Anna made a soft noise behind me, and I hesitated before going to her. My adversary appeared to be down for the count, but I'd seen enough horror movies to know you couldn't trust that an enemy was really out. But another powerful hit to the house and a blinding flash of light through the shattered windows reminded me we were about to have bigger problems than Elaine on our hands.

The carefully applied bandages couldn't stop blood from seeping through, and Anna's pale skin turned blue. She couldn't make it out of here on her own power, and now that some of the adrenaline from the fight had faded, I was feeling nauseated from the pain in my shoulder. We were well and truly screwed. A familiar shape whizzed by the window, and I was struck by an idea.

Running to the window, I stuck my head out in the downpour and shouted, "Lily!" Raising my hand in the air, I let a powerful purple beam of light shoot upward like a flare.

I watched the chaos on the beach while I waited to see if Lily heard or saw my message. The number of bodies strewn across the ground had increased, and the sand had a pink tinge. I searched for familiar faces, nearly collapsing in relief when I saw Kent and Bri holding their own while Chloe appeared to be zooming about and retrieving our injured. I didn't know where she was taking them, but Anna needed to get there immediately.

"Camille." Lily dropped out of the darkness, eliciting an embarrassing shriek from me.

"Lily, Anna is hurt bad. I can't carry her out of here. Can you get her to Fleur?" I questioned, refusing to entertain that idea that Fleur might not be capable of assisting anyone. The piles of bodies flashed through my mind, and I shook my head.

"Yeah, I'll take her. You should get there yourself. The dorms are heavily warded, so we've moved all the wounded into that building. It's the only building left, really."

She swooped in and lifted Anna, causing her to moan in her sleep. I could tell that flying with her was a struggle, but I trusted Lily. The girl could fly like a missile, and her body was a shield. She'd be able to get to medical assistance without incurring further injuries. "Take care of her," I whispered needlessly.

She nodded. "I will. And Camille, they're not fighting to kill. They're taking the students."

She lept from the window and zoomed away, leaving me reeling. There was no need to ask why the students were being abducted.

I watched from the window until I could no longer make out their forms in the rain and blackness. Elaine was still out, and I half wondered if I'd killed her. I waited for the guilt, but I felt nothing. Elaine's vile hatred of those who weren't like her had led to the death of friends tonight, and she deserved the same fate.

Utterly drained, I hobbled towards the exit, praying the stairs were intact. I managed two steps before the house went sideways like the Titanic, and I slid towards the window I'd just vacated. Elaine's limp body tumbled past me while I scrambled for purchase, attempting to reach the cabinets that were bolted to the floor.

Using the last of my strength, I pushed off of the floor that was now nearly vertical and grabbed a swaying cabinet door with my good arm as the house crashed into the sand. It kept me safe from the initial collision, but my weight was too much. The door broke at the hinges, and I dropped into the debris and sand, wincing as falling objects pummeled my sore body.

I laid amidst the rubble as the house settled, unable or unwilling to move. I hadn't decided which of the two just yet. An ice torpedo that went crashing through what little remained of the roof reminded me that a fight was still taking place outside and spurred me to action.

Clutching my left arm to my body, I picked my way over the crumpled carts, broken chairs, and shards of glass that sliced into my bare feet. Making sure the coast was clear, I stepped through the newly minted doorway and into the night. The downpour had eased to a drizzle, and the lightning had ceased. I hoped that meant the battle was ending and not the alternative.

Small pockets of fighting were visible, but the heaviest action had moved towards the beach and into the woods, where I could see bursts of lights and hear the quick reports of answering guns. This area appeared to be secure. The few people I could see were the newest recruits who had been assigned to check for wounded Children.

Knowing I couldn't be of much assistance in my current state, I made my way towards the dorms. While I hadn't contributed much to the fight, I didn't regret my rash decision to rush into the fray after my near drowning. Anna's life would have been forfeited otherwise, but Calum's disappearance worried me. Logic told me he was fine and that he had been drawn into the fight, but a small, vain part of me knew he would have been desperate to get back to my side.

"Camille."

The masculine voice reverberated through the air, and I spun around, praying my thoughts had brought him to me. But the man calling me was not my tall, dark, and grumpy rescuer.

"Gavin," I breathed.

My ex-boss flashed one of his signature smiles at me. He raked his eyes across me, narrowing them in what appeared to be anger as he took in my sorry state. "Doesn't look like they've taken very good care of you." He reached out and brushed his hand across my face, allowing his thumb to drag across my lips before he grabbed me by the chin. "I don't like people breaking my things."

A throaty chuckle stole my attention from the man in front of me, and another face from the past appeared. I'd tried to do my best to push her from my mind during my time here. Her betrayal hurt the most. "Iggy"

"Hey Cami," she responded, her normally tan skin looking colorless and her face gaunt. Tristan's death had taken something vital from her, and my heart ached for the woman who had been my friend. She moved towards me with arms outstretched, and I wanted to accept it. I wanted to find comfort like I'd offered her the morning after she lost her husband, but she was little more than a stranger now.

"You're part of this too," I said, stepping back. I knew the truth, but needed to hear it from her lips.

"I am. Just like you. We're here to get you out of here." She answered me simply and without deceit.

I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere. This is my home."

"We're your home," Gavin bit out, grabbing me by my injured arm, making me scream. "We were going to bring you into the fold, but these people who are content with selling their lives to beings who don't care about them snatched you away."

His words confused me, but I didn't have time to argue with the rantings of a madman. "You knew what I was all along and never told me. Why didn't you tell me?"

Iggy stepped forward and placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. The blonde man didn't release me, but his fingers no longer felt like they were going to break through my skin.

"We didn't know. Not at first. You were just a scared kid who needed a job, but after a couple of years, you looked exactly the same. And you tried so hard to keep to yourself. It was a clear sign you were hiding something, so we started doing a little digging. We discovered that Camille Vance didn't really exist. What really convinced us, though, was the night that guy roughed you up. I saw the bruises that were on your skin, and by the time you came to work the next morning, they were gone."

Heart hammering in my chest, I thought back to that night. Someone from out of town decided he'd try to get with a local girl, and he'd had the misfortune to single me out. Even without training, I could throw a punch, but the one punch is all I threw. Gavin intervened before the man could do any actual damage, but when I saw the bruises across my arms and chin, I had a panic attack. I was back in that house at the mercy of Anton. I hid the bruises before even considering the consequences.

"Is that why you befriended me?" I asked, turning towards Iggy and praying she would say no.

The broken woman in front of me hung her head in shame. "Only at first. Gavin asked me to, but you have to understand that I grew to love you. So did Tristan. What we felt for you was real."

"I wanted to make sure you were looked after, and you couldn't even look a man in the eyes." Gavin picked up where Iggy left off. "I wanted you the moment I saw you, and then when I found out you weren't just another norm, I began preparing to bring you in. Your gift is unique, even amongst the Children. Only a handful have been born with the ability to heal themselves. And the night of the fire, when I discovered you had two Talents. It just proved what I knew all along. You're special."

Gavin's free hand wound its way through my hair, the look in his sparkling blue eyes matching the possessiveness of his touch. Skin crawling, I tried to pull away, only to have him pull my hair so hard tears sprang to my eyes. Iggy appeared uneasy with his treatment of me, but she said nothing. I could have shifted then, making my arm so large he couldn't hold on to me, but I didn't want to give myself away.

"How did you survive? I dissolved a man with half the power I released that night."

"If you want to know those details, you'll have to agree to come over to my side."

"Really not feeling that curious," I replied, lashing out with my knee. Those pretty blue eyes rolled in the back of his head as he released my arm and staggered back. A normal man would've been on his knees, throwing up everything he'd eaten since puberty, but Gavin was one of the Children. The fact that he'd let me go was a testament to how hard I'd struck him.

"You don't get to touch me."

"These people you're so loyal to are the same people who killed Tristan," Iggy screamed, while trying to help Gavin to his feet. He pushed her hands away.

I stood my ground, not sure why I wasn't running for safety. My power surged to my fingertips, a fraction of what I could typically manage, but I was so tired I was surprised it responded to me at all. I raised my palm in front of me. A warning to keep their distance."The people you're loyal to killed my best friend. She was an innocent, normal human girl."

"Camille. Enough. I've had enough. Lower your hand."

His words washed over me like a balm, rich and soothing like honey on a sore throat. Fingers trembling, I kept my hand aloft, not really understanding why I didn't follow his command. If I just lowered my arm, all my aches and pains would go away, and Gavin would be happy. I wanted to make this man happy, right?

"Camille, look at me. You need to lower your hand and come with me. You're hurt. I can make it better."

I nodded. He made so much sense. Gavin always made so much sense. Then I thought of all the times he'd asked me to do things at work, and I'd readily agreed to do them even when I didn't want to. I frowned and shut my eyes.

"I think you need to step back." My voice was reed thin and soft. I forced my eyes open, making sure I looked anywhere but in his eyes.

"How is she doing that?" Iggy questioned, taking a few steps back.

"Built up a tolerance, have we? I really don't like to resort to this. I don't like the damage it can do, but you're leaving me with no choice. Camille, come with me."

The pleasant, hypnotic quality of his voice disappeared, and his command drove into my skull like razor blades. Each moment of defiance sent stabbing pains through my head. Obeying was my salvation. Even so, I didn't move. A metallic tang filled my mouth as blood poured from my nose. I could feel warm wetness slipping from my ears and down my neck, and still I didn't go.

"Stop, you're killing her," Iggy was shouting, her voice sounding as if it were coming from far beneath the ocean waves.

"She will obey."

"Just stop," I screamed, the purple light fading in my palm shot forward, not enough power to kill but enough to blow Gavin back into the wet sand and break his hold.

The relief was immediate, but too late. I collapsed, my head striking the cold, hard sand. The light rain mingled with the blood running over my skin, and I shivered uncontrollably despite the fact that the air was still balmy. When Gavin recovered from my hit, he would be able to easily scoop me up and take me away from my home.

Kent's handsome face flittered through my mind, followed by Chloe's sweet smile. I'd miss Anna's sass, Fleur's thoughtfulness, and even Percy's irritableness. Calum appeared last. As always seemed to be the case with me, those fathomless eyes were swirling with concern, rage, and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. I was going to miss him the most.

"Camille, get up while you can. You have to get away from here. I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with him." Iggy was holding my face in her hand. My vision had lost its focus, but I could see her lips moving as she urged me to leave.

A familiar sensation spread across my body, and everything snapped into focus. Groaning, I pushed myself up on my elbows. "What did you do?"

"My healing Talent is weak, but I did what I could. I really just gave you a jolt of energy. It won't last long. You need to get to the others."

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded, knowing full well now was not the time to ask questions. Gavin could wake at any moment.

"Don't get your hopes up. I still believe these people are the enemy, but I don't work like this. I won't force you to change sides if you don't want to. Gavin told me you were being held against your will. I thought this was a rescue mission." She threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Now go."

I scrambled to my feet and began running. Any remaining illusions I had about the life I had led before coming to the island were shattered. The dormitory was a beacon in the night, and I didn't look back.