We walked along the rocks headed back to the dove as Raphael cursed under his breath. "Another fucking hole!" I smiled to myself. He kept stepping on uneven areas along the path, earning him soggy shoes from rain water that had collected a few days prior.

"Keep your eyes open!" I called back to Raphael, hearing him mutter more implicit names for me.

Finn walked ahead of me and Cybele behind. Even in the darkness, the golden haired guardian kept a steady path as I followed in his footsteps, placing my feet where his own had rested. I knew he was smart enough to know the way back, and he hadn't let me down.

We were headed back to Gabrian, and I was saying goodbye to Ultrona for what seemed like forever. None of them would say it, but I knew that I probably wouldn't see my old home for a very long time.

I didn't have a home any longer as I walked into the unknown. Gabrian wasn't really my home; it never felt quite right. East Sector had always been where I felt like I belonged even in the mass chaos that had once plagued us, but I had the Benton Brothers and my family. With them, I was happy, and being around them today only made me realize how much I'd been through with them, how much I'd miss those annoying boys even more than I thought.

I'd grown up with them in my life and they'd been my partners in crime, assisting me when I helped them on raids and missions as we forged a unique bond that I hadn't had with anyone else before. We had a special solidarity among us, a kind of connection that made me feel unbelievably close to each and everyone of them including even Leighton.

He was a dick and a shitty boyfriend, but there was still a bond there that wasn't like a crush. It was still the foundation of a friendship built on the smuggling we'd done and the ways we'd teamed up together to think our way out of the bad situations we'd faced.

I knew he'd had my back every step of the way, and I had an odd feeling that if I were to help them on their raids today, Leighton would still be the guy standing next to me, one that I could trust if the Guard or any other authorities were ready to chase us down.

Even in the bad times, that bond didn't die; once you trusted a man enough to break the law together, you could put your faith in him in more ways than you ever thought. I still trusted Leighton as my fellow thief, even if he'd failed me horribly when we'd taken our relationship a step further.

You could be a good friend while still being the worst boyfriend in the world. While I hated to admit it, Leighton had been my friend, one that was special to me who'd taught me a lot about how to survive street thievery and living with little.

He'd taught me how to scale a fence the fast way and how to use a knife in a fight. I'd learned how to jump onto a moving train from his example and how to climb the rocks by the city with ease. I knew the entire city map like the back of my hand because he'd shown me tricks to know my way around so I'd never be lost.

And he didn't teach me any of these things because he wanted us to be a couple. He helped me because he believed in me and put his faith into us when we pulled through on a new raid. I was a budding street thief, and he took care of me because that's what the Benton Brothers did.

That relationship between us wasn't dead and it couldn't be snuffed out even after what had happened to snap us apart. I'd always believe in Leighton just as he would in me. I was a Benton Brother, a sister not by blood but by our code as an extended family. We'd always be a weird and fucked up family no matter how much we argued or broke off in different directions.

I'd never want to be with Leighton ever again as a girlfriend, but I admired him as a leader and a rebel with a hellfire of courage. Maybe he saw me differently, but I knew he wouldn't forget me either. Family never does.

My family by blood... now that was a different story. Fates, I didn't want to even think about Matilda now, but I couldn't stop the knot from forming in my chest as we edged closer to the dove.

She'd hugged me so tight, just holding me in her arms for a few minutes of silence as tears fell down her cheeks all over again. It was a replica of how we'd embraced on the porch, without her attacking Finn and verbally assaulting Raphael. We'd stood in the kitchen, squeezing the life out of each other while whispering some of our best memories together.

It had been gut wrenching, making me start to sob as I tried to come up with the words that could explain how much she meant to me and how dearly I would love and cherish her always. She'd accepted my calling and was ready to let me go, explaining that she would always support me even if she couldn't be standing there beside me.

Then, she'd given me a gift: a little, silver bracelet with MK engraved on a circular disk hanging off the band. Matilda and Kate. Obviously, she couldn't have afforded to get in custom made, but she found a lady with the initials she needed and saved up enough to buy it secondhand so that way I'd have something to take with me whenever I returned home.

My fingers grazed along the bracelet, smoothing the initials along my fingertips as I took a deep breath. I'd have a little piece of Matilda wherever I went now, and it was a gift I'd never be more grateful for in my life. I loved it with all my heart and had cried even more to my sister about how I didn't have a gift for her in return.

'Seeing you once more is enough. I love you, Kate. Be brave and strong like you always are. Remember what's important and stay true to who you are. You are intelligent, beautiful, and kind, and I'm lucky to call you my sister.'

Her words rung in my head as I clutched my wrist with the bracelet close to my chest, taking a deep breath. I'd lost my focus, stumbling on a rock as I fell forward. My hands shot out, pressing firmly into Finn's lower back.

I felt him tense in surprise as I steadied myself, ripping my hands away from him in the same second that I'd touched him. He looked back over his shoulder to me. "are you alright?"

I nodded fervently as Finn looked forward again and kept walking. I heard Raphael chuckle softly, "karma."

Little bitch...

The path of rocks ended, dying into the tall grass as we proceeded in a line towards the center of the empty field where the invisible dove sat..

"Sun's going down." Raphael commented.

"Thank you for the obvious." I countered in return.

"I will knock you out like a light!" He hissed.

"Raphael!" Finn snapped, "we will be fine! Cut it out with the bickering!" I turned, sticking my tongue out at Raphael which only made his face hard. "You too, Stratton!"

"What? Me too?" I shook my head at Finn's muscular back, which I'd just had a chance to really feel after nearly breaking my ankle. It was very, very strong even just to my fingertips. He was practically an iron wall of pure muscle. The thought made me lick my lips before I mentally smacked myself in the face. Keep it together! Stop looking!

Grass brushed against my knees as we picked up the pace, causing me to hurry to keep up with Finn. We were getting close to where we had relatively landed, Finn nevertheless powering forward even if he couldn't see the dove.

What if we smacked right into it? That would be just fantastic giving myself a concussion by running into an invisible propeller.

But, as we came closer, a certain glow appeared in the air, creating a soft outline of our happy little dove. It was here, and none of us would run into it tonight.

"Load up fast so we can be out of here. We've stayed long enough that they could find us." Finn said over his shoulder as he moved around to where the back of the plane would be. He punched in a code into the side as the dove shuddered. The ramp began to squeal as it descended to the ground.

It hit the dirt with a rumbling thud as the lights inside began to turn on, burning lazily as Finn marched up into the hanger, the glint of the swords on his back dancing under the lanterns. Cybele and Raphael followed just as plainly, but I halted, something tingling in my veins.

Well, that was odd.

I glanced down at my hands, my palms sweaty and clammy as something weighed down on my shoulders and constricted my chest. What was going on? I'd felt this before, and it wasn't my displeasure at flying.

"Kate, get on the dove!" Raphael barked as he was putting away his pack. "It's time to get over your shit!"

Looking around the open hanger, the jitters I felt still wouldn't leave my system, a certain fire burning but not inside of me. It was pressing down on my skin, incredibly close and blazing hot. I glanced over my shoulder, scanning the field and the rocks around us. Whatever it was, it wasn't out there.

"Hey," Cybele came to the top of the ramp, looking down at me with a smile. "You'll see your sister again, Kate. I know you will. She seems like a lovely woman and she cares about you dearly. I can help perhaps set up a way for you to message her once we get back home."

Home... Gabrian wasn't my home.

"Cybele," I shook my head, "I appreciate that greatly, but..." A pulse of energy made my veins begin to glow as I clenched my hands shut, a gasp running through my body as I felt something move. It wasn't me who was moving, but whatever it was, it was going around at an extremely alarming rate.

"Kate? What's wrong?" She asked, "we can't leave. She's having... an episode."

"It's not an episode!" I hissed, "it's something else. I'm trying to listen to what it's telling me."

"What is trying to tell you what?" Raphael asked, stepping beside Cybele.

"My meraki... a fire... I can feel it..." I breathed, the burning on my skin making my fingers begin to shudder. It was closer now as I took in a deep breath. I took a step away from the dove, and then another.

"Kate," Cybele was warning me, but I held up a hand to stop her as the fire was decreasing with each step I took further from the dove.

Then, my meraki dissolved back into my chest as the realization dawned on me, fear pumping into my body as I looked up into Finn's eyes. "Someone else is in the plane."

A ripple ran through the air as they each turned their heads to look to the pilot door. Raphael pulled the knife from his boot as Cybele did the same, Finn removing a sword from his back.

"I felt them moving." I shuddered, feeling goosebumps rise on my skin.

A sudden breeze blew back my hair as an iron fist clamped over my mouth as I tried to scream. The smell of decay was now in the air as I was pulled against a rock hard body.

"I sucked the soul out of the pilot." A deep voice rumbled against my ear, "it's our little secret, isn't it, Kate?" I clawed into the man's wrist as he turned me around to face him, and I about fainted with shock. I was staring into a pair of black eyes, dark veins creeping along his chiseled face, but that wasn't what scared me most.

This creature was an exact replica of Finnigan Shay.