Destan could barely keep his eyes open as he left his cottage the next morning. Unable to suppress a massive yawn, he pulled his jacket tighter in an attempt to drive out the cold; his tired body just didn't have the energy to warm up.

Destan hadn't slept well that night. He never slept well, but tonight had been worse than usual. He lay awake for hours worrying about the next morning, and when he finally fell asleep, he dreamt that he was right in the middle of Grimsby when his powers suddenly stopped working. He'd been running away from Inops with pitchforks in hand, abandoned by his teammates, when he woke up sweating and panting in the middle of the night.

Before they'd left Aruna's house the previous day, the three new teammates had agreed to meet up at the large tree stump just inside the forest, at four in the morning. That should give them plenty of time to get to the shop, where the food-truck would arrive, in time.

It was a quarter to four when Destan walked past the other huts towards the forest. He looked up to the nearly full moon, shining brightly down on him.

Clasping his teeth together to repress another yawn, Destan stepped into the forest. When he reached the meeting place, he found Elias already there. As soon as Elias spotted him, his face turned sour.

"You're early," he said.

"Uh... Yeah," said Destan stupidly. I was meant to be early, wasn't I?

At that moment a twig snapped and leaves bristled and Keara joined them at their meeting spot. She greeted the boys with a huge yawn and Elias said: "You're late."

With those words, Keara's eyes instantly shot to Destan, and he finally got it. How could he have been so naive? Aruna said she'd fixed it, forced them to accept him into the team, but no one could force them to be happy about it. They'd tried to leave me here. To do the task without me.

"Sorry," said Keara. "My brother kept me back – wanted to wish me luck."

"We'll need it. Come on, let's go," said Elias, already turning to leave.

With a rock in his stomach, its rough edges pricking his insides, Destan followed his two teammates. They walked silently through the forest, as its wildlife was just waking up. A few hesitant birdsongs came floating down through the tips of trees. Some squirrels and hares fled from their beds at the sound of human footsteps.

They were halfway through the forest when Destan couldn't ignore the moths in his stomach any longer. This mission had to end well.

"So which one of us goes in first? What's the plan?" he asked, hoping to get the conversation started. Getting the details clear would be crucial.

At the sound of his voice, Elias stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Destan with a fierce look, his chin high and his chest out, looking down on him as if he was nothing more than a dirty cockroach.

"The plan is for you to stay out of this. Me and Keara will do just fine with this task," Elias hissed.

Destan's jaw dropped. "What?"

Elias took a threatening step forward, all but tiptoeing to tower over Destan as much as possible with the few inches he had on the other boy. "We're going to do this task without you. You better not interfere."

He couldn't mean this, could he? They could use all the help they could get for this mission. Was he really going to turn Destan away, just because he was an outcast?

Destan looked at Keara for help, who stared back hesitantly. Surely she wouldn't agree to Elias ruining the task like this? "Have you already forgotten what Aruna said? We'll need all of our powers to –"

"I don't care what she said," Elias interrupted him. "Aruna is getting old. She's making mistakes."

"How can you say that?" shouted Destan hotly. "Aruna is the best trainer the tribe has ever had!"

"She was. Once. Now she's just another old woman. She doesn't realise how much danger she's putting us in by teaming us up with you. You're an outcast for a reason. Outcasts are failures. Stay out of our way, or you'll regret it."

"Keara!" said Destan, turning to his last hope. "You know that you need my powers for this. Tell him!"

"You're an outcast. We can't trust you. We'll be fine without you," said Keara, widening the smirk on Elias' face. All the hesitation in her eyes had disappeared. She'd made her decision.

As his two teammates turned his back to him, the rock in Destan's stomach grew bigger and edgier.

***

The whole way to Grimsby, Destan stayed behind the others. He listened to them plot and plan, trying to come up with the best way to finish their mission. With every new idea they had, he couldn't help but think how much easier it would be if they'd allow him to help.

What would Aruna say if they found out Destan hadn't helped? What would Remus say? Would Elias and Keara even tell them at all?

Destan's shoes felt heavy as the three tribers walked through the dark, moonlit town unseen. The place was deserted this early in the morning. What stood out immediately was that Grimsby looked almost exactly like the town Aruna had created for them. Some buildings looked a bit older and worn out, while a few shops seemed to have been replaced by other businesses. He distinctly remembered seeing flower shop near the edge of town, as it had reminded him of Julia. But now that same corner shop bore a sign that said Bob's Games.

When they finally arrived at the grocery shop, the first thing they did was find a place to hide. They stopped at a nearby flat and peeked around the corner while Elias and Keara finalised their plan.

The shop's back door was on the edge of a large parking lot. Half a dozen cars were scattered about, most of them probably belonging to people who lived in the nearby flats. Two large garbage containers stood not far from the metal doors of the shop. Just over the low brick wall marking the edge of the parking lot stood two tall trees, each with thick trunks.

"Stay here," Elias spat at Destan. Without another word, both his teammates slipped around the corner of the building, leaving a glaring Destan behind.

Groaning inwardly, Destan leaned against the wall and slid down until he sat on the cold stone ground. Now what? Should he really just sit there and do nothing, while his teammates risked their necks to finish the task? Could he do that?

Destan peeked around the brick corner. Elias and Keara were in position between the low wall and one of the garbage containers, shielding them from view on three sides. Keara watched for the lorry to arrive, nodding every now and then at Elias' whispered instructions. Suddenly, she flinched backwards, pushing Elias back with her, and they disappeared behind the container.

Knowing exactly what that meant, Destan pushed himself up from the ground and ducked around the corner into a small alleyway. There, he waited, listening intently for more than just his pounding heart.

It wasn't long before he heard it: a roaring engine disturbing the quiet morning air, the sound of wheels on asphalt. He waited until the noise had died down enough, then went back to his corner and peeked around it. The truck was backing up towards the metal doors of the shop. Elias and Keara were nowhere to be seen. The driver got out and walked around to the front entrance, to let the shop owner know he was there.

As soon as the driver was out of sight, Destan's eyes shot back to the garbage containers, just when Keara carefully peeked around the corner. When she didn't see the driver, she got out of her hiding spot, beckoning for Elias to follow, and sprinted up to the lorry.

Come on, Destan thought as they stared up at the rear door of the vehicle. Hurry up! The driver could be back any minute.

Keara put her hand on the metal for a few seconds and the door slid open with a loud creak. Too loud.

All three of them froze, their eyes turned to where the lorry driver disappeared around the corner.

They were lucky; he didn't come back. A sigh of relief escaped Destan's lips.

Keara climbed into the vehicle and started throwing groceries at Elias, who stuffed everything in the large bags he'd pulled out of his pockets.

Destan shot a worried glance towards the front door of the shop, but there was no movement yet. Elias' first bag was full now, stuffed to the brim with tinned food. Hurry!

"... right back! I just want to be sure."

The voice made Destan's heart stop for a moment. Scrap! The driver – he's coming back!

The front doors of the shop opened and the man came out. Panicking, Destan shifted on his feet, trying to will his two team mates to look up from their work of filling the plastic bags.

Keara! Elias! He's coming! If only he had telepathic abilities, like his mum's old friend Faron. Only a few steps and the driver would come around the corner and catch Elias and Keara. He hopped nervously from one foot to the other. What do I do?!

Just as the driver was about to step around the corner, Destan jumped out from behind the flat.

"Hey there!" he shouted. The man turned to face him. His heart beating like crazy, Destan shoved his hands into his pockets to conceal the black lines that defined his power, and slowly walked up to the driver, his mind racing to find some sort of excuse to have called for his attention.

"Can I help you?" the man grunted crudely. Inops apparently didn't take kindly to strangers.

"Yeah, I was just wondering, uh..." Destan's mind raced, but his tongue couldn't keep up. Wondering what? Say something!

The driver lifted his eyebrows suspiciously. "Yes?"

Behind him, Elias and Keara hadn't noticed anything. Keara was still inside the lorry, throwing her shopping towards her teammate. Destan cleared his throat to buy time, when his eye fell on the shop. Before he could think it through, he blurted out: "I was wondering if the shop is open yet?"

"Don't be silly, boy!" said the driver, his face angry now. "It's a quarter past five in the morning. The shop doesn't open for another two hours."

The man was already turning around to walk off, while Destan stuttered: "Oh... Okay, thanks..." Say something else! Stop him! "Wait!" The man turned back, but his brain failed him.

"Get lost, you brat. Stop wasting my time."

As soon as the driver had turned his head the full 180 degrees, and his eyes fell on his truck, he roared in anger. "Hey! What do you think you're doing over there?!"

Elias jumped and turned, finally spotting the man, who now sprinted towards his lorry, taking something out of his pocket – a gun. Without hesitation, Elias dropped the bag from his hands and sprinted off the other way.

A can came flying out the back of the lorry. It rattled loudly when it hit the ground. Keara. She's still in there! Without another thought, Destan ran after the driver, who was only a stone-throw removed from his truck. He lifted his weapon, aiming for the opening of the vehicle.

Keara chose that moment to peer around the corner of the lorry. Her eyes widened with fear when she saw the weapon and her head quickly disappeared again.

"Come out, girl," the driver taunted. "I won't hurt you."

Destan could practically taste the insincerity in the man's voice. He knew he had to do something, and fast. Or Keara would be done for. But what could he do against a man with a gun? If he lifted the man into the air, he could still shoot. And he wouldn't be quick enough to lift the gun; not while the driver was clutching it so tightly. Besides, the Inops wasn't supposed to see his magic.

For the first time in his life, his powers felt useless.

The man crept closer to the opening. Destan knew he'd shoot as soon as he'd see Keara. He took another hesitant step forward, unsure of what to do, when suddenly an explosion stopped him in his tracks. Fire erupted right before the driver's feet, forcing him backwards. Elias, Destan knew. Fire was his power, after all. Flames licked at the air, climbing higher and higher, until the flames and the smoke completely hid the opening of the lorry from view.

Unfortunately, it also meant Keara didn't have a way out. An agonized scream came from inside the truck.

The driver swore.

Destan searched the low wall and found Elias kneeling next to it near the garbage containers. The look of shock on his face made it clear that he didn't have a clue what to do. If he took the wall of flames down, the driver would have a clear view of Keara and probably shoot her. But if he did nothing, Keara would likely burn to death, when the lorry caught fire.

That's when Destan heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see another man, likely the shopkeeper, come running his way. He, too, reached for his pocket.

I have to do something. Now!

That was when he spotted the can of beans Keara had thrown out of the lorry earlier. It lay forgotten to the side, by the low wall. Concentrating all of his power in the palms of his hands, Destan reached out. He imagined the power flowing through his veins, into the atraments, and from there out through his palms. The can lifted up an inch off the ground and quietly floated towards Destan until it hung behind the two men's backs. With one swing, it hit the shopkeeper in the head and he thudded onto the ground.

The driver looked back to see what was going on, but he was already too late; the can whizzed through the air and crashed into him, sending him tumbling to the stone-hard ground. In his dizziness, the driver let go of his weapon. In a split second, Destan had raised that into the air, too, and flung it as far away as he possibly could.

"Elias!" he shouted. "Now! Keara, run!"

Keara jumped out of the vehicle, just as Elias lowered his flames. All three of them ran for their lives, the shouts of the two men driving them on. The plastic bags with the food in it, meant to feed the tribe over the winter, lay forgotten underneath the lorry. The team fled back towards the forest, towards home, towards safety.

As soon as the town had disappeared between the trees behind them, Keara stopped and leaned against a tree, huffing and puffing.

"Just... a sec... guys..." she said between gasps.

"What the hell was that, huh?"

Destan flinched when Elias' shouting pierced his ears. "What are you talking about?"

"We nearly got caught! All because you just couldn't keep your filthy outcast nose out of our business!"

Destan was so stumped, he didn't even know how to respond to that. His fault? How could it be his fault? They were already in trouble before he'd done anything. All he'd done was make it better!

"We had everything under control until you started meddling, you know!" Elias ranted on. His eyes burned with anger. "But you had to get involved. Keara could have died! And now we don't even have the food. We've failed our mission, all because of you!"

Destan opened his mouth to say something, but before his tongue could obey, he changed his mind. There was no point talking back. People had been treating him like this all his life; blaming everything on him, whether he had anything to do with it or not. People just needed a scapegoat sometimes. Who better than the outcast? This was nothing new, nothing different.

Without another word, Destan turned around and walked back to camp, mentally preparing for the repercussions of coming back empty-handed.