The journey to Wiltshire starts out as exciting and energizing and everything a person could hope for while flying thousands of feet in the air with nine magically Gifted people. But slowly, after maybe an hour or two, I come to realize that there is literally nothing to do up here. I can't sleep because I'm still pumped full of adrenaline, I can't read because there are no books, and I can't mess around with my phone because I haven't had it since the day Ben asked me out. Eventually we slow down a bit, mostly to conserve energy, and it's quiet enough to talk.

"Margot?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how long it's going to take to get to Stonehenge?"

She thinks for a second. "I'm guessing four hours? About? I don't know. It's different than by plane."

We are silent for a long time. I stare out at the scenery for a bit before asking, "so, I know some about the rest of the clan's past, but not yours." And Joshua, I make a mental note. "How did you two join the clan?"

She looks at me, studying my face like she's sizing me up. Whatever she saw must have been agreeable, because then she says, "do you really want to know?"

I nod eagerly, wanting the full story.

"Okay. Well, the first thing you need to know is that our family's choices don't define us. We aren't bad people. But my sister joined Gabriel's forces in the very beginning. It was a little like Garret's past. We were just out of collage, maybe two years? And Vanessa, my younger sister, she lived just a street away from me, my husband Robert, and our baby Tyler. She was part of Gabriel's group of exclusively Gifted friends. Our family is mostly Shift dominated, including her, so we were raised very old-fashioned in mindset. Vanessa was the extreme of that. She was always a little crazy, ADHD and all that, but when she joined Gabriel he poisoned her mind.

"I remember the day she came back to our house for the first time in nearly a year, ranting about Gabriel and this other man she had been introduced to through him. At first I thought that she was simply in love, but then I noticed her increased scorn of humans, and the subtle hints about her group of friends. So when she asked us to join, I wasn't entirely surprised. I told her that we'd think about it and sent her home. Over the next few months she got more and more persistent, growing less and less composed as she explained the group's aims. I became scared for the safety of my family, so we decided to run away and cut ties with her. That was when Garret approached us with his wife and another man, offering us help and refuge if we decided to oppose Gabriel. We accepted, but you could imagine my surprise when I found out that the mysterious male companion with Garret was the same man Vanessa has claimed to fall in love with."

"Who was he?" I ask.

She turns to face me fully this time, her dark eyes serious and solemn. "His name," she starts, "was Brandon Cross. Your father."

My eyes widen and I gasp. What? My father? Vanessa was in love with my father? But. . .

"What happened to Vanessa?" I ask. "Where is she now?"

"I don't really know much. She knows that I joined Garret, but the thing with Gabriel is that he doesn't dare attack us in full, despite his superior numbers. No, we are a force to be contended with, and we could potentially cripple him and set back his 'progress' a few years. And we know that he might wipe all of us out. So we were at a stalemate until Garret launched the attack last year. That was when my Rob died, along with many good people in this clan. Some of our strongest, too." I sense a flicker of pain in her voice, but she hides it well. "Anyway, Vanessa rose up in Gabriel's ranks too. She's one of the last surviving original members. Some might say that she's his right hand woman. She's like a commander in chief just under him. Although apparently everyone in his troop just calls her 'the General.'"

My blood runs cold. The General. Immediately a sequence of images runs through my head, all memories. The first hotel room. My mom. The bullet. The blood. The wolf. The General was what they called her, the woman who killed my mother. And I can remember that there was a particular reason for it, an explanation as to why she hated her so much. Now I know. She was mad at my mom for marrying my father, the one she as in love with. And that's why Mom was killed.

I clench my free hand into a fist, closing my eyes. I feel like hitting someone. No, just her. The General. Hate builds up in me like a sob in my throat, causing me to grit my teeth.

"The General," I growl. "That was who killed my mother. They all called her that, Ethan and the others. That's what they called her when Mom was shot right in front of me, and when they dragged her away. The carpet was covered in her blood. I remember looking back and seeing it gone, the blood. I guess one of the Mages cleaned it up. It was so weird at the time."

I smile and let out a hysterical giggle. "Compared to what I've seen now, that was nothing! Nothing at all!" I can tell I'm on the verge of going crazy, but I ignore it, my hysterics immediately changing back to rage in a minute.

"She's responsible for me being alone right now. And I hate her for it."

Anne looks over at me, something like understanding in her dark eyes. And that's when it dawns on me. I guess I can relate to how much she hates me, the person she believes is responsible for killing her brother. She hates me like I hate this Vanessa, the General, with the same fiery passion. The only difference is, I wasn't the direct cause of his death, I didn't throw the knife at him. The animated skeleton did, created by Samuel Green. And he's dead. So I'm the next best thing. She directs all her sorrow into anger, and uses me as a punching bag.

"But you're not alone," Margot says, turning away. "You're part of the clan now, one of us."

She looks completely serious, like she's just stating a matter of fact. There's hardly any emotion behind her expression. She just accepts me as a clan member and that's that. The certainty of her belief is almost more reassuring than if she had presented an extravagant display of trust and invitation.

"Thank you," I tell her, but she just shrugs. I guess I'm a part of the clan now.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
They catch us right after we cross into the UK, leaving the English Channel far behind. Joshua just let go of a spell to block and surveillance systems the British Government might have up, when Matthew points out something far in the distance. At first glance It looks like some sort of large bird, but it's almost too big for that even. But we barely have a second to speculate before they're on us. Something slams into Anne from the right, nearly making me lose my grip on her hand. There is a flash of light, a burst of fire, and the sky is filled with the zinging of energy flying through the air.

It's Gabriel's agents.

There are six pairs of them, all masked and dressed in all black. Six Flyers, four Mages, and two Shifts that quickly morph into great birds of prey, one oversized falcon and one Eagle. They attack us from all directions, darting in to land a blow before flying back out as quickly as possible. Because each of our Flyers carry two or more passengers, we are at a distinct disadvantage.

Margot shifts into an eagle without hesitation and I watch her transform in fascination. No one's ever shifted that close to me before. She pushes away from Anne, falling for a second before spreading her wings and taking flight. Tyler changes one of his hands into a bear claw, letting Anne maneuver as he swiped at the Gifted surrounding us. I'm just along for the ride, heavy baggage that does nothing for the team. I feel so useless and afraid, especially up here in the clouds. If my hand slips, I fall. And if I fall, I die. That's all there is to it.

Joshua signals at Anne and she nods, dropping down to Matthew's level. She shouts something I can't hear, and then the older man grabs onto Anne's other wrist, leaving Matthew freer to move about with Chase. I remember him saying something about Anne being the strongest Flyer in the group, so this makes tactical sense, I suppose.

Chase and Matthew work seamlessly as a team, practically one body as they twist and turn through the air. My father weighs them down, I can see, despite his own abilities as a Mage. The brothers' perfect synchronization is thrown off by him, if only a little. Chase is the ultimate Mage, at least for a sixteen, nearly seventeen year old. He fights just as fiercely as Joshua does from my side, their attacks matched in power and ferocity.

I watch all of the fighting in a tense blur of terror, screams echoing around me like the sound of the wind just a few minutes before. The Anderson trio manages to take out two pairs, both Garret and Kara with cat claws extended and bared. I see Kara leap away from her mother with inhuman strength, turning cat into midair and intercepting one of the flying pairs. She lets out a roar and sinks her claws into the flying man's chest. There is a shower of blood and a scream before both Flyer, Mage, and Leopard go tumbling down towards Earth. Morgan makes a dive towards her daughter, resembling a mammoth falcon as she arches through the air. At the very last second she catches her, Kara still half in cat form. She transforms back as they speed off, and I briefly notice that the tips of her bright orange hair are stained red. I feel faintly sick as I watch the two of Gabriel's men spiral away from us, Flyer unconscious and Mage completely helpless.

The brothers and my father seem to be doing just as well as the others, even if their attacks are more indirect. Matthew does all of the maneuvering while the other two hurl spells at their opponents, faces tense with concentration. The beauty of the light show takes me by surprise. Crackling blue lightning and orange fire shoot past bursts of yellow sparks and spheres of white energy in an unadulterated display of power. On my right Joshua joins them in the struggle, mastering amounts of energy disproportionate to his frail body. He does more damage than anyone, taking out twice the numbers that anyone else does.

Even as we twist and jerk through the air I catch glimpses of the others, all battling for their lives. But the clan is clearly winning, even though we were outnumbered. The enemy's numbers slowly thin out until there are only two pairs left. Our victory is inevitable, and they seem to know it, because our last four opponents turn tail and fly away as fast as possible, not even sparing us a second glance. And the battle is over as suddenly as it began, the eleven of us left breathing heavily and covered in blood. I breath a sigh of relief. They're gone. Thank God.

Margot glides over to us, letting Joshua join Chase and the others before Shifting back into a human and settling into her place behind Anne. She nods at me briefly before staring straight ahead once more.

"Is everyone okay?" Garret asks.

I look around at the others. No one seems to be hurt too badly, although the edge of Chase's jacket is blackened and burnt. Quickly I look him over, checking for damage previously unnoticed. He looks fine, but I can feel the alarm in my eyes. And when he looks over, seeing my face and expression, I think he does too.

I blush deeply and immediately look over at my father. I should be only worried about him, bring my dad and all. And I do, I am concerned, but what surprises me is how concerned I am for Chase.

He gives me a small smile and a little nod. Cheeks still flaming, I give him a small wave back. He's okay, I'm okay. We're good.

"Hello, dear sister," someone says.

Suddenly there is a lurch and a bang. I feel myself being thrown forward, my stomach flipping as I gasp. My fingers slip out of Anne's and for one terrible second, I'm completely weightless. I see Chase's face slightly above me, eyes wide with shock, before I'm falling.

Falling

Falling

Falling

The ground becomes the sky and the sky the ground. I am filled with all consuming terror as I fumble around in the air, trying to grasp something, anything, but there's nothing. I'm connected to none, unattached to the ground, miles and miles away from any object or person. I'm so free, I cannot control anything. And I feel as helpless as a baby.

I'm out of control, spinning, thrown about. My stomach is tied into a thousand knots, like I'm being folded up on myself. And yet I feel more alive than I ever have. I've never been so aware of my own mortality before.

I scream as loud as I possibly can, the force of my shout an embodiment of my panic and fear. The wind whips my hair around my face, making my skin sting and smart. My heart's in my throat and my head feels compressed as my ears pop violently. I let out a series of yelps as I spin over and over, unable to even find the sky. Surely I'm almost near the ground now? Then it'll all be over, and I'll be nothing but a memory and a red splatter on a green field. But that's the thing. I don't want to die. I know that now, I've known since the hallucination in the cave. I don't want to die. I don't want to.

But I don't have a choice.

And then something slams into me, knocking the air out of my chest. I gasp in pain, fighting for breath. Strong arms wrap around me, tight and securing. I groan, my shoulders feeling bruised and sore. Someone's head rests in the crook of my neck, breathing heavily.

"H-Haven-" I hear. Chase.

And suddenly my head lurches back, my neck screaming in pain as the whiplash shocks me. My eyes close tightly before snapping open again.

"Chase! Damnit, don't do that! You could have died!" Matthew shouts at his brother, his voice nearly cracking with alarm. Joshua is draped across the tall boy's back, unconscious. I feel a pang of worry for his condition.

"Haven?" Chase asks, eyes only focused on me. "Are you okay?"

I realize that he must've used magic to propel himself down to me, like Nate did to save Anne. Matt must have just caught up with him and saved us. And although Matt has Chase's wrist, making him weightless, the younger boy is the only thing holding me up. He has one arm under my legs and another on my back, taut muscles visible even through his jacket. I gulp and wrap an arm around his shoulders, trying to decrease his burden.

"I'm fine," I rasp, voice hoarse from screaming. "What's going on?"

"It doesn't matter," my father says, eyes ablaze. "All that matters is that you weren't hurt. Is your neck okay? Do you feel dizzy? Do you think she could have gotten a concussion?"

"Dad, I'm fine! Now what happened up there?"

Matt looks up with a concerned expression. It must be exhausting, his worrying all the time. "It was the General, a Mage, and some Flyer. She came out of nowhere. We think she flew in from above. We're assuming she was after her sister, cause she smacked right into Anne. All four of you were separated and started to fall. Anne caught Tyler, we caught you, but Vanessa got Margot. The Mage fired some sort of blast at Joshua, but he couldn't block it in time. And then they flew off. I think Morgan's after them now. . ."

So she wanted to get her sister. She wanted to capture her, I guess. And Joshua's our best Mage. . .

"They'll try to get information out of her, however they can. And they might succeed. Mages have many ways of making people talk-"

"Chase!" Matthew hisses. "Shh!"

"What?" He asks.

"Don't scare her. She's human and she's not used to this. I don't think she'll be able to handle it," I hear Matt say, just barely loud enough for me to hear.

I am about to snap at him, but Chase beats me to it. "She's not seven, she's seventeen. Don't patronize her. We can't just hide the truth from her. It involves her now."

"It doesn't matter," I practically growl. "We either need to help Joshua, or go after Margot and the General."

"It's no use," Morgan calls from above. "We were too late, and that Flyer was too fast."

"Do you mean. . ?" Matt asks.

"Yes," Garret says grimly. "Margot's gone. The General is taking her to Gabriel. It's doubtful that we'll ever see her again."