I immediately whirled around and nearly fell backwards down the stairs. "Anna!" I yelped. "Um, I'm just - I ... sorry, but - I have to go. Now. Yeah. Sorry."

She took my hand and frowned, her face so concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what's going on, but I think you have something to do with it. I have to go, I'm sorry." I pulled my hand back and reached for the handrail.

She just sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I knew those Unnaturals would cause more trouble than they're worth."

"You led them here, didn't you?" I asked softly. She didn't answer. "They told you where I was hiding. They tracked us back here. You're working with them, aren't you?"

"I'm doing it to save you, Joel," she murmured, stepping closer and wrapping her hand around my waist. "Why don't you just leave them? Stay with me. They said they'd leave you alone if I gave them the other two. We could live here together, perfectly safe, and you wouldn't have to worry anymore."

"Anna ..." I didn't know whether to be angry or sad or afraid. She cared about me a little too much, it seemed. She was willing to hurt others to save me.

"Please, I can't lose you again," she begged, looking up at me, and when I met her eyes, I was caught in a stare I couldn't break.

There was something so familiar about them, though I couldn't figure out what it was. They were definitely the eyes of a killer. I could see that clearly, but behind that, there was caring, and even a little love. And yet ... I couldn't trust her. Even though I'd known her for years, I couldn't trust her. I never could, not really. I pretended I did, but it wasn't the same.

"Joel, what's going on?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "You've got this look in your eyes."

I was close to the truth. I could feel it. She wouldn't tell me. Braken wouldn't tell me. And I wasn't smart enough to figure it out. I stayed locked in her gaze for a long moment, and then suddenly, it clicked. It wasn't just her eyes. It was her whole face. Yes, I could see it now. There was this glint in her deep blue eyes, the same glint I'd seen in Braken's - a permanent one. And her face shape, her nose and her chin, the way her cheek bones lifted when she smiled; it was all so familiar, because I'd seen it before in another person.

She must've seen the recognition in my face, because she stepped back and frowned. "What's going on? You're scaring me."

"I'm scaring you?" I said, resisting the urge to laugh. I knew I needed to leave and catch up with Leo and Braken, but I had to know the truth. I knew Braken didn't know the whole story. Anna did. "You're related to Braken, aren't you? Somehow, I don't know, but you're family."

Instantly, her shoulders tensed up and she switched from concerned to suspicious. "How did you know?" she asked, her voice low.

"You guys have similar facial features," I said, my hand tightening on the rail. "And you have the same eyes."

"You've spent too much time around them." She was starting to get angry now. I could hear it in her voice. She was angry and hurt.

"You're related," I repeated. "How?"

"My mother was taken away when I was six years old," she said softly. "I remember her almost perfectly, and Dad would tell me stories about her all the time. We heard she'd been taken to the games, and I couldn't understand why Dad was so worried until I learned what being pregnant actually meant. As a child, I hadn't really understood, especially since she was gone so often ... He said I was supposed to have a baby brother. When he ... when Braken survived and Mom didn't, Dad became angry. He said he'd never let any Unnatural hurt us ever again, even his own son. Even my own cursed brother."

"Aren't you happy you found him?" I breathed, barely able to get my voice out.

She laughed a little. "No, of course not. He's a murderer, and he's been a murderer for his entire life. There's no relationship between us. We've never met before this. He doesn't even know we're family."

"I think he does," I whispered.

"I hate him and every other Unnatural in the world. They're murderers and only destroy lives. That's all they want. They want to control the world. If we don't take care of them now, teach them that they are nothing, what's going to stop them from rising up and killing us all?"

"We're only making it worse," I said, backing up. "I've seen them. They're all innocent. We're the murderers, not them."

"How can you believe that, Joel?" she cried, throwing her hands in the air, and I backed up again, carefully stepping down the first stair. "Haven't you read all of those reports, all of the news stories, telling how an Unnatural killed a dozen people in a train station, one caused a flood that killed four people, the ones over in Europe - you're from Europe, Joel! They're the ones who started the war! They did it because they never took care of them! They let the Unnaturals believe that they're better than everyone else! How can you not see that?"

"Anna, that's just like saying every white person is racist, or every -"

"Listen to me!" she shrieked.

"No, you listen -"

"Please, Joel! I can't -"

"What you're saying is not true, and it's destructive!" I shouted, and she cut off with tears in her eyes. "I've seen it. It ruins more lives than it saves." I flinched as I heard a crash and a scream from downstairs. "I hope you understand that someday. I have to go, I'm sorry." I turned to run, but she grabbed me.

"Please, Joel, stay with me," she begged, cupping my face in her hands. I started to turn again, but she tipped forward and kissed me again, short and sweet, full of heartbreak.

"I'm sorry," I whispered when we parted, and then I turned and ran.

...

The crash I'd heard was a lamp shattering when the Refs burst in. I quickly ducked behind an open door once I reached the bottom to avoid being seen. I couldn't see Leo or Braken, and I could only hope they'd gotten out already. I crept around the back and quietly opened the back door, glancing over my shoulder. I heard the Refs yelling orders, throwing people around, but nobody told them anything. Suddenly, I grew a deeper respect for these castaways. They weren't Unnaturals, but they knew what it was like to be on the run, to be hated.

I slipped out the door and shut it behind me, squeezing my eyes shut as I was hit with a blast of cold air. I pulled my blanket tighter, wishing I'd gotten my jacket from Anna before I'd left. I could hear the police sirens on the side of the building, where the door was, so I inched around the building, whispering for Leo and Braken.

"Joel?" someone whispered a few minutes later, his shaking voice coming from a mass of shadow behind a heap of snow and trash.

"Leo, you there?"

"Y-yeah." The lump of darkness shifted, and two pairs of frightened eyes almost seemed to glow as they looked up at me. "Wh-what are we gonna d-do?"

"We'll figure something out," I said, holding my hand out.

Leo took it and climbed to his feet, helping Braken up next to him and then hugging himself tightly. His jacket already had a layer of frost on it, and I could see our breath fog up in a big cloud when we exhaled. Braken was shivering violently, his teeth literally chattering.

"Come on," I whispered. "We have to get out of here before they find us."

We took a few shaking steps, staggering a little, and then fell into a rhythm and moved more quickly. We left the safety and snow of the alley and joined the thinning flow of the city, keeping our heads ducked as we rushed down the street. We needed a place to sleep so we could figure things out in the morning, but with the authorities after all three of us, our options were extremely limited.

Braken tapped my arm quickly and pointed behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and cursed under my breath. They were coming after us. "Faster. They're catching up."

I put my half of my blanket over Braken's shoulders and pushed him along a little faster. He stumbled and nearly fell, but Leo grabbed his arm to keep him upright. I knew I was pushing him, but if we stayed at our current pace, they'd catch us and he'd be in a far worse position.

"I can't -" Leo whispered, and I glanced over to see him stumble, his face deathly pale.

"Can't what?" I asked.

"I'm sorry ..." he breathed as he collapsed on the street.

"Leo, are you okay?" I asked quickly, stopping to help him stand back up. He swayed on his feet, his eyes unfocused. "I want to help you. Please, tell me."

"I'm f-fine." He ducked his head and closed his shoulders off.

"You're not fine. You can't walk," I said, wrapping my arm under his. "What's wrong?"

"I - I'm just-st tired." He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "C-can't sleep."

"We need to rest somewhere." I looked around, glancing behind us again. They were slowly gaining. I spotted a big building across the street with lights and decorations for Christmas in a few weeks. There was a big sign on the top that said "Nutcracker" on it in glowing letters. I thought maybe we could hide in there. There were a bunch of people in there, milling around in the lobby. No one would notice us. "Over there," I said, leading them to a crosswalk.

Braken watched with wide eyes as the traffic stopped for a red light, and then the group of people shuffled forward. He was hesitant to cross the street, but I gave him a shove, growing desperate, and he stumbled into step with the rest of us. I had to practically carry Leo, and we almost fell behind, but we managed to reach the other side before the Refs following us could get to the crosswalk. The light turned green and they were forced to stop, but they jumped into their cars and hovercrafts and left us for a split second. They thought we were going to stay on the street. Just for a moment, we had a little cover.

We ducked into the building just in time to see everyone filing into some sort of auditorium, and so we followed them quickly. Leo was struggling to put one foot in front of the other, but finally, I dragged him to a row of seats in the back, where it looked like nobody else was sitting. We sat down, struggling to calm our racing nerves, and then the lights dimmed, went out, and Leo let out a nervous gasp.

"You're okay," I murmured. "Nothing's going to hurt you here."

"How do you know?" he breathed back.

The curtain went up and a few people came onstage, and suddenly, I knew where we were.

A ballet.

Of all the places, why did I have to take us here? They'll never find us here, I told myself. We have good cover.

It looked like they'd just finished intermission, so we only had half a show to sit through. I think I fell asleep, though I'm not sure. It all looked the same to me. Some costumed group of girls and a guy would come out, do some jumps and spins and walk on their toes, then they'd run off, and everything would repeat. I couldn't tell if there was even a story or not.

Braken was mesmerized. I glanced over at him some time during the show to see his wide eyes sparkling with excitement, and smiled slightly. Somehow, it wasn't surprising that he found it interesting. He tapped my arm a few minutes later and lightly traced a few words on my wrist. WANT ONE. CAN I?

"Can you what?" I whispered.

He pointed at the stage, where a group of dancers were doing their thing, and whenever they'd spin, their dresses would fan out. He pointed a little harder and then repeated the last two words. Can I?

"I don't understand," I said.

Braken sighed and turned to Leo, signing something quickly.

"Have what?" he asked tiredly, and the lady in front of us turned around and told us to be quiet.

Braken pointed forcefully at the stage, and then brushed his hands over his pants and spun his hands in a circle. I started to understand, but I only grew more confused. "You want one of those? A twirly skirt?"

He nodded excitedly and gave me a hopeful grin.

"No," Leo said. "You can't have one." Braken frowned and asked why not, and Leo sighed. "Because they're for girls. You can't have one."

Braken leaned back in his chair, disappointed, and then jerked forward as he brushed his back against the seat. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. In my opinion, skirts and dresses were for girls, and yet he looked so excited about one that I thought maybe it'd be okay just once. Just for him.