Sora didn't know where she was headed, she was wandering aimlessly in the rain. The rain drops splashed down around her thick and wet, making her clothes damp and heavy. She didn't even bother to bring an umbrella when she ran out of her home. After relating everything that had happened and what she planned to do to her grandfather, Sora's head felt as if it was going to explode. She needed to escape. She half expected for her grandfather to stop her, but perhaps he could see the determination etched across her face. He said nothing as Sora walked out of the house.

Part of her wanted to go to the Harrisons' house and stop them from leaving just by pure force of will, but she knew that was impossible. Instead she walked circles in the rain, contemplating her next move. "I need reinforcements," she told herself while heading towards Katie's house and at the same time texting Mo.

The rain was making her phone screen blurry. Or was it the tears smearing her vision? An unfortunate step into a puddle brought her back to reality. Sora was thankful that she was wearing her biker boots from last night. She shook her leg to remove the excess water and mud, while at the same time she shook her head, hoping to clear her mind. After a few moments, she resumed walking and texting.

She was a block away from Katie's house and had just pressed SEND, when she collided with something hard and solid. Did I run into a wall? she thought right before she landed on her butt, making a big, dramatic splash. She immediately felt the cold water seeping through her jeans and swore loudly.

"That's a big mouth for such a little girl," she heard someone saying, and then someone else started laughing.

She was barely a little girl, being almost 5'10'' and the tallest girl in her whole school, but when she looked up to find a huge stranger standing over her, she immediately felt small. He was a mountain. And from her spot, sitting on the wet sidewalk, he seemed even bigger, as he towered over her. He looked dangerous.

A delicate hand appeared in front of her face and she grabbed it, rising from the dirty ground back to her feet. "Thanks," she muttered and kept her eyes down.

"Are you okay?" the other guy asked and his tone had a hint of amusement along with sincere concern.

Sora looked up to meet his eyes and felt her jaw drop. "Wow," she breathed, and hoped he hadn't noticed her shock, but by the lopsided smile he now had on his perfectly shaped face, she was sure he did.

The guy that had helped her to her feet was shorter than the first one, but still on the tall side, with broad shoulders and strong muscles that made his black shirt stretch in all the right places. His face was, simply put, beautiful. With perfect lips, a light stubble across his jaw, straight nose, and messy light brown hair. By far, his most amazing feature were his steel grey eyes, that were currently staring down at Sora playfully.

Wow, she said inside her mind this time. The guy looked a lot like a model. She couldn't tear her eyes off from him.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," she heard the huge guy saying, and she knew she was staring. She ripped her eyes off model-guy, and realized that he was still holding her hand. There were no actual sparks, like with Drake, but she was suddenly all too aware of his warmth radiating along her palm. She snatched her hand back, and peered cautiously at the huge guy, who was staring down at her with a broad smile on his face.

"It happens all the time," he commented and shrugged. He appeared to be older than the other guy. While the first one seemed to be in his early twenties, he looked like he was in his late twenties even thirty.

"Sorry," Sora muttered and then turned to leave, but model-guy blocked her way.

"Are you sure you're not hurt? Duke can be very thick sometimes." He motioned toward the other guy. "Literally," he added, still smiling while running his eyes over her, checking to see if she was okay.

She nodded, unable to find any words. He's just so damn breath-taking, she thought and then immediately felt her cheeks getting warmer. She was glad for the cold rain falling on her face. That's when she realized that the two guys in front of her weren't holding any umbrellas either, but they were perfectly dry. Odd, she commented in her mind. She watched as the drops of rain fell on them and then mysteriously evaporated once they contacted their skin. Extremely odd.

"Crap," she said, and this time she knew she had spoken aloud because the look on both the strangers' faces changed.

The huge guy, who she noted had the exact same hair color as her and big black eyes, gave her a frown. "Are you actually hurt?" he asked with real concern in his voice. He placed his hand over her arm. Sora tried to pull away, and in doing so, her bare skin brushed against his.

Static electricity surged up from the tip of her fingers running the length of her entire arm. Duke's eyes widened in shock and confusion and his companion leaned in to see what was going on. That was all the distraction she needed. Without any hesitation, Sora turned and started running as fast as she could back the way she had come.

When Sora reached her house, she didn't stop, instead she headed towards the Harrisons' house. She could hear the heavy footsteps slapping the wet pavement behind her. Why are other Collectors here? she wondered as she avoided the front door and instead headed to the side of the house, where Mo told her Drake's room was located.

Surprisingly, Sora found Drake's bedroom window quite easily, considering the amount of stress she was under. She began to frantically knock on the glass. It seemed like hours until the window slipped open and two strong hands dragged her through the dark square. Instead of coming face to face with Drake as she expected, she was staring into Ben's deep blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked once he let her go.

"Me? What are you doing here?" Sora noted that he was wearing clothes that actually fit him, she also noticed a big duffel bag resting on the bed.

"You're actually doing this? You are leaving with them?" she asked as she tried to keep the worry and sadness out of her voice. She refused to feel sorry for that big Neanderthal.

He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "What else is there?" he said, tiredly slouching down onto the bed next to his bag. In an effort to avoid her gaze, Ben rummaged through the duffel until he finally brought out a hoodie which he tossed to her. She caught it in the air and looked at it confused. "You look like shit," he responded with a quirky smile before flopping onto his back.

"Jerk," she muttered but she knew he was right. Sora took last night's bedraggled leather jacket off and then pulled his hoodie over her long Nirvana shirt. "Thanks," she said, and she realized it was the first time she had thanked him for anything in her entire life.

He was still lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, his hand resting on top of his stomach. "Do you know what the pack is like?" he asked. For a moment he looked like a little boy whose parents were shipping him off to boarding school. In that moment, she did feel sorry for him. Even Ben didn't deserve to have all his choices and his future snatched away. He didn't ask to be a dragon.

"Crap!" she yelled remembering the reason she had come here in the first place. Ben bolted up and eyed her like she was crazy. "Where's Drake?" she asked and walked toward the door, afraid to actually open it. What would she possibly say to the Harrisons if they found her there?

Ben shrugged. "I don't know," he said calmly like he could care less.

"Go find him," Sora instructed him. When he didn't move, she slapped the back of his head. "Now! There are more Collectors in town." Ben raised his palm in an effort to hit her back, but once her words registered his eyes widened in fear. He jumped up and went to find Drake, or at least Sora hoped that was what he was doing.

A minute went by and Sora kept pacing nervously, playing with the hem of her huge borrowed hoodie when Drake darted into the room. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

She felt the urge to run into his arms, but she managed to keep her feet firmly planted. "There are other Collectors in town," she said. "Is that normal? Do you guys work together?" she asked. The answer was immediately apparent from Drake's look.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked slipping back into the room.

"Yes, I am sure," she yelled at him and then turned to Drake. "I touched another Senser. I immediately ran here, and I think they might have followed me." She whirled around and peered out the dark window she'd used to climb into the room. "Now that I think about it, maybe running here wasn't such a good idea after all."

Drake quickly joined her, resting a hand on her shoulder to calm her. It didn't work. She was still shaking and she couldn't keep still for a single moment. "Why are they here?" she asked shrugging away from him.

He turned and stared at Ben. "They must be from another pack. The fire he created last night packed enough heat and power that other packs likely took notice," he explained looking back at her.

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. She didn't know what to think, let alone say.

Drake stepped closer to Ben, gently grabbing his arm. "We need to get out of here."

"No," Sora exclaimed and both boys spun around in surprise.

"What's going on here?" Drake's mom appeared in the doorway. When she saw Sora her eyes turned cold. "What is she doing here?" she asked her son.

Drake opened his mouth to answer but Sora cut him off. "There are other Collectors in town. I just saw them," she said.

Patricia was right in Sora's face. "And how would you know what they are?" she asked. Sora bit her lip but before she could answer a scream tore through the night. Katie and Mo were outside the window screaming her name.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" asked Katie.

"I got your message, and when I went over to Katie's she said you never showed up so we started searching for you," Mo explained while making his way into the room. He had no trouble sliding through the window, it was apparent he had done it before. He planted his feet and turned to help Katie.

When all six of them where standing facing each other, Drake started explaining. "There are more dragons in town. Collectors," he said. "You need to get father and then we should go," Drake addressed his mother. She agreed and headed out of the room, but before she left, she turned and shot Sora a cold, calculating look.

"You can't go," Sora said once Patricia left.

Drake appraised her with sadness and some relief in his eyes. "There is no other way," he said softly. Sora felt a shiver quiver her spine. She didn't know if it was due to the wet clothes she was still wearing or the sound of his voice.

"But you don't want to go," she said with more resolve than she thought possible. She kept on speaking because she knew it might be her last chance to voice her thoughts. "I can see it every time you talk about finding new dragons and bringing them into the pack. You know you are taking away their choices, their free will, and you don't want to keep on doing that. I am proof of that. You found me, a Dragoncaller, yet you let me live," she said and the room was silent for a moment, all eyes on her.

Drake gave her a brief smile that she would have missed if she hadn't been watching him closely. "I could never kill you," he said, moving closer. He glanced down at his hands and then right into her eyes. "I thought about it." That earned him a gasp from Katie and Mo moved in protectively. "But I could never do it," Drake added finally, and he was now standing so close to her that their bodies were almost touching.

She didn't know what to say. Drake was voicing all her thoughts. She was right about him all along. He never wanted to be a Collector, he was forced to do it because of who he was. She brushed her hand gently across his cheek, surprising Drake as well as herself with her boldness. A familiar spark of electricity ran through her palm, she knew she would miss that feeling. It made her feel alive. "You don't have to do it. You can leave. Run away." With me, she wanted to add but stopped herself. She still hoped that somehow there was a way he could free himself from this life he didn't want and find his own destiny.

"I can always run and hide, but that's no life," he said with a sad smile that tore through her heart. He stepped away from her, and when he did reality came crashing back. They were still standing in the middle of his bedroom with everyone staring.

"I don't mind running away," Ben's voice broke the silence. His words caused everyone to eye him with confusion. He seemed uncomfortable for a moment, but then he leaned against the door frame, crossing his hands over his chest with his usual cocky smile plastered on his face. "I don't want to be bossed around by anyone. I want to do whatever I want, and if that means I have to run and hide for a few months in order for those freaks to leave me alone, I am in."

Sora couldn't help but smile. She knew he was probably scared out of his mind, but his words were more than enough to light a beacon of hope in her soul. "He's right," Katie agreed. "Not about the freak part, of course." She gave a shy glance at Drake and Sora awarded her with a big smile.

"We can all help," added Mo and they all nodded in agreement while they waited for Drake to weigh in.

He turned and gave each one of them a quick look before his eyes rested on Sora. Then a big, sure, steady smile lit up his face and his eyes flared with excitement and hope. The sorrow and guilt was no longer there.