The next time I open my eyes, one of Tae's younger sisters is poking my face.

I jolt away from her, and she yelps, dancing back. "It's alright," I say, once I have my bearings. "You're okay."

She offers a smile, bouncing from her toes to her heels. "You snore really loud."

I chuckle and run a hand down my face as I push into a sitting position. "You say that like you don't snore.'

She gives me a scandalized gasp. "I don't snore, mister! I'm a girl."

"I'm not sure that's how it-."

"Jia, what are you doing in here?" Tae swoops the little girl into her arms and tips her upside down. "I told you not to bother our guest."

"It's not my fault," she squeals, swinging her legs in the air. "Jing dared me to!"

Tae drops Jia back to her feet and puts her hands on her hips. "Well, you better tell Jing you're not going to listen to her next time. Run along." She watches her sister scamper off, then turns to me. "Sorry about her."

"Don't worry about it. She's a sweet kid."

Tae sighs and settles beside me. "Daisy's awake. Tomas and Dion are with her now, but she wants to speak to you."

"Me? Why me?"

"You saved her life, Mason."

"I didn't do anything."

Tae rolls her eyes and gets back to her feet. "It wasn't a request. C'mon."

Back downstairs, Daisy is sitting up, looking much better. Someone must've helped her wash, because her dry skin looks fresh and clean. Even her curly hair is bouncier and shiny.

Dion sits at her side, occasionally offering crackers or a straw for water.

Tomas stands like a bodyguard, watching the stairs with a bat propped against the wall he leans on. His shoulders relax as Tae enters. "She still hasn't said anything," he reports.

Tae flops against him and one of his arms coils around her waist. He pulls her up a bit, inhaling her as his face disappears into her hair.

I pass them and pull up a seat at the foot of Daisy's bed. "I'm glad to see you feeling better."

She nods and taps something into Tae's phone.

Dion translates, "thank you for saving me." He nods too. "That's from both of us."

I rub the back of my neck, which is warm. "I didn't do anything. I just tried to help."

Daisy starts to type, then looks frustrated. She pushes her blankets off her legs and starts clambering to the end of her cot. She splays her hand against her chest and wheezes, "I-."

Tae and Tomas stand at attention when they hear her voice.

"Would've." She grimaces and I want to tell her to stop, but I can tell she wants to speak. "Died," she gasps. Her eyes find mine and her finger pokes into my chest. "If not for... for you."

My own fingers coil around her one and I give it a squeeze. "You're the one who fought to survive, Daisy. You would've died if not for you being so strong."

Her expression tightens and her lips turn down. "I owe you," she insists, in a wavering voice.

It's clear she won't take no for an answer. "Alright, I know exactly how you can pay me back."

Her face brightens. "Anything," she wheezes.

"Rest. Recover. And when you feel up to it, I want you to go back to college and live out the rest of your life. Can you do that for me?"

She frowns.

"That's what would make me happy. That's why we saved you. So, you could have a chance at a real life."

Daisy swallows and her shoulders slump. She offers me her hand and I take it with a firm shake. "Deal."

"Daisy," Tomas says, gently. He squats next to my chair and studies her. "We know how hard this is, but if you can think of anything that could help us against Singh, we would really appreciate your help."

"She's just been cured," Dion snarls. "Leave her be."

"We're not asking her for anything," Tomas snarls. "But there are others like you and her in there and we're trying to help them!"

"She doesn't need to be thinking about what she went through in there, young man! She needs to be recovering."

"She would be dead if not for Tae and Mason! As would you! So, why don't you-!?"

"Enough," I snap.

"But-."

I glare at Tomas, and he lifts his lip in a snarl. I nod to Daisy. "What is it?"

Daisy takes a breath. "I don't know anything that could help," she says, her voice getting stronger with each sentence. "I know she took me for a reason."

"Sweetie, please," Dion protests.

Daisy pulls away from her father and hugs herself. "She took me because of you," she tells him.

Dion flinches and stares at her in horror. "What?" he asks, his voice hollow.

"You're a Protector," Daisy says, and she makes it sound like an accusation.

He closes his eyes and bows his head.

Daisy's face crumbles. "It's true, isn't it?"

"How could you not know that about your own dad?" Tomas asks.

"Because he told me he was human," she hisses, staring at him.

"You're a draft dodger," Tae says.

He flinches deeper into himself, putting his head in his hands. "I'm a coward."

"You're a liar," Daisy snarls.

I put a hand on her knee. "What does that have to do with Singh?"

"Right. The doctors didn't ever care about talking in front of us. They reasoned we'd all be dead soon, so we heard a lot. Heard that Singh had a theory that those of us that became human even with a Protector or a Hunter as a parent were the key to unlocking... something. They never talked about what they were looking for. Just that we were the key. Like a mutation, but backwards."

I look back and find that Tae is looking at me already.

A mutation.

Singh knows something.

Something that Augustus knows but refuses to talk about.

"There's plenty of people that are first generation human," Tomas argues. "Why you?"

Daisy shrugs.

"Because you were someone no one could look for," I say.

Everyone peers at me as if it isn't obvious.

I flinch, glancing at Dion. "I'm sure you've got friends back at University. But I'm sure they don't know you well enough to come searching for you if you suddenly dropped out and stopped answering them. Or, they know you well enough to know that your dad has issues and that sometimes you had to take care of him. They wouldn't look that hard for you. And the one person that would... no one would listen to. He couldn't go to the police. If Dion had gone missing, you would've gone to the police, or you would've convinced someone that cared for you to look for him. Dion had no one. Therefore, you had no one."

"That's..."

"Disturbing?" Tomas offers.

Daisy looks to her dad, who still has his head in his hands. She sighs and grabs his wrist. "Pa, I just don't understand why you lied to me. I would've understood dodging the draft."

Tears are streaming down Dion's face when he looks at his daughter. "I was such a failure in every way, baby. I didn't want you to be any more disappointed in me than you already were."

"Pa, I'm not disappointed in you at all. You've made your mistakes, but I've made mine too. I don't blame you for anything." She swipes his tears away and offers a smile. "Mason is wrong, pa. I don't know how, but you found someone to care about both of us. You are the reason I'm still breathing."

"How can you ever forgive me after the terrible job I've done being your father? How can you even look me in the eye?"

"You haven't done a terrible job, papa. Look at me. I'm in college. I survived getting kidnapped and experimented on. I am strong because you helped me become strong. You may be late sometimes, but you're always there. I don't blame you for being scared. I just don't want you to feel like you have to lie to me. Okay?"

Dion sniffles and nods.

I stand and turn towards the stairs.

Tomas catches my arm. "Where are you going?"

"I need some air," I whisper.

When I leave the house, Sasha and Amari are passed out together on the couch.

It's dark out and my internal clock has gone haywire. I'm completely lost on what time it is now. Or even what day.

I stick to the shadows until I'm a good few miles away from Tae's parents' place. Then, I slip into a convenience store, making sure I look directly into the camera. I buy a burner phone and leave without a word. Once the packaging is off, I type in the number I know by heart. Then, I hesitate.

It would be stupid to walk all the way here and buy the phone only to not call. But I don't know if he deserves it. Or maybe I'm the one who doesn't deserve it.

I chew on my lip until it bleeds, then I press dial.