Emily's head shot up from her pillow. Her entire body trembled, partially from the cold air swirling around her and the intense nightmare she just experienced. One of her hands flew to her mouth, trying to see if it was bleeding.

It wasn't, as it never was in the first place.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to adjust to the darkness that encased her room. Her face was damp and cold with sweat. She took a shaky breath, rubbing her eyes again.

That felt so real. She shuddered, the fleeting images of her dream branding into her brain. Too real.

Sighing, she dropped her head back down onto her pillow. A scowled found its way to her lips. She never got nightmares. It wasn't a thing that happened to her. In fact, she couldn't recall the last time she dreamed.

Closing her eyes, she willed sleep to take her again. But the images of the day's earlier battle kept bobbing in the sea of her consciousness. The gunfire, the blood. She saw Cutter's body being tossed into the ravine again. Andre's severed arm. All the dead bodies—Kismet and Atlas alike.

Groaning in frustration, she sat up again. She looked down at her legs, her purple cotton shorts only reaching up to the middle of her skinny yet muscled thighs. Good thing my mother isn't here. The woman would probably scold her daughter for showing too much skin, even though no one was around to see.

She smiled at the vague memory of her mother. She couldn't tell if she missed the woman or not. Deep down, she knew she did, as she missed the rest of her family.

She cast a look at her legs and frowned. Bruises varying from deep purple to bright yellow discolored her pale skin. Her body ached slightly but she could bear the pain. The cut on her shoulder that she received from an ice shard, courtesy of Frost, stopped throbbing a while ago after the medics stitched it up.

Her fingers touched the sticky gauze and she winced, a sharp feeling shooting up her arm. She was lucky to have gotten out of that battle with only a couple of bruises and cuts. Andre and Chase, on the other hand, weren't so lucky.

When the rest of the group arrived back at the facility, Director Shaw informed them that Chase was in critical condition. He had lost a lot of blood and suffered a lot of internal damage. Even with his advanced healing factor, there was no telling if he would make it. Stella had been a pathetic mess ever since.

Though, she felt for the girl. She really cared for Chase. Emily hoped she'd find a girl who cared about her in the same way.

On a lighter note, Andre was reported to be in stable condition. Emily overheard that Archie and some other Atlas engineers had already started development on a prosthetic arm.

She laid back down and grabbed her pillow, pressing it over her ears as she squeezed her eyelids shut.

It was going to be a long night.

#

Emily and her friends sat in Director Shaw's, waiting for the man to walk in and start their meeting. She slouched in her seat as she rested her cheek on her palm, looking out of the large window to her side.

The sky was cloudy and gray, resembling the mood around the room. Snow lined the leaves of the trees of the forest outside. It was nearing the end of February and it was still winter. She blamed that damned groundhog and his wretched shadow.

She couldn't believe that it had been almost five months since she and her friends had been at The Acropolis. So much had changed since their fateful night in the quarry.

''Sorry I'm late.'' The director huffed breathlessly as he walked into the room. Dark circles lingered under his eyes. He clearly hadn't gotten any sleep over the past few days.

Emily hadn't gotten much either, so she didn't blame the man for looking a little worn out. She had no idea how he managed to continue to run Atlas and remain sane. Had she been in his position, she would've spontaneously combusted ages ago.

''Took you long enough,'' she said. ''What's this meeting about?''

Director Shaw sat down in his seat and began typing on the holographic keyboard that was on the glass table.

''I figured I would fill you guys in on what has been happening,'' he said as he typed. ''Since you're all senior agents and all.''

After the battle at the Kismet base in Alaska, which began known as the Battle of Adak around the compound, the man granted them with the rank of senior Atlas agent. Emily figured it was the least the man could've done for them risking their lives to save the world.

Chase coughed and straightened himself up in his wheelchair. Even though he had been released from the hospital, he had been advised not to walk until he healed more. He looked exhausted and his stomach was still wrapped up, but other than that he looked decent. Much better than he did a couple days ago, at least.

He even sported a new haircut. His already medium-length hair had been cut down almost all the way in a military-style buzzcut.

It suited him.

''We get to read all your secret files and stuff right?'' he asked, straining as he forced a smile onto his lips.

''Yeah, man,'' Oscar quipped as he clicked the top off of his lighter. ''I've been meaning to plan a hostile takeover.''

Emily was surprised that he had managed to keep hold of that thing for so long. She never saw Oscar without it during their time at The Acropolis. Their home.

Director Shaw ignored them and continued typing. An image of a small glass vial with a blue liquid inside appeared on the screen on the other side of the office.

''What's that?'' Theo asked.

The director smiled and pressed something on his keyboard. A piece of text that read 'Apollo Serum' appeared above the vial of blue liquid. ''It's the vaccine that my scientists have been developing to help combat the effects of the Primonium; on both Primes and normal people alike. It's still in its developmental stage, however, and it won't be ready for a mass production for a few more weeks. Maybe more.''

Emily saw Stella frown. Her hazel eyes weren't as bright as before, and she was much more quiet than usual.

''So, people have to endure all that pain until it's done?'' she asked, eyeing Director Shaw.

He nodded, his smile disappearing. ''Unfortunately, yes. We've allied with the global governments and aided the heavily affected areas with medical equipment to help contain the situation, but I'm afraid that is all we can do until the serum is finished.''

Emily looked over at Andre, who was raising his hand. A gripping feeling of sadness crashed over her as she glanced at the spot where his other arm used to be. Archie hadn't finished his replacement limb yet, so all that was there was a stump that ended where Andre's forearm would have been. Where it should've been.

Despite his tragic circumstance, a tranquil look rested upon his blocky features.

''Yes, Andre?''

''You said the antidote would work for Primes as well,'' Andre said, his voice deep but quiet. Stephen nodded. ''What exactly do you mean by that?''

''Well, I am planning on giving people who exhibit abilities the option to remove them,'' Stephen answered. ''Of course, this won't happen for a while so there's no real point in talking about it now. I just wanted you all to know that something is being done.''

Emily sighed and averted her eyes back to the window. A flock of ravens emerged from a pod of trees, cawing loudly as they ascended into the clouds.

''Is that all you came to tell us?'' she asked dismissively.

The man smiled patiently. ''No.'' He typed something else onto his keyboard and the security footage of a prison cell popped up. A girl with long, white hair sat on the ground staring at the concrete wall.

Frost.

''After The Grid was destroyed, I bought out an abandoned prison on a hidden island in the Atlantic and repurposed it to hold...special threats. Kirsi Snodosky, or Kirsi Snow as she had also gone by, is currently its only resident.''

''Kirsi means frost in Finnish,'' Stella noted. Everyone stared at her. ''What? I know a lot of things.''

Oscar burst into laughter. ''Wait, so her name literally translates into Frost Snow?'' He continued cracking up. ''Oh, come on. That's too good.''

Emily cracked a smile. It was pretty ironic.

She watched Frost sit in her dreary containment unit, a miserable look adorning her cold face. Instead of the white and black Kismet suit that she usually wore, she was now dressed in a dark blue Atlas jumpsuit, her prison number running down the front in bold lettering.

Emily grinned.

''What're you calling this one?'' Andre asked, referring to the new prison.

''The Vault,'' Shaw answered, his eyes beaming with satisfaction. Emily rolled her own in distaste.

''Has there been any more info on Victor's whereabouts?'' Chase asked suddenly. His blue eyes were hopeful as he peered at Stephen.

Emily raised an eyebrow at Chase. ''Since when were you on a first name basis with Apex.''

He frowned at her. ''His name is Victor now. He said so himself.''

She shrugged and turned to Theo. ''Seems like Apex is stealing your best friend.''

Theo smirked and threw an arm around her shoulder. ''Guess that means we're best friends now.'' She swatted him away.

A sad look plagued Director Shaw's face.

Emily could only imagine what he must be going through at the moment. His son, who killed his old partner, who had gone completely crazy, was now officially off the grid for good it seemed. And to make matters worse, he still had to run Atlas and keep this Primonium situation under control.

She admired him for being able to keep it all together.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed as he looked at Chase. ''I have my agents working around the clock to find him. He will be held responsible for what he did to you, I assure you that.''

Chase nodded. ''Thank you, but that's not really what I'm worried about.'' He then waved his words away. ''I just hope he gets found. I've got some questions for him.'' He glanced at Stella, who sent him a small smile. Emily noticed them holding hands under the table.

She frowned a little but tried her best to ignore them. She was happy for them. That didn't mean it didn't hurt, though.

''Are we done yet?'' Theo asked. ''I really wanna go take a nap.''

Oscar held up a finger. ''Seconded.''

''Actually,'' Shaw said, smiling. ''I have one more thing to tell you all.''

''And what's that?'' Andre inquired.

The man clasped his hands together and looked around at the six teenagers. ''Are you all ready for this? I think you all are going to like what I'm about to say.''

Disinterested, Emily scoffed. ''Just spit it out, Shaw.''

''I'm sending you all home,'' he revealed. ''For a couple of months at least. After that, I'll need you to come back here for training and school. After all, you all are still Atlas agents—that is, if you still wish to be.''

Everyone nodded. This was their life now. They'd all accepted it a long time ago.

''You'll be able to visit your families whenever you'd like,'' he told them. ''But I'd prefer it if you stayed here at The Acropolis. We're going to have a lot of work to do. Think of the situation as a boarding school for superheroes.''

Oscar groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance. ''You lost me at 'school'.''

Theo grinned. ''You had me at superheroes.'' He frowned. ''But I don't like the sound of school either. Can we negotiate that part? I've got a few quarters in my room I can give you.''

Emily snorted.

''I don't want to hear it. Besides,'' the director said, ''you all didn't graduate. You all need schooling.'' He looked at Theo and Oscar. ''Especially you two.''

The two of them protested, causing the rest of the group to laugh at their expense. Emily agreed with the man; those boys in particular could be pretty idiotic at times. But she wouldn't have had it any other way.

''When do we get to go home?'' Stella asked, her eyes lighting up. A giddy grin adorned her face. She squeezed Chase's hand, excitement bubbling from her.

''As soon as you'd like,'' he replied. ''I can have all your belongings from your rooms shipped with you to your homes.''

Emily felt conflicted as she thought about the prospect of seeing her family after being apart from them for so many months. The longest she had been away from them was about a week. She allowed herself to smile at the prospect of reconciling with her little brother. Emerson was going to love the fact that his big sister was a bonafide superhero.

''You all deserve it,'' Shaw continued. ''I apologize for not allowing this earlier. I just felt that it wouldn't be wise to have you at home with everything that's was going on. But now that it's all over, for the most part, I think it's time for you all to get out of here.'' He grinned at them. ''Besides, I'm kind of getting tired of seeing you lot all the time.''

Theo zipped out of his seat and appeared next to him. He threw his arms around the man. ''We love you too, Mr. Shaw.''

The rest of them—including Emily—got out of their chairs and joined in on the hug. Andre wrapped his one arm around the group. Chase even wheeled himself over. Emily smiled for the first time in a while.

Blood wasn't thicker than water. No matter what, they would always be apart of her.

They were her family.

#

Emily closed the car door, holding a dark purple duffel bag in her hand. The rest of her stuff was being driven over by some Atlas lackey Stephen sent.

She stood on the sidewalk in front of her house. The front lawn and the hedges surrounding the outskirts of the house were perfectly trimmed, no doubt the doing of her perfectionist of a mother. The woman loved her gardening.

A wave of nostalgia crashed over her as she looked up and down her street, seeing her old neighbors' houses. Or were they just her neighbors' house. After all, this place was still her home.

Or maybe it wasn't.

The pink cherry blossom trees that lined the sidewalk loomed over the block, casting shadows and bright colored leaves onto the cement. Their sweet scent traveled to Emily's nose and she inhaled deeply, enjoying the familiar smell.

A large, two-story building with dark gray roofing and a brick-lined foundation stood before her. The white paint of the house was as dull as ever. Her nose crinkled at the sight of it. She never liked the color, but her father insisted on keeping it.

Vines had started to grow along the side of the house, causing her to grin. She knew that it must have been driving her father crazy. He was getting up there in age, meaning he couldn't them himself. And the man was too stubborn to hire someone else to do it as well.

Emily looked in the driveway and noticed that both her parents' cars were there. She sighed and readjusted the bag so that the strap was now over her shoulder. After almost half a year, she was back at home.

During the Battle of Adak, she seriously pondered whether or not she'd see them again.

She walked through the opened picket fence that lined the house and headed towards the front door. The porch light was on, as the evening grew closer. The sun had begun to sink beneath the horizon, bathing the sun with vibrant hues of purple, orange, and gold.

Emily took a deep breath to steady herself before knocking on the dark cherry wood of the door.

Her ears picked up on the sound footsteps approaching. Her heart rate spiked, her breath catching in her throat. She took a step backward, panic settling within her. She had half a mind to get back into the car that dropped her off.

She had no idea what to say to them. "Oh sorry, I was off fighting crazy terrorist who wanted to take over the world. But that's done now. I'm back!" That was ridiculous. Not to mention that it would've given her mother a heart attack.

She wondered if Director Shaw even told them what was really going on over the past couple of months. Maybe he just fed them a fake story to not have them worry so much.

Before she got any more time to dwell on the thought, someone stopped beyond the front door.

"Shì shéi ya?"

She sighed. "It's me, Māmā."

The door swung open in an instant. A small, frail woman stood in the doorframe. "Emily?"

She smiled, tears welling in her eyes. Her mother was fairly short, even shorter than she was. She wore a purple floral print dress and her black hair was tied up into a bun on top of her head.

The woman smiled, tears streaming down her wrinkled face. She wrapped her daughter into a tight hug that squeezed the air out of the younger girl. For such a small woman, she sure was strong.

Emily hugged her back. The two of them stood there in the doorway of the house for a few moments. She breathed in her mother's familiar scent: a heavenly mixture of lemon pine sol, homemade soap, and cherries.

She let go of the woman and took a step back. "Hello, Māmā."

She placed her bony hands on either side of Emily's face as she smiled at her. "Come in, come in." She placed her hand on my back and guided me inside. "It's freezing outside. Where is your jacket, Nǚ'ér?"

Emily rolled her eyes. She had been home for about a minute and her mother was already nagging. Some things never changed. She smiled and removed her shoes before stepping through the doorway.

Her mother, being a first-generation immigrant from Tianjin, China, she still incorporated her native language into her everyday speech. Her strong accent was even still present in her raspy voice.

Emily's eyes scanned the interior of the house as she walked in. Everything looked exactly the same as from the last time she had been there. Their family portrait was still on the wall in the living room, above their old brick fireplace. They all were smiling, except for her father, who stood rigidly with a stoic expression.

Emily stopped in front of the picture, studying it as if she was going to forget what her family looked like.

"Emerson!" her mother called. "Come downstairs, Érzi!"

Emily grinned as she heard the little eight-year-old bounding down the stairs. His black hair was strewn across his pudgy face. He had grown a few centimeters since she had last seen him. He was nearly as tall as her.

His eyes widened. "Emily!" He squealed like a piglet and jumped on her. She wrapped her arms around him, lifting him from the floor.

"I'm back, Ethan," she whispered in his ear. She pulled away and rummaged through her bag, feeling around for the gift she brought for him. Before she left The Acropolis, she had Archie make her something.

Her fingers grazed over the metal of the toy-sized TITAN. Archie designed it so that it could do almost anything. It could fly, shoot harmless energy blasts from its tiny hands, and most of all, talk. It was the perfect toy.

"What you got there, Em?" Emerson asked, trying to steal a glance behind her.

"Guess," she said, hiding the figurine.

His eyes lit up and he began listing off his favorite items. "A spaceship?" Emily shook her head at him and urged him to continue guessing. He frowned, his brow furrowing as he thought of something else. "A robot?" She nodded and handed him the Titan.

"Whoa!" He looked at the toy and flipped it around. He pressed the button on the back and nearly dropped it after the robot started talking.

"Hello, Ethan," P.A.I's feminine voice said as the robot laid on the ground like a ragdoll. It began to pick itself up, causing Ethan to scurry behind his sister. "I am P.A.I."

Ethan then jumped from behind her back. "Cool!" He beamed at her. "Thanks, Em!" He ran back upstairs, the robot waddling after him.

Emily grinned at her brother's retreated figure. "You're welcome, twerp!"

She turned to her mother, who stood at the foot of the staircase.

"Where's bàba?" Emily asked. Her mother's smile tightened, and she walked up the stairs a bit.

"Shen!" she yelled. "Your daughter is home!"

Emily's father gave no indication that he had even heard what his wife said. Moments later, he emerged through the hallway that emptied out into the top of the stairs.

He was dressed in his typical outfit of a wool sweater with brown elbow patches and khaki slacks, and "old man shoes"—as Emily liked to call them. His glasses were poised at the bridge of his stubby nose while he looked down at her from the stairs.

He walked down the stairs, his tiny eyes focused on Emily the entire time. When he got to the bottom, he stood in front of her. His features displayed no emotion as he peered at her from behind his glasses.

Emily stood up straight, like how he always taught her. She met his stern gaze, not daring to break it. The man continued to regard her with his blank stare.

She blew air out her nose, shaking her head. That got her a disapproving a nudge from her mother. The woman gave her daughter a sideways look, but the girl ignored it. She put her hands on her hips, her nervousness disappearing.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

He stepped forward, raising his hand. Emily flinched, her eyes widening as she watched his hand. He then grabbed her, causing her heart to skip a beat. As she was just about to push him away, he pulled her into a hug.

"Welcome home, Emily," he whispered. It sounded like he was trying not to cry. Emily relaxed into the hug and wrapped her arms around the old man, smiling.

"It's good to be back."