I snagged my staff and left the hospital, directly from the room. Tate hung on as I dropped us directly beside my dad's apartment building. We materialized. The alley was a thin one, with three dumpsters, the fire escape, and several old boxes crowding it.

   There were voices that exploded around us. Tate jumped backwards and lifted his hands, his form lowering into a crouch. I realized what had happened in an instant and groaned. "Shit! I forgot about you guys! Sorry, Tate."

   "Roxie?" The largest boy -- one that I only knew as Chief -- poked his head out from behind the dumpster. The three other boys peered around. "That you?"

   "Yeah, Chief. It's me. Sorry." Chief was the leader of his little gang. He was the oldest, at a whopping fifteen years old. They had been guarding this little alley since they moved into the apartment building next door. They snagged money from passersby, but left locals alone. They also left me alone because I broke Chief's nose when he tried to rob me several years ago.

   "You've been gone for months!" Chief stepped out from behind the dumpster, grinning. "Where ya been?"

   Tate frowned from behind me, his posture tense. "What is an elf clan doing in a city?"

   "Elf?" I looked back at Chief. He wore ratty leather and his old jeans were torn up. Thick, brown hair was down to his chin and a beanie was jammed over his head. Now that I thought about it, all of the boys wore hats. I had never seen their ears. I would have definitely noticed if they were pointed, which I had to guess they were.

   Chief looked at Tate, annoyed. "What's a shifter doing in an alley? Our alley?" Chief glanced back at me, rolling his eyes. "Since when were you a mage, Roxie?"

   "Since five months." I hefted my staff slightly. "You guys are all elves? I never even noticed."

   One of the smaller boys snorted. "Why did you think we call him Chief?"

   My eyes narrowed at his tone. "Dude, I whooped your ass when I was human and I can still whoop it now."

   "Aw, Chief let you punch him!"

   "Wanna bet?"

   "No, not really," muttered Chief. He raised his voice. "You should probably be more careful Linewalking into public places. An Enforcer would be all over you if we weren't elves."

   "Yeah, yeah. Good to see you, but I've got to go up. See you guys later." The staff vanished and I waved. One of the elves spluttered and pointed, jabbering in some foreign tongue, but Chief wacked his head. Tate followed me as I left the alley. He looked over his shoulder, bewildered. 

   "You punched an elf chief?"

   "Well, as far as I was concerned, I was punching a nine-year-old robber."

   Tate shook his head. "I'm a little surprised. More and more elves have been forced out of their homes, but I never thought a whole clan -- even if they are small -- would subject themselves to urban life."

   I stepped into the elevator and jammed the button. The doors closed and it rattled awkwardly as the elevator rose. Tate frowned. "This thing sounds dangerous."

   "You haven't even heard the worst creak in three . . . two . . ." I cocked my head as a screech sounded. Tate winced and the elevator stopped moving, the doors sliding open. I'd been listening to that screech for years. Though his sensitive hearing probably didn't like it that much.

   He followed behind me as I got to my apartment door. I didn't hesitate to knock on it. When no one answered, I banged on the door loudly, gritting my teeth. "Dad, answer the damn door!" 

   Still nothing. I swore and looked down. Dad always kept a door mat out and hid a spare key in the slit he'd cut in the corner. I flipped it up with my foot, wedged open the slit, and no key fell out. "The one time he forgets his key and has to take the spare," I growled, glancing both ways down the hall.

   Lifting my hand to the lock, I covered the mechanism. My palm hid any signs of magic as scarlet dripped from my knuckles into the hole. A couple twists later and it unlocked. Tate grinned slightly. I twisted the knob and entered the apartment, rushing directly for the bedroom and leaving Tate behind.

   I pushed open the bedroom door and flicked on the light. Dad's form was under the covers, and his snoring ceased the moment the light turned on. He woke up with a grunt. "Ack, get those off."

   Relief hit me so hard that I cursed aloud. Dad rubbed an eye. "Roxie?" His voice was rough.

   "Christ, Dad, didn't you hear me knocking?!"

   He slumped onto the bed and groaned. "Watch your language."

   I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Just . . . get up and get dressed, okay?" He was obviously too sleep-addled to realize I was back.

   Sure enough, by the time he had gotten dressed into some pajamas, his brain woke up. He came skidding out of the bedroom, his eyes wide. I was sitting on the couch and munching on Poptarts that I'd found in the pantry. Tate was sitting at the kitchen table awkwardly.

   "Roxie?!"

   "Finally realized I'm home, huh?"

   He pulled me up to wrap his arms around my shoulders. I snorted, hugging him back. His hands fisted in the back of my shirt. "You're okay." 

   "I'm fine. I got out okay, and I've got my staff."

   Dad leaned back to study my face. His eyes narrowed on something on my ear. "You've got a new scar. It was bad enough that you had to get it healed by a witch?"

   Tate audibly snorted and I shot him a glare. Dad looked his way, puzzled. "And who are you?"

   Tate got up and offered his hand. "Tate Leon."

   "Ronald." Dad squinted at his face, not unlike how I had when I first met Tate. "Why did you laugh? And why are you with my daughter?"

   Tate glanced at me. I sighed. "He laughed because you think that I only got my ear nicked while in the Ghost Realm. We met there and helped each other out. I'm helping him get his parents to safety, just like you."

   Dad looked back at me. His brain was running to try and keep up with me. "Safety? What's wrong?"

   Tate's head snapped to the side and his mouth opened, but he was too late. A familiar shape stepped up to knock on the door. Chief froze, seeing it was wide open. He saw me inside, hesitated, and knocked on the frame. I blinked, puzzled. Had he been trying to find me? I hadn't been aware that he knew where I lived within the building.

   "Yes, Chief?"

   "Erm, can I come in?"

   Dad frowned. "Aren't you the neighbor's kid?"

   "Yes, Chief. Come in and close the door," I butted in, noticing the paleness of his cheeks.

   Chief immediately stepped inside and shut the door. He pulled off his beanie and Dad's back stiffened. Pale, pointed ears peeked out from his hair. The tips had some sort of foreign language tattooed on them. Chief grimaced. "You need to get out of here."

   I shared looks with Tate. "Why?"

   "We've been seeing some people circle the building for a few days. I just now sent someone to eavesdrop. They're after your dad. Something about 'being the bait'." Chief's face turned stern. "I've got my clan guarding the door, but they're probably going to be here any minute. We're only kids, we can't handle adult magicks."

   I grunted. "That didn't take long. I'll get him out of here." 

   Tate looked down at the floor and his expression turned to alarm. "Someone just shifted forms. I have no idea to what, but someone is preparing for a fight. I can hear a heartbeat getting faster."

   They're coming. Oh, crap. Dani won't be far. I can't catch a break. "Shit!" I snapped my hand out and caught my staff. Red automatically wreathed my arms in sharp ribbons. "Get your friends out of there, Chief! They'll kill you. We're leaving and as far as you know, I fled. Okay?"

   "But my friends can delay them--"

   "You won't delay them but for a second, trust me." I grabbed my dad's wrist. Tate caught his arm as my dad spluttered. Without giving him a chance to break free, I yanked us into the nex line.