J-Star:

The house and the address Devon gave me were unassuming.

I looked at the one-story painted blue house, breathing in to calm my nerves. What would be waiting for me in there? There was a chance there was no family in there at all and just a trap.

I could activate my cloak and approach the door looking like a crowd of girl scouts and then- and then what? If this wasn't a family familiar with the societies how would I explain my absurd device? I would wear it either way but I couldn't call it a "toy" if someone actually saw what it could do. I hadn't been given the go-ahead to show these people the truth behind the veil, just protect them.

Course how exactly was I going to get them to trust that a fourteen-year-old girl really was qualified to protect anyone?

I activated my device, using a technique I had developed not long ago, cloaking my real body and having the image of it moving just a meter ahead. If someone threw a grenade I was dead, but a gun would be useless. Anyone just looking at me wouldn't notice the delay between when my image touched something and when a sound was emitted, at least not immediately.

When I knocked, it probably looked off as the after image kept moving in dis-union, but only if you knew precisely what to be looking for.

Should I have looked like someone older when someone answered? No, that would be absurd,  could spam illusions in short bursts, but to constantly look like a single thing I would have to dump power into the device perpetually. It ran off energy stored from my body, but that wasn't infinite even if it did regenerate fast. The device, if overtaxed, could take directly from my body- but then I couldn't use my powers in combat and the device would only work intermittently then.

A red-haired woman opened the door, looking down at a dark-haired, freckle-faced, fourteen-year-old girl.

I waved. "So... your husband sent me..." I said with a cringe. What did she know anyway?

The woman folded her arms. "Seriously?" she asked. "He gets involved with what he seems to be saying is the mob and he thinks a little girl is going to protect us?"

Welp- in for a penny in for a dollar. Looked like it was time to turn on my assertive side. My face changed instantly to a stone-cold scowl and I began. "Yep, I'm the one he sent, now get out of the doorway you're presenting a target." She gave me a sideways stare, to which I simply pushed the door open despite her still holding it and pushed past her into her living room, looking around. "Get in here!" I demanded. She moved from the door with a jolt. I noted two couches and an old TV. There was a hall across from me and a kitchen on my left. I turned back to the woman. "Where are the kids? The basement or attic?"

"I mean- in their rooms I-"

"Well, then we know who the amateur is here. Let me guess, open windows sleeping in their beds?"

"I-"

"You're facing down a criminal organization and you're in a fixed location. Can we at least get your loved ones out of easy snipping territory?"

"I guess I'll go get them up and-"

"How old are they?" I demanded. I wasn't here for pleasantries.

"Kevin is ten and Tori is seven."

"Did I ask for names? Guess I do need them. Fine," I said curtly. "Tori answers to Kevin."

"She won't like that-"

"I look like I care?" I asked giving her a blank stare.

"I um... you know what you're doing?"

I just folded my arms. "Basement. Now."

"I'll get them and-"

"No, I will get them. You. Basement. Now."

"You don't know which rooms are theirs."

"I can figure out a three-bedroom house if it's not booby-trapped. Go."

"The basement is in the closet here," she said, heading for a closet down the hall.

I stormed down the hall after her. I threw the first door open- bathroom. The door next to it- master bedroom. I turned and grabbed the next door handle- locked.

"Kevin likes his privacy I'll-"

I pulled out a paperclip and popped the lock quickly.

"Mom I-" came a young voice as I barged in. I saw a boy not much smaller than me as he turned to the door from a book. "Who are you?"

"In charge," I said. I grabbed his arm and pulled him along. I pushed him into the hall in his pajamas. "Go with your mom."

Kevin went quickly to the woman, giving me a scowl. "You're going to scare them like this young lady."

"I'm not here to comfort them, I'm here to protect their lives. I'm not a house pet, I'm a guard dog." I said as I entered the next room and picked up the now angry seven-year-old girl and pratically handed her to her mom. "Get in the basement. I'm going to send down clothes for them."

"They're already in their pajamas I don't see-"

"Yeah, that's the problem. I tell you guys to get out of the house I need you to get up and go, not waste time changing." I looked at the little girl as she tightly gripped her mother, looking more and more scared of me.

Despite how I was sure I seemed to be taking to all this, I didn't find it fun. Being demanding was natural for me, but I had spent enough time with Jessica to have a softer side for sure. I wanted kids in particular, after all this time, to like me.

"Well, their pants are-" the mother began but I waved a hand to cut her off.

"I can figure that out too. The girl has pants or just dresses?"

"She likes dresses," the mother said with a cringe as she opened the basement door and started ushering her children down. "Even I can tell how that might be a problem."

I looked at the woman too. "You like them too I see. I'll throw down a pair of trousers from your husband's dresser."

"His pants are-"

"I'm going to tear through your things and the place is going to be a mess. It will look like you all left in an evil hurry. Hopefully, someone will buy that. If not, and you hear fighting, say nothing, do nothing, and don't leave until you hear me yell to run- at which point, whatever you or the kids are doing, grab them and run."

The woman paused, turning to look at me. "Level with me- who has my husband gotten involved with?"

"Sorry for being so forward, but the fact is, we might not have much time. Please do what I say. On who these people are... my friends and I haven't stopped moving in years and this is the first time I've been alone in just as long. They'll be here soon- don't ask where they are, family problems." I gave a small grunt. "Point is, this is a human trafficking organization that preys on children. They get in here they'll just as well kill you all or shoot you and take the kids. These people have been around for decades and my family and I are moving to take them down. They're big, they're pissed, they're dangerous. Do what I say and I'll protect you."

The woman looked uncomfortable. "So if... one of them has to go to the bathroom?"

"I'll be up here planning things out. But you can take them straight in and out to relieve themselves if you need. But don't go exploring, I'm probably gonna booby trap the place."

"But if you yell for us to leave... which way won't be trapped?"

"I'll figure that part out in a bit."

"How do I know you're one of the good guys?"

"If I weren't, you'd probably be dead or tied up in the back of a truck. Not like these people would need to do much to take on a woman and two kids... you have a gun in the house?"

"The children haven't really been taught to respect it..."

"Today that's not your biggest concern."

(***)

Two hours passed. I had tossed down pants to the family. For the girl I had dropped down a pair of her brother's shorts and a belt- it would have to do. The rooms were torn apart and I had actually dropped a massive number of clothes and suitcases into the basement, both so if they had to run they had supplies, and so the missing supplies would add to the illusion that this house had been abandoned.

"My family" still hadn't arrived. I knew what was happening, or had an idea anyway. When she returned, Jessica and I would have words. Really I was more worried to think about what could happen to the group, especially my Xao, while I was away, not just angry at Jessie. I couldn't cloak them or distract for or hide them. I had kept them safe in so many encounters and now- I must have been hours away on foot with no way to know what was happening with them.

"Jess...." I said with a sigh. "They better be okay..." I bit my lip. "Girl, you better be okay."

I settled down, sitting behind the door to the master bedroom. No one would have been able to see me, I wasn't in front of where the family actually was and if someone entered that house, I would see them down the hall.

I had been doing so much and I was getting so tired. I wanted to rotate the watch but- with whom? The oldest child? The woman who knew so little of what was going on?

I sat there and unsheathed my sword. I held it out, twisting it around as I looked at it. This was sure to be boring.

Hours past.

I heard a rustle at the front door. Licking my lips I slowly got up. Should I stay in the hall or go into the living room? The living room was bigger- more room to fight and my projections worked best in an open space. In a narrow hall, someone could just fire blindly and hit me even if they didn't know where I was specifically.

I moved into the living room.

I looked at the large window next to the front door- as it exploded. The force that tore through hit my shoulder forcing me into a spin. I steadied myself just as the door was blasted off its hinges, that blast thankfully stopped at dropping the door and not knocking me off my feet.

My projections were all over the place by now, giant insects and strange mutations of body parts all over the room, the inside of the house itself changing- or at least it would look like such.

I watched as Tyrin climbed up through the broken window. I shot forward, my sword drawn, the man blind to where I was. My blade stopped before I could hit him, Tyrin not even bothering to look around the room. He stooped down to the ground, which currently looked like a mass of slimy crawling ants. I slammed my sword into the air over and over, that damned shield stopping me from hitting him.

HE WAS RIGHT THERE! I could stop the monster- end the nightmare... which would give out first, his shield or my illusions?

Tyrin suddenly dodged right, just dodging, not dodging anything in particular. As he did so he swung his hand and- I felt something bounce off my body.

It was the broken glass from the window. I realized his plan just seconds before a force hit me in the chest, throwing me back. After that, everything went black.