Adeline's noodle legs gave out just before she collapsed onto the back seat of the vehicle, muscles aching and stomach grumbling. Normally when it came to training, it wasn't that brutal, but Sebastian had never been one to let her off easy.

     "Curse the day you were born, Sebastian Kason Brandover," she groaned. She clasped her water bottle with both hands as she tried to take a drink. Ivy started driving, resulting in a spattering of wet spots on her dress.

     "Don't be so dramatic." He lowered the back of his seat, legs resting on the back of the passenger seat. "It can't be that bad. I feel rather well-rested myself."

     "Of course you do! You didn't do anything!"

     "You don't think I got this good-looking body by sitting around, do you? Because if you do, you probably still think your parents found you in a cabbage patch."

     "Oh, haha. Is it just me, or have you gotten dumber?" She glared at him over the top of the water bottle as she took a swig.

     "It's just you."

     Adeline snorted and looked out the window.

     "Here."

     Something hit her in the side of the head and she tensed, muscles screaming in protest.

     "Ouch!" she yelped.

     "There is no way that hurt," Sebastian said, bringing the back of the seat to a sitting position as he did so. "It's a Twinkie."

     "Shut up!"

     "Don't make me take that back," he warned ominously. Pointing at his eyes and then stabbing at hers, all the while glaring deep into her wretched soul, he declined the back of the seat again until his face was out of view.

     "They're making these things smaller and smaller," she said around the mouthful, contemptuously tossing the wrapper to the side. It didn't go very far at all, and, frowning, she flicked it away.

     "Or maybe you're just getting bigger. And chew with your mouth closed—you're getting crumbs all over my nice car!"

     She stared daggers at him, cramming the rest of the Twinkie in her mouth, not bothering to remind him that this was technically her car.

     This is like heaven in its most non-nutritional form.

     When they had passed through the city and were about a mile from her house, Adeline told Ivy to stop.

     "I'll walk the rest of the way home."

     Sebastian popped up. "That doesn't sound like a good idea."

     "I really need to stretch my legs out or I'll be in pain all day tomorrow," she said. "And besides, the last thing I need is Jacob seeing me with people he hardly knows."

     "He knows me." Sebastian frowned.

      She got out of the car and reached for her backpack, stopping to peer at him. "Not well, he doesn't."

     "I'm not letting you walk home by yourself." Sebastian tried to open the door with his foot while bringing the seat back to a sitting position. He half-fell, half-rolled out of the vehicle and to his feet. "Ahem." Clearing his throat, he straightened his jacket. "I totally meant to do all of that, by the way."

     "It's fine!" She exhaled loudly, staring at her feet. "I need some time to myself to think over some things."

     "But you could get home late, and then what will Jacob think?" 

     "Certainly not that I've been selling black market weapons and training so I can beat someone in a fight."

     "Which you still can't, by the way," he threw in.

     "There's a car coming; you guys are blocking the road. See you tomorrow!" Adeline hurried to shut the car door and scampered onto the sidewalk.

     Sebastian's shoulders dropped and he ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, whatever." Then he smiled. "Stay safe, Addy."

     "Safe is my middle name!" 

     "Um, no it's not, it's Kaizyle," he called after her right before climbing back into the car. 

     Who knew what her mother had been thinking when she'd picked that name.

     Adeline watched them drive away, the whir of the engine gradually fading away to nothing. She yawned and started trudging towards home. The day had been so busy she still hadn't had much time to process anything; though, the very thought of having to face Ava and her squad tomorrow at school made her stomach turn. Not that she was scared of them, but it was hard to keep her anger--and sanity--in check with someone like her around.

     There was a slight breeze that caressed her sun-warmed face, and she took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet-smelling air. The soft hum of insects and the rustle of tree leaves wrapped around her in a comforting embrace, and she paused to watch a squirrel across the road dashing gracefully through the treetops.

     Less than an hour later, Adeline was skirting around the back of the Killingsworth property. From the swath of trees several hundred feet from the back garden and pool, she could tell the lights in the back foyer and hallway were off. She started walking again, following the curve of the woods up around the right side, heels sinking in the soft mud. Low branches grasped at her hair and dress, trying unsuccessfully to hold her back. She reached the side of the house. Here, the ornamental pines intertwined, forming a wall that would hide her from the view of all but the windows on the top two stories. Since they were spare bedrooms that had been cleaned yesterday, there wasn't that big of a chance that someone was in them.

     Adeline slipped around the edge, pulling up the skirt of her dress with one hand as she hurried down the cobblestone path. She passed the side entrance that led to the kitchen, weaving through the patio and pool furniture to arrive at the back entrance. The door handle was cool on her sweaty palms as she pulled, opening it just enough for her to slip through.

    An aroma of earth and sweat wafting up from the dirty shoes right inside the door greeted her. She wrinkled her nose and pulled the door shut behind her, squinting in the dimness. She shrugged out of the backpack and rolled her shoulders a few times.

     "You can walk in the front door like a normal person."

     Adeline jumped, heart lurching against her ribs, and clutched the backpack to her chest.

     "Oh, hi, Jacob." She closed her eyes for a moment, and her arms dropped.

     "Where have you been all day?" 

     The light overhead turned on, causing Adeline's eyes to water. Dropping the backpack, she wiped her eyes.

     "The usual—hanging with friends." She shrugged and unzipped and removed her high heels. "I really need a shower."

     "I bet, after all of that crawling around in the woods." A grin softened his stern face, hands thrust into the pockets of his pants. But his dark eyes were narrowed, pinning Adeline in place. "What were you doing?"

     Adeline mentally kicked herself for being so stupid. "I was with friends, and I'm late getting home. I didn't want Mom to notice."

     That was the truth. And Mom would be in the sitting room in her favorite spot by the window, where she could see the entire front of the lawn. So going around back would have been the only way to accomplish getting in unseen.

    He cocked his head to the side. "Forest flora and fauna isn't usually hot pink. I saw you right away, knew exactly what you were going to do." 

     "Like I didn't know about the times you snuck out?" Adeline folded her arms. "And why were you looking for me anyway?"

     "First, I was much better at it than you, and I can actually take care of myself."

     Her jaw dropped, eyes wide. Oh, please! You have no idea!

    He held up a finger to stop her from retorting. "Secondly, Mom was worried about where you were, so I told her not to worry about it. Please just use front door next time," he sighed.

     "Believe me, I will." She plucked a twig out of her hair, shoulders protesting at the simple act. 

     Jacob laid his hand on her shoulder as she walked by. "Next time you go somewhere, please let me or Mother know so she doesn't worry about you."

    She gritted her teeth at the ache emanating from where his hand rested and rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mother Jacob."

     "You're such an idiot." He playfully shoved her.

     This time, she couldn't keep back the hiss of pain and whirled around, heels clasped in one hand. Pointing an accusing finger at him, she yelled, "Child abuse!"

     "Go get your shower!" he shooed her away. "I've got some work I have to finish up." He smiled, but the familiar twinkle in his eyes was missing, leaving them dark and hollow. 

     She stuck her tongue out and scampered off, waiting for Jacob to hurl an insult or warning after her. But it never came. 

     It bugged her all through her too-hot shower. She didn't bother to check the labels of the assortment of bottles on the rack, just grabbing one and squeezing a dollop of its contents onto her hair.

     She wrapped the towel around her body and blow-dried her hair.

     Is the documentary bothering him? Or is there something going on with the company, just like I've been suspecting? But if there is something wrong with Killingsworth Tech, our assets, or stock... wouldn't Will or Sebastian have told me? Maybe he finally got himself a girlfriend, and he doesn't know how to tell me.

     Now, that brought a million other questions. She shook her head and started chewing what was left of her pinkie nail. The pinpricks of pain were a much-needed distraction. Dinner was in fifteen minutes, and family dinner was something her mother was firm on.

     Adeline stepped into the loose T-shirt dress and fixed her hair into a messy bun, finishing it up with the rose-gold dog tag engraved with her name—a gift from Jacob.

     She checked in her closet for a pair of slippers she could have sworn were there yesterday but must have grown legs and sneaked off. The next place to look was under her bed. Her flashlight was too far away, buried in the top drawer of her dresser, so she got down on her stomach and crawled under. The musty smell tickled her nose and she swallowed a sneeze. There was a sudden chirp, and she yelped as she smacked her head against the plywood underside.

     Adeline grunted and started pushing herself back out. The carpet rubbed like sandpaper against her skin and bunched her dress up under her stomach.

     She scrambled to her feet and pounced on her bed, grabbing the phone nestled in the fluffy comforter. There was a text message from Sebastian telling her to go check the news.

     The over-stuffed cat perched on the dresser leered at Adeline as she dragged her feet over to her backpack to retrieve her laptop. It didn't stop even when she was back on the bed, nested in the pillows.

     "The news is very vague, Sebastian," she muttered as the computer booted up. "Whatever."

     She typed in her password, fingers flying across the screen. The few seconds it took for the home screen to load stretched into eternity but finally, the familiar expanse of galaxy greeted her. There, right in the lower corner of her screen was a news alert—Senator Westford Exposed!

     Adeline clicked on it, chewing a fingernail while she waited for the story to load.

     Just an hour ago, incriminating photos and videos were leaked to the public. The source is still unknown, but it remains abundantly evident that beloved Senator Westford has, indeed, been accepting bribes, profiting from the sale of illegal drugs, and had multiple affairs with various women employed in his service.

    Bile rising in the back of her throat, she pushed the laptop away. "What a disgusting pig!"

    She fumbled around for her phone. Hands shaking with barely controlled rage, she dialed Sebastian, who answered on the fifth ring.

     "Yeah?" He sounded bored.

     "I didn't expect you to release all of that this quickly," she said.

     "Me either, but the more the team and I looked into it, the more we found, and the angrier I became. We weren't waiting for a specific time or anything, were we?"

     "No. We can't let people get away with stuff like this!"

    He yawned. "I figured we can let the FBI handle it from here."     

    "One of these days we ought to just let them earn their paycheck..." Adeline glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Two minutes until dinner.

     "Yeah, but this is too much fun!" 

     "Agreed," Adeline drug out the word. "I have to run, or I'll be late for dinner, so talk to you later."

     "It'll do—"

     Adeline ended the call before he could finish his sentence with "you good."

<><><><><><><>

    About a half-hour after dinner, Adeline was going to watch some TV with her mother.

     "Hey, Addy, I need you for a minute," Jacob called.

       She paused, halfway to the sitting room. "Sure." Then, to her mother, "I'll be back in a second, Jacob needs me."

      Adeline retraced her steps past the dining room, through the foyer, and to the room they'd labeled the lounge. It was where she'd eaten breakfast just this morning. The slap of Jacob's bare feet against gray wood-patterned tiles as he paced was the only noise. Mouth suddenly too dry and throat too tight, she swallowed. She perched on the edge of a white couch and cracked the knuckles of each hand one by one.

     Jacob clasped his hands behind his back, eyes focused on something behind her. "The Craybons have bought out several smaller tech companies."

     Adeline frowned. "We're one of the top tech companies in the world; how does that affect us?"

     "It doesn't much right now, except the fact that they bought one we'd been considering for a little while. Abilities and Tech—it does relatively well, but they were struggling internally from poor leadership and management. Without any clear direction, poor advertising, and a less-than-desirable work environment, the future didn't look very good. There was no way the company would last." Jacob paused, the last of the evening sun throwing shadows across his face. "We had talked about buying it, and things were moving slowly in that direction. We had to get all of the owners on board, which was certainly easier said than done."

     "And then the Craybons came along and took it out from under our noses!" Adeline slammed her fist down on the arm of the couch, ignoring the resulting crack. Abilities and Tech's newest laptop had been all the rage—slim and compact with a boatload of storage and processing power and much, much more. It had gotten the company a lot of notoriety.

     "Exactly. I'm not sure how much more they paid than our initial offer..." He sighed, stopping again in front of one of the windows, staring out at the glowing city in the distance.

     Adeline massaged her temples. "I'm assuming there's more for you to be telling me this?" 

     "Yes. The Craybons and Hapsburgs seem to have gotten rather friendly. While the Hapsburgs aren't directly in competition with us, their extensive reach with advertising could be damaging. If one brand were to be promoted over another, eventually people would start buying the one that's more advertised."

     Her skin prickled as a coldness settled over her and Adeline stood. She covered the distance between her and her brother and wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him.

     "Killingsworth tech is some of the best, most advanced tech out there; Mom's clothing line is timeless and classy, and that's not even scratching the surface of everything we've got our fingers in," she soothed.

     He grunted. "But for how long? A design for a new laptop we were going to be releasing soon somehow got leaked. We still don't know how, and the only reason we know it happened was because Abilities and Tech released it a few days ago!"

     The air was sucked out of Adeline's lungs. "So now, if you release it, everyone will think we're copying them! That's not right! If I could get my hands on those filthy rotten pieces of—"

     "Please stop." Jacob placed his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "We'll just modify what we have, see what legal action we can take, and find out how the info got leaked to stop it from happening again."

     "Can't you sue or...or something?"

     He sighed, shoulders slumping, chin dropping. "The Craybons just took over Abilities and Tech. They can easily claim they had no idea, and besides, they've already profited mightily off of it thanks to the excessive marketing it's gotten from the Hapsburgs."

     "What else are the Craybons doing to mess with our stuff?" she growled. The pounding in her temples was returning and growing stronger.

     "Let me worry about that, Addy. You need to focus on finishing school and getting into a good college," he muttered into her hair.

     She wasn't a little kid anymore; she could handle this stuff.  She nodded. "Promise me you'll tell me if anything else happens?"

     Jacob sighed, thumb rubbing a circle on her back.

     "Promise?" Adeline buried her face deeper in his side, savoring the familiar scent of fallen leaves and earth and the steady beating of his heart. Gradually, the headache faded to a throbbing and her breaths weren't so short or sharp.

     "I promise," he said at last.

     They were frozen in time and Adeline was suddenly five again, clinging to Jacob's frame while thunder roared outside his bedroom window. 

     The memory slipped away as quickly as it had come. "I-I'm going to go bed now."

     "Okay." 

     Jacob's arm dropped and her feet moved towards the door on their own. The weight of his worried eyes pulled on her shoulders.

     At the door, Adeline turned back around. "You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

     "What?" His eyebrows jumped and he blinked. "No, but if I did, you'd be one of the first to know."

     She studied him, confused by the look that had flashed over his face just now. He was telling her the truth but leaving something out. "I better be the first to know, Jacob."

     "And I better meet him first, Adeline," he teased. "That better not be why you're sneaking around."

     She spun on her heel and left, laughing inwardly. Ha! Me, a boyfriend? I'm such a nervous wreck any time I'm around a crush that we'd never get to that stage. I'd look like an idiot...

      But a bitter taste filled her mouth. Her brother still wasn't telling her everything. And if that wasn't enough, the Craybons weren't satisfied with everything they'd done so far. It was clear they wanted to obliterate her family until they were nobodies, maybe even ...dead.

     Like my father.

     She stumbled, vision blurring as tears formed. Her stomach twisted like she was falling into a bottomless chasm, gravity forcing her down with nothing there to catch her. Fingernails digging into her palms until they went numb and gritting her teeth, she swerved away from the sitting room. Her mother was just another reminder of what the Craybons had done.

     Adeline's legs were made of iron and she struggled to move them. God, help me,  she prayed as she climbed the stairs, even though it seemed like He never listened to her. A lot of good He'd done her so far.

     The air was heavy and stuck in her chest and her shadow mocked her with every step. Once in her room, she slammed the door and crawled onto the bed. The fluffy pink comforter was warm and soft, and Adeline lay there, staring at the familiar patterns on the ceiling. They started to blend together and shortly after, she stopped processing things.

     It was three when she woke up, eyes and throat swollen from silently crying in her sleep.

     I am so pathetic. Pull it together, Addy.

     Adeline stretched out on her side, blinking rapidly until her vision became a little bit clearer. She sat up, digging around in the blanket for her phone. It was only a few inches away, nestled in a fold of the blanket.

     Squinting in the blinding glare of her phone screen, she clicked on her contacts and made a call. On the tenth ring, somebody answered.

     "Uh? Who...mph...calling at....night?" the person mumbled incoherently.

     "Hi, Sebastian. It's Adeline."

     "I think...wrong number..."

     "No, it's Adeline." She tapped her thigh with her finger and squinted at an odd lump in the corner of the room, most likely dirty clothes she hadn't tossed in the hamper.

     "You woke me up! You better have a good reason," he growled several seconds later, voice still hoarse from sleep.

     "I...I do." I just don't know how to put it into words.

     "Are you confessing your love for me?" Sebastian asked slyly. "Because I'm listening."

     "No, blockhead!"

     "Did Ava or Serena drop over dead, then?" Now he sounded mischievous.

     Adeline swallowed. "No, but there is a lot going on with the Killingworth Group." She filled him in on everything Jacob had told her, including the fact that he claimed he didn't have a girlfriend, but...

     "That's not good, not good at all," Sebastian said, concerned. "All of it. Though if I had to guess, Jacob's advisors or strategists or whatever they call themselves probably are suggesting a marriage."

     "Marriage? That's...that's a huge leap!"

     "Hear me out—you of all people should know how the rich and powerful work. Jacob's young and eligible with the looks, money, and business smarts. Now all he needs is the daughter of another well-to-do group or company—say Charlotte Montcroix, Harper Hapsburg, Kenya Rhodenburg, Felicia Blanc—and the Killingsworths have it made. Then, to secure that, you just have to find yourself someone powerful, too." He paused for a moment. "Though, it might be harder for you because you have neither the looks, the money, or the smarts."

     "Jacob would never agree to that!" Adeline argued, ignoring his last remark. "And besides, he doesn't need to! We're still doing extremely well."

     "Don't yell at me, I didn't wake you up." He sounded bored now and a little offended.

      Adeline sniffed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, I just had no idea..."

      "It's okay, really. If you ever need someone to talk to..." Sebastian trailed off and cleared his throat.

     Warmth filled her chest. She was so lucky to have someone like Sebastian. "Thanks. Um, I guess I'll let you sleep...WAIT!"

     "Ahh! Give me some warning before you scream into the phone, will ya?!" 

     "You knew all of that already, didn't you? And you didn't tell me!" She punched the mattress beneath her, biting her tongue to keep several choice words from tumbling out.

     Complete silence, not even so much as his breathing could be heard.

     "Sebastian, answer the question," she coaxed sweetly.

     "It's a trap!"

     "Sebastian!" she yelled, fingers tightening around the phone.

     "I'm sorry," he all but whispered. "Yes, William and I found out less than a week ago, but we didn't think it was our place to tell you."

     Adeline flopped back onto the pillows. The pressure in her skull was building again and she couldn't think right. "I know, it's just..."

     "You're tired of Jacob treating you like a little kid." Sometimes, Sebastian's perceptiveness was a little too on point.

     "I...I guess. I don't know anymore."

     "Addy, I don't think of you as a little kid. I never have." Sebastian searched for the right words before continuing. "But I'm also not your older brother. If Will or I discover something that pertains to you while poking around, we're going to tell you, but..."

     "No, no, I know what you're saying." 

     They were both quiet for a few moments.

     "I'll talk to you tomorrow, then?" Sebastian ventured.

     "Yeah. I'm sorry for waking you up." There was an emptiness that she'd felt only once before, that ran so deep it cut into her very soul.

     "It's not a big deal," he said through a yawn.

     "Goodnight," she whispered. Silent tears burned down her cheeks and dripped onto the blanket.

     "Goodnight."

     Adeline let the phone drop and rolled onto her side, the abyss inside her threatening to swallow her whole. 

     I'm tired of things happening and not being able to do anything about it. 

     An ember of anger flared deep inside her, more comforting than the numbness.

     The Craybons are going to regret the day they ever thought they could harm us and get away with it.