After they'd strapped into the purple and silver bullet-shaped vehicle and slid from beneath Theophilus's shop, Micah admitted that driving the zip car wasn't as fun as he'd imagined it to be. "Just a whole lotta buttons. Then it does everything for itself."

"Franklin said obtaining a license wasn't possible for a debut," said Isabella, who was nestled in the back with Seth. This car, unlike the one they'd ridden out of the Midnight Brotherhood lair last year only fit three, leaving the driver up front with two passenger seats in the rear.

"Well, number one. We aren't debuts any more. And number, two. Franklin? Really?" snorted Micah as the car whizzed past the shops and pedestrians along the Avenue toward Empath Hall. It appeared to be about midday. The false sky was lavender and its clouds puffy and perfect. The Violet City. She'd missed it. She longed for the day when she could take the time to actually enjoy, no one in danger, no one hurt, no one trying to kill her or anyone she'd loved.

"I hate this," Isabella muttered to herself. Seth reached over and covered her hand with his. Surprised, she looked up to see him looking out of the window. His hand gravitated toward hers naturally, just as it was soothing her from the inside out naturally. In spite of this, she moved to pull it away, but his grip tightened. A small smile found its way to her lips as she allowed herself the comfort.

***

"You two can wait for me outside," Isabella said as they approached the front entrance. "I need someone here to keep an eye out for the others and Mimi."

If his clenched fist and tight jaw were any indication, Seth did not seem to like that idea. Before either of them could say a word, Micah piped up. "I'll stay out here. Seth can go in with you."

"You want to wait out here all by yourself? After what happened the last time we were here?" Isabella asked referring to Jack's attack last year.

Micah, far from the nervous neurotic shy boy from the year before, lifted his chin. The thin boy had grown at least two inches but still looked very much a child compared to his older brother. Still, now that they were in the Underground, he seemed to settle into his skin. It was as if he was finally home – even moreso than the rest of them. "The likelihood of that happening again is very slim," said Micah, eyes firm and confident. He shrugged. "Besides, Jack is banned from the Violet City, which means he'd have to be more powerful than Joseph Gaut to penetrate the shield, and if you know anything about Gaut..."

"Okay, okay," said Isabella before turning to his older brother. "Seth, come on. I'd rather have someone with me, I guess."

"You guess?" he went on, following behind her. He turned back to Micah for a moment. "Meet you right back here, okay?"

"Yeah, Seth. I'm sure you're so much more worried about me than Izzy..." Seth threw him a hard look. "As if that's a secret from anyone."

"I'm the guardian of her cohort."

"Got it," said Micah with a smirk.

***

"What do you mean I can't see him? Colin's my brother, and what you are holding him on is flimsy at best!" Isabella protested to the long-faced official who only looked back with open annoyance. After all that had happened she couldn't believe seeing her brother was yet another obstacle.

"Listen, young lady," the official groused, "you might be a big shot power player-in-training, but you're still a kid. Keep pushing me, and Empath Hall will have another person in lockup. Your brother's a murder suspect, and he was caught with property of the victim on his person."

"So! I don't understand how that leads you to put him in jail. There has to be another reason!"

"Not my business and certainly not yours. He's staying here, and we are not giving him the luxury of having a friendly chitchat with his sister. He's under arrest!"

Every part of her wanted to blast the pompous jerk in the face. But her mission was to get one Foxworthy heir out of jail not put two in. "I understand, I'll wait until official clearance is granted. My friend and I will leave."

"You should bribe him with some of those coin thingies..."

"Testoons. And no, Seth, I will not be bribing anyone."

"Unless you'd like a place right next to your brother, don't even think about such a thing young lady. Good day to both of you," he said, looking over her shoulder at Seth, "and I am sorry that you are going through this, young lady."

"Of course, you are," Seth sneered as they left to go meet Micah out front. Isabella willed the forming headache that seemed to loom at the base of her skull into submission. They stepped out of Empath Hall, shoulders slumped. "I'm so sorry this happened, Isabella." She was damn lucky to have a friend like Seth. All these weeks between them at strain for what? Her stupid insecurities? Her lack of faith in believing anything other people had to say when she could actually feel their emotions. But Seth was different, he could block himself easily. But could he shift the truth from her when the blocks were down? She didn't think so. She sighed. She couldn't think about any of that right now. She had to stay focused.

"Thanks, I'll be fine." They spotted Micah and made their way over to him. "They wouldn't let us in," she explained to Micah. "Let's just wait out here until Cleo and the others return. Hopefully with Mimi so that..."

A loud bang interrupted her mini speech as smoke filled the false sky above them.

"Okay, so I was wrong," said Micah, staring up at the threatening fumes as leather-booted men filled the eastern thoroughfare connected to Empath Hall. "Jack Boots. What do they do this every week?"

"They probably know we're here," said Seth.

Without a second thought Isabella ran in the direction of the commotion and past screaming people running away not towards the danger. Seth shouted for her to stop, but nothing inside Isabella would allow her to stay on the sidelines while people got hurt. She felt a pull from Seth, urgent, deep in her chest, almost as if it was made of rope. She pushed on. If she couldn't help her friends then strangers would have to do. At least there were idiot criminals around to take all her anger out on.

Isabella rushed down the stairs to the side of the building where the attack bloomed. An ugly gray presence darkened the streets. Nearly two dozen a dozen men in dark leather outfits and spiky boots flooded the area, taking people's money and bashing in storefront windows. The Shadow Watch patrol appeared to try to intervene but the assailants were powerful and fought dirty. Isabella gasped when a male jumped off a column and attacked an innocent civilian right here. But he hit something invisible and fell back. Seth had run out ahead of her and blocked this delinquent from harming others by throwing up an invisible shield. When the shield melted, Seth began taking out several guys with his fists. He hadn't mastered keeping up the shield for more than a couple of minutes, but it was a hell of a lot better than mere seconds he'd only been able to manage when they'd first discovered their powers.

A few paces behind him, Micah pulled a circular device Isabella had never seen before from his jacket and threw it at one of the attackers. Smoke hissed from it, and the man fell to the ground. "I don't just stay in my room and play video games," said Micah referring to the inventor inside him. At least, she would have help on this random hero's journey. Isabella sent a force field of energy toward a hulking man who began to bare down on her. She missed. He got closer. Nerves ate up her spine. Suddenly, her powers were not working. She remembered locking onto her cohort had worked in the past. She tried tuning into first Seth then Micah, fearful she might distract them, but hopeful that it would make all of them stronger. It worked, the field of energy that blasted from her hands was like nothing she'd felt before, strong and sure—controlled. The man flew back and rolled several times until he'd nearly fallen into the zip line rail at the edge of the street.

A tall thin man with biceps too large for his frame appeared twirling what looked like some type of medieval mace. Shocked to see such an object, Isabella froze just as the man swung it toward Seth. "Watch out, Seth!"

Seth dodged the weapon, then threw up another shield in time to block a second blow.

"You gotta be kidding me," Seth cursed, "Don't you wannabes have better things to do like climb trees or try to get dates with someone dumb enough to go out with you?" he said as more congregated in front of them.

One blew Seth a kiss. "Anytime you want to try smart aleck. Or that pretty girl over there. I'm not the picky sort. But I hate seeing little upstarts hurting my boys. That's not cool at all."

Seth scoffed as he dropped his shield and pulled Isabella back up the Empath Hall steps behind them. He leaned over and whispered. "I recognize that one. He's the leader. The one who nearly drowned us in the canals."

"Yeah, I know him. I think his name is Luther. Colin told me about him. They have some sort of feud between them after Colin threw him in jail last year. The Midnight Brotherhood keeps him and the rest of the Jack Boots and bay for the most part. They must be happy he's locked up."

"Uh, guys, I'm always one for information, but—"

Three hulking figures, including Luther, whose sunken in thin face was the exact opposite of his huge body, marched toward them. Luther, flanked by two men with menacing scowls, was nearly as big as Nate. Then they were on them. Throwing fists and blasts of energy. Seth, Isabella and Micah fought back blow for blow. Seth's shield was invaluable with multiple opponents. Luther was great with his abilities and almost grabbed her once when Seth's shield faltered. Yet Isabella and Seth got the upper hand and proved not ones to be messed with. By the time, she heard shouts from voices she recognized, half the gang had fled.

"I guess more are coming for target practice!" Luther boomed with a smirk. "We are no fans of the Midnight Brotherhood, and you know how much we love Jack Heel. After what you did to him, coming here was foolish of you lot."

"Izzy!" she heard Xander's voice cut through the chaos. She looked up to see Xander and Cleo rushing toward them.

"No! Stay back!" Isabella ordered them. They actually listened to her surprise. Seth erected another shield. Then as if a gift from the heavens, Mimi appeared, rust-colored hair shining, eyes wide when she'd spotted Isabella. Of course, she was on the opposite side of Seth's protection.

"Mimi get behind the shield," Isabella tried to coax their friend out of danger.

"Izzy, I think the only way to get to your friends is by contacting the one who lives in the Forest of Violet. I can help you."

A random Jack Boots thug thrust out a meaty hand to grab Mimi. "Don't touch me! I'm a pacifist!' Mimi shouted before morphing into a small black bird. At first glance, it looked like the gang had lost the upper hand. "Ugly little morphling!" Then there was a blast, what looked like a bullet made of fire shot through the air. "

"No!" Seth shouted, eyes latched to the sky above them. Isabella followed his light of sight. A member of the gang had fired a shotgun.

Isabella screamed as Mimi shifted back into her human-like form and dropped to one of the wide steps of Empath Hall with a thump. Cleo and Xander rushed to Mimi's side. Fury coursed through Isabella, every pore seemed ignited with energy. Isabella felt every bit of evil energy in the area. She whipped around just as one of the thugs approached them from around the building apparently to try to sneak up on them without Seth's shield to protect them. She screamed and threw a blast of energy at the man, flinging him off the steps, knocking him out cold. She back turned to face Luther and his gang. "I want him. Take the shield down, Seth," she commanded. Seth looked tired. Constantly creating shield after shield had to be depleting his energy.

"Isabella, no!"

"I want to kill them," Isabella ground out, teeth clenched.

"No, you don't," said Seth.

She could feel him, though weak, trying to send her soothing waves of his protective calmness. It wasn't working. Her heart knocked viciously against her chest. But he was right. She wasn't a killer. "Okay then, I want to hurt them. Badly."

The sound of Mimi's wretched cough broke through her rage. "Get out of here!" she shouted as a loud siren cried above them and men in black and violet uniforms flooded the scene.

"The Council Knights," Micah shouted. "Took them long enough..."

The gang then turned tail and fled. No need to witness their prey die. "We got what we came for."

"Which was what?" spat Seth as Isabella rushed to Mimi's side next to the others.

"To scare you? To let everyone know we're in charge now."

"Could have fooled me," said Seth. Isabella looked up to see Luther give a parting smirk and wave.

Isabella brushed Mimi's hair off her sweaty forehead. Her cohort huddled close behind her. The morphling choked and coughed again. "Mimi, I'm so sorry."

"Worst day ever," Mimi mumbled, "those Evie and Lana girls are with the Landry Brothers, Izzy. I tracked them as soon as they got down here, but I didn't know if I should approach them, if you sent them. I'm sorry, too, I..." Her words ended as coughed again, this time expelling blood.

"Mimi!" Isabella cried as the morphling girl passed out. "Please don't be dead," Isabella's voice was barely above a whisper.