Ears twitching as she exited her internal world, Rachel took a soft breath of amusement, cracking open an eye to see her Little Bun making a commotion. Scarlet and Alexa were trying to help the crying child while a squishy, orange ball of pure terror floated above Nia’s head, biting down on her left ear.

  “Stop it, Coral! Bad bunny. Let go! Ou-ou-ou!”

  “Hold still, Nia,” Scarlet hissed, being careful as the child froze in place. “I’m trying, but it keeps phasing through my hands—it’s like a ghost. Ms. Park?”

  Alexa stood nearby, wearing a frightened, unsure look. “Scarlet, can’t you kill it?”

  “No! No!” Nia protested. “She’s just—mean! Ou-ou! Stupid, spooky bun! Down, girl! Down!”

  “Fifififi!” the little slime-bunny snickered, clearly not causing any permanent damage and just pestering her leader.

  Her mom was surprisingly calm, observing the pair with a frown before spotting her waking up. “Rachel? Good, you’re awake. Nia is having trouble with what I assume is something to do with your powers. She insists that no one try to hurt it. Could you help her?”

  Scarlet’s gaze darted to her. “Rachel! I, umm—”

  Nia lurched forward as Alexa retreated to the corner, holding her arm. Collapsing over her legs, the little bunny child tearfully looked up at her with the snickering ghostly bun on her head. The kid buried her face into Rachel’s stomach, still whimpering and restraining sniffles.

  “Major, help! She’s sooo mean! Ouuuu…”

  Their newest soldier malevolently nibbled on Nia’s twitching left ear while looking up at her, fully visible through its cloudy, gel-like body. Perhaps going straight for an Event Moon entity with the Greater Harvest Moon was a bit of an ambitious start.

  Feeling a little responsible after Big Nia warned her the soldiers wouldn’t obey her kid counterpart, Rachel lifted a weak hand and plopped it down on Coral’s squishy head. The orange bun’s ears went straight up between her fingers as she looked straight into the spook’s illuminated yellow eyes, firming her tone.

  “Coral…release Nia.”

  The girl’s ear dropped out of the monster bun’s jagged, frightening mouth, and with a little effort, Rachel lifted Coral off to sit on her left side. Oddly, the ghost had no weight; her trouble was in lifting her own arm’s weight. Coral’s little tail wiggled as she was set down, and she started to bounce up and down, waiting for further instructions.

  Alexa spoke up, drawing the bun’s mischievous gaze and making the blonde gulp. “What does she—why is she looking at me like that?”

  Knowing she couldn’t leave the poltergeist out of her sight with how things had turned out, Rachel sighed and pointed up to her head; the vibes she got from the Halloween entity were that of a desire to cause terror.

  “Come here, Coral. And she’s a ghostly moon bunny; her treat is fear. Nia, you can’t be afraid of her.”

  “Fififi!” The poltergeist showed a jack-o-lantern-like grin at Alexa as she hopped up to float between Rachel’s ears. “Fififi.”

  Nia gave the blob a dirty, teary-eyed glare. “What do you mean, I’m a scaredy bunny?! Rude much? I’m your leader!”

  “Fififi.”

  “Huh? Why does she listen to you and not me, Major? She’s been chasing me around for, like—like, five minutes, and you didn’t even help me! She’s rude and mean a-and pokes fun at me!”

  Reaching over to examine Nia’s ear, the girl flinched, but there wasn’t really any damage. “Because Big Nia said you had to try and figure it out yourself. You have to be firm with her, Little Bun; if she senses fear, then she attacks. You remember what it was like to be under the Greater Harvest Moon. She can literally taste fright.”

  “Mmmgm.” Nia crossed her arms and sunk her chin onto Rachel’s legs. “We were friends with all the ghosts and monsters during that fight. Coral’s just a jerk!”

  The orange bun yawned sleepily with a short snicker from atop Rachel’s head, making Nia’s ears fly up. “Fififi.”

  “Oh, you take that back, Meanie! I’m the captain; you’re not my boss! I’m in charge!”

  “Fifi.”

  “No!” Nia shouted, becoming flustered. “I could totally beat you up, but I’m a good leader, and I don’t hurt my soldiers! Humph.” Huffily rising to her feet, now embarrassed since Rachel had tamed the bun, Nia pointed at Alexa and Scarlet. “Let’s go get something sweet to eat—something Coral can’t have because she’s on timeout!”

  “Fi?”

  Rachel reached up to pat the rousing poltergeist’s head as Nia squeaked and jumped away, defending her ears. “No fighting, Coral. Play nice.”

  “Fi-fi…” the bunny grumbled, glaring back at her upset superior.

  “Hah! Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Alexa took Nia’s shoulders, steering her toward the door. “Eh-heh. Let’s not antagonize the ghost bunny, Nia. Umm, is it alright to take Nia, Rachel?” she asked, likely wanting to get away herself.

  Rachel settled back in, surprisingly unable to feel the poltergeist on her head. She gave the anxious reaper girl a small smile while addressing her sister-in-law’s question.

  “I know we haven’t had a chance to catch up yet, Scarlet, but I need some time alone with my mom. Could you go with Nia and Alexa? Maybe you can bring me back something from the kitchens, too? I’m…heh, actually starving; it’s probably because I have no Lunar Energy right now.”

  Scarlet’s cadence brightened, and she nodded, following the other two to the door. “Mhm! I want to hear the story about this Greater Harvest Moon and what’s up with Coral. Despite her, umm, attitude, she’s cute.”

  “Fifi!”

  “Traitor,” Nia snarled at the defiant spook. “Treason!”

  Scarlet forced a smile. “Is there anything particular that you want?”

  Rachel shrugged, ignoring the two feuding soldiers. “Surprise me.”

  “Okay.” The vespertine reaper turned to the dark-haired mom beside her. “What about you, Ms. Park?”

  “No, sweetie,” her mother said, having a somewhat cheery tone. “My stomach is feeling a little queasy. Oh, maybe a ginger ale?”

  “Sure, I’ll, umm…wait.”

  Alexa giggled and held up her purse. “I have the bill. Don’t worry about it, Scarlet. Eh…see you soon, Rachel,” the blonde added, trying to show a smile.

  Rachel kept an upbeat tone, figuring her brother had talked to his wife in passing about pieces of the conversation they’d had. “Yeah, we can catch up in a bit, Alexa. I’m sorry about the cold shoulder I’ve shown you; I’d like to get to know you a bit better.”

  It rolled off her tongue so easily that it surprised Rachel herself, and Alexa’s nervous vibes diminished. “I appreciate that…a lot. Umm. Yeah, we’ll have to chat. We’ll be back in a bit. Oh, and, umm, it’s nice to meet you, eh…Coral?”

  The bun lifted a ghostly ear in response as Scarlet waved, too. “Fifi.”

  With that, the two ‘big sisters,’ as the bun called them, tried guiding the agitated bunny kid out as she fumed at her subordinate.

  “What do you mean, ‘Scare you later?!’ No, you will not! I’ll scare you! What do you think about that, huh? I’ll make you do jumps for days, you bad bunny! You’re the worst moon bunny!”

  The door shut with the captain raging down the hallway, leaving them in a still silence. Her mother sat in a chair beside the bed, legs crossed and now showing a melancholy smile. Coral almost seemed to melt between her ears as she entered a hibernation-like state, becoming mostly invisible.

  “It’s been lively since everything changed,” her mother whispered, staring down at her lap. “It’s nice having so many people around lately. Scarlet’s sweet and so respectful…and you seem to have mellowed out a lot in some areas. Everything is almost…perfect.”

  Rachel didn’t miss her knotted hands, and she used the bed’s remote to lift into a sitting position. Knowing there wasn’t any better way to address the topic, she dove right into the rabbit hole.

  “Mom…did you know The Oscillation was going to happen?” Fingers locking together against her stomach, she swallowed, feeling Coral stir between her parted ears as her mother looked up, all but confirming the answer. “I don’t understand… Looking back, when you called, you weren’t scared because you didn’t know what was happening… You knew.”

  Her mom’s dark-brown eyes refused to meet her as her arms moved to hug herself. “It’s…complicated, Honey. I didn’t know exactly when it would happen. I only knew that it would.”

  “How?” Rachel breathed, fighting a groan from her exhausted muscles as she tried to sit straighter. “The stories you told me growing up about the Limpid Jade Hare and Pure Onyx Rabbit, the Korean deities in the heavens, and the heroes of our country…they weren’t just stories, were they?”

  An uncomfortable silence brought the sounds of the building into clearer focus to Rachel, but she focused in on her fidgeting mother. How could this be happening right now? It was like she was looking at a stranger.

  “Mom, are you…a part of the Scarlet Hand?”

  She felt Nia give a shriek through their connection, the girl obviously listening in.

  “No! No way, Major!”

  Shhhh. Don’t butt in! Rachel internally growled, waiting for her mom to answer.

  Her mother took a deep breath before her nerves firmed, and she looked straight into her eyes. “No. I would never associate myself with such a cult. I never hid who I was from you, Rachel. You believed what you wanted, and I wasn’t going to try to indoctrinate you to my ways. What was I supposed to do? If I told you this would happen, would you believe me, or would that have put a barrier between us? I did my best.”

  It was Rachel’s turn to gulp, stomach squirming at the firm tone that was one of the very few voices that could make her nervous; even Coral woke and quivered a bit.

  Relaxing a little, Rachel rubbed her face and forced a laugh. “No, you’re right, Mom. I’m sorry. It’s just…”

  Her mother’s voice softened as she scooted the chair forward to take her hand. “Rachel, I’m not trying to skirt your very valid questions. Am I scared of how you will react? Absolutely! How couldn’t I be? I’m sure this is a…lot to take in,” she whispered, shifting to rub her arm. “Give it a moment to sink in. Yes, Rachel… I knew.”

  Pulling in her bottom lip and trying not to let her big ears draw back, she streamed out a long, hot puff of air, letting her jitters quell. It took several seconds, but eventually, she found her voice. “What else can you tell me now that you know I will believe you? Who told you?”

  Her brown eyes drifted to the side, and a somber note came over her mother as she looked for the right words. “My…knowledge is probably much more lacking than you would like regarding how you changed. Most of what I know involves you,” she admitted, forcing a smile. “It’s because my only objective is to be your mother and…and protect you.

  “Nam, you, your father, and now, heh, Alexa is included in that number… You all are my responsibility. I do fear what I feel is coming. I fear what part you will inevitably play in this grand order of lesser gods, choosing sides and gathering their forces. You’re my little girl,” she whimpered, leaning forward to take her hand again. “I know you’re the Bringer of Misfortune, but it can hurt you if you rely too heavily on it; there is a balance.”

  Rachel squeezed her mom’s fingers; for the first time, she felt unnerved by her vast, totally focused vision, unable to find an angle where she wasn’t seeing the stress and apprehension on her mother’s face.

  “Chang’e said the same about the Positive and Negative moons,” she mumbled, swallowing and turning her mom’s hand over to trace her veins. “My own misfortune can hurt me if I overuse it? I suppose that’s karma…”

  A very uncomfortable thought and emotion welled up in her chest as she processed every one of her mother’s words, [Mental Acceleration] making her mind move a million kilometers a second. Heat rising up her throat, she fought back tears while glancing into her mother’s own watery eyes.

  “Mom, did—mmm… You know about Relica, right? I’m sure you’ve heard about the infamous terrorist by now since some images of her seem to have gone viral—at least from what I’m hearing. Right?”

  Dark brown eyes becoming somewhat guarded, her mother shifted a little. “Yes, I know about her…”

  “Well, when I was nine,” Rachel paused, her throat thick and trying to figure out how to exactly articulate it. “The accident… Relica caused that… Umm. Was I the reason why—why Seo died… Was that why you were so broken up over it because I was—”

  Her mother’s fingers tightened around hers, brown eyes became firm. “No, Rachel, it is not your fault, and you cannot believe that! That is my burden to bear because I knew that Seo would be taken from us at some point…I was warned it would happen, and there was nothing I could do about it. If anything, it is because of you that your aunt is still alive to hate me for driving the car.”

  Rachel couldn’t stop herself from pushing past her tired body to hug her mom and attempt to pull her onto the bed. Her mother complied as Rachel sniffed and coughed, letting her mom comfort her, her soft, comforting words burning her ears.

  “Everything’s going to be alright, Rachel… Everything will be alright.”

  “B-But I let her get away,” Rachel sobbed, burying her face into her mother’s chest, a living furnace consuming her heart. “Relica—I don’t know if I can look at her without… She ruined our whole family! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you suffering. I’m sorry you had to deal with all of this alone.”

  Tender hands held her back, her mother’s hot breath against her ear as she felt a dam breaking within her. “I wasn’t alone… I had my son and daughter, who relied on me, and who helped me out of that crippling guilt, and do you know—do you know what really pulled me out?”

  Rachel shook her head against her mom’s quaking chest, feeling weaker and more tender than she’d ever felt in her life as her mother held her tight.

  “It was when a little, eleven-year-old girl came home from school; she’d gotten in a fight with a classmate who said her mom was prettier than me…”

  “I remember,” she sniffled. “D-Dad was furious when he picked me up.”

  “He was,” her mother said, clearing her throat, “but where was I… I was in the bathroom in tears because it was the week Seo died, and I just felt…like a failure, but you came in and…and gave me a hug and said—you said, it’ll be okay, Mom… It would be okay, and I was the prettiest mom in the world… Just…be strong, believe…” she cut off in a choke before repeating the words.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Be strong…believe. Those words hit me like a truck… I was supposed to be the one helping you, not the other way around. Your dad didn’t know what to do with me… I didn’t know what to do with all this guilt, but my sweet daughter had struck my heart in a way I cannot explain… Be strong, believe. Thank you for being my daughter, Rachel. Thank you.”

  “Mom…”

  Nose on fire and a complete mess, Rachel didn’t process anything for a time; she couldn’t remember ever breaking down like this in her life, and the worst part was that she couldn’t stop. Like Scarlet, her entire life was breaking away, but in a different direction; her mother didn’t abandon her.

  After fifteen minutes of babbling and attempts to regain control, Rachel felt utterly exhausted, yet she had too much to do to let herself slip into a coma, so she forced herself to stay awake. Unsurprisingly, Nia was a total wreck, and the girls downstairs were probably completely lost as to what to do with the sensitive child.

  Cheeks puffy and flushed, the same as her mom’s, Rachel took a tissue and dabbed at her stinging eyes as they settled down. Once resting her head against the pillow for a time, she went to the next topic she wanted to address, keeping her gaze on her mother.

  “Who gave you all of these visions? Why did Nia overhear Grandma disowning you? And why did she tell you that you’d be killed if you returned to Korea?”

  Hands folding in her lap, her mother’s legs wrapped around each other as she glanced away. “Who gave me these visions? I can’t say because I do not know. My family has a long history of shamanism, and I grew up around spirits and yogoe, seen just beyond the veil; it is thinner than you might think,” she said with a strained smile.

  Rachel tucked her blankets under her chin, feeling a shiver coming on since she had no Lunar Energy to activate any of her more resilient-based abilities. “What about goddesses like Izanami and Chang’e? What do you know about them?”

  Again, her mother shook her head. “Typically, you cannot communicate with those types of deities without some extreme measures. However, I have noticed a few bunnies jumping around…that refuse to speak to me,” she said with a somewhat agitated side-long glare.

  “Think of there being multiple worlds layered on top of each other, and some, such as our family, can peer beyond that slight deviation in boundaries. Your grandfather has his own type of aptitude regarding his cultivation breathing techniques, but that is limited to the divide between worlds that shamans can interact with.”

  Scratching her temple and breathing a tired sigh, Rachel smiled at the Korean woman. “You’re dodging the big questions, Mom. Your side of the family and who gave you the knowledge about The Oscillation. I can tell Moongmor and Mei that they don’t need to duck you anymore. Maybe you’ll be able to give me some answers since I’m not all that used to communicating with them yet.”

  Her mom sat back, a somber note returning to her voice. “First, know that these visions come from a spirit animal, much like your bunny friends, only…I was not the only one whom they reached out to in order to grasp what was to come and to prepare. All spiritualists in Korea heard the warning from the Tiger Palace.”

  Rachel crossed her arms under her blankets, recalling the warnings about tigers in their culture; in times past, the horangi were seen as shape-shifting, man-eating trickster tigers, much like the kumiho.

  Then again, it was also seen as a symbol of power, strength, boldness, courageousness, and confidence. Many believed tigers were the guardians of Korea. There was even a legend about a tiger that married a fox, and a cloud that loved the fox wept over them, creating the story surrounding sunshowers.

  A dark shadow touched her tone. “So, the tiger is the one that is actually threatening you?”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” her mother explained. “There are spirits that are…intermediaries, I suppose you could call them—much like your bunnies. Understand, these visions came when I was pregnant with you, and I’ve received more instruction as time went on, involving their plan for Korea. When you were unconscious…the horangi wanted me to bring you back to Korea to recover. Instead…I spoke to and channeled a benevolent sea nymph’s powers to cleanse you, which marked me a sort of…traitor.”

  A little confused now, Rachel tried to puzzle through the interweavings of this story. “Why do that to yourself? What bad would have come from going back to Korea?”

  Her mother drew in her bottom lip, arms held against her belly. “Mmm. It’s a…complicated feeling. I can’t tell you why, but I’m uncomfortable taking you back to Korea at this time. You’re just going to have to accept that as my answer.”

  Rachel slowly let it go, a small smile lifting her cheeks. It was nice knowing that her mother did care so much about their family. It wasn’t like it was a new realization, but the depths and visceral understanding of it had brought a new light to her stalwart, traditional mom. Whatever the reason, it was for her benefit, and she didn’t have to question that, which was weird for her, but it was her mom.

  “Okay. Thank you for being my mother,” she said in Korean. “Haha. If I could bow, I would because I love and respect you.”

  “My little bouncy hare…” A gentle look from her adorable mother melted Rachel’s heart as she opened an arm for them to hug again. “I should let you rest and recover. You’re exhausted.”

  Rachel had a hard time nodding, her eyes wanting to close. “Could you tell Scarlet to let everyone know when they get out of their quest that I’d like to have a group meeting tonight? Let’s say…around twelve or one, when I can moonbathe?”

  “I’ll make sure everyone is in attendance. And you mean everyone, including Selvaria’s mother?”

  “Mhm. Well, not necessarily Barbara or the military. But yes, Selvaria’s mom since she seems fairly connected to her. I have something I need to give everyone to think about over the next two weeks while I recover.”

  “Ha-ha… I can…guess where this will be going, and I will fight you tooth and nail to be a part of it.”

  “Hehe. I bet you will,” she whispered, receiving a kiss on the forehead from the affectionate woman. “You have a lot of experience in a lot of local political and educational areas, so we’ll see. My mom’s kind of a workaholic like the rest of our family, be it housework or community.”

  “A busy, productive household that can sit down for dinner together is a prosperous one,” her mother chimed. “I will see you later tonight. Now, rest!”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Rachel snickered, closing her eyes and settling in. “See you tonight…”

  She hardly got the words out before her mind drifted into obscurity, and the next thing that made her ears twitch was a handsome male voice.

  “…Didn’t she say midnight?”

  “She didn’t drool!” Nia defended. “I cleaned it up, so it didn’t happen.”

  Fiona’s small, charming voice followed. “I don’t think it works like that, Nia, but way to lighten the mood! How was the quest, Selvaria?”

  The monotone sea dragon probably gave a shrug at her voice, but the woman’s cadence was always at the same nonchalant level. “Mmm. It was fun, but I like Barbara’s better because she usually is on the ocean. Rivers are okay, too, I guess. Mom, you should have seen my new freeze-breath attack; I sniped a guy trying to fly away with it. His bird was cool.”

  “That’s nice, Honey. I hope he was okay. Selvaria? Was he okay?”

  “Mmm. No comment… He was a bad guy.”

  Scarlet cleared her throat. “Did he…shatter on impact?”

  “Maldita sea esta liebre!” Maria cut in, no doubt cursing. “When is this long-eared chica gonna wake up? It’s already ten minutes past, huh? I’m beat and want to jump in the shower. Why the hell was I the only one eaten by the fish?”

  A short sigh came from the fairy. “To be fair, she did say twelve or one.”

  Anthony followed with a chuckle. “Plus, you were the one who said you wanted to see how long you could hold your breath underwater, so you went for a swim. I can’t believe you took a bathing suit; not a bad idea, honestly.”

  “?De qué diablos estás hablando?” Maria snapped back. “All I knew about these damn quests was what that military boys told us, and I ain’t goin’ on a ship without somethin’ to wear, ya know?”

  “Deep breath, Maria. In…and out…” Fiona soothed. “I’m glad me and Selvaria found you before the fish got too far—oh, is she waking up?”

  Rachel groaned, stretching her neck and ears as she sucked in a breath and hissed it out. “Mmmgm… Morning. Sorry to keep you waiting, but can we transfer to the roof or outside? Sorry if it’s cold,” she added to her family.

  Scarlet jumped forward to comply, seemingly having learned how to operate the bed. “Yup! I got it. Nia, want to take the left side with me?”

  “Mhm! Mhm!” the bun chimed, giving Rachel a wink.

  “I was quiet about you waking up, Major!”

  Haha. Thanks, Lil’ Bun.

  Soft chatter followed them as they went to the elevator. Everyone was in their own little group, which helped her see where each of them found commonality. Anthony was shockingly inside the conversation circle with her brother, father, and grandfather.

  Once outside of the hospital, her family bundled up for the chilly March DC weather, Maria grunted and hugged herself. “Brrrr. Can we hurry this up; it’s damn cold here… I’m freezing my ass off. Shit, I want to go back to Miami.”

  A little interested that the woman was so vulnerable to the elements in contrast to them, Rachel had to put it on the shelf to get to the point, but she wanted to know more about these quests they’d been on.

  “Thanks, Mom, Scarlet,” she said, spotting the pair close in with beaming smiles. In the back, she found her brother, grandfather, and dad.

  “Alright. I know you all have things you want to do, and you’re questioning your purpose here, so let me clarify one…”

  It was hard to look serious while lying in a hospital bed, wearing seemingly silky pajamas that Nia had changed her into, but she firmed her voice anyway.

  “I’m getting support from the President, and there are a lot of enemies and organizations I need to make you aware of when we meet next. However, I want to make you all aware that I am going to set up a private military company, and I’m likely to see support from a four-star general and the President in doing so… There are big things ahead that I need help with.”

  She grimaced, looking down at her lap as the others glanced at one another. “I hate to admit it, but I cannot do this alone. I don’t know any of you all that well, but your character showed through when it mattered, and you stepped up to help people. And don’t think this will be for no pay or that I won’t support you in what you want, so think hard on that because it will be a part of your signing contract.”

  Maria was the first to pipe up. “What kind of di?eiro and work we talkin’ here, Hops? We sendin’ fools ta St. Mary on government dime, huh?”

  Rachel laughed at the unicorn’s framing. “From what I know…think over a hundred thousand civilians inside the US that could be murdered overnight that we’ll be involved in protecting.”

  “Wait, really?” Scarlet hissed, now looking nervous.

  Maria rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the fairy. “Damn. That’s heavy shit. She ain’t lying.”

  Selvaria broke right through, grinning and making the bed creak as she lightly leaned against the frame. “What name are you going to call it? Seal Gang Incorporated. I vote for that!”

  Rachel snorted. “Sorry, Selv, but I was thinking more along the lines of…Omen. Thoughts, Anthony? I’m all for finding a cure for your girl. Haven’t I proven useful so far?”

  She needed him to join, if anything for access to his quests, and Barbara was already tied to the military; logically, a legendkin was a necessity for anyone who wanted to level quickly.

  The man tilted his head to the side. “Eh-hah. I mean, yeah, but I’ll need to think about it. If you’re talking about the name… Mmm. Edgy…in a good way, I think. ‘They sent Omen to handle the job’ has a decent ring to it.”

  “I’m in!” Selvaria automatically stated. “Member number one.”

  “Huh. No!” Scarlet balked. “I’m member number one, Selv. You can be member number two.”

  The leviathan flashed her teeth. “No, I’ll be member number zero! You can take one.”

  The dark-haired reaper opened her mouth, unsure how to respond, as Fiona giggled and said her own piece.

  “I’ll have to think about it, Rachel. I want to learn what happened to my family and if they’re okay. If I have to join to get more attention and support for that, then I’ll do it, but I still need to think about it for a bit. Omen sounds cool and scary, too. I can get behind it.”

  Her brother walked around Anthony to stand near her bed. “Why did you call us here for this, Sis?”

  Rachel reached over to jab his shoulder. “Because I need people that know how to run a business. Fiona has her lawyer fox friend whom I plan to call, too. I’m sure I can get a very healthy investment fund and job benefits from a military contract with General Dallas. I wanted you to help me on the organization and structure part, Mr. Master Business Associate.”

  She gave everyone else a personal stare as she swept the room. “If I can fill a job with someone I know, the better…because I have a hard time trusting people right now. Think about it. You have at least two weeks to come to a decision, and we can have one-on-one talks or negotiations. I want all of you. So give me something to give you!”

  They all laughed, and Rachel let most of the group leave as Scarlet brought her back upstairs. In the next five minutes, only Scarlet and her family were left, allowing her to have more of a personal conversation. Alexa was somewhat unsure of what she was supposed to do if she joined, and she could sense some restraint from her brother that hinged on his wife. She had a lot of bridges to build, but build them she would.

  Now, if only she could get a fix on Arthur, Merlin, and Galahad, then maybe she could get more details as to what would happen with Relica; she was kicking herself for not sticking around to listen to the rest of the conversation because, as it turned out, they’d slipped her net.

  The knight was off the grid, in some protective facility outside of her range, and she now had to wonder if the wizard and parliament member had connected and joined forces since the pair seemed to have a way of hiding from her ears. She doubted the King of Knights would have such a Feat since he hadn’t hidden from her before, which left the magic man. Why would he suddenly be hiding from her ears? They were on their guard, so she’d have to bide her time.

  Yet a problem that she hadn’t told General Dallas, the President, or anyone else for that matter cropped up around two p.m. after they’d relocated to the Blair House, northwest of the White House. When her family passed out on couches or chairs dotting her given room within the dignitary guest house, Scarlet nudged her head for them to go into the hallway.

  Figuring the vespertine reaper wanted to catch up, Rachel poked Nia to change her clothes into the purple skirt and blouse combination before joining Scarlet and leaving Coral to guard her family. The exhausted Captain Little Bun grumbled in her internal bed across from Nike, and rolled over back into her dreams once changed; she’d been showered with affection by her family over the last few days, it seemed.

  They waved at the Secret Service that lined the halls, keeping watch since the White House was on high alert until they could get a handle on all the insane powers everyone obtained. She’d already heard about twelve thwarted assassination attempts in the past eight hours, which number didn’t include the over five dozen suspected threats investigated.

  She followed the black-haired, shorter girl out of the Blair House and onto the sidewalk, heading east to walk around Lafayette Square, passing the Rochambeau statue. It was a cool March night, and it looked like there would be light snow that would make its descent, from what she heard from local weather stations.

  Scarlet hugged herself, wearing a cute red sweater that Alexa had bought for her. “Your family’s way too nice,” she mumbled, plucking at the item before glancing down at her skirt and black leggings. “All of them know I don’t get cold—well, I’m always cold because I don’t produce body heat, but they still fuss over a blood drinker.”

  Rachel held her arm behind her back, smiling at how sparsely populated the area was considering the checkpoints set up around the White House’s general vicinity. It wasn’t all that breezy, and she saw the first flake of snow float down to touch the neatly trimmed grass.

  “Haha. Don’t think they do that for everyone. My family is typically very private, but I’ve been seeing a new side to them recently. Between you, Alexa, and Nia, my mom’s coming alive more. My brother’s happier since I’m not constantly bullying his wife, and even my dad is showing more emotion than usual.”

  She grinned and bumped into her, making the girl stumble a little and laugh. “You good?”

  “Are you good?” Scarlet repeated, trying to match her energy. “How’s your Lunar Pool? You can walk now, so that’s a good sign.”

  “Mmm.” Rachel tilted her head left and right. “I’m at about 25% before the clouds rolled in. It’s enough to relax like this and, after that nap, I can go for a short walk. I’ll still be recovering for a good two weeks, though. That doesn’t mean I won’t be doing a lot of political stuff and having meetings with Tom or the President.”

  “That’s so crazy and just like you,” Scarlet mumbled, arms clamping down on her hands as she shivered. “Umm. I don’t know when I should bring this up, but…I haven’t been able to feel Veronica inside of me anymore. Did Relica kill her when she did that…thing to me?”

  Slowing to a stop in front of the Andrew Jackson statue, Rachel’s mouth became a line, seeing more flakes now falling around them. Veronica had changed bodies. There was something else happening behind the scenes, and she couldn’t be sure if it were Veronica’s plan or whatever entity was sleeping inside of Scarlet.

  Voice becoming thick, Scarlet gulped. “And why did Twilight just giggle in her sleep? I hate it when she just randomly makes a sound… It happened when I went into my internal world a bit ago.”

  Vision snapping to the pointed-eared girl, Rachel’s fingers tightened against her elbow. “I have more to add to that, but what happened when you went back… Why did you try? I know you were probably terrified.”

  “Mhm.” Scarlet’s left fang poked out as she bit her lip, no blood exiting. “I just felt like…it was something you’d do, so…yeah. I, umm, I can’t change my Feats still, but I’ve got new ones, like this one…”

  Rachel glanced around them as shadows seemed to gather in a bubble, providing a mist of darkness. “What does it do?”

  Starting on their walk again, only slower, Scarlet dispersed the field. “Basically, a short-range invisibility ability that allows you to move in the dark unseen—I guess that’s kind of repeating myself, though,” she mumbled with a strained smile.

  “Umm. Also…when I entered my inner world, I was in a small house in the middle of a crazy bloodstorm… I’m still isolated in the Red Sea, but it seems to protect me from going underwater. I, umm, I think Veronica made it. Is she…dead?”

  Hearing the uncertainty in her throat, Rachel moved closer to knock shoulders again. “Last I saw of her, she was stopping me from killing Relica… I think she possessed her, or something like that. I’m not sure yet. You shouldn’t feel bad for her, though. She’s pretty insane now, talking about how ‘everything’s a lie’ and she knows the ‘truth’ about you. Let’s not put too much weight into her ramblings for now. Just hang with my family, and I’ll get you more answers. Okay?”

  A sad smile came from the reaper girl as she closed in to hug her, making them stop as the light snow stuck to their hair. “Thank you for being so kind to me, Rachel… It’s like I have a big sister looking out for me, and it feels so nice. I’m just…really grateful that you’re here.”

  “Hey,” Rachel forced a laugh, returning the embrace. “I’ve been seeing a lot of change in myself and everyone else recently, and part of that reason is because of you. You’re stronger than you know, Major Fangs. So don’t sell yourself short. I’d trust you with my tail.”

  “Aww! That means a lot,” she laughed, pulling away and brushing at her eyes, where bloody tears fell. “Your mom told me how sensitive you are about it; she loves you so much… I only wish… Never mind.”

  Seeing her gulp and sideward glance, Rachel sighed and stepped forward to bring her in again. “We’ll figure it out, Scarlet. Okay?”

  “Okay… The snow’s pretty, isn’t it?”

  “Mhm.” Rachel held her closer as sniffles came from the girl. “We don’t see it in Miami, do we?”

  “Nu-uh. My, umm, my family traveled a lot, so we—my dad, just… Yeah, I just always liked the snow… Will you go to the funeral with me? I want to have a funeral.”

  “…Of course,” Rachel whispered. “Of course I will.”

  Holding her in the gentle veil for a time as the reaper processed everything that had happened over the past week and a half, Rachel pondered darker thoughts. Was Relica in control anymore? Was she still a part of the Scarlet Hand? Or was she now an agent of Veronica? For that matter, had Veronica flipped sides to whatever inhabited Scarlet, or was she her own agent?

  The world had become a far more dangerous place, and she had to build up Omen to protect what she loved; she had to get stronger.