Cassie was training in the basement with the others, feeling reminiscent of her early training days with Mitsuki and Francesco when she had first come to the cabin years ago. Now that the siege on the headquarters was quickly approaching, Cherie was making sure everyone was physically prepared by scheduling regular training sessions. Though Cassie had just finished her spiritkeeper training, she was launched back into a world of physical activity that she felt she'd never be able to escape from. She hoped they would win this war so she didn't have to exercise for a good few months afterwards.

Cassie stretched her limbs against the wall, winding down from her intense workout session. Mitsuki was still throwing a few punches at a punching bag while attempting to patiently teach Lillian how to do the same. Turning her head to the side, Cassie could see Marc continue to lift weights, sweat dripping down his arm muscles.

"I thought I was done with all of this," Cassie murmured as she reached for the water bottle next to her.

"I'm excited for that meeting tonight," Marc said as he walked over to Cassie.

Now that Cherie was finally allowing the others to attend meetings, Cassie felt much more at ease. She no longer felt she belonged to a secret society. And as a bonus, she believed she would feel less stress now that her friends could come along.

"Oh, is that tonight?!" Wyatt asked excitedly, finishing up his own workout.

"You're not going," Mitsuki said. "You're underage."

"Why do you guys have to discriminate against minors?" Wyatt grumbled, heading back upstairs.

Cassie chuckled slightly, though she guessed it was best Wyatt remain at the cabin. Francesco wasn't planning to go, and she felt Wyatt could give him company. It would also be a load off Francesco's shoulders if Wyatt could also babysit Elijah.

"Can I take the first shower? Or do you want to?" Marc asked, his eyes still staring at the staircase Wyatt had ascended.

"Whoever gets there faster," Cassie blurted, taking off in a sprint up the chairs. She heard Marc's exasperated groan as his footsteps followed after her. She let out a squeal as he chased after her, practically tripping up the stairs as she raced to their room.

He was hot on her track and about to close his arms around her waist when her foot touched the bathroom floor.

"I win," she said, panting heavily. "You have to shower after. Sorry, that's how it works."

Marc rolled his eyes. "All right, fine. But don't linger in there an hour. We all have to look our best for the meeting tonight."

...

"Are we all ready to go?" Cherie asked as she waited near the front door. It was a particularly cold November night out, and though it wasn't snowing, Cassie could tell that she would be freezing as soon as she stepped out the door.

She turned around and kneeled down to hug Elijah good-bye.

"Where are you and Daddy going?" he asked.

"Meeting. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?" she said, pinching his cheek.

"Okay," Elijah said gleefully, becoming used to the babysitting routine now. She wished she could take care of him all the time, but it was becoming more difficult these days. He happily walked away, calling for Francesco and Wyatt.

"We should have brought him, Cherie," Lillian said enthusiastically as they stepped out into the snow.

"Elijah was going to be a distraction, I'm afraid, with that adorable manner of his. We all need to pay attention tonight," Cherie said as she unlocked the car.

Cassie crawled in quickly, rubbing her arms from the cold. She was blasting Cherie's heater as soon as the car started up.

"How far away?" Marc asked.

"We're going to Camila Flores' house. Mitsuki is already familiar with the location, aren't you?"

"Will the girls be there?" Mitsuki asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, but it will be nearing their bedtime. You'll still get the chance to see them though," Cherie said as she began driving down the road.

About a half hour later, they pulled up to a quaint cabin that reminded Cassie so much of the original house she'd stayed in with the others. She got out of the car carefully, holding onto Marc's arm as they walked up the icy pathway to the front porch. The door opened as soon as their feet clacked against the wood, and Cassie blinked as Camila gave Cherie a large hug.

They're most certainly friends, Cassie humorously thought.

"I see a lot of your kids came along, then," Camila said, eyeing the rest of the crowd.

"Camila, is that Mitsuki?" came the quiet voice of a blonde girl behind the woman. Cassie watched in surprise as Mitsuki rushed inside, chatting excitedly as a few other young girls peeked out from the hallway. Their chatter and laughter filled the air. Cassie had never seen the Mitsuki act so enthusiastic.

"This is my fiancé, Marc," Cassie told Camila.

"Oh, I forgot you're getting married! Nice to meet you, Marc," Camila said, shaking his hand.

Lillian reached her hand forward, introducing herself immediately after Marc. She omitted the fact that she was Cassie's sister, not that it made much difference if Camila knew or not. The other leaders were already sitting inside, reclining on warm couches while sipping cups of coffee and tea.

"Refreshments?" Camila asked.

"Decaf coffee for me," Cherie said while Cassie and the others shook their heads. Cassie found a spare seat on the couch next to Marc while Lillian pulled up a chair next to her. Mitsuki had just finished her conversation with her students and pulled up an additional chair next to Lillian.

"Should we do introductions, then?" Grace Gardner asked.

Ten minutes were spent introducing Cassie's friends to the rest of the leaders. Finally, when they had finished making connections of how everyone knew each other, the meeting began.

"We have a planned date for the operation. January 14th," Cherie began. "And we've all decided this is still the date we'll follow through with the procedure?" Nods from the other leaders came in response to this question.

"The Preservers have almost entirely given up all their bases. The military siege was a large success. Most have fled back to the headquarters," Matthew Campbell explained.

"How have you been recovering, dear?" Grace asked, turning her head toward Mitsuki. "I heard you were injured during the military base overthrow operation."

Cassie watched Mitsuki's cheeks redden. "Oh! I just had a concussion, that's all. I'm feeling a lot better."

"Now back onto the subject, we have multiple military bases being stationed in preparation. We've been working closely with our spies inside the headquarters itself. It just concerns me that Lynch has done nothing to retaliate," Namita Bhatt said, tapping her pen against a notepad.

"The Tiger said that they think Lynch might be planning something. But they didn't have all the details," Cherie added.

"And you're set to take The Tiger home in a few days?" Camila asked.

Cassie paused. "Wait? Are you?"

She watched Cherie weakly smile at the other leaders. "I haven't given them all the details yet. The Tiger's identity is still anonymous and will remain so until I bring them here."

"So they are coming?" Lillian asked curiously.

"Yes. I'm slated to bring them to the cabin in a few days," Cherie stated.

Cassie noticed the way she was folding her hands together between her legs. Cherie rarely acted nervous. She was normally a beacon of joy and always stood proudly. The Tiger incident had changed that somehow.

"Are you sure it's wise not telling them?" Cassie heard Grace whisper.

"Huh?" Marc asked beside Cassie. "What's the big deal?"

"Nothing. We'll deal with everything when The Tiger arrives," Cherie stated simply. "We've conducted careful observations, and they're more than willing to pledge their loyalty to us. We should be focusing on the siege anyway."

Cassie nodded, not caring too much for The Tiger business. It had become such a large topic, mostly because the spy had remained anonymous, but she was much more fascinated in what the siege on the headquarters held. It seemed the plans were not set in stone yet, but their goal would be to capture Lynch and most likely kill him.

"That will insure victory," Robert Crook stated. "Without their leader, the Preservers have nothing."

"But what if they don't need Lynch?" Cassie asked quietly. "What if they can manage to fight back even without his demise?"

"She has a good point," Namita added.

"Would you be interested in joining the new Council we mean to establish when all this is over?" Grace wondered. "I think you'd have a knack for politics."

Cassie waved her hands in front of her. "Oh, no! I-I'm not really into that sort of thing. I love helping, but I think I could really use some downtime after this."

"Ah, yes. Go on and get married and live comfortably," Camila told her. "You've been through enough as it is in a few years alone."

Cassie breathed in relief. She had been fearing they'd be turning to her for leadership for a while, though she was glad the others had accepted her rejection quite easily. She did not mind being a symbol and large participant in the rebellion, but she was in desperate need of some time to herself when this mess had ended.

"Well, I suppose that's all we have to discuss for this meeting," Grace said as she closed her notebook up. "We'll meet again in a week's time. I hope to see some of you here again, even if you were all a bit quiet. You're free to speak up as well."

"Don't be so shy next time," Cherie encouraged.

Cassie could see weak smiles on the others' faces. Cassie had grown so used to these meetings that they no longer felt as intimidating as the first one she had attended. She could tell that the others were still drowning in nerves at their first official meeting.

"We should be heading out then. Have to make sure they all get some proper rest. They have more training tomorrow," Cherie said, eliciting groans from everyone, including Cassie herself.

"You need to get strong for the siege," Robert said, his hand grasped to his cane. "It'll come in handy."

Cassie weakly smiled and thanked him as she stepped out with the others. A light snow was beginning to fall now, though it was gentle and pleasant, nothing like the blizzard they'd have to endure in a little over a month's time.