of the day, someone taps my shoulder in the hallway, and I spin around to find Julia Bennet looking at me.

"Are you going to thank me?" she asks.

"Thank you? Thank you for what?"

"I helped you, didn't I?" Julia Bennet shrugs as if the answer is obvious. "I told the people online that the rumors were made up."

I fold my arms over my chest. "I don't have any reason to thank you. You didn't do anything to help me when the bullying was at its worst."

"I-" Julia Bennet looks at me in surprise before her expression changes. She curses, turns on her heel, and storms away. I can feel the eyes of the other students in the hallway on me, but I find that I no longer care. They'll all grow bored in a few days.

✦ ✦ ✦

After school, I make my way to the subway station. But today, my spine keeps prickling unpleasantly. I have the feeling that someone is watching me, but whenever I sneak a glance around, there's never anyone suspicious there.

When I arrive at the Fujiwaras' house, I only need to ring the bell once before the door flies open to reveal Miyoko. Her dark hair is in two braids today with the ends tied with pale gold ribbons.

"Did you bring the pictures?" Miyoko asks.

"I did." I make sure to close the door behind me, glancing one last time over my shoulder at the empty streets beyond. The eyes seemed to have stopped following me once I had boarded the subway train. I think I'm just being parodied now.

"We can use my mom's laptop." Miyoko moves over to the dining room table and takes a seat on one of the chairs. "Don't worry, I asked her earlier."

I take the seat next to the dark-haired girl and carefully take all of the pictures from my backpack. "What's the first step?"

Miyoko furrows her brow. "The first step is to get them onto the laptop somehow. I think we'll have to take pictures of them. This might be a little awkward."

Miyoko and I both try to figure out the best way to take pictures of the newspaper clippings with the laptop. First, we try to hold the pictures up to the camera, but somehow no matter how still we think we're holding them, the image always seems to end up blurred. Next, we set the pictures back down on the table and try to lift the laptop up and use it as a camera instead.

"I didn't expect this to be the hard part." Miyoko frowns as we click through our collection of blurred pictures. "Oh, wait!" Miyoko takes the laptop from me, and her eyes widen as she points to the screen. "This one came out okay!"

I watch as Miyoko drags the picture onto the desktop of the laptop before opening a search browser and then dragging the picture into it.

"Oh, look! Here!" Miyoko eagerly clicks on an image. It's the exact same picture, except this one is the complete one. It's linked to an article as well, and Miyoko and I lean in to read the text. "It's about some politician who's thinking about running for a government office," Miyoko summarizes. "It seems like his main ideas are strengthening the military."

"Military," I muse. "Is that what my dad was trying to test out the enhanced abilities for?"

Miyoko scrolls down the page. "It looks like your dad attended all of the rallies that this guy held. I wonder if he's working for him. Or the other way around."

"I think both of those are very possible." I shut the lid to the laptop, and a silence falls between us.

✦ ✦ ✦

I spent Tuesday afternoon with Miyoko, though the two of us had to forfeit our play to study for our upcoming tests. I feel the eyes on me again when I leave the campus-feel their gaze following me all the way to the subway station where they suddenly vanish.

Could Mr. Wright be the one following me? I know that whoever's following me is waiting for an opportunity.

On Wednesday I'm not babysitting Miyoko, so instead of leaving the campus for the subway station, I make my way to the school library instead. I sit down in front of one of the computers and type in a few words. A map pops up a moment later, and I look at it carefully. These are all of the locations that have recently had problems in the city. I'll try to visit as many of them as I can.

I leave the campus from a different exit today. The moment I step outside, I can feel the eyes on me. I need to be careful. Without my wings or armor, there's no saying how a fight with Genesis would go.

I pause as I make to cross the street. If I do run into a situation where I have to use my abilities, it would be better if I hide my face. I turn on my heel and head in the other direction toward the convenience store a block away from the school.

After a good ten minutes of searching through the store, to my surprise, I actually find a face mask. It's a flimsy paper thing that is supposed to be for little kids to draw on, but as long as it hides my features, it will do.

To make sure I'm not being too suspicious, I also head to the snack aisle and buy some snacks for Miyoko when I see her again tomorrow.

"Is that all?" the man at the cash register asks me as I set the mask and snacks down on the check-out table.

"That's all." I nod, trying my best to avoid all eye contact.

I must have lingered in the story long enough that when I exit, I can't feel any trace of the eyes on me. I take the opportunity to pull my hood over my head and hide my hair as I hurry down the block.

After about a good forty-five minutes of walking, I come across the first site the map on the library computer had pointed me to. It's a building that had just collapsed, and there could still be people inside. Buildings collapsing are unfortunately more common than uncommon here in the city.

I take the mask from my backpack and fasten it over my face. This will have to do for now. Then taking a deep breath, I leap into the air. I can jump much higher than an average person, and I land silently on one of the windowsills of what used to be the first floor. I squint through the rubble and listen carefully for the sound of heartbeats.

I can hear multiple hearts beating, some farther away than others. I quickly make my way toward the first one and find a middle-aged woman laying on the floor of one of the apartments, unconscious with a pile of heavy rubble over her legs.

I grimace as I push the first of the rocks off her to reveal the blood soaking through her pants. When I finally manage to get all of the rocks off the woman, I carefully carry her outside and away from the building. I frown as I glance around the empty streets. Will an unconscious woman be safe out here? My eyes fall on a nearby alleyway. Once I make sure she's completely hidden from the view of anyone who might pass by, I leap back into the crumbling building.

I find five more people trapped beneath the rubble and help each of them out. Three of the five are conscious, and they agree to help take care of the unconscious ones until an ambulance arrives.

"You're Blue Jay, aren't you?" A girl around Miyoko's age asks. "You're that superhero."

"I wouldn't say that I'm a superhero. But I am Blue Jay."

"I knew it was you!" The girl beams despite the scratches and cuts peppering her face. "My mommy always said that you were only doing stuff to look good in front of the cameras, but she's wrong! You're actually here helping us!"

I offer the girl a smile even though I know she won't be able to see it beneath my mask. "Look"-I turn as the sirens of the ambulances sound-"the ambulances are here. Make sure everyone gets to the hospital, will you?"

"Okay." The girl nods her head determinedly.

I look down at the girl. "That's my cue to go and help some other people. Remember to take care of yourself."

The girl nods again as I leap out of the alley and down the street. It's time for me to get to my next location.

✦ ✦ ✦

"You did what?" Miyoko looks at me in surprise as I hand her the snacks I bought for her the other day. "You went out just like this?"

"I was wearing a mask," I reassure her.

Miyoko lets out a heavy sigh. "It's not your face that I'm worried will give you away-it's your clothes, Julia. I've only ever seen you in the clothes you're wearing right now. What if someone took a picture or video of you, and someone at your school saw it?"

I blink. Miyoko's right.

Miyoko looks me up and down. "We need to make you a better costume. What you've worn on TV isn't something I can probably replicate. But we can do our own take on a disguise."

"Okay." I offer the dark-haired girl a weak smile. "What do you suggest?"

"Follow me." Miyoko sets the snacks down on the dining room table before taking my hand and leading me up the stairs to her room. "I have an idea."

I sit on the fluffy carpet with Luna on my lap as I watch Miyoko sift through her closet. She pulls out everything blue that she can find. "Look, look!" Miyoko says triumphantly as she pulls out a pale blue leotard. "I knew I still had this somewhere."

"This looks too big for you." I look at the leotard as Miyoko hands it to me. "Does this belong to your mom?"

"It does, actually." Miyoko's voice is muffled as she returns to the closet. "My mom used to do ballet. Now that she doesn't anymore, she lets me play dress-up in her dance clothes. It's been a few years, though, and I almost forgot I still had it."

"You want me to wear it?" I ask a little skeptically. Something skin-tight like a leotard would do the exact opposite thing to my body than my baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"It's blue." Miyoko re-emerges from the closet with a blue hat and scarf. "And think about it, if none of your classmates have ever seen you before in anything other than your baggy elephant clothes, they'll never suspect it's you for a second!"

"You do have a point," I remark as Miyoko drops the hat and scarf into my arms.

"I wonder if my mom still has tights somewhere," Miyoko muses. "No, dance tights aren't practical for superhero stuff. I'll go see if my mom has blue leggings instead."

"Are you sure you can go take things from your mom without permission?"

"This is for an important cause," Miyoko says. "My mom will understand. But even if she does have blue leggings, I think it's alright since she never wears them to work." Miyoko hurries out of the room and returns a few minutes later with a pair of blue leggings. "You said you had a mask, right? Is it blue too?"

I shake my head. "No, it's a white paper one. It's in my backpack downstairs if you want to look at it."

"I can paint it blue," Miyoko offers.

I find myself smiling. "Alright. I'll leave that to you, then."

Miyoko skips over to the door. She pauses in the doorway to look back over her shoulder at me. "You should put those on. When you're done, you should come downstairs and show me."

I nod as Miyoko skips off with her inky hair swishing behind her. Luna bleats softly as she nips at the end of the woolen scarf.

"No, Luna." I sigh as I gently pry the scarf from her mouth. "This isn't edible."

As the lamb hops off, I stare down at the blue clothes Miyoko has found for me. I've always been a little self-conscious, but if I do go out wearing this, who's going to know it's me? It won't hurt for me to try on the outfit.

I change into the leotard and leggings before wrapping the blue scarf around my neck. The ends hang over my back like wings, and I pull my hair into the hat. When I sneak a glance at my reflection in the mirrored door of Miyoko's closet, I realize with a jolt that I don't actually look half bad. I look like a dancer, and it's kind of odd to see myself in anything other than my baggy clothes.

I make my way downstairs to find Miyoko sitting at the dining room table with a paint set in front of her. She's opened one of the snack bags and is munching away at the bits of dried fruit.

"Julia!" Miyoko jumps to her feet. "You look like a dancer!"

"Is it alright?" I ask timidly.

"It's very good," Miyoko says approvingly as she looks me up and down. "Look, I've done your mask." She points to where my paper mask is sitting on the windowsill to dry-the white has been smoothly painted in a shade of deep blue. Then Miyoko suddenly frowns.

"What is it?"

"Something's not quite working with the hat." Miyoko motions for me to bend down so that she can pull it off my head. "You aren't supposed to just stuff your hair into it, you know. You should put it up in a bun first."

"I don't know how to do that."

"Come back upstairs-I'll help you."

I sit on one of the stools in front of the bathroom mirror as Miyoko skillfully twists my hair into a bun and places a couple of pins on either side of it to keep it in place.

"Did you see how I did that?" Miyoko asks as she leans over to meet my eyes in the mirror.

I furrow my brow. "I think so."

"Good." Miyoko pulls out the pins. "It's your turn, then."

Miyoko and I spend a good half hour making and remaking my hair. Every time Miyoko twists it up into a bun, it's always flawless, while whenever I try, the pins always seem to fall out the moment I shake my head.

"You'll get it eventually," Miyoko keeps encouraging me after each failed attempt.

Once I finally get the hang of it, the two of us make our way back across the hall to Miyoko's room. I take a seat on the dark-haired girl's bed, both exhausted and proud of myself at the same time.

"I think your mask might be ready now," Miyoko informs me. "I'll go get it."

I nod as Miyoko hurries out and returns shortly with the now-dry mask in her hands. I put the mask on, and Miyoko claps her hands together.

Suddenly there's the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and Miyoko and I freeze as Ms. Fujiwara appears in the doorway. I quickly take off the mask, dropping it on the floor next to where I discarded the blue hat and scarf. I can't believe I was so caught up and that I hadn't even heard the front door open.

"What have the two of you been up to?" Ms. Fujiwara asks as she looks from me to Miyoko and then back again.

"Uh . . ." I look down at my dancer's outfit. "We were, we are-"

"We were having a fashion show," Miyoko quickly cuts in.

Ms. Fujiwara's eyes sparkle. "A fashion show? The next time the two of you decide to have a fashion show, how about you take some pictures? I'll go find my old camera and the two of you can use it."

Miyoko beams. "Okay."

"Julia"-Ms. Fujiwara turns to me-"it's getting late. Would you like to have dinner with us?"

I smile. "If you don't mind."

Ms. Fujiwara pauses in the doorway as she makes to head back downstairs. "I really like the outfit. It looks good on you."

Miyoko turns back to me once Ms. Fujiwara's footsteps have vanished downstairs. "Will you use it, then?"

I nod. "I will. It's perfect."

Chapter Seventeen
Complications Continued

I end up taking the outfit back in my backpack. I wear the leotard and leggings beneath my sweatshirt and sweatpants when I go to school the next day. When the last bell rings, I stop by the library before hurrying off to a location in need. It's very easy for me to pull off my sweatshirt and sweatpants, stuff them into my backpack, and then pull my hair into that blue hat.

Miyoko even managed to find me a sweater to go with my getup. Even though it is a pink ballet one, I still needed something to cover my arms in case they started to glow. I really do look like a dancer. I wrap the blue scarf around my neck and let the ends hang over my back, giving me the illusion that I have wings.

I'm Blue Jay once again.

✦ ✦ ✦

It doesn't take long for the media to pick up on what I'm doing, and it seems like I could only go up to a week unnoticed.

"It looks like our Blue Jay had a change of costume and heart," the announcer on the TV says as I stare up at the flickering screen from Ms. Akram's couch. How have they already gotten so much footage of me?

"It looks like she's wearing a dancer's outfit." A second reporter squints at the images flashing across the screen behind them. "I wonder what happened to her armor? What happened to her wings?"

"Maybe the armor and wings are what she had to give up in order to do what she believes is the right thing," the first reporter says knowingly. "I think we can safely say that she's working on her own now."

"Will you look at that?" Ms. Akram emerges from the kitchen to glance over at the TV. "They always seem to be talking about that Blue Jay, don't they? That's a cute new outfit, don't you think?"

There's a faint smile on my face as I nod. "It is."

As the weeks go by, finals steadily grow closer, and my playtime with Miyoko is getting cut shorter and shorter. As it is, Miyoko has her own tests to study for, and the two of us spend a lot of our time in the dining room with our homework pages spilling over the table.

"Hmm." Miyoko hums as she stares down at the page in front of her. Her brows are furrowed deep in thought.

I look up from my own papers. "Are you stuck?"

Miyoko shakes her head. "I'm just thinking?"

"It looks like something's bothering you."

Miyoko turns to me. "I see you on TV a lot. And even though you're wearing the outfit of a dancer, you don't have the grace of one."

"I don't know the first thing about dancing."

"I can teach you." Miyoko reaches across the table for the bag of snacks I bought, and I help scoot the bag toward her when her fingertips fall short.

"Alright. What do you want me to do?"

"First we should work on your posture. You want to keep your back straight, your neck long, and your tummy in. No more slouching around-you want your steps to be light like a fairy."

The two of us end up spending the rest of the evening working on how to make me look like I know at least a little about dancing. Our homework is completely discarded on the dining room table. When the sound of keys jingling outside fills the living room, the two of us sprint back to the table before Ms. Fujiwara enters. We stare down at our homework, deep in thought.

"How's the studying been going?" Ms. Fujiwara asks as she walks over.

"We got a little sidetracked," I admit, "but we've gone back to it now."

Miyoko blinks as if she suddenly just remembered something. "Do you think you can stay a little longer, Julia? I have something I want to show you upstairs. We'll come back to our homework later," Miyoko reassures her mom as she takes me by the hand and leads me up the stairs to her room.

Luna is asleep on the fluffy carpet when we walk in, and Miyoko goes straight to where she's set her backpack down by the door. I look on as Miyoko empties the contents of her backpack onto her bed. A number of heavy-looking books tumble out.

"Books?"

"I checked some of these out from the school library, and some of them were from the public library," Miyoko explains. "I tried to find as many books as I could about birds and woodcraft."

"Birds and woodcraft?"

"I realized that you're still missing something: your wings. I thought I'd try to make you a pair."

I stare at the dark-haired girl, stunned.

Miyoko swings her legs absently as she neatly stacks the books into their respective categories. "I want to help you find your wings again." I can see the determination in her deep brown eyes. "You might need wings at some time or another. And when that time comes, I want you to be able to fly."

I smile softly. "Alright. How about the next time I come over, we can work on them together."

The two of us spend a good portion of time in the dark-haired girl's room, and when she leaves to go to the bathroom, I quickly pull out one of the plastic drawers beneath Miyoko's bed and tuck almost all of the money I've earned from my old job beneath the stuffed animals. I know I can't give it to Miyoko or the Fujiwaras directly, but at least this way, Miyoko will find it eventually.

✦ ✦ ✦

There's only a week left until finals, and only two weeks left until the school year is over. I can't believe how fast the year seemed to have gone by. I've gotten better at my Blue Jay act too. Instead of slouching around like Miyoko claimed I was doing, I really do start to feel that I've gotten a lot more graceful in my movements.

I sit in Ms. Fujiwara's classroom. It's lunchtime, and the sky beyond the windows is hazy. It's a Wednesday today, and I'll be heading out to help some people.

When I've done as much as I could for the day, I end up returning to my apartment. The sun's just barely starting to set by the time the bus rolls to a stop at the bus stop. I've pulled my sweatshirt and sweatpants back over my blue leotard and leggings. My hair is still in a loose bun.

As I walk down the remaining few blocks to my apartment, I suddenly feel as if someone's watching me. A chill prickles down my spine. The eyes are back.

I stop outside my apartment building and glance down the emptying streets. I don't see anyone out of the ordinary.

Suddenly I freeze as there's the smallest flash of light. There! There's someone moving, and they're striding straight toward me.

"Oh, Julia." Julia Bennet comes to a stop in front of me. "You should have seen your face."

"Julia?" I just stare at her. "What are you doing here?"

Julia Bennet shrugs. "I've been following you, of course. Look at this picture," Julia Bennet holds her phone out. It's the picture she just took of me standing in front of my apartment building. "I think people will like this one. Has anyone seen you with your hair up?"

"W-what are you doing? You can't post that!"

Julia Bennet just gives me a disbelieving look. "Is this picture of you really so damning? I helped clear your name, but you didn't thank me."

"Don't post it, Julia," I desperately try again. If it was any other picture of me, I wouldn't have cared. But in this one, I'm standing right outside my apartment building, and it's obvious that this is where I must live. And furthermore, the address of the building is right above my head in plain sight for anyone to see.

If Mr. Wright or Genesis were to see that picture . . . I swallow hard. They'd figure out where I live, and then no one in that building would be safe. Ms. Akram wouldn't be safe.

"Please don't post it," I beg.

Julia Bennet just turns away. "Don't worry, I'll call us even after I put it up."

My voice is getting higher and higher. "There are dangerous people out there who are looking for the address of this apartment building. People can get hurt. You can't put it online!"

Julia Bennet glances back at me. She doesn't sound sorry in the slightest. "Oops, I've already posted it. I posted the picture when I first took it." And with that said, she walks off, leaving me staring after her with my mouth hanging open.

I need to warn Ms. Akram. Snapping out of my state of shock, I fumble with my keys and practically yank open the door to the building. When I reach her apartment, I quickly knock at the door. When no one answers, I wait a few more moments before knocking again. Still nothing. My heart sinks. Maybe she's gone out.

I pace back and forth in the hallway until one of the neighbors angrily opens their door and tells me to go back to my own apartment. I frown as I make my way back down the stairs.

Maybe Mr. Wright and Genesis won't come here, and I'm just overthinking it. But if they do show up, how much time is left before they arrive outside my door?

✦ ✦ ✦

Friday comes and goes smoothly without any sign of people showing up at my door. Saturday goes by too, and I'm starting to think that maybe the post was harmless after all. On Sunday, I'm washing my leotard and leggings in the laundry room sink when Ms. Akram walks in.

"Good morning," I say quickly and move to stand in front of the sink. I hide my blue clothes from view.

Ms. Akram laughs. "It's past twelve now. That would be good afternoon now."

"Ms. Akram . . ." I look over at the older woman. This is my chance. "There might be people-" But before I can finish my sentence, I sense the presence of a group of people.

Ms. Akram and I exchange a glance as the footsteps echo through the lobby. They walk straight past the laundry room as they continue on their way toward the stairs.

"The neighbors?" I mouth hopefully.

Ms. Akram frowns. "I'll go check. You stay here."

I nod and hold my breath as Ms. Akram slips out of the laundry room. I quickly pull my leotard and leggings from the sink and ring the water out of them to my best extent. Somehow I have a bad feeling about this.

"I don't feel good about you searching my building," Ms. Akram is saying. "Where's your authorization papers?"

"We'll leave immediately after we've found this dangerous person," the first man says. "And if this person really isn't here after all, we'll apologize to you for the trouble. Stay where you are, ma'am. Men, Search!"

The footsteps of the men hurry up the stairs, and the sound grows softer the further they get from us. Suddenly there's a tap at the laundry room door, and I don't even think I'm breathing.

"It's me," Ms. Akram's voice says quietly. I quickly pull open the door. "You need to get out of here." Ms. Akram's face is more serious than I've ever seen her before in my life. "They're looking for you."

I nod as I swallow hard.

"Quickly now." Ms. Akram points me in the direction of the side door. "You need to leave. When I was in the lobby, I saw more of those men outside. You can't leave through the front door."

"My apartment," I say suddenly. "I can leave through the window of my apartment-our building is close enough to the one next door that I can climb down safely."

"Go. I'll keep them distracted as long as I can." I hold Ms. Akram's gaze for a moment, at a loss for words. "Go," Ms. Akram repeats, and I force myself to tear my eyes away and sprint toward the door.

The moment I throw the door open, I dash toward the stairs and take them two at a time as I fly upwards toward my apartment.

"Hey!" I hear the men guarding the doors yell in surprise. "There she is!"

I can hear footsteps echoing behind me, but I don't dare to look back over my shoulder. I skid onto the landing and practically fly down the hallway. I reach my door in an instant and throw it open. I slam it shut behind me and click the lock into place before grabbing my backpack from where I left it by the door. I frantically stuff the leotard and leggings into it.

"Which one did she go into?" Voices are yelling at each other from the hallway.

"It was toward the middle of the hall," another yells back. "Check all of them!"

Without hesitating, I hurry over to the window at the back of my apartment and yank it open. The ground below looks so far away. I climb outside and grit my teeth as I pull the window closed behind me. What am I even doing?

As I'm climbing down, I hear the door to my apartment burst open.

"It's empty," a voice says angrily. "She's gotten away! What are we going to tell Mr. Wright?"

Mr. Wright. My blood runs cold. So he had found me after all. As I slowly climb down toward the streets below with my heart pounding away in my chest, I find myself at a loss. Where do I go from here? The Fujiwaras' house is the only other place I know of.

Making sure to avoid the eyes of the men watching the main street, I make my way to the subway station.

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia?" Ms. Fujiwara blinks as she opens the door.

"Julia!" Miyoko's head snaps up from where she's sitting on the living room couch.

"Do you think I could come in?" I ask as I glance over my shoulder. The streets are empty, and even though it doesn't look like anyone followed me, I need to be careful. "I ran into a little bit of a problem."

"Of course." Ms. Fujiwara steps aside to let me in. She's frowning slightly as she looks over my shoulder. When she determines that there isn't anyone following me either, she shuts the door behind me. "Did something happen?"

"I have people looking for me." I close my eyes as I take a deep breath to calm myself. "And it's Julia Bennet's fault that they figured out where I live. These people broke into my apartment, but I got myself out in time."

Ms. Fujiwara's mouth drops open in horror. "People broke into your apartment?"

I take a deep breath. "Now that I'm here, I might as well tell you the truth. Do you know the Blue Jay everyone keeps talking about? That's me."

Ms. Fujiwara stares at me. "You're Blue Jay?"

I glance in Miyoko's direction "Long story short, these people are out to capture me." I won't say that they're out to kill me. I don't want to worry Ms. Fujiwara and Miyoko any more than I already have.

"You're more than welcome to stay with us for the time being," Ms. Fujiwara says weakly.

"Thank you." I let out a breath I haven't realized I've been holding in.

"There's only one week of school left." Ms. Fujiwara takes a seat on the couch next to Miyoko, and I can tell she's still trying to process what I've just told her. "Once the school year is over, you can lay low here if you need to."

Miyoko's own expression is frightened. "The city isn't safe for you anymore, Julia. Stay here with us."

Ms. Fujiwara closes her eyes for a brief moment. "Stay here, and don't leave the house until we can figure out what to do."

I shake my head. "The school year is almost over, but I feel like those dangerous people might show up on campus. If they do show up, I need to be there to stop them from causing any harm."

✦ ✦ ✦

When night falls, Miyoko and I sit facing each other in the dark-haired girl's room. The curtains are drawn over the windows, and the paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling drift lazily along on a phantom breeze.

"Don't go," Miyoko says softly from where she's sitting on her bed. "They found out where you live. How will they not find out where you go to school?"

I sigh as I look up at her. "It's exactly because they know where I go to school that I need to be there. In case something does happen, I need to be there to help protect my classmates."

Miyoko shakes her head. "Those are the same classmates who bullied you. They don't deserve you."

"I'll be fine." I offer the dark-haired girl a smile. "No one can hurt me, remember?"

"No one except for your sister," Miyoko says quietly. "What if it is your sister who shows up?"

Genesis. I just barely got away from her last time. "If it's my sister," I start slowly, "I'll run."

"Okay." Miyoko drops her gaze. "Be careful, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

✦ ✦ ✦

Ms. Fujiwara and I are silent throughout the entirety of the train ride to school. Neither of us can be sure whether the day is going to be a normal one.

I get through the first half of the day without any problems, but it's during the second half when things take a turn for the worse.

"Attention students," our principal's voice sounds over the intercom. All of us look up from where we've been scribing away furiously at our final exams. "We are going into lockdown. We have identified a number of intruders. Everyone should stay calm as we wait for the police to arrive."

I'm in my English class, and all of my classmates seem to look at each other as if they can't believe what they're hearing. My English teacher motions for all of us to move to the back of the classroom, away from the door. After locking it herself, my English teacher also joins us standing by the back wall.

I can hear everyone's accelerated heart rates, and I'm sure mine is beating just as fast. Mr. Wright actually sent people to my school.

Suddenly someone starts pounding on the door, and my heart nearly skips a beat.

"Let me in!" a girl's voice calls. She's clearly terrified, and my English teacher seems to blink as she hurries over to open the door.

"Katey?" she says as we all crane our necks to get a good look at the girl with curly red hair standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the hallway when the strangers came in," Katey says as my English teacher quickly shuts the door behind her. She makes sure the lock clicks into place before she turns to face the girl. "They grabbed me and demanded I tell them where Julia is. I told them I didn't know, but there was this girl and she was glowing . . . I told them that Julia was probably still in the girl's bathroom."

My English teacher frowns. "What were you doing in the hall?"

The red-haired girl shuffles her feet nervously. "I was ditching class. I was on my way to meet Julia in the bathroom when those strangers caught me."

"How could you sell out your own friend like that?" my English teacher says angrily, and the red-haired girl cowers under her fiery stare.

I blink. Julia's probably still in the girl's bathroom. Julia Bennet. I need to get to her before my sister does.

Without giving myself a moment to hesitate, I jump up from where I'm sitting in the corner of the room and sprint toward the door.

"Julia!" my English teacher exclaims in shock as I fumble with the lock. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stay here!" I pant as I get the door open. "Don't come after me." And with that said, I dash down the hall and make my way as fast as I can. Julia Bennet might not be the most considerate person, but she doesn't deserve anything that Genesis might do to her. But just as I turn the corner of the hallway, a scream sounds from the girl's bathroom, and my blood turns to ice.

Chapter Eighteen
Past and Present

I skid into the bathroom to find Genesis lifting a thrashing Julia Bennet into the air with a single hand. Her fingers glow with a faint blue light as they tighten around the girl's neck.

"Genesis!" I yell as loudly as I can. "I'm right here!"

Genesis freezes. She slowly turns on the spot to face me, and her eyes gleam beneath her dirty-blonde hair. "Are you here to save this one? She doesn't deserve saving."

"Let her go," I say through gritted teeth. My voice is a lot more confident than I feel.

"Are you going to fight me, Julia? You can't beat me."

I take a quick glance at Julia Bennet. She's cowering in Genesis's grasp, and her eyes are wide with fear.

Before I can second guess myself, I'm lunging forward. Blue electricity flashes through the bathroom as my hand comes into contact with Genesis's arm. Julia Bennet screams, and both Genesis and I snap over to look at her. In her momentary distraction, I yank Genesis's hand away from Julia Bennet.

"Run!" I yell at her as she slides to the floor. "Get out of here!" Julia Bennet doesn't need to be told twice as she jumps to her feet and stumbles toward the door. But just as she reaches the exit, a group of men all wearing the same dark-colored outfit appear out of nowhere and block the way out.

"Julia," I hiss as I dodge and duck away from Genesis's claw-like hands.

Julia Bennet whirls around to face me. Her face is completely drained of color. I need to get us out of here somehow.

Suddenly as Genesis forcefully grabs the neck of my sweatshirt and slams me against the bathroom windows, I get an idea. My head throbs painfully as I grab Genesis's shoulder and release a bolt of electric blue from my fingertips.

Genesis hisses as she jumps back. I jump on the opportunity to run toward Julia Bennet.

"Follow me," I tell her quickly before whirling back around. Grabbing Julia Bennet by the arm, I take a running leap toward the windows. Glass shatters, and Julia Bennet is screaming as the two of us tumble out into the open air beyond. The two of us hit the ground below with a thud. I lay there winded for a moment. I quickly overcome my momentary daze and jump to my feet. "Go!" I yell as there's the sound of another window shattering from somewhere above. Genesis lands on her feet a short distance away from us.

Julia Bennet doesn't need to be told twice as she sprints away. To buy her time, I lunge at Genesis. My veins are glowing beneath my sweatshirt. Genesis easily dodges, and my speed sends me flying face-first into the ground.

I slowly peel myself off the ground. I'm coughing as blood from my nose slowly trickles down my face. I need to lead Genesis away from the school. I shakily stand up, glaring at Genesis before I turn and sprint down the street.

"Hey!" Genesis yells angrily. "Get back here! Chase her!"

My mind is racing as I tear down street after street. If there's anywhere I can lose my sister, downtown would be the place. The closer I get, the busier the streets become. With this many people in one place, even someone like Genesis won't be able to find me.

I skid around the corner and slow to a stop in the middle of the crowds of people milling aimlessly around in every direction. I yank the hood of my sweatshirt up over my hair before ducking my head and hunching my shoulders to hide my bloody nose.

From somewhere far away, I can hear Genesis screaming. "Where is she?" Genesis is shrieking. "How did you manage to lose her like that?"

My heart is still beating furiously in my chest. I should get back to the Fujiwaras' place. I still need to take the subway back, but today I'll go from a different station.

✦ ✦ ✦

When I finally end up at the front door to the Fujiwara's house, it's nearly four o'clock. The moment I ring the doorbell, the door flies open. "Miyo-" I start, but the person standing in the door isn't Miyoko. "Mr. Fujiwara?"

"Come in." Mr. Fujiwara steps aside to let me pass. His eyes are worried as he scans the empty streets beyond. "Quickly now." I nod as I hurry inside, and Mr. Fujiwara shuts the door behind me. "My wife gave me a call telling me about what happened." Mr. Fujiwara's face is pale. Then he inhales sharply as I lower the hood of my sweatshirt. His eyes immediately fall on my bloody nose. "What happened to you?"

"The intruders in the school were no ordinary people."

"Julia!" Miyoko appears at the top of the staircase. Her face pales as well as her eyes fall on me.

"I had the feeling that something might happen at school." I close my eyes, fighting against the throbbing headache threatening to knock me into a daze. "And my suspicions were right."

"Let's get you cleaned up," Mr. Fujiwara says weakly. "Miyoko, can you help her?"

"Julia," Miyoko sobs as she shuts the bathroom door behind us. The two of us take a seat on the stools we'd previously left by the sink. "You came back."

"Of course I came back." I take the dark-haired girl's hands in my own. "I ran just like I promised you." As I turn to the mirror, my eyes widen as they fall on my own reflection. I look like a mess: blood has splattered all over my face. No wonder Mr. Fujiwara and Miyoko had been so shaken.

Miyoko sniffs as she helps me wipe it off with a washcloth. "I've cleaned off most of the blood. You should take a shower to get the remainder of it out of your hair. Wait-" She reaches out a hand to touch my hair, frowning slightly. Suddenly she draws her hand back. Her eyes are large as she stares at her finger. It's bleeding. "You've got glass in your hair!" Miyoko looks up at me in shock. "What happened?"

I gently take Miyoko's hand in my own and examine her finger. "Long story short, I had to jump through a window to escape. You might want to think about putting a band-aid on that after you clean it."

Miyoko nods silently before sliding off her stool. "I'll go find you a change of clothes while you wash up."

It's my turn to nod as Miyoko slips out of the bathroom. I peel off my layers of clothes and set them on the stools before hopping in the shower. The water seems to wash away all of the glass and blood and worries hanging above my head.

There's a knock on the bathroom door. "I've put the clothes outside." It's Miyoko. "I'll be waiting in my room for you."

After I change, I join Miyoko in her room. "My mom told my dad everything," the dark-haired girl explains as we take a seat on the fluffy carpet. Luna nuzzles up against my legs. "He was really surprised to hear that you're the superhero from the news. But now that my mom and dad know, they want to help out." Miyoko smiles weakly as some of the light returns to her eyes. "You don't have to go through this alone."

✦ ✦ ✦

Ms. Fujiwara returns to the house around eight. "Everyone knows," Ms. Fujiwara says as she takes a seat at the dining room table. "At school, everyone knows now that you're Blue Jay, Julia. Julia Bennet told everyone. I tried to keep things under control but-"

"It's fine." I give Ms. Fujiwara a tired smile. "The school year is almost over anyway."

Ms. Fujiwara sighs. "Speaking of the school year, I think you shouldn't go back onto campus any time soon."

I nod.

"Look at this." Mr. Fujiwara walks over to the TV and switches on the news.

"Blue Jay, our very own superhero has been exposed," one of the reporters is saying. "And get this, she's a high schooler!" A picture of my face flashes across the screen. It's the picture we took at the beginning of the year for our student IDs. "Seventeen-year-old Julia Wright," the reporter continues. "This is our hero. Her identity was exposed when a group of people broke into her school. They were looking for her and she managed to lead them away from her school before anyone could get seriously injured."

Mr. Fujiwara switches the channel. A different set of reporters are talking about me here and another switch shows yet another group discussing my identity. Mr. Fujiwara switches off the TV as he joins us back at the table. "It's not going to be easy for you to go out now that everyone knows your face."

"I know." I pinch the bridge of my nose-my head is still throbbing ever so slightly. "I'll lay low for a while."

"We'll help you think of what to do next," Ms. Fujiwara reassures me. "We've got time."

Time. The Fujiwaras still might have time, but time is something I'm running short on. My time is almost up.

✦ ✦ ✦

I decide to spend the rest of the week at the Fujiwaras' house. The next day when Ms. Fujiwara returns home, she tells me that Julia Bennet showed up at her astrophysics classroom during lunch. "Julia Bennet wanted to say thank you. She wanted to say thank you for saving her, and that she's sorry."

The week flies by, and soon summer is upon us. The temperatures have increased dramatically, and it's hard to be outside for long before the combination of the stifling heat and thick pollution makes it unbearable.

"It's the first day of summer," Miyoko says as she wakes up. She rubs the sleep from her eyes as she looks down at me from her bed. "No more classes, no more homework."

I smile. "That's right."

Miyoko slides off her bed to join me on the floor. Her dark hair is in tangles, and circles are prominent beneath her eyes.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Miyoko drops her gaze. "I've been doing some thinking. You've told me everything about yourself. You've decided to trust me completely and even promised not to keep any more secrets from me."

I blink. "I did. Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no." Miyoko shakes her head. "It's not that. Even though you've told me everything about yourself, I'm still keeping secrets from you." Miyoko wrings her hands together. "This is a secret of mine, and I want you to get to know me better too. I . . ."

I smile softly. "Take as much time as you need. I'll still be here when you're ready."

"I-" she starts again, finally lifting her eyes to meet my gaze. "I'm different from the other girls. I have the body of a boy."

"That's it?"

"That's it?" Miyoko echos. "You aren't angry? Worried? Surprised?"

"I'm a little surprised, but that's about it. But now I think I can make more sense of certain things you've told me in the past."

Miyoko hugs her knees to her chest. "It hasn't been easy. My parents didn't even believe me at first. When I first told my dad that I was a girl, he got angry." Miyoko stares at the fluffy carpet. "At first, I tried to pretend to be a boy to make my parents happy, but the more I pretended, the worse and worse I felt.

"Whenever I tried to grow out my hair, my dad would cut it short. My dad would yell at me a lot. My mom was my only supporter at the time, and when my dad was away, she'd let me play dress-up with her clothes and let me watch princess movies on her laptop. But we'd have to put everything away before my dad came home. My parents fought a lot during those years.

"I was driving my parents apart. It was my fault. I was all alone, trapped inside a body I never asked for. That was probably the first time I tried to kill myself. I was only six at the time. And it was only after that did my dad realize that I was serious. I think my dad felt horrible for all the things he did before. Now my mom and dad are just happy to see that I'm happy. They even agreed to let me change my name. My dad told me only a couple of years ago that that was the first time he had ever seen me smile."

I meet Miyoko's eyes with my own. "I'm very glad that you're still alive. I'm glad I've gotten the chance to meet you, and even more glad I've gotten the chance to be your friend."

Miyoko stands up from the floor. "Now that I've told you about me, does that change anything?"

I rise to my feet as well. "Of course not."

Miyoko smiles weakly and wraps her arms around my middle in a tight hug.

✦ ✦ ✦

As the summer goes on, Miyoko revisits her plan to give me wings. With the help of Mr. and Ms. Fujiwara, we're actually able to get all the materials we need. Now all four of us are sitting outside in the backyard. We've completed the wooden frame of the wings, and all that's left is to attach the cloth.

"I think this might actually work." Mr. Fujiwara holds up one of the wings. "What do you think, Julia?"

I beam. "I think it's perfect." Suddenly I notice movement beyond the tall fence of the backyard, and I spring to my feet. My smile fades almost instantly. I could have sworn I just caught a glimpse of dirty-blonde hair.

"What is it?" Miyoko asks worriedly.

"There!" I point. My eyes widened. "Outside the fence!" Just beyond the fence, a young woman with dirty-blonde hair is smiling a smile that doesn't quite reach her blue eyes. Genesis.

"Where?" Miyoko rises to her feet, furrowing her brow in confusion. "There's nothing there-there's no one there."

"No one?" Genesis is still standing there. Her figure is as plain as day.

Miyoko frowns. "There's no one outside the fence."

I turn to Mr. and Ms. Fujiwara, but they both shake their heads, equally bewildered by my sudden statement.

"No one?" I repeat, but as I blink, the Genesis standing outside the fence dissolves right before my very eyes. But hadn't Genesis stopped by the cafe that Miyoko and I had gone to all those weeks ago? If she had, she was bound to find me at the Fujiwaras' house at one point or another. Hallucinating. I'm hallucinating. Was the Genesis at the cafe just a fragment of my imagination too?

But before I can give it more thought, the ground seems to be torn away from beneath my feet, and the world tips sideways as I fall down, down, down . . .

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia," the voice echoes through my mind. "Julia, Julia, Julia . . ."

My eyes flicker open, and I find myself lying in the darkness. There's no sign of the ground I'm lying on, and the darkness is infinite.

"Julia," the voice says again, and I slowly rise to my feet. My head is throbbing.

"Who are you?" I call into the darkness. "Where are you?"

"You know perfectly well who I am." Laughter tinges the voice as I whirl in a blind circle.

Finally, a figure emerges from the darkness. Her dirty-blonde hair floats on a phantom breeze and her blue eyes gleam. "I'm right here, Julia." Her form is blurry as she slowly approaches: a predator eyeing its prey.

"I don't want to see you. Get out of my head, Genesis!"

"Get out of your head?" The blonde-haired figure laughs. "You're the one who invited me in."

I lunge forward, and my body glows with an eclectic blue light as I swipe out at the blonde-haired girl. But just as I'm about to make contact with her, my hand passes right through her body. I hit the invisible ground with a thud.

"Julia!" a voice is calling my name from somewhere far in the distance. It's an echo above the water's surface as I continue to sink deeper into its depths. "Julia!"

"Miyoko!" I gasp out.

"Jay," another voice calls, and I freeze. "Jay," the voice says again, softer this time. "I'm right behind you, Jay."

"Teddy." I force myself to turn around. "Teddy," I say again. My voice is a broken sound. The Teddy standing before me isn't a day over thirteen, and his face is exactly as I remember it. The Teddy standing before me looks exactly the same as he did the day he died.

"Jay." Teddy's expression turns sad. "Jay, please come join me. It's lonely in the darkness

without you."

"Are you just going to leave poor Teddy alone like this?" The blonde-haired girl has returned. "He's waiting for you, Julia."

"Please, Jay," Teddy says softly.

"I can't," I whisper.

"You can't?" the blonde-haired girl demands.

"I can't," I say again, a little stronger this time. "Because if I joined you now, I'd be breaking my promise to you."

Teddy blinks, but then he smiles. "You remembered."

"Julia!" The voice from far away cuts through the water. "Julia!"

"Go back, Jay," Teddy says softly. "They're all waiting for you."

"Teddy, Teddy." I'm sobbing.

"It's okay, Julia." Miyoko is sitting next to me. Her hands are wrapped around my own and squeezing them tightly. "You're awake now."

I'm awake now.

I blink, and Miyoko's bedroom comes into focus around me. I stare up in a daze at the paper butterflies on the ceiling. My vision is blurred from my tears. I've never hallucinated before. Not until now.

Mr. and Ms. Fujiwara's worried faces swim across my vision, and I slowly sit up. "I'm okay now," I tell them. My breathing is heavy. "I know what I have to do."

Chapter Nineteen
A Dream of Miyoko

"Are you sure you want to do this, Julia?" Ms. Fujiwara asks worriedly. "Once you get yourself captured, I don't know if you'll be able to leave."

Miyoko's eyes swim with tears. "Don't go. You can stay here with us. We'll keep you safe."

"I know." I hold her gaze. "But this is something I have to do to make sure no one is ever brought down to that underground facility again."

Miyoko opens her mouth to protest, but then closes it again and nods instead.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ms. Fujiwara asks worriedly.

I sigh. "I'm sure. I'm sorry for getting you all involved in this. It should have only been me."

"We don't mind helping," Miyoko says quickly. Her eyes are determined. "We'll all help you."

I smile. "But before we put our plan into action, there's someone I need to talk to first."

✦ ✦ ✦

"This is the place?" Miyoko's voice is muffled by her mask as she looks up at the building and the smoggy haze hanging around it.

I nod. "This is the location Ms. Akram and I set up. It's still not too late to go back. I don't think your parents want you in danger here."

Miyoko drops her gaze. "I know, they're going to be mad at me for sneaking out. But if I didn't come, I'm worried you'll do something risky. We didn't bring your wings all the way here for nothing either. At least they look less suspicious when I'm the one holding them."

I owe Ms. Akram an explanation. I want to express my gratefulness and then tell her goodbye. I had already determined that returning to my apartment building was out of the question so I used the Fujiwara's phone to make an appointment with Ms. Akram someplace else. I'm dressed in one of Ms. Fujiwara's outfits with a hat covering my hair.

"Let's go." Miyoko tugs on my arm, and the two of us make our way to the entrance. Once we're in the lobby, we find the stairs. Miyoko and I walk in silence as we take the stairs up and up and up. Finally we stop in front of the door number Ms. Akram told me. I hold my breath as I gently knock on the wood.

"Who is it?" Ms. Akram's voice calls from the other side of the wood. I let out a breath of relief.

"It's me," I say quietly.

There's a frantic shuffling as Ms. Akram hurries over to the door followed by the angry hissing of cats as they're likely dislodged from her lap. "Julia!" Ms. Akram exclaims in a loud whisper as the door swings open. Then she blinks as her eyes move from me to Miyoko. "And who might this lovely little lady be?"

"She's a friend of mine," I say quickly.

"Come in, come in." Ms. Akram steps aside. Once both of us are inside the apartment, Ms. Akram swiftly shuts the door behind us. "You shouldn't have come here." Ms. Akram turns to face me. "Even though this is a safer location, something tells me that those people are still tracking you.

I pull off my hat and my dirty-blonde hair cascades down over my shoulders. "That's why we have to be quick."

"Please have a seat." Ms. Akram gestures toward the couch, but then pauses when she seems to realize it's already occupied by an army of cats. "Er, let's sit down at the dining room table."

I take a seat across from Ms. Akram as Miyoko skips over to play with the cats. "What gave me away?" I lower my voice. "Was it my reaction to the news?"

Ms. Akram offers me a smile. "It's neither of those things, actually. The moment you appeared on TV, I knew it was you. The day I met you, you and that other boy were lying on the ground. But even as you lay there, you were glowing with a blue light. When I saw that same blue light on TV, I knew it was you."

I inhale sharply. "You knew all along. And you still decided to help me even though you knew that I was different."

"I know that you were trying to keep your distance," Ms. Akram says as she smiles softly. "But I didn't want to see you so alone and depressed either. You're a good person, Julia."

I let out a weak laugh. My emotions are a flood of gratitude toward the elderly woman.

"Come here, dear." Ms. Akram holds out her arms. I stand up from my seat and Ms. Akram embraces me in a tight hug. "I know you probably have a lot of tough decisions in front of you," Ms. Akram whispers. "But I have faith in you."

"Thank you," I whisper back. My voice is full of emotion. "Thank you for everything."

When the two of us finally draw away, I remember the wooden wings Miyoko has left by the door, and I walk over to get them.

"What are these?" Ms. Akram's eyes widen as I unfold them.

"I wanted to show you them." I hold out the wings for Ms. Akram to see.

"They're beautiful." Ms. Akram stares at the wood and cloth in wonder. "And they actually work?"

I run a hand over the wood and the material is sturdy beneath my fingers. "They do."

Miyoko looks over at Ms. Akram from where all of the older woman's cats have crowded around her feet, purring and meowing softly. "You have so many kitties!"

Ms. Akram laughs. "This is just a handful of them. Look-they like you. Normally they aren't quite as friendly as they are now."

"They like me?" Miyoko's eyes light up. "I wonder if they'd like Luna too."

"Who might Luna be? Another friend of yours?"

"You could say that." Miyoko giggles as one of the cats leaps up onto her shoulders and settles down like a fluffy scarf. "Luna's a lamb. She's really sweet."

Ms. Akram laughs. "Oh my, I'd like to meet this Luna someday."

Suddenly I freeze. Footsteps. I can hear footsteps rushing up the staircase. Our time here is up.

"Go." Ms. Akram's gaze snaps to the door. "If they trap you in this apartment, there's no way you'll be able to get out."

I nod grimly as I meet Ms. Akram's gaze. Thank you for everything, I silently tell her again.

Ms. Akram just nods. "Quickly now!"

I take Miyoko by the hand and shove the wings under my arm with the other. We throw open the door to the apartment and sprint out into the hallway beyond.

"What do we do, Julia?" The panic is clear on Miyoko's face.

"We can't go down. But we can go up. This is the other reason why I brought the wings."

Miyoko and I take off up the staircase. We push open the door to the roof, and I slam it shut behind us. I slide the lock into place with shaking fingers. That won't hold our pursuers off for long.

Miyoko's inky hair is swept up by the summer wind as she stares up at the gray sky and buildings shooting up all around us. "What do we do now?"

I unfold the wings and strap them to my back. But just as I finish strapping on the wings, there's a banging sound as the door to the roof flies open. "Get her!" a man yells, and a group of them charge forward.

"Hold on tight!" I wrap my arms around Miyoko's middle. "This might not be the smoothest ride."

Miyoko's expression is frightened, but there's also determination in her eyes. I sprint toward the edge of the building. The streets below are worlds away, and with my heart racing in my chest, I take a running leap into the air. For a second, we're just hanging there. Space and time seem to slow to a stop around us. Miyoko and I look at each other before time suddenly seems to start again. Then the two of us are plummeting down, down, down.

The wings will work, I tell myself as the wind howls past me. Every time we tested them, they always worked fine. And suddenly we're floating-drifting in the air as we fly over the buildings of the city.

"Miyoko," I say as the wind rustles through my hair. "Miyoko, look, we're flying!"

Miyoko slowly cracks open an eye. "We're flying," Miyoko echoes in disbelief. Her eyes grow large as she clings to me.

"I hoped things wouldn't go this way, but I was prepared." I gaze out over the city spreading out beneath us. The streets and cars are so far below.

"We're flying," Miyoko says again, and even though her face is still drained of color, she lets out a laugh. "We're flying! I feel like I can touch the sky! Do you think this is what birds feel like? What fairies feel like?"

"Definitely." I nod as we continue to drift farther and farther away. "It looks like now you've figured out their secrets, too."

"What happens when we land?" Miyoko asks after a while. "What do we tell my parents when we get home? I snuck out, after all."

I let out a sigh. "I suppose we tell them the truth."

"They'll understand," Miyoko says. "I think they'll be worried at first, but then they'll just be happy that we're okay."

I gaze out at the cloudy sky. The air is better up here, and the pollution is less dense. And maybe beyond the clouds, the blue sky is waiting for us. "Right now, let's just enjoy flying."

We've got to have been in the air for at least twenty minutes before we land in an empty park.

"Do you think anyone saw us?" Miyoko glances around after I set her down on her feet.

"Probably." I shrug off the wings and fold them up before tucking them under my arm. "I think we're far enough away from those men, but just in case, we should hurry."

✦ ✦ ✦

When we return to the Fujiwaras' house, Miyoko's parents already have a good idea of what happened.

"Are the two of you alright?" Ms. Fujiwara asks weakly as she shuts the door behind us.

Miyoko beams. "We're fine, Mom."

"Come here." Ms. Fujiwara takes Miyoko's hand and walks her over to the couch. She sits Miyoko down on her lap, pulls a hairbrush seemingly from thin air, and starts working out the tangles in her daughter's hair.

"You weren't followed, were you?" Mr. Fujiwara asks worriedly. "We can still call the police."

I shake my head as I set the wings down. "I think we lost them. The wings were perfect."

"Was your sister there?" Mr. Fujiwara asks sharply.

I frown slightly. "I don't think she was. She'll probably be disappointed, though, when she finds out she missed the chance to capture me. Speaking of capturing me, I think it's time for Blue Jay to make an appearance again."

"So soon?" Miyoko asks with sad eyes.

"I can't continue to delay. I'll head out tomorrow."

✦ ✦ ✦

Miyoko and I sit on the floor of Miyoko's room. We've just finished a story of adventures and magic with our dolls. I raise my head to look out the window and nearly jump as Genesis's face stares back at me. Her smile is haunting.

"Do you see anything outside the window?" I ask softly.

Miyoko follows my gaze to the glass before shaking her head. "There's nothing there." Then she frowns as she turns back to me. Her eyes are worried. "Are you having hallucinations again?"

"I think I am." I squeeze my eyes shut as I massage my temples. "I'm seeing my sister again."

"It's not real." Miyoko takes one of my hands in hers. "Whatever you're seeing, it's not real. It can't get to you."

"I know." I drop my gaze from the window to look at Miyoko instead.

"When did the hallucinations first start?" Miyoko asks quietly.

"The first time was when the two of us went to the cafe together." I sneak a glance back at the window to find that Genesis has vanished. "The second time was when we were in the backyard. Ever since then, I've been seeing her face everywhere." After a long moment of silence, I change the topic. "Do you remember that fashion show your mom was talking about us doing? How about we do one?"

✦ ✦ ✦

"Are we ready?" I ask as I stand by the door with the Fujiwaras. In a blink of an eye, the day has come. My time has come. The initial fear and dread I first felt has dissipated. Instead, it's been replaced with an almost eerie calm.

Mr. and Ms. Fujiwara nod.

"Ready." Miyoko wraps her arms around my middle one last time in a hug. "Once this is all over, we'll see you again."

I smile softly as I return the embrace.

Finally, the two of us break apart, and I open the door to the Fujiwaras' house. I pause for a moment as I look back over my shoulder at the living room. There's the TV where Miyoko and I watched all our movies together and the empty space between the couch and wall where Miyoko would teach me to dance. I look at the dining room table at the back of the house where we spent hours doing our homework and eating snacks. I force myself to tear my gaze away. Empty. I haven't felt this empty in a long time.

The door swings shut behind me as I pull on my mask. I tuck my hair into the hat and tie my ballet sweater over my leotard. I can hear the car doors of the Fujiwaras' car open and close as the three of them climb in. They're going to follow me from a distance, and once they find the underground lab, they'll be able to call in the police.

There are a lot of things that could go wrong with this plan, but I don't have anything to lose. If things go wrong, the Fujiwaras can drive away from the scene.

When I reach the site of another collapsed building, I make sure everyone is safe first before lingering in the area, pretending to search for more people. I don't have to wait long before the sound of running footsteps cuts through the air. I'm surrounded by a group of men in dark outfits.

"Found you." Genesis emerges as the dark-clothed men part like a wave for her. "You can't escape this time."

I instinctively take a step backward at her approach.

"I'm taking you back." Genesis's smile melts into something much more ugly as she suddenly lunges forward and grabs me by the neck. She rips my mask from my face, and I flinch as my hat is yanked off my head next.

"Where are you going to take me?" I choke out.

"Where do you think I'm taking you?" Genesis purrs. But before I can answer she squeezes my neck, and I choke. "I'm taking you back to the place where it all started."

Before I know what's happening, there's a flash of electric blue light, and everything fades to black.

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia," a voice is calling my name. "Julia, Julia, Julia . . ."

I crack open an eye to find myself lying in the darkness. I'm in the middle of an ocean, a dark ocean with no end in sight. The ground I'm lying on is solid, but my head feels like it's underwater.

"Julia." The voice echoes, and I look over. My hair ripples around me as I turn to look at the blonde-haired figure floating before me. "Looking for someone?" The blonde-haired girl smirks.

"Where is he?" I ask. "Where's Teddy?"

"Jay." An all too familiar voice echoes as Teddy materializes next to the blonde-haired girl.

"I'm almost there, Teddy," I say. My voice is strong despite how I'm breaking inside. "I'm going to avenge you, and then the two of us can reunite."

"You don't want to join him now?" The blonde-haired girl puts a hand on Teddy's shoulder. Teddy's gaze remains on me.

"I can't." I shake my head determinedly. "I've still got things left to do. Teddy"-I hold Teddy's gaze-"can you see her?"

"Who?" Teddy's voice is a distant echo. "I only see you." Teddy extends a hand to me. I reach out to take it, but my hand passes straight through his.

"Why make this so hard on yourself?" The blonde-haired girl says. "Don't you remember what Mr. Wright is capable of? Don't you remember what happened to Teddy?"

Suddenly I'm standing in front of a row of kids in their early teens. All of them cower in terror as the line of gunmen readies their firearms.

Even as I clasp my hands over my ears, the sound of the gunfire roars through this ocean of memories.

"Teddy." I'm sobbing as the Teddy standing in the line of children staggers. I watch as the young girl with dirty-blonde hair and him tumble together into the ditch behind them.

"I'm right here, Jay." The second Teddy smiles faintly. His image is blurring in and out of focus around the edges. "I've always been with you."

"You've always been with me." I stare at him, and the scene around us fades.

Teddy continues to smile. "I never left. I've always been in your heart."

"Nonsense!" The blonde-haired girl whirls on Teddy. "Of course you left! You died!"

"Stop." I glare at the girl. "Whatever you're feeling right now, don't take it out on Teddy."

"Teddy is dead," the blonde-haired girl says heavily as she drops her hand from Teddy's shoulder.

"I know," I say simply as I slowly climb to my feet.

"Don't you want to be with him again?" The blonde-haired girl asks quickly. The look in her eyes is almost fearful as I straighten.

"Of course I do." I take a step forward, and the girl freezes. "But my time hasn't come just yet. Why do you want me to die so badly? Why do you hate me so much?"

"I-" the girl stammers, but she trails off as I take another step forward. "I'm warning you now! Don't come any closer!"

"Even if you hate me"-I look the girl straight in her blue eyes-"I could never hate you. It's true that I did for a period of time, and that's my fault-my mistake."

"I-" the girl starts again, but makes no move to back away as I move closer still.

"I'm not going to die just yet." I finally reach the girl, stopping right in front of her. "I promise I'll make you proud. I'll make Teddy proud. I'll make everyone proud." Without giving myself even a moment's hesitation, I wrap my arms around the blonde-haired girl in a tight embrace. Unlike Teddy, the girl is solid. "I promise you, Julia."

"I-" the girl says for a third time. Then ever so slowly, I feel her arms wrap around my back and hold me tightly. The first time I saw her, I mistook the blonde-haired girl for Genesis. But I was wrong. The girl I'm hugging isn't Genesis-she's me.

Chapter Twenty
A Dream of Julia

I draw in a shuddering breath as my eyes flutter open. I'm laying on the cool white tiles of an all too familiar lab room.

Genesis lets out an amused noise as she looks down at me. "You're awake."

My head throbs as I remain lying on the floor. I make no move to rise to my feet, and it takes me a moment to notice that someone's changed me out of my leotard and into a shirt and shorts.

I grimace as my head throbs painfully. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who knocked me out in the first place."

Genesis just ignores me as she smiles and crouches down to meet my gaze. She tilts her head to the side, and her hair ripples. I turn my head away from her, but Genesis catches it and forces my chin forward so she can look at me properly.

"This is the first time I've got to get a good look at you." Genesis's blue eyes seem to stare into my very soul. I try to wriggle out of her grasp, but Genesis's fingers just tighten. "You've changed, Julia."

"And I see that you're the same as before." That eerie calm is taking over, numbing my mind and senses.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Genesis cocks her head to the other side. "You should be afraid of me."

"I am," I say simply. "I'm in your hands now, aren't I? Aren't you going to kill me?"

Genesis lets out a laugh as she finally lets go of me and rises to her feet to pace the empty room. "You're going to be the one to end yourself, Julia. I'm not even going to touch you. This way will be much more entertaining than killing you with my own hands."

"What is all of this to you, Genesis?" I ask. "Is this all just entertainment to you? Have you ever seen me as your sister?"

Genesis shrugs. "Maybe I did once. But I don't anymore. Even if I still did, by the end of the hour, I'll no longer have one."

"So you are going to kill me."

"No, Julia." Genesis takes a seat on the opposite side of the room. "Did you hear any of what I just said?"

"You want me to kill myself?"

"Yes."

"And what if I don't want to kill myself?"

Genesis just smirks. "Why do you think I brought you here, Jay?"

"Don't call me that," I warn. "You don't get to call me that."

"Looks like I struck a nerve." Genesis leans back against the wall. "It doesn't matter, though. You'll start feeling the effects sooner or later."

"What effects?" Suddenly my head spins, and the whole world seems to sway. Blue light radiates off me, and I squeeze my eyes shut as every inch of me seems to burn. The flames are like ice as they lick at my skin and bone and blood.

I'm not sure what Genesis has done to me, but suddenly everything stops, and I lay there shaking on the ground.

"Jay." Teddy's voice echoes in my head. "Jay, Jay, Jay."

I jump to my feet, and my momentum sends me crashing into the wall. Teddy's voice is all around me. I can hear him, but I can't see him. Where is Teddy? I frantically search the room. Where is Teddy?

From somewhere far away, Genesis is laughing and clapping her hands together. I ignore her as I climb to my feet, using the wall beside me as a support. But I stagger again. The voices are deafening.

I'm hallucinating, I have to remind myself as my limbs fail me. I hit the floor in a daze. I'm sorry Teddy. I don't think I'll be able to avenge you after all.

I squeeze my eyes shut and curl into a ball as I clamp my hands over my ears. But no matter how hard I try, the voices still slip past my hands. They fill my head, and I can't tell if the screams that started are mine or just another hallucination.

I'm clawing at my ears as the roaring grows louder and louder. When I finally let go, I look on in horror as I hold them in front of me, the blood dripping off them is my own. I'm doing exactly what Genesis wants me to do. But what's the point in fighting it? I'm dying anyway.

Suddenly all of the noises stop. The room is deadly silent, and I blink. Genesis is still sitting across from me on the other side of the room. She's frowning slightly as she watches me. "Is that all, Julia?"

"What do you mean is that all?" I gasp out. My voice is raw and hoarse.

"That's strange." Genesis ignores me. "I thought that serum would cause more hallucinations than that. Whatever, though, I guess. Here." I blink as Genesis tosses a knife toward me. The blade skids across the smooth tiled floor. "My present to you. It shouldn't take long for the next wave of hallucinations to start."

I frown as I stare at the knife. Suddenly my head throbs again, and I stagger to my feet.

"Jay." Teddy's voice echoes, and suddenly he appears in front of me. "Jay, wait." Teddy's voice sounds strained as I make to clasp my hands over my ears again. I pause and lower them back to my sides as Teddy looks from me to Genesis and then back again. "If I told you I had a plan, would you be willing to use that knife on your sister?"

"I don't want to hurt her," I whisper.

Teddy shakes his head grimly. "Don't worry, I don't want you to kill her. You'll just be buying yourself some more time."

"What do you want me to do?"

Teddy draws closer before standing on his tiptoes to whisper in my ear. When he draws away, I stare at him with wide eyes.

"Are you ready?" Teddy asks softly.

I nod, and then I'm staggering as the voices roar through my head again. I stumble through the cacophony of sound. But even as I spin around and around and around, I know the path on which I'm headed-I'm heading toward where Genesis is watching me with a smile on her face.

As I near, Genesis doesn't seem to think anything of my approach. When I'm close enough, I suddenly whirl and swing the blade with all the speed I can muster.

Genesis barely has time to spring to her feet, and her hands close around my knife hand as she stares at me in shock. But that shock quickly melts away as she tosses me to the floor. My head and ears are ringing.

"Nice try." Genesis laughs as she crouches down to pry the blade out of my hand. "But you've got to be faster than that."

Before I can blink, Genesis is holding a gun to my forehead.

"That's right," Genesis purrs. "I've had my fun. Mr. Wright wants me to kill you anyway. We've both delayed long enough already, yes?"

"You won't really kill me," I hiss as I look up at my sister. "You still want to figure out how I survived that day. If you really want to know so desperately, I'll tell you. Teddy brought me back to life."

Genesis blinks. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"I don't believe it. He was practically dead himself when I checked on him. If he really had that much energy left, why not save himself?"

I let out a humorless laugh. "You really don't understand, do you? You haven't changed a bit, Genesis. It's not your fault that you don't understand, though. It's not your fault that you can't understand. It's Mr. Wright's fault. He's the one who did this to you-to us. Maybe in another life, we can actually be sisters. Maybe in another life things wouldn't have to end this way."

"Mr. Wright is brilliant." Genesis shakes her head. The muzzle of her gun is still glued to my forehead. "Mr. Wright made me strong. He made me who I am today."

"It's exactly because he made you who you are today that I pity you. You can't find joy in life. You can't find joy in the simple things that are all around us."

"Of course I can find joy." Genesis presses the gun harder, but I don't even flinch. "I find joy in being the best. I find joy in being the only one in the world with this sort of power!"

"But you aren't the best." I look at my sister in exasperation. "Even if you are now, there will always be new people rising up. Mr. Wright didn't do this solely for you, Genesis. At the end of the day, you're only his test subject. Please," I say quietly. "I'm dying. We both know it. Why won't you ever let me go?"

Genesis holds my gaze. "Once you're gone, there will be no one else left worthy of being my competitor."

I shake my head. "Once I'm gone, you won't have much time left either. You're dying as well, aren't you."

"I-" Genesis starts but then she claps a hand to her head, hissing in pain. "Go away!" Genesis suddenly yells. She swipes out at the air with fingers curled into claws. I yelp as Genesis shoves me away from her in her sudden frenzy, and there's a bang of a gunshot echoing through the room.

My heart is pounding in my chest as I look at the smoking bullet hole in the wall between the two of us.

"You're seeing me!" I blink as I stare at my sister in surprise. "Have I really been haunting you so much that you want to put me to death?"

"Who said I'm hallucinating you?" Genesis says a little too quickly.

"Why exactly am I haunting you so much?"

"Stay away!" Genesis points her gun around the room with crazed eyes.

"Genesis," I say firmly as I slowly climb to my feet.

Genesis freezes before whirling on me. Her gun is pointed straight at me. I raise my hands in the air in a gesture of surrender as I slowly take a step forward.

"What are you doing?" Genesis stares at me as I take another step.

I look up at my sister. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you do understand, after all."

Just like I did in that dream, I continue walking forward. Continue walking toward the girl with the dirty-blonde hair. When I reach her, I stare deep into her blue eyes before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into an embrace.

"I want to believe that you understand," I breathe as I close my eyes. I can feel her arms moving, the muzzle of the gun resting on my back, and I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the pain. My heart is pounding away in my chest, and I know deep down that each beat might be its last.

And suddenly there's a bang, and I feel the bullet tear through me. I stagger. I wonder if Genesis can see the hurt in my eyes as I collapse to the floor. But then Genesis is falling too, and the gun clatters to the floor at her feet.

My eyes widened. The bullet Genesis had shot into me had flown straight through the two of us.

"We die together," Genesis coughs.

But before I can open my mouth, my vision turns red. Everything hurts as I lay there on the floor next to my sister.

If there's one thing that scares me the most, it would be dying alone. Not the dying part itself, but rather the part where I take my last breath and there's no one there except for me.

But as I stare at Genesis, I realize with a jolt that I'm not alone. I just never expected my sister to be the one lying beside me.

Suddenly there's the sound of footsteps running beyond the walls of the room, and then the door flies open as police charge in. I let out a laugh of relief. My breathing is shaky, and each breath is an effort within itself. The Fujiwaras had done their part, and I had done mine.

✦ ✦ ✦

"Julia," Miyoko is calling my name. I can hear the tears in her voice as I slowly crack an eye open to find myself lying in what appears to be a hospital room. I turn my head to find Miyoko sitting next to my hospital bed. Her inky hair is unbound and hangs limply over her shoulders.

"Miyoko." My voice is hoarse.

Miyoko's eyes widen as she realizes I'm awake. "Julia!"

"I'm awake." I smile softly as I meet her gaze. "What happened?"

"We found the underground lab and called the police," Miyoko quickly informs me. "When the police found you, you and your sister were both bleeding out on the floor of one of the rooms."

"How's Genesis? How's she doing now?"

"Genesis is dead," Miyoko says quietly.

"Dead?"

Miyoko's nod of confirmation is all I need before that empty feeling seems to spread through me. I should be glad. But instead, I just feel empty.

"Julia!" Mr. and Ms. Fujiwara rush into the hospital room. Their expressions are worried as they join their daughter at my bedside.

"How do you feel?" Ms. Fujiwara stares down at me.

I give them both a reassuring smile. "I'm fine."

"Fine?" Miyoko echoes quietly. Her eyes are sparkling with tears. "Liar. When were you going to tell us, Julia? When were you going to tell me?"

"What have I forgotten to tell you?"

"You didn't tell us that you're dying," Miyoko cries as she shakes her head. "The doctor was the one who revealed to us that you've been slowly dying for years now."

Ah yes. I let out a heavy sigh. "It's my fault for not telling you, Miyoko. In fact, it's my fault for not telling any of you. This I never lied to you about it, though-I don't think keeping it from you counts as lying. But there's a reason I didn't tell you: I didn't want any of you to worry about me any more than you already were. I was going to tell you eventually, but since you've found out before I've gotten the chance, I guess that means I've broken my promise of not keeping any more secrets. And for that, I'm sorry. I hope you can understand and can find it in your hearts not to blame me too much."

"I don't blame you at all." Miyoko sniffles as she shakes her head.

"You're too good, you know." I sigh as I turn to look up at the ceiling. My gaze snags on the windows lining the back wall and the cloudy gray sky beyond. "Did the doctor say how many days I have left?"

"Not many," Mr. Fujiwara says regretfully.

I sigh softly. That's alright. This is alright. I've lived much longer than even I expected myself to.

"Mr. Wright has been taken to jail." Ms. Fujiwara's tone darkens. "He'll never bother anyone ever again behind those bars. The evidence in that underground lab was overwhelming proof of what he did."

I close my eyes. "Good."

Miyoko is sobbing. "I don't want you to die, Julia. I want you to keep living. I want us to continue being friends."

I open my eyes again and smile softly. "I'll always be your friend, Miyoko. Even when I'm no longer around, it doesn't mean that I'll stop being your friend."

"Are you scared?" Miyoko asks quietly.

"Scared?" I repeat thoughtfully. "Yes. And no. Death is an unknown, and the unknown will always be frightening. But with all of you here by my side, I'm not afraid." I turn to look over at Mr. Fujiwara next. "Miyoko is such a wonderful girl-a wonderful friend. I hope you can continue to love and support her." Then I turn to Ms. Fujiwara. "I'm so glad you were able to be my teacher this past school year. Your class made school more bearable-you made school enjoyable even with all of the things that happened during the year." Finally, I turn to Miyoko. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

"You sound like you're saying goodbye," Miyoko says fearfully. "Do you really have to go so soon?"

I can feel my heartbeat fading. "I don't think it's up to me anymore." But I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid.

"But after you're gone, who will be the city's superhero?"

"A superhero doesn't need special powers to be a superhero. A superhero is just someone who selflessly helps those in need. The city's next superhero could be anyone. In fact, the city's next superhero could be you."

"I will change the world," Miyoko says determinedly. "Just you wait."

"Good." I smile as I look at all three of the Fujiwaras. "I think the world needs some change."

Everything is slowing down. My thoughts, my breathing, my heartbeat. And even though I'm not sure what will come-even though I'm not sure what the world will be like after I'm gone, I'm sure it can change for the better. I have hope.

Epilogue

The sound of gentle footsteps makes its way through the grass as they pass tombstone after tombstone in the silent cemetery. It's early morning, and the blue sky has just emerged from the oranges and pinks of dawn.

After stopping to set down the pair of high heels she had been carrying, a beautiful young woman in an elegant office dress kneels down in front of a particular tombstone. She reaches up for a moment to tuck a strand of her inky hair behind an ear before pressing her hands together and closing her eyes. A wind picks up. It rustles the grass and sets the young woman's hair dancing.

She bows her head in silence. Then, the young woman finally rises and looks down at the tombstone for a long moment. She reaches into her purse and produces a bouquet of hand-picked flowers. Keeling down once again, she sets it at the head of the tombstone to replace the old bouquet that still lay there. The young woman watches the blue ribbon around the bouquet flutter in the wind for a long moment. After letting out a soft sigh, the young woman lifts her head. "It's another clear day today, Julia. I hope you're enjoying it too."