By the time everything was gathered, it was around two in the morning. We stopped in Anna's apartment at the top of the building. I sat down on the couch and fell asleep almost instantly.

I woke up to Anna's soft voice. "Joel," she sang, sweet as honey. "Joel, handsome, it's time to get up. It's time to start breakfast."

"Five more minutes," I mumbled, rolling over. She pulled the blinds up, spilling bright sunlight into the room, and I squeezed my eyes tighter. "No," I groaned.

"Come on. Get up." She brushed her fingers over my shoulder, and then poked my side teasingly, tickling me.

I jumped with a shriek and nearly kicked her over, falling into the floor with a yelp. She started to laugh, and though I tried to glare at her, her laugh melted my heart and I smiled back.

"Not a morning person?" she said.

"Definitely not." I yawned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, wincing as sharp pain bloomed through my face.

"By the way, your face looks like you smashed it against a brick wall. Okay, enough messing around. Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Let's get started."

Pretty soon, the smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs filled the air. Together, Anna and I cooked a large breakfast, complete with milk and coffee. I wondered how the Unnaturals would act on caffeine, though I shrugged it off soon after the thought came. It wasn't important; just a passing thought.

Once we'd finished, Anna leaned over against me, just slightly, and wrapped her arm around me. "I missed you," she said, looking up at me.

I smiled back, my hand finding its place on her waist. "I missed you, too, Anna."

"Where were you? You never came to visit."

"I'm sorry, I just ..." I hesitated here. I'd just been running away from her. Running away from the inevitable heartbreak. But somehow, I'd made it back to her. Was that some sort of sign?

"Just what?" She stood up on her toes and pulled in close, her lips brushing over mine as she spoke.

I dropped my eyes and started to pull away, and she gently but firmly kept me in place. I wasn't sure if I loved her - not like I thought she loved me. We'd dated for almost a year, but then I'd felt like I had to let her go and stay friends instead of romantic partners. Sometimes, she was just ... a little too excited about the whole love deal.

"Joel, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice so kind, and yet there was something underneath the kindness, something I couldn't quite identify. She was still close enough that our noses were nearly touching. She smelled like coconut.

"I'm sorry, Anna, I ..." I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know how I felt.

"Will this make you feel better?" she murmured, nearly smothering her words with a kiss.

Again, I noticed that behind the gentle concern, there was passion. It wasn't scary or uncomfortable, but it was there. Slowly, she pulled me closer, and though my hands were on her waist and shoulder blade, where she liked them, I didn't hold her any tighter, even as she slowly became more passionate. Her eyes were closed, but I kept mine open. The flutter of guilt settled in my heart, starting to make me uncomfortable, especially as her hands tightened almost in a possessive manner, caressing my neck and the small of my back.

I pulled back a little and she broke to catch a breath, long enough for me to say a few words. "Anna, please," I whispered.

She kissed me again, though it was brief this time. "Yes?" she asked.

"This isn't ... this isn't the right time," I muttered, feeling almost more uncomfortable than I had before. "I'm not ready for this yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean - I don't know, I just ... can't," I said awkwardly.

"Do you love me like you claimed you did?" she asked, more concerned now.

I hesitated a moment too long.

"You don't love me, do you?" she said, her voice low, both saddened and slightly angry.

"No, I just -"

"Just what? You keep saying you just something. What is it?" She brushed my messy hair away from my forehead, as if it had been in front of my eyes. "Joel, if something is wrong, please, tell me."

I released her completely and stepped away. "I wish I could."

She frowned. "It's those Unnaturals, isn't it?"

That was part of it, but I didn't say anything. Mostly, it was just me and my unreasonable feelings. "I don't know," I mumbled.

She watched me carefully for a moment. "Think about it, okay? Think about us. Come on, let's get this down to them. I'm sure they'll like it." There was a note of frustration in her voice, though when I looked at her, she was very careful to hide it in her expression. But the frustration - I'd seen that exact look in someone else. It was somehow familiar, as if she couldn't communicate what she wanted to say. I quickly blinked and shook my head a little, clearing the thought from my mind.

We picked up the trays of food and started downstairs, back to the room where the Unnaturals were staying. I tried to think about it, think about us, but the closer we got, the further the thought fell away, and other thoughts replaced it. I almost couldn't wait to see the expression on Braken's face when he was presented with so much to eat. I hoped he'd love it as much as I did. I wanted to give him everything he'd missed in his seventeen years of life.

Anna knocked on the door with her elbow, and Varien opened it quickly. Immediately, his eyes lit up, the first bright emotion I'd ever seen him show. He didn't say anything as he eagerly ushered us in and ran to get the other two. I put the tray on the table and followed him into the bedroom, and what I saw made my heart melt.

Finally - finally, they were allowed to be close to each other. They were both on their sides, facing each other, and Leo was curled up tightly, nearly pressed up against Braken's chest as the other's arms held him tightly.

Braken was awake already, and turned his head to look at us when we walked in. He smiled at me and then turned back to Leo, shifting to rub his back as he woke up as well. He looked up at Braken with those dark eyes of his. "Hey," he mumbled. "Morning."

Braken sat up, pulling the covers away. I don't know what I was expecting, but thankfully, they still had most of their clothes on. Maybe I'd just seen too many romance movies with Anna in my lifetime. Leo actually didn't have his shirt on, but I didn't blame him. A button up like his wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep in, not if he didn't need it to keep warm during the long cold nights. I noticed that his back and chest now had deep purple marks, where those red ones had been before we'd escaped.

"Good morning, guys," I said.

"Morning," Leo repeated, fumbling to grab his shirt without getting out of bed.

Braken climbed out from under the covers and stood up, adjusting his hoodie strings and then giving me a little wave.

"Sleep well?" I asked.

He nodded enthusiastically, signing something quickly. I tried not to wince at the blackened and burnt parts of his hands, and instead smiled back.

"He did," Leo muttered. "Says the bed is the best thing he's ever felt."

"And you?"

He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "I had another nightmare. I don't sleep much anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry -" I started, but he cut me off.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." He got out of bed and smoothed his shirt down with a sigh, glancing over as Braken made a few more signs with his hands. "He says he can smell something really good. What is it?"

Instantly, my spirits rose again. "Oh, me and Anna made breakfast for you guys. Come on, let's eat."

We left the bedroom, and the second Braken saw the food on the table, he squealed in delight, pointing excitedly.

"It's all for you," I said. The good feeling in my heart spread across my whole body, making me warm and almost tingly. Anna looked up and smiled back, but there was sadness in her eyes. I'd hurt her while upstairs. I needed to apologize, but I didn't want the others to ask questions.

Braken scrambled to the table, but then backed up as he noticed Anna standing there. I urged him on, so he inched forward and snatched a pancake, waiting to see if she moved, and when she didn't, he held it up to me with a huge smile. He was nearly bursting with excitement.

"That's a pancake," I told him, taking it from him and putting in on a plate. I showed him how to eat it, with butter and syrup, and when he put a piece into his mouth, he started to laugh, stuffing more and more inside until I thought he'd choke himself.

Varien ate nearly half of the eggs, and would have eaten all of the bacon, but Anna had to remind him that there were other people in the room who wanted breakfast.

Leo didn't need a reminder. He wouldn't touch the food. He sat with an empty plate, staring at the table with a gloomy expression.

"Aren't you hungry?" I asked him.

"No," he said.

"He hasn't eaten anything since yesterday morning," Varien said through a mouthful.

"Come on, Leo. Eat something."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?" Anna asked.

"I don't like food." Leo kept his eyes down. "It makes me groggy and sluggish and sick."

"Just a little bit?" she said. "Come on, it's good."

Leo glanced at her. "Fine. Just a little bit." He took one pancake and nibbled on it.

Then Braken found the coffee, and my thoughts were shifted. He poured himself a huge cup full, and then took a tiny sip. He recoiled, surprised, and then tried again. Once he got used to it, he downed the whole cup in a single breath. I probably should have attempted to stop him, but I was too busy staring at him to think about the effects of caffeine on someone like him who had never had it before.

We chatted for a while, and I told them how I wanted to take them shopping to get some new clothes, as theirs were pretty worn out. I asked Anna if she wanted to come, but she told me that she wasn't feeling well. Again, Varien refused to come with us, but Leo didn't protest and Braken seemed as excited as ever, though that was probably just the caffeine. He was practically bouncing out of his seat. We'd have to be careful, but they didn't seem to mind too much. It had stopped raining, and when I looked out the window, I saw it was snowing.

Then I remembered that Braken didn't have any shoes. "Anna? Do you think Gus has any shoes that Braken could borrow?" I asked, and Braken immediately looked down at his feet curiously. He was just barely too short to reach the floor, and was swinging his legs childishly instead.

"Probably," she said, quickly standing up. "I'll go ask him. Stay here."

I watched her go, confused at her hurry to get us out of here, but I didn't complain as she came back later with an old pair of sneakers. With my help, Braken put the borrowed shoes on, and even though they were a size or two too big, he seemed to like them a lot.

Once they were done eating, Leo locked himself in the bathroom for about twenty minutes, and then we left. I tried to ask him if something was wrong, but he didn't answer, so I didn't push it.

We were hit by a blast of cold air, and all of us immediately started shivering, though Leo was by far the worst. I think he was shivering before we even left the building. "Do you want to borrow my jacket?" I asked, trying my very best to be a good friend.

He just glanced at me. "No."

Braken looked up at the sky in wonder, and then closed his eyes, letting the snowflakes fall onto his face. His smile seemed to make them melt instantly.

"Come on, Braken," I said as he fell behind. He quickly snapped to attention and ran limping to catch up. His ankle looked better than ever. I wondered if he had some sort of healing power, too. He could destroy others and heal himself. How ironic.

We walked down the street to the department store a few blocks away and eagerly shuffled inside, letting the warmth envelop us. I took them to the clothes section and searched through the shoes first. We tried on a lot of shoes before we found Braken's size, and then a lot more before he found ones he liked at a decent price. Leo was a lot easier, as he just needed a size bigger than he already had, and he had a particular kind in mind.

After that, we went to the shirts and jackets. Leo found a sweater and a short-sleeved purple button up, and then wandered off to go find a coat. Braken put on a long sleeved shirt that was too big, and flapped his arms excitedly, the sleeves flopping around. We found one in his size, and then he nodded in satisfaction and started to walk away.

"Don't you want another one?" I asked.

He shook his head and kept walking, and I had no choice but to follow him.

"What about another hoodie? Yours is pretty worn out." I picked at the hood on his sweatshirt, but he jerked away and rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Sorry, did I -"

"It's his mother's," Leo said behind me.

I turned quickly, startled. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know."

"No one does." Leo held up his two shirts and the thick black jacket he'd picked out. "We done?"

"I want to get some pants for Braken. Want some?"

"I'm fine."

I eyed the rips in his jeans and didn't say anything.

It took us another half hour to find Braken's size in pants, and even then, we couldn't find anything that fit well around his tiny waist, so we got him a belt as well, and then went to go check out. The grand total came to three hundred and twenty seven international credits. It took a decent sized chunk out of Leo's pay, but he said he didn't care. For now, we weren't sure what else to do with the money except save it.

We left the department store and slowly walked back to Anna's place. Braken stared at everything, pointing and asking questions with his hands, too fast for even Leo to keep up with.

"That's a car," Leo said. "You ride in it and it gets you places fast. Those are traffic lights and they make sure when you're riding, everyone can pass each other on the corners easier. There's two rows up there because the cars can hover." At that strange word, Braken frowned. "Yeah, they can fly, sort of," Leo explained. "Those lanes are closed though, see? They're doing construction on that building and need a lot of space."

For the first time, I saw the city through different eyes. Everything was so colorful and bright, the flashing lights of the signs and buildings lit up the otherwise cold and grey metal buildings, and the snow sparkled like diamonds as it fell softly onto the streets. There weren't a lot of people out at this time of day, as most of them were at work, but they all looked different now. They weren't just faces in the crowd. Each one had their own story as unique as mine.

By the time we got back, someone had left us sandwiches on the counter, and no one was home. I assumed Varien was in the training room downstairs, since he'd told me he was going to keep fighting.

Again, Braken was overjoyed with his food, and again, he and I had to convince Leo to eat his sandwich. After lunch, though it was about three, I had an idea. Life seemed almost like it was standing still, now that I knew I couldn't go back to my job, or really anywhere. I wanted to run back to my apartment and see if there was anything left - if the authorities had searched it yet.

I went by myself, humming softly as I went, but my cheerfulness was quickly dampened when I reached the building. I blinked in disbelief, rubbing my eyes as if I was dreaming. But no, it was definitely real.

And it was burnt to the ground.