A nervous breath ripped through her as she stared at her surroundings. She knew she shouldn't be there, knew she was risking everything, but how could she just let him go? A monster or not, he was still her son, and she could never let him die.

"Umm, excuse me, but I'm looking for....no, I know that Alex's case has been closed." Her voice rambled on, a one-sided conversation that rattled her bones. How on earth could she explain that her other son was missing too?

"I need to talk to you about Maddox. I think he might be in danger." She shivered in her boots at the response, hearing every nasty blow to her career as she spoke. It's too much to handle, to watch her whole life crumble with her family. She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

"Thank you for listening, officer." Her heart pounded with fear. "You see, it's been no secret Maddox had trouble adjusting to his brother's disappearance. He's been very...different the past two years, but my husband and I didn't realize how bad it was until a couple of weeks ago. He had an...outburst of sorts." She stumbled across the phrase, knowing that a fiery explosion wouldn't work for an explanation.

"Yes sir, I know the grieving process affects everyone differently, but my husband and I were still concerned. He needed help. We researched some of the best grief counseling in the states and came across a boarding school. They were very highly regarded and specialized in...helping kids in difficult situations."

The lie burned her throat, each word heavy with guilt. But she had kept the secret too long to tell them about Alex's fire now. Hesitantly, she forced herself to continue.

"My husband and I toured the school. We met the principal and researched it, and...yes sir. We did decide to send Maddox there. The principal himself came to pick him up a few weeks ago."

"...well, officer, that's the problem. Maddox won't pick up his phone. I've tried contacting the school, but no one will answer. I'm...terrified. Somethings wrong, and with Alex already gone...what if Maddox is another victim?"

"I...I heard her." Maddox breathed gently as he opened his eyes, too bewildered to speak any louder. "I think I heard my mom's voice."

"What did she say?" Just as before, Kadri's voice hit a note of childish excitement, wrapped around the idea as if it were candy. Maddox squinted, trying desperately to pull back the feeling.

"It was really odd...I couldn't see her or anything, but I felt everything." He held the bewilderment like fragile glass, scared to cut his courage on an unfinished edge. "And she was talking...to a police officer. Kadri, I think she was looking for me!"

Maddox felt the rush of excitement build up inside of him just like the fire. It was warm and comforting, but somehow not painful as it had been. It was simply a warmth that swirled inside him like a campfire. Little sparks drifted through his veins, heating every finger and toe with joy until his mouth bent into a smile.

"But you went missing almost a month ago." Kadri shot through the sudden excitement and Maddox's mind slipped, cutting it on the sharp glass. Slowly, he sank back, the realization bleeding into the fresh wound. His mother finally cared. His mother finally chose to put aside her career, her future. She finally chose him....but after how long?

While she was debating whether or not to save him, he had already drowned.

"Maddox, this is really good news." Kadri seemed to disregard his distress, jumping over crowds of leatherbacks and grabbing Maddox's wrist. Even as he stumbled across a few dragons and into the studio, he couldn't push the thoughts of his mother away. It was all too much to take in at once; mind reading, mothers, and dragons. There were too many dragons for him to think clearly.

Tripping over a paint can, Maddox began to watch as Kadri jumped over to a blank wall. Diligently, he began to sketch with beams of light, drawing cryptic little note after note. "It's really rare for a kid to travel through paint safely...but you can find people too. See, you know your mom's face, right?"

Blankly nodding to the question, he tried to follow as Kadri jumped over to a pile of old paint cans. "Just like a face, everyone's light is unique and you learn them when you get to know the person. You know your mom so you could find her light."

Kadri was buried behind the mound of old paint cans, frantically digging for some lost idea. "And with practice, you can learn to see everything around them, even talk with them if you concentrate enough. You can pinpoint their exact location on earth, and...if you really practice...you can find anyone."

Finally, Kadri popped up, a wrinkled paper clutched in his hands. Skipping over the mess, he presented the gift to Maddox. "I found Robin and Kat that way. It took me months, searching for a distraught light of someone I had never even met. I save people with it, and I think you can too."

Maddox glanced across the paper clutched in his hands, bits of silver paint cluttering the edges. His mind was a mess of riddles and regret, but he still forced himself to read the document. It was a form of sorts, asking him for his name, his age, luminescent capability...

"You want me to be your apprentice," he stated as Kadri's dark eyes lit up like a rainbow.

"You're the only kid I know who can travel through paint and communicate through light. You're stronger than you can imagine, Maddox."

"I...don't know." The words felt heavy as he lowered the form, unsure what was expected of him. Everything was happening so fast. "I just got here...I can hardly even find my way around Dobra Škola, and I'm not ready to commit to any career yet."

"Don't waste your talent, Maddox." Kadri's words sank in softly, each one challenged by a difficult memory. "You have so much more to offer our world."