Tora jaws fell open.

"Not on purpose" Markl spread his hands wide in front of him. "I think they got into an argument, and Damien said, 'I wish you'd go kill yourself!' out of anger. That planted the thought in his brother's mind and nothing Damien did could reverse it. He didn't have the control at the time. His brother slit his own throat right in front of him."

Tora felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh, god."

"So you can see, his parents' attempts to 'cure' him was out of love. They could have just turned him in, but instead, they tried to help him in their way."

"Or they're both a raving bunch of psychopaths."

"They tried. Eventually, their last resort was to kill him and hope their god would purify him at the gates of heaven. When Damien heard that, he fled. Despite the guilt he felt for essentially killing his own brother – which was why he stayed for his parents' attempts to 'cure' him, as repentance – he couldn't face the prospects of being killed because he was different."

"I can imagine."

"I don't know how long it was before he found Ross and I, but he sensed our presence and how we were different, and wanted to join us." "

Tora whistled. "No wonder he was so messed up."

"You did a lot helping him out of his shell, Tora. He's very grateful for your friendship."

She shrugged. "I like Damien for Damien. Not because he's an underdog. We gel."

"He joined probably about three years ago. Time flies." Markl sounded rueful. "Even you've been with us for over a year now."

"With Carlos around, trust me, I'm feeling every day pass by."

"Much as Carlos is entitled to the right to reveal his true nature to humans, that doesn't bode well for any of us. We've learned time and time again from history men are not accustomed to the unknown and the unpredictable, and we are just that—"

"You're thinking too much about that, Markl. Carlos is talking out of his ass again."

"But he raised a valid point." Markl's brows knitted together.

"Please. Carlos can't even spell 'valid'. He was arguing 'cos of his precious TV series, not because he had any real heart in being a hero. He's too lazy about responsibilities and tasks. He's bad enough with the demon attacks as it is!"

Markl's frown softened.

"I suppose you have a point."

"I have the point, Markl. Seriously. If Carlos isn't whining about his lack of recognition amongst the humans, he'll be whining about something else. Running out of underwear. Not enough salt in his food. Damien using up his hair gel. Ross shouting too much."

"I get your point." He sighed, picking up the paperwork again. "But you have to understand where I'm coming from, Tora. This is a team. We're all reliant upon each other. Much as I say Carlos could leave if he so wished, it would be highly detrimental to the team. We are co-dependent on each other's abilities."

"You seemed to be doing fine before Carlos and I got here."

"That's because you don't remember what it was like when it was just Ross, Damien, and I. Back when our abilities were less developed. There had been several occasions when our lives would have ended, and instead we just received severe injuries. Your arrivals were blessings, trust me."

"Don't tell Carlos that. His head is far enough up his ass as it is." Tora paused. "Seriously, though. Don't sell yourself short. We're all here because of you. You recruited us, gave us a home and a purpose." She felt the awkwardness creeping up her back, sending prickles across her skin. Saying grateful things was not part of her repertoire. She could easily send a demon back to kingdom come, but expressing appreciation? She'd rather take a rhino demon to the face.

Markl seemed to sense as much. He clapped her on the shoulder, a wry smile on his face.

"Telling it like it is, as always, Tora." He tilted his head. "I still am curious about how you got here, though."

"Join the party. That makes at least three of us, including Ross. She's stopped harping at me about my origins recently, though. Thank god." Tora grimaced as the memories of Ross's hounding questions resurfaced. "I was going to rip all my hair out or punch her face in. Or both."

"Ross doesn't like unanswered questions."

"Ross doesn't like many things." And did she make that clear or what, Tora silently added. Markl chuckled again.

"You've never gotten along well with her, have you?"

"Oh sheesh. What makes you think that?" Tora stuck her tongue out. Markl grinned. "She's a right witch when she wants to be. And that seems to be all the time. If Ross was a plant, she'd be a cactus. Or a Venus flytrap."

"She has a good heart and a bad mouth. Not unlike you, really."

"Hrmph!" Tora crossed her arms across her chest, scowling at Markl. He tidied up his paperwork and tucked them away neatly on his shelf. She watched the broad shadow he cast on the wall, mimicking his actions, the odd tuft of hair that always stuck up at the back.

He sat across from her again, watching her. Tora avoided his gaze, feigning interest in the pile of books that lined the top of his shelf. How to Coordinate Skills. Coping Strategies for Leadership. The Science of the Paranormal. Oh god, she'd have to feign very hard. He could read her like a book, she knew.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Tora?"

Crap.

"No." She knew she'd said it too quickly to be convincing. But judging by her lying skills in front of Ross a few days back, she might as well not bother.

Markl looked unconvinced. Tora avoided his gaze. She hated his disappointed look. It made her feel like she'd been caught slacking off or getting beaten up.

But just remembering the limitless power she'd been exposed to, back in the park, gave her the shivers. And she knew it took a lot to actually make her unnerved. 

Markl would understand. Markl always understood. He understood her when even she couldn't understand.

He would, wouldn't he?

She shoved the thoughts from her head. Indecision made her head hurt. She was either going to man up and do it, or not do it and not think about it again.

It gnawed at her like the guilt: annoying and persistent. With a groan, she clutched her head in her hands. Ugh. Thinking was torture.

"No, there's nothing," she said through gritted teeth. The weight was heavy on her chest. Lying to Markl was the worst thing ever.

"If you say so." He stared up at the ceiling again. Tora followed his gaze. A set of multi-coloured crystals hung from the ceiling, dull in the semi-darkness. Her heart raced. A pounding at her temples reminded her of her guilt. She tried to focus on the spinning gems, breathing evenly.

"Fancy decoration," said Tora, relieved to change the subject. "Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift. From a dear friend of mine. It's to remind me that there are many realms outside our own. Infinite, mesmerising, and our place is tiny." His voice drifted off, a faraway look on his face. Markl himself was another mystery altogether.

Their idle conversation lasted well into the night. When dawn broke, Tora left his room to shower. Curious as she was about Markl's origins, too, she had a slightly unnerving feeling it was a Pandora's box she didn't want opened. He seemed to be harbouring too many secrets and sadness within him for his story to be straight forward. And she had enough on her plate, with the peculiar new source of power within her and Ross breathing down her neck.

It was blissful emptying her mind in the shower. The hot vapour evaporating off her body seemed to take away most of her worries. Her muscles relaxed and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply. For several minutes, she wasn't a Seeker. She didn't have special powers. Her telekinesis didn't exist. Ross wasn't there to harp at her about training. She was just Tora. Just Tora. 

If life was always that simple, she'd be happy. Fighting demons. Eat. Sleep. Shower. Rinse and repeat. No team conflicts, shouting matches, unsolved mysteries. Just an average day—

"Don't use up all the hot water, Tora!" yelled Carlos from the outside, hammering on the bathroom door.

Or not.

"Bugger off!"

"I need a shower, too! I haven't had one in four days!"

Ugh. Tora shook her head and turned off the water. Squeezing the water out of her hair and wrapping the rest in a towel on top of her head, she stepped out of the shower, wiping her feet on the mat. With one hand, she wiped the condensation from the mirror and with the other, she grabbed another towel to dry her body.

The towel fell out of her hand.

"What the...?"

She leaned forward, her heart pounding. Staring back at her in the mirror were not her own blue eyes, but a pair of golden ones with slit pupils. She stepped closer. Her skin appeared to ripple for a second, darkening to a dull grey. With shaking hands – human hands – she reached up and touched her cheeks. They felt leathery, tough.

Her skin tingled all over. With her stomach rising up to her throat, she stumbled back from the mirror. Panic circled her chest like a tight elastic band, squeezing all the air out. She opened her mouth. No sound came from it.

"Tora!"

Carlos's shout made her jump. Disorientated, she stared at the door, lost.

"I have to pee!"

She looked back in the mirror. No, she was herself. Paler and wide-eyed, but human. Human-coloured cheeks, normal blue eyes. 

A hallucination? She felt the leathery skin beneath her fingers. It couldn't have been real, though. Whatever was in the mirror couldn't possibly have been her.

Could it?

"Tora!"

With trembling hands, she tied the towel around herself. She gave an uncertain look over her shoulder at the misted-over mirror for a last time before unlocking the door. Carlos rushed in, a desperate look on his face.

"Finally! I was going to have to pee in a bottle or something!"

Barely registering his words, Tora left, still in a daze. All she could see were those hawk-like golden eyes as she dried her hair and put on her clothes. Those inhuman eyes, with deadly slit pupils, and the leathery dark skin. If she had opened her mouth, she could imagine pointed teeth grinning back at her.

A trick of the eye. It had to be.

An alarm blared throughout the house, making her jump. Red lights flashed repeatedly in her room. Quickly tying her hair in a ponytail, Tora left her room, slamming the door behind her. Ross hammered on the bathroom door.

"Get out, Carlos! There's another rip!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"In broad daylight? But I thought we weren't due until next week!" said Tora, running to catch up with Ross, who was zipping up her hoodie. Ross gave her a grim look.

"We weren't."

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