Athira was fairly certain Sima had slipped something in their hot chocolates last night, because neither she, Raph or Zoe woke up until the afternoon.

Sima wasn't around when Athira got up to investigate the house. Instead, another Purple Elite she didn't recognise sat outside the room, doing something on their wristlet. It took them a moment to notice Athira watching them, but they closed the file on their wristlet and gave her a smile when they did.

"Was wondering when you guys would wake up," said the Elite. "Hungry?"

Athira had other priorities. "Where's Sima?"

"At HQ. Something to do with last night's incident. She said that if you needed anything, you could give her a call and she'd make sure it'd get done."

Last night. It seemed like a dream, but the phantom pain lurking in Athira's limbs confirmed it hadn't been. "I don't suppose we can go back to the apartment and pick up a few things?"

The Elite's smile turned sad. "I don't think that's possible. Even if we weren't staying here, there's nothing really left for you to go back for. We salvaged all we could and brought it here, but--"

"You mean we're under house arrest," said Athira.

"Well, no, but--"

She folded her arms. "Are we allowed to leave this house or not?"

The Elite resigned themselves to the answer. "No."

"So it's house arrest," said Athira.

A sigh. "Sima said you were the difficult one, but I didn't know it'd be quite like this," said the Elite, wearing a look Athira often saw on adults in conversation with her. "She also told me to tell you things straight, so here it is: you're being confined for your own protection, since the person responsible for the attack last night were clearly motivated beyond a simple robbery. You won't be here long, they're preparing rooms at HQ until more permanent arrangements can be made."

"And what are these arrangements to be?" asked Athira quietly. "Both scenarios."

"I'm not one hundred percent sure," said the Elite, leaning forward in her chair. "Best case, we find your mother and bring her back to you. Worst case... well, you're three talented kids with strong Colours excelling in a pre-Keeper program. Rather than a foster home, it wouldn't be impossible that the Elites support you, continue that Keeper training. From what I hear, Sima has offered to take the parental role if necessary."

Athira mulled it over. "I see. Thank you for the honesty."

"And thank you for allowing me to finish not one, but several sentences."

"They were useful sentences," said Athira, turning back to the area where their mattresses had been set up. "And there's no chance you'd let us out, even for a walk or lunch?"

"Sorry, kid," said the Elite, a half-smirk that said she'd enjoyed their talk, at least a little. "Sima also said you were a sneaky one, and I'm starting to think she wasn't exaggerating."

Athira's lips tweaked. "I'm already an exaggeration."

She settled back down on her mattress beside Raph's snoring and picked up a book she hadn't seen beside her pillow before. There was a note tucked inside the cover that read: This is one of my favourites. Hopefully you haven't read it yet. -Sima.

She hadn't, and it kept her company until Raph stirred.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, forehead furrowed like he was trying to work out where they were. A minute later, his shoulders were hunched, elbows resting on his knees.

"I was kind of hoping it was a nightmare," said Raph through his hands. "Guess not."

"I'm sorry, Raph," said Athira, fingers digging into her legs. "It was my fault. I should have told someone, done something, at least, but I just forgot. After that Rainbows game, it was a struggle getting out of bed."

"I don't blame you for any of it," said Raph, hands slapping his blankets as they dropped. "This is entirely on Felicity's shoulders, and I don't want to hear you apologising for any of it. You worked the hardest out of any of us to bring us here. It isn't your fault."

To Athira, it wasn't the truth. It was the noble, big-brother thing to say. Inside, guilt still ate away at her, scraping off a little more of her with every breath she took while Felicity still had Miela.

Raph glanced at Zoe, curled up around one of the unicorn plushies. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, technically we're under house arrest," said Athira. Raph glanced at her, so she continued. "We're under Elite watch, not allowed out of the house. Probably going to be transferred to Elite HQ later." She left out the part about what would happen if Miela didn't come back. In her mind, that wasn't an option.

"We can't even go back to the apartment?" said Raph. "And there's an Elite watching us? All the time?"

"That's what I said."

Raph's fingers curled. "How in the Colours are we supposed to find Felicity if we can't leave this house?"

Athira stared at him. "Because walls are super good at trapping people who can walk through them inside, right?"

"You can get out, sure," said Raph. "But you aren't leaving Zoe and me behind."

"I wasn't planning on it."

He gave her a quizzical look. "You're going to, what, try and hold off an Elite while we run for it and hope they don't find us?"

"Worst case scenario, yes. I could also take the entire window out," said Athira. "But I was hoping I'd be able to avoid damaging Sima's house. I wanted to see if I'd be able to pull you through the wall with me."

Raph stared at her. "You what now?"

Athira stood up, reaching for his hand. "Trust me. The worst that'll happen is that you'll get stuck inside the table or something."

"Thira, I don't really want to be stuck inside a table."

She rolled her eyes. "Then it's a good thing you won't. If you don't pass through it, you won't be inside the table in the first place. And if you are, then it means I can get you out. There's nothing to worry about."

Raph tentatively took her hand. They started small--passing a hand through, then an arm, then Raph's lower body as they walked through the table together, coated entirely in Black. Athira paid special, conscius attention to the Colour, not content to let habit and instinct ensure he was safe inside the cocoon.

Zoe woke up mid-way through one of the table runs. She didn't shout or give away what they were doing. She just said, "Awh, man. I wanted to be the first one to do that."

Looking down at his torso appearing out of the tabletop, Raph pursed his lips. "I'm still not entirely okay with this, but I can't really come up with a better option. How do you do this all the time? It feels so... weird."

Athira shrugged. "I don't even think about it anymore. I just do it."

Still hugging her unicorn, Zoe approached them as they came out of the table. "My turn? Also, have we had food yet? I'm starving."

"No, no food yet," said Athira. "And yes, your turn. I'm just hoping your Colour won't do anything weird to mine."

"Why would it do that?" asked Raph.

"If I lazer her when she's in an outburst, she calms down," said Zoe matter-of-factly.

"Of course it does. And why does it do that?"

"No idea!" said Zoe, holding out her hand. "Let's try!"

Athira took her hand, carefully spreading the Black over her skin.

Something unexpected happened.

Where Raph's skin had appeared a light grey under the Black's filter, Zoe's was an off-Yellow. It was nowhere near her usual intensity, more of a pastel shade, but her Colour was definitely showing through. Athira had never seen anything like it--every other Colour appeared some shade of grey when viewed through the Black.

Still, when Athira took Zoe's fingers and passed them through the unicorn, they went through smoothly. The Colour change seemed to have no effect on her Colour's actual use.

She was about to take Zoe through the table when the door opened.

The Elite poked their head through. "Thought I heard you all up. You guys hungry?" When they nodded, she waved them out. "Sweet. Then we'll grab takeaway, anything you feel like."

Twenty minutes later, they were gathered around the kitchen table, devouring the food.

Athira hadn't realised how hungry she was. The cramps in her stomach from it had been barely noticable with the way her skin still simmered. Neither Raph or Zoe had mentioned her skin being particularly hot, and she starting to wonder if she was imagining it. It wasn't exactly painful, more... uncomfortable. Her useage of the Black had heightened the sensation a little more, but it was bearable. Nothing compared to the fire she'd felt walking through their apartment last night.

The Elite, once again working from their wristlet, cleared her throat. "Is there anything you three want that you'd like brought here for you? Books, games, pencils? More food?"

Athira was about to tell them they just wanted to be left alone when Zoe licked her lips.

"Actually," said Zoe quietly. "I was... kind of hoping I'd be able to get my stuffed unicorn back from the apartment, the one with the silver mane?"

To say the Elite looked at her with pity didn't begin to explain her expression. "I'm sorry, sweetie. We've already recovered anything salvagable from your home. There wasn't much at all, and I don't remember a unicorn coming in..."

"I... I know." Zoe's teeth clamped down on her lip, her face the epitome of barely contained tears. "I just... I know it sounds silly, but--would it be too much to ask for you to find one? I mean, I could pay you--but my mum gave me that unicorn, and--and--"

Zoe's voice broke off, leaving Athira more than a little confused. That unicorn hadn't been anything special. Zoe had bought it a week ago from the store on the way home, claiming it'd complete her 'collection', but Miela hadn't given it to her.

The Elite's expression melted. "I'll see what I can do, honey. Was there anything else?"

Zoe glanced up, meeting Athira's eyes. The tears were still there, Athira had a feeling they weren't fake, but there was a glint behind them, one that said there was more to this than comfort items. "I think Thira was saying she wished her new book hadn't been torn up, because she'd only got a few chapters into it. What was it called?"

Athira caught on. She cast her gaze down, fidgeting as she spoke. "Um, I don't know. I mean, I think it was called something about revenge, and there was a girl in it and she broke into a house, but I don't remember the title. It had a white cover, though. Does that help?"

"Um, maybe," said the Elite, tapping her wristlet. "I have a friend that knows books. Maybe she'd be able to figure it out." She glanced at Raph. "Was there anything you wanted?"

"Rainbows," said Raph. "I think it might help pass the time, even if it might be weird playing without..."

He trailed off. Guilt stabbed Athira through the gut.

Don't worry, Raph, she told him silently. I will get you your mother back, and I don't care who I have to get past to do it.

Zoe excused them from the room, and as she closed the door back into the lounge room, she released a pent-up breath that seemed to drain her entire body of its energy.

Athira missed her glow.

"What was that about?" muttered Raph. "Silver unicorn? Zo, you--"

"If the Elite's distracted, even a little, it improves our chances of getting out of here unnoticed," whispered Zoe. A tear streaked down her face, and for a moment, the room went silent. She took a shaky breath. "I don't care about that unicorn, but I care about our mum, and Athira seems to know something we don't. That the Elites don't."

Zoe's gaze turned to Athira, the trust in them unshaking.

She didn't believe Athira was being selfish. Athira wasn't sure Zoe had it in her to believe otherwise, not until Athira proved her wrong.

Zoe believed in her--and Athira refused to let her down.

"Thira?" said Raph.

Athira sat them down on a mattress, keeping her voice low.

"I know where Felicity is," she said, pulling the card out from her sock. "Or at least, where she wants me to meet her."

"What?" hissed Raph. He made to stand. "We need to tell the Elites, or--"

"Raph, think about it!" Athira tossed him the card. She'd memorised all she needed already. "We tell them, they go there. You think Felicity's stupid enough to give me the actual address? It'll be a meeting point. Miela won't be there. I'll be surprised if Felicity is at all, if it isn't a trap."

Raph's muscles tensed, but he sat back down. "You're right. We need to think about this logically. What do you figure we can do that the Elites can't?"

"I'm not sure," said Athira truthfully. "But at the same time, the Elites have rules. I don't. They might not be willing to do all they truly can if it means endangering some other aspect. Not to mention, if this entire thing goes south and Felicity outplays us, I can always surrender. Hand myself over. I play along until you're out, and then I bring it down from the inside."

"You're not staying with her alone, Thira," said Zoe. "We do this together, or we let the Elites do it."

Athira nodded. "That's last resort. I don't know if I trust myself without you around to stop me if I'm going too far. If the monster--"

"It won't," said Zoe firmly. "It won't, because you won't let it."

Again, Athira nodded, this time with a little less confidence.

"Did you have any specifics in mind?" asked Raph.

"My planning was pretty much along the lines of get out of here, go to Felicity's location, get Miela back and leave," said Athira, well aware of the holes within it. "We can't really do any more than that until we know more about where Felicity has Miela, what kind of force we're dealing with."

"It'd be in our favour to sneak in," said Raph, getting that look he often had in Keeper training. "But you're right, we need to know where mum is before we can do anything else, and they know what you're capable of from last time."

Athira looked to them both, gauging their reactions. "So, shall we go see about this place Felicity's so keen on me visiting she made me up a buisness card?"

"Let's do it," said Zoe, placing her hand in the air between them.

Raph's hand slapped on top of hers. "Stage one, go."

Athira gave in and placed her hand on top of the pile. Three hands hovered for a moment, each one drawing strength from the others, holding them up until Zoe's second hand sandwiched the pile and pulled them all up to their feet.

Athira led them to the wall, taking Raph's hand in her left and Zoe's on her right.

"You both know that we're going to fly, yes?" Nods. "Don't freak out. Just hang on to my hand, and the Black will do the rest. Okay?" More nods. "Verbal confirmation, please."

"Ready," they said together.

Black covered them. Fingers tightened around Athira's wrists as it completely encased them all. With one smooth movement, Athira pulled them through the walls and out into the sky beyond.

The ground dropped three storeys down to the roadside. Raph's second hand gripped Athira's wrist as he stiffened. Zoe barely reacted aside from a curious glance downwards, her faith in Athira complete. They were weightless inside her Black, and with the Colour covering them, she was able to hold them level with herself, as if they were floating with her instead of hanging beneath.

They hung there, suspended in the sky while Athira took her bearings, and then they were on their way.

It was time to make good on her promise to Felicity.

*+*+*+*

A/N - Not a suuuper exciting chapter, but necessary. 

I hope you are firmly secured to your seat from here on out, because the end has just begun.