There was nothing left of the room Alexa had been trapped in. The floor looked as if a volcano had exploded under it and the ceiling wasn't even worth mentioning. Beside her, Jake was smiling, but she couldn't look him in the eyes. His limp, his hunched back, the way he was holding his ribcage; she'd done that. She'd hurt him. She'd lied to him. Still, they kept hold of one another. Jake's arm wrapped around her shoulders. He kept whispering,

"It's okay, I'm here". His words didn't stop her from imagining what her life would be like if he hadn't survived. He lifted her steadily over what was left of the door and set her down on the concrete tiles.

"You're alright," he said. She avoided his gaze, afraid that if they made eye contact, he would cease to exist. She'd almost lost him. Her best friend. Her ally.

"Jake. I am so sorry". She hugged him again. He didn't shrivel up into dust and he didn't start to burn. He wasn't going anywhere, not if she had anything to say about it.

"Ugh, where's an epidemic when you need one?" The Demon was leaning on the far wall, a pile of Vaskelian remains lying at her feet. She grinned.

"You," Alexa hissed. Letting go of Jake, she stalked forward and slammed her fist straight into the Demon's smile. The way her lips crumpled inwards was too satisfying for words. Wolfie met the back wall with a smack and slid down. Dust covered her backside. Jake ran to stand between them, but there was no need. Alexa's power had depleted greatly since her...incident and she was running mainly on guilt and adrenaline. Wiping the blood from her nose, Wolfie sat up.

"Are we still dancing Lexie?" The need to punch her returned.

"You dare speak to me?! After all that you have done?" she yelled. Her hands balled into fists, but her knees were about to give. It didn't take long for Jake to catch on. He moved forward, offered her his hand.

"I am fine," she insisted. She still couldn't bear to look at him, not after what she'd done. His ankle had swelled to the size of a pincushion and she doubted he was in any fit to state to help her at all. She refocussed her attention on Wolfie.

"Why are you here?"

"Alexa," Jake cut in. He was looking rather pale, even in comparison to the white walls. "Alexa, she's on our side".

"A thing like her does not take any side but her own".

"She's here to help us".

"I beg to differ," both she and Wolfie said at once.

"You helped me find Alexa, didn't you?" Jake snapped. "So, don't try and tell me you're doing this just to have some fun. You want James dead too". Alexa was about to interrupt, but in the end, decided it was best to keep quiet. She'd cross that bridge when she reached it. Now was not the time. Wolfie meanwhile, stood up and raised her hands in defence.

"Let me explain, Lexie. I know you'll struggle to keep your hands off me but try yer' best," she winked. Alexa felt the urge to vomit.

"I helped Jakey boy escape to find you. Yes, I do want the little bugger of a brother out of the way, but I suspect his death has been removed from your agenda. I'll help yer' get out of here love, but I want you to know I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for myself," she finished.

"Fine".

"Fine".

"Good".

"Fabulous". They eyed each other warily. Alexa heard Jake sigh in frustration.

"Are you two done now?" he groaned. She couldn't decide. Wolfie and the phrase 'team player' really didn't go hand in hand. Never the less, her aid was better than nothing. At least she could focus on her and not on Jake. He may have forgiven her back there, but was there still truth his words? She'd almost killed him. In a way, she knew she had killed him. Some part of him, at least. Boots slammed on the concrete tiles, startling them.

"That's our cue kiddiewinks," Wolfie smirked and darted off down the corridor. The floor was still weak from Alexa's outburst, so they had to tread carefully in certain areas. The Vaskelian soldiers drew closer.

"Do you have a plan?" Alexa called.

"Yes of course," Wolfe said, shocked.

"Is it a good one?"

"Not in the slightest". They ran on, Jake caught in-between them like a heartstring. Alexa hated to put him in the middle of her family feud, but she couldn't trust herself to be in a two-mile radius of that oath without slapping her. The oath in question bustled them around a corner and towards two sleek metal doors. At first, Alexa felt a pang of horror, for it seemed they were heading back into another holding cell. But as the doors opened, they gave way to a silver box. She slowed, hovering outside the entrance. Jake, unquestioning, ran inside to join Wolfie. He turned around.

"Alexa, come on. It's a lift," he coaxed her forward. Resented being treated like a horse, she stomped into the box. It shook a little beneath her.

"Can I not just take the stairs?"

"No," Wolfie and Jake chorused. Leaning over, the Demon pushed a circular button with a number on. The doors of the lift closed, and the box shuddered.

"This is wrong. Humans cannot fly in boxes!" she protested.

"Do you want to take this one or shall I?" Wolfie said to Jake. They were treating her as if she were a child. She faced the cold metal with a harrumph. Behind her, Jake snickered. The lift sunk further down, and Alexa watched, fascinated, as the numbered buttons lit up. She reached out to touch one, but Jake held her back. Had she done something wrong?

"If you press them, we'll be trapped in this box with Wolfie for even longer," he said. She drew back like she'd touched a hot poker. Longer? In here? With Wolfie? The mere fantasy of it was harrowing enough. Avoiding his gaze, she switched her attention to the Demon. Bare feet, like she'd had. Black dress ripped in several places. Her face. Her bone structure. Her body. They were the same. How had James created her? Or maybe she was a Shifter. No, otherwise her energy print would be different. With humans, their prints were normally small greying crackles. That didn't mean they were weak, it just meant they were without Magik energy. However, Wolfie was a void. A vacuous entity. Despite that, Alexa could sense more Magik than she'd ever thought possible. It just wasn't right. Nothing about this screamed 'right' to her. The metal box lurched, and Alexa flung her arms out to steady herself.

"Getting a little handsy there Lex'". Yelping, she retracted her grip from Wolfie's bare forearms. A part of her had almost expected the Demon's skin to be slimly, but it was smooth, just like hers. Thankfully, the lift doors opened and all three of them piled outside. Onto another of those dreaded corridors.

"This way," Wolfie snarled, grabbing them by the shoulders. Alexa instantly shook her off. Being this close to her was bad enough. Instead, she fell into line behind Jake, looking back at the empty hallway every so often. Or rather every time Wolfie tried to look at her. Using her Sight, she could tell that all the Vaskel's energy prints were quite a way off, several floors up in fact. The metal box must have carried them much farther than she'd first thought. Perhaps some human inventions weren't so bad. She wasn't so sure about the cars. Jake reached out, pulled her to one side. Her Sight was nearly blinded as a huge black shape swished past. She'd heard of Vaskelian Speed, but she'd never seen it. Only those in Neutral and Higher Dynasties could accomplish such a feat. Then again, she barely knew what she could do. The night in the woods made sense now. The Chainlink: Halfirr. The power: her. Her parents had tried to keep that power from her, her own parents. They shot across to the other side of the corridor, keeping low. Jake had started to limp badly now; his whole ankle was nearly touching the floor. He gripped his side and winced.

"Maybe we should rest a moment," she suggested. Being demanding with someone like Wolfie definitely wouldn't get her anywhere.

"We're nearly there," was the only reply she got. Jake's pallor was fading and when she used her Sight, she could see his broken ribs beneath the skin and the torn ligaments in his swollen ankle. Wincing, she glanced away. Finally, they found themselves standing before a large door. It was metal, like the others, but it had elongated black claw marks smothering the edges. There might have been a locking mechanism, but if so it had long been burnt to a crisp. Surely, Wolfie couldn't mean for them to—

"Quick. In here". Of course, she could. The Demon shoved Jake inside, and after turning around, waited for her to follow.

"Absolutely not. I will not go back into one of those cells," she said.

"D' you think I had much of a choice dearie? Now, come on!" Wolfie yanked her into the room. It was white, just like the others had been, but like the door, there were black scorch marks and claws marks all over each surface. Even the ceiling. Painting canvases were leaning against the far wall, a dried-out brush lying next to them. The realisation came all too soon.

"This is your room. Your cell," Alexa whispered. She met Wolfie's gaze for the first time since they'd met. "He put you here". Just like he'd put her in the coffin.

"Don't get all mushy on me now sweet cheeks, I'll puke". The Demon glanced at Jake. "Yer' alright there, Goldilocks?" Alexa forced herself to stare at him, analyse his wounds. He looked positively awful. Worse than the village girls when they'd contracted measles. She put her arm out.

"You need to rest".

"I'm fine". He brushed her off like an insect. Peering closer, she could see his hands were shaking.

"Jake, you need to sit down. You've used your third spell of Half-life energy". She tried to reason with him.

"I hate to say this, but the Walking Sour Grape here has a point. You should sit down before you fall down," Wolfie interrupted. Alexa was half surprised at the outburst, but at the same time, half annoyed. A Demon like her shouldn't be anywhere near him and what on earth was a sour grape? Again, Jake shook his head, though he was halfway to the floor already. Alexa attempted one last time.

"Please, Jake. I need you to rest, please".

"I can't. We have to find James. We have to save my mother, we have to"—

Smack!

Jake slumped and toppled forward. Even with her Halfblood reflexes, she couldn't catch him in time, and he dropped onto the floor with a thud. Wolfie shrugged. Held up her hands.

"Whoops".

"I cannot believe that you did that," Alexa said angrily, bending down to inspect Jake's unconscious form. His breathing was a little shallow, but apart from that he seemed fine. That didn't mean she was going to let the Demon off easy.

"What? No 'thank you'?" Wolfie looked appalled. "This is what I get for helping? I won't bother next time".

"Please don't," she replied, just as sharply. How could she have done that to him? At least he was resting, even if he hadn't intended to. Carefully, she lifted him into her arms and carried him over to the far wall. Setting him down, she checked his pulse. Slow. Heavy. But it was still there. She knew she shouldn't have lied to him. Now it was too late. Despite however many jokes he made for her, however many smiles he flashed her way, things would never be the same. A stray curl had fallen onto his face and she brushed it aside. Her fingers lingered on his cheek for far longer than necessary.

"Are you always this depressing?" Wolfie was leaning over her shoulder. She spun around and snarled.

"That depends. Is it always customary for newly reunited 'sisters' to threaten to throw each other off of buildings?"

"I knew my affection was wasted on you". The Demon grinned, but she was backing towards the paintings. In a way it looked as if she was trying to hide them from view. Alexa pressed on.

"You could have killed Jake back there and then you turn us over to the dogs no less!"

"If I knew you'd still be this mad at the whole trying-to-throw-you-off-a-roof thing, trust me, I definitely would've done it a lot sooner". This was ridiculous.

"Do you take pleasure in irritating me like this?" she asked.

"Oh, doll face, I take pleasure in a lot of things. Annoying you just happens to be one of my favourites". After a sinking feeling that she wasn't going to get anywhere, Alexa changed tactics. She moved along the tiles and took great pleasure in pushing Wolfie aside to see the paintings. Lifting the first canvas up, she flipped it over. In an instant her eye had melted in her socket. The brushwork was elegance personified and the colours – a blend of mottled green, black and yellow – seemed to compliment in each other in the strangest and yet most wonderful way. As she stared into it, she could almost picture herself in a green field with buttercups, a dark sky overhead. She moved on to one of the other canvases; the brushwork this time was immaculate. Violent, but immaculate. It was as if chaos and order co-existed in every stroke of paint. She stared at Wolfie.

"Did you paint these?"

"Maybe. I had nothin' to do while Jamie kept me here, so I kindly requested some paints".

"Yet you could have escaped at any time," Alexa pointed out. She'd seen the degree of her power, she'd could feel it even now. No cell – not this cell especially – could have held her.

"Perhaps I had a reason to stay. Like the riveting company such as your fine self," she smirked. Alexa shook her head, trying not to smile.

"You're insane".

"Not insane. Just enthusiastic". They stood like that for a while, neither of them speaking. Alexa held the painting aloft. She'd drawn a lot that she admitted, but she'd never imagined that someone like her could do this. Was Wolfie like her though? Another question that the Demon wouldn't answer. She sagged and lowered the canvas to the floor. Since she'd come to this world, it had done nothing expect reject and confuse her. Jake... Alexa wasn't sure how she felt about him now. Everything here was cold and metallic. The roads were hard and uninviting, and the people thought her strange. She hadn't even felt the urge to pick up a pencil or even think about drawing anything. She'd been so hell-bent on hating this world and killing James that she'd lost sight of what she felt and what she really wanted. Now she didn't know anything at all.

"What're you thinkin' Lex?" asked Wolfie. She bowed her head.

"I'm thinking that I am trapped in a place I don't belong, with people and sights and sounds that I do not recognise. I'm thinking that I cannot kill my brother, despite what he may have done to me. I'm thinking that I have lost the only friend I've ever had, and I cannot possibly fathom what I could do to earn his forgiveness. What are you thinking?" She didn't care whether Wolfie answered or not. She did.

"I'm thinking that you belong anywhere, wherever you are. I'm thinking that I've worked for that bloody tyrant for the better part of two-hundred years, just to find out who you are. I'm thinking that right now, I'm facing a part of my old life that I don't understand and I'm not sure how to deal with it. You may have woken up in the future, but I woke up nowhere. I didn't know who was, what I was and why I had the urge to kill. I still don't," she added. Alexa stepped left, closing the distance between them.

"Thank you. For telling me".

"Bloody hell, are we gonna braid each other's hair now?"

"Why on earth would we do that?" Wolfie sighed and turned away.

"Irritating you is such hard work".

"Well, I'll be sure to be more irritable in the future". She smiled.

"I'll be counting on it". She stared at the Demon. Even though they looked the same, they were so different. Wolfie's posture was laid back and slumped. The colour pallet she used was nothing like what Alexa would have picked. All the same, she felt there was something between them. As if they were meant to know each other, just like she used to feel with Jake. Now she wasn't so sure.

"Why have you decided that James's time is up? Why, after all this time?" Wolfie straightened her spine.

"Because I needed you to wake up. Otherwise he said he'd kill you in your sleep. I wanted to give you the chance... Anyway. You're not going to kill him now, so what does it matter?"

"I cannot kill him. Not after everything I have learnt in this world. All I've learnt from Jake," she added quietly.

"Jake's not human, you know that now. Stop pretending those insects have power over you. They off each other all the time!"

"That is exactly why I have to be better than that. Despite all my brother has done, no one deserves to die. Not even you". Wolfie pressed her hand to her jawline and chuckled.

"You're so naïve. He won't stop until you're dead you know. It's killed or be killed".

"I didn't say I wouldn't hurt him. I didn't say I wouldn't crush his bones or permanently break his spine or tie his intestines to his feet. Just keep that in mind Demon," she said and pushed past her to face Jake. Still sleeping. Not dead.

"I take it his mother is with James then," she continued, watching his chest rise and fall. He was still more human than Halfblood, which was quite a feat in itself. She'd read about how fast the Half-genes infected the body's system, but Jake was keeping them at bay. It wouldn't be long until he'd give out altogether.

"Yeah, his Mumsie is with the homicidal sibling". She fell silent after that. Alexa faced her once again.

"Lexie, I've been planning this for two-hundred years. He needs to suffer, he needs to feel the pain that I felt when he..." she broke off. Alexa reached out and put a hand on her wrist.

"I will not kill him". Wolfie looked deep into her eye.

"Maybe I'll be counting on that too". The sound of groaning interrupted them, and Alexa swerved to see Jake sitting up and holding his head. He glared at Wolfie but smiled in her direction. His eyes darted between them.

"I've missed something, haven't I?"

Alexa moved to answer, but Wolfie got there first.

"It's complicated, Jakey. Remind me to fill you in when the world isn't in jeopardy". He scowled. Rubbing the back of his head, he hissed.

"You knocked me out," he realised. She shrugged and Alexa rushed to stand in-between them before a fight broke out.

"What the heck did you that for!?" Upon getting to his feet, his legs buckled. Alexa's arm lashed out, catching him before he hit the wall.

"You used up a lot of your Halfblood juju, what else could I have done?" That smile again.

"Oh, and you were just being the Good Samaritan? I thought I could trust you".

"Yeah, well, I'm crazy. Remember?" Alexa propped Jake on her shoulder, holding her hands out in defence. If they fought, it was clear who would win. Jake was pale and shaking and a faint line of blood ran down his chin from his mouth. His breath was rasping, while his fingertips had an alarming blue tinge.

"At least tell me you guys have come up with some idea of what we're going to do," he sighed. Wolfie clicked her fingers.

"I've missed him!" Alexa rolled her eye.

"He is right. Tell us more about my brother and where in Halves' name we are, if you please," she added.

"We're in America for starters. Oh, don't looked so shocked". Alexa closed her mouth.

"The Colonies? Why would James be here?" Wolfie shrugged.

"He's been avoiding killing you for the past three centuries, but his time is running out. I've been doing some clearing up over the past few months. A bit of scouting around".

"Find anything interesting?" Jake interrupted. He was still holding his head.

"I know one thing. These Vaskels aren't taking orders from James because they like him. There's another player in the game. Thing is, he's still guilt ridden over what he did to you. He could snap at any moment, but right now, he's at his weakest. Trust me".

Somehow I doubt that will be possible, Alexa smiled to herself.

"So, the best time to strike is now?" Jake leant on the wall for support.

"Pretty much. But you might have to talk to Lexie about the semantics". Of course, the Demon had dropped her in headfirst. Of course, she had. Jake's head titled.

"Semantics? Alexa, what is she talking about?" She bit her lip.

"Well?" he snapped.

"I cannot kill James. Please, you must understand"—

"When did you come to this decision?"

"After you saved me. I'd been thinking about it for a while, and you helped me realise that I cannot kill my own brother. No matter what he did back then. I'm sorry". He shook his head.

"What are you apologising for? I never wanted you to kill anybody. You're not a monster, Alexa," he smiled. Then,

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Save your mother for one. If I cannot kill my brother, I shall have to incapacitate him. Seeing as he's at his weakest, this shouldn't be a problem," she said. Wolfie clapped her hands slowly.

"Great plan there Scooby-doo!"

"Wolfie," Jake began.

"Shut up Daphne".

"Will you two just stop it!" Alexa cried. She pressed her fingers to her temples in agony. They had to get out here – that was the bottom line. Hopefully, Wolfie hadn't decided that the fun was over.

"Are you still going to help us?" she asked. Wolfie thought for a moment. For one horrible second, she had a feeling that she'd say no. Instead the Demon girl rolled her eye.

"Fine. But you've gotta let me kick him in the nuts for all your trouble".

"Then we have an accord," Alexa grinned, without mentioning that she'd been planning to kick in James's private parts herself. Oh, well. Guess she'd have to kick him twice. Gruffly, Wolfie nodded her head. Jake smirked and there was colour in his cheeks again. As Alexa used her Sight, she could see that his heart was beating normally, pumping red blood instead of black. He was fine. For now. It wouldn't be long before the Half-genes crept into his heart, stopping it altogether. Part of her wanted to turn him, or make Wolfie force him to become a Halfblood. Scrunching that part of her into a selfish pile of thoughts, she steeled her mind. Jake was human. And that was what made him powerful. She peered inside his head and she knew. He would never be like her. She couldn't even begin to convince him otherwise. He didn't want to be like her, and he was determined to remain human. Part of her hated him for it. Then there was Wolfie. Wolfie. The Demon with the counterfeit soul. Alexa regarded her with a stern glare. She knew there was more to this, that there were hundreds of things she hadn't told her. And probably never would.

"Getting out of here's going to be a doozy," said Wolfie. "The Vaskels won't hesitate to raise the alarm once they've realised what's happened. We've got eleven minutes, tops". Alexa glanced at the door, expecting several Vaskelian soldiers to burst in. When they didn't, she remained in a defensive stance.

"Let's go troops. We don't have much time"— Wolfie clutched her head and screamed. The scream was dry and unused, as if she'd never been in pain before. Alexa too doubled over, a stark, blinding pain shattering her vocal chords. She screamed the cry of the wind. For a brief moment, she could hear Jake calling their names, but the pain soon drowned him out. It was easy for Halfbloods to heal their bodies, but their minds? They were much harder to fix. Alexa fell to her knees and was vaguely aware of Wolfie doing the same. Pain, raging, daggering pain until all of a sudden, it vanished.

"Wow. That was fab!" Wolfie stood up, wiping the blood from her nose and mouth. "I haven't been in that much pain since never. It's a lot more fun than I remember. Or don't remember, should I say?" Alexa didn't share her sentiments and stood up silently. Jake rushed over and held her face in his hands.

"Speak to me. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Fine," she heard herself say, but it were as if someone else was controlling her body.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes". He helped her regain her balance.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I do not know". She glanced at Wolfie, whose expression said otherwise.

"What is it?" The Demon actually looked frightened.

"It's too late," she hissed. At first Alexa frowned. Her frowned soon fell. Something in her mind clicked. 

James had lost control.