Gathering at the door which Delta had entered just moments earlier, the group, which consisted of seventeen long abiding friendships, hesitated to collect their feelings. All eyes were on Delta.

She felt the weight, and opened the door. Sixteen souls followed her out.

Below, the city skyline of Alitto glowed like a deceptive sparkling jewel in the night sky.

They stood, each lost in their own thoughts, their own private good byes.

"We have just under an hour before the curfew is activated. Let's go. Keep your heads down and ---," the musical whirrr of a cell phone blared and everyone looked around in horror.

"Who, has, the, phone...," Delta whispered ominously.

Jrue stepped forward pointing straight at Zephy, but Vaughn grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "This is not your fight little brother," he hissed.

"But V--,"

"I said no." He gave Jrue a hard glare.

"Both Renzi and Karter gave Zephy a look of disgust. "Oh it's Zephy alright. No one else here is that stupid." Karter smoldered.

"Shut the fuck up Karter you short dick," Zephy attacked him ruthlessly.

Soren waltzed up to her. "Bitch. Already causing trouble. Delta should have ditched you a long time ago."

Delta walked up to Zephy who glared at her from the depths of her oversized hoodie, and held her hand out. "Give it here, now."

"I said, I don't have it," she growled back, her voice chock full of hostility.

Soren grabbed her arm and Zephy jerked out of his grip. "Keep your filthy hands off me!"

"No! Give me that backpack," Soren shot back grabbing the strap and ripping it away from her. She grabbed back slapping and scratching Soren's face, using her nails to carve a long scratch of blood to his cheek. He pushed her back with the hand holding her backpack and she grabbed it, tugging with all her strength. A tug of war ensued but was short lived as Karter flung his arms around her waist and pulled her away from Soren and around to face Delta. She struggled and fought, stomping Karter's foot but he was unmoved.

Soren held a hand to his cheek looking at Zephy with undisguised anger.

Delta held her hand out and Soren handed over the backpack to her. She threw it onto the ground and knelt down to rummage through the various odd pieces of crap stuffed inside and fumbled around until her hand came out with the offending item.

She got up and strode over to Zephy and she was so mad she could barely talk shoving the phone in her face with a question. "You tell me right the fuck now if you are going with us, or not."

Renzi and Rayde joined Delta. Wrennie, standing by Freesia, Solaris and Jenaro shook uncontrollably in the chill night air. Jenaro put his arm around her. Tia and Fenix looked on in silence wondering what the outcome would be in this final problem caused yet again by Zephy. Fenix gave Jrue a quick smile and a nod. Everyone here had in one way shape or form, tangled with Zephy. She was always one confrontation away from being kicked to the curb.

Karun, the oldest of the group stood near her brother Kaius. She had a simple smirk on her full pale lips that matched the pale dirty blonde of both her and Kaius' hair. She stepped up to stand beside Delta and the tone of her voice held restrained fury.

"You would put this entire group in danger for a phone Zephy? You damn well know we can be traced with that! You've been told so many TIMES! THIS ISN'T A JOKE ZEPHY! God I could beat your ass right here."

"Shut up Karun!" Zephy blurted looking nervously at Delta hoping that she wouldn't be swayed by everyone's anger.

"No Zephy, you were with us when we all turned our devices off and disposed of them and I did it that way so we could trust each other. Now I asked you a question Zephy. Answer it now or go the hell home."

With those words Zephy broke. Her rage fled and her eyes filled with tears. "I forgot I had it! I swear! Delta please," she begged.

"You swear?"

"Yessss!" Zephy choked with a bawling cry. Her whole body shook with fear because she knew Delta's patience was done with her.

Delta turned to the edge of the hill, reared back and threw the phone as hard as she could.

It flew off into the dark, far down the side of the rock strewn and tangled underbrush below. She turned back to Zephy with a hard look. "When Eero gets us to where we are going, if, he will even do it, you, are out. Do you understand? Out."

Zephy shrank back in horror, but said nothing to Delta.

"Now let's go. We have even less time to get to the gates." Delta took off down the overgrown trail. Zephy watched her go and looked back. Every eye was on her. She put her head down and shuffled on behind Delta.

The others followed giving each other looks that said they didn't necessarily agree with Delta but not one of them dared to argue.

Everything they had worked for these long months was at stake. Not one of them wanted to trade this chance for an argument.

Hearts thudded in their ears as they followed one another down the hill silently fearing the worst but hoping for the best. A ragtag group of dreamers. Each with their own ideals of life but each staunchly in agreement of one thing.

They would die for this. Die trying. Or die staying. And one of the deaths would be finding a way out. They were so close they could taste it. They did not desire the risk Zephy represented but unlike them, she had no one. Her home, was on the streets of Alitto City.

Which was why Delta's comment had stung them all so hard. With her cold ruthlessness one always knew where they stood, it kept them in line but was also a constant comfort to their ravaged souls. Karun pushed past Zephy giving her a shove with her shoulder as she did so.

She reached Delta and walked with her. "Why do you baby her Delta? I mean, she's going to get someone killed. Just this week she threatened Kaius again over a pack of cigarettes."

Delta barely looked at Karun when she answered her. "Kaius knows cigarettes are contraband. He should have never let her see them. That's on him Karun."

"You can't blame Kaius. You know Zephy is a snitch and a thief. She went through his bags Delta!"

"I know Karun. Look, you heard what I told her. She's out. But I don't want to stop her from finding freedom. That wouldn't be right."

"Oh I see. But it was right to stop Quill and Zoey."

Delta cringed inwardly. "Both of them are high risk. If anyone was going to get us caught, it would be them and not some homeless girl who no one even cares about."

Karun fell silent, looking at the ground as she walked, wrenching her Parka up and pulling it tight against her neck. They were almost to the border of the east wall and the tunnel system they used to get outside the city loomed ahead. Now they had to make it back in unseen and follow the wall along the east side of town to the bridge gates.

There, they would wait for the nightly curfew whistles. They were loud and and the city was it's noisiest as the last vestages of its citizens scrambled to get home without being arrested. That's when they would make their move.