The room was cold, so cold. The floor was hard, grainy, and stung her feet with the faint slick ice that g to its surface. Gray storetched up to the ceiling, looming, unbending, it felt like it was staring. A gentle shift in the foundation of the buildi a rattle through the s hanging from the ceiling of the windless room. The cold bit and chewed at skin, it cwed at boinging and sending fiips itg. Little tremors shuddered up the spine. Every sou a shock of alerthrough the mind. There was no sleep, no fort, no pea this pce. Days could go by without even knowing, starvation the only clue about the length of time. The rattling s distracted the mind ahought away from keeping t of minutes and seds.

  Cass shook, her shoulders heaving with every trembling breath. She’d awakened here again. Of course she had. She clutched at her arms and dug her pained fingers into the slowly chilling skin, her head falling forward as her filthy mess of golden hair hung around her head. Was it all a dream? Awakening? Breaking through the camp while my sister was away? The camp? Ishtar? Her lip trembled and she bit down on it, drawing blood as she frantically tried thten up her expression. Of course, it was a fever dream, what else could it have been.

  There’s no escape.

  The heavy thud of boots stopped in front of her. She jolted and shook harder, her heart going a mile a minute. She could feel her blood pounding in her ears and her veins, her flight-ht crushed into powder in an instant. She looked from her scarred and frigid bare feet to the pair of boots standing in front of her. Unarmored, her sister’s favorite hiking boots. She shook, her fiwitg around her legs as her eyes went up higher. Thick cargo pants affixed with a heavy belt that was loaded with pouches and a pair of knives on each side. Then a simple white tank-top g to a chiseled torso.

  She hesitated at her nee, fear and revulsion screaming in her mind. Terror scraped at the inside of her brain, g out like an io writhe and scream in her skull. Her breathing quied, her skin got colder, the tears froze on her cheeks as white tufts of breath came out in a staccato. She cast her eyes up to meet the pair of blue, glowing, cold eyes of her sister. Thick blonde hair styled to the side over her expressionless fao wrinkled scowl of disgust, not for Cass. No, Cass got to see her real face. Utterly unfeeling.

  Cass forced a wide, bloody smile onto her face for her sister’s be even as she trembled, “Hi Stel,” She mumbled unfortably.

  “You left,” Stel said, it was her an accusation nor a question, it was a simple statement of unbendable fact. It broached nument, no test, and no excuses.

  Cass’s pupils shrank and her chest heaved again, the cold hurt so much worse. She squeezed her legs to her chest harder, “Y-yes ma’am,” She said, not daring for a moment to look away. “I ran away.”

  “Coward,” Stel said, “I went through the ceremony too when I was ye, what makes you so different?” She demanded, “Why do you get to run away?”

  Cass opened her mouth but found herself in the air, her eyes wide, her hands reag for her throat. She hadn’t even seen or felt the millised it took for Stel to reach down and her steel-cable grip around Cass’ neck. Cass choked, reag up and gripping at her sister’s fingers. She kicked her legs as the woman tio squeeze, her expression never ging as Cass felt the life slowly squeezed out of her. Her eyes rolled up, she tried to breathe, tried to beg for some measure of mercy. Anything to live just a little bit longer.

  Help.

  –

  Cass woke with a start, sitting up in her bed and breathing hard, sweat stinging her eyes and ging to every inch of skin on her body. She coughed, her stomach ed and she staggered out of her bunk, stumbling dowh between the beds as she covered her mouth in a desperate scramble. The hing she knew she was standing ihroom with her hands oher side of the sink, coughing. She stared up at her face, thihan her sisters, petite, her long hair was straighter and her eyes were more sunken. She coughed again a her head against the mirror.

  “Damn it,” She paurning aing her back against the wall and reag up into her hair. She slid down and caught her breath ohroom floor. She reached up and slowly tugged on her hair, pying with it to try to calm herself down. I’m still here, I’m still here, it was a dream. I’m still here. She reminded herself befng up at the door out of the bathroom. Her lips pressed together in a line. I o see her, just to help me calm down. Just a little. That’s okay, right?

  She staggered shakily to her feet and walked out the door like a ossessed, her eyes turned right and looked down the hallway towards the instructor’s suites. She wandered down and made her way to the first door, stopping in front of it. She rest her head against it and stood there. Ishtar. She thought wearily as her mi back to her escape. Her awakening. Mistress Ishtar called it Mighty Asterion. The hammer in her hands. The strength. She’d been hanging in the room when it came, her sister had goo another pound at the time. Her body was rejuvehe instincts driving her rage forward. Before she’d known it she was out of the pound. The only thing that had given her any cept of where to go was the little flyers she’d been given about getting work as a hero, seeing the world. The little hat came with them, her a pce if she mao get away.

  Despite her escape, her body had been terribly beaten, bloody, and bruised. She’d e with her power but as the effects ended she found herself closer to death than she’d ever been before. She’d escaped, though, she would have been happy dying like that. It would have been fine, but fate had other pns. She reached up and touched the door. Ishtar had found her, one of her spies in the pound had told her about Cass’ escape. She’d healed her, ed her, clothed her, was f, kind, but not without her striess. Cass knew she was gy, she knew she was desperate to be close, to feel that sense of security. She uood that Ishtar utting up with it, that she was imposing, but-

  The door opened and she gnced down a little into the eyes of Sonya looking up at her. Her hands on her hips and her eyebrow raised. There was a bit of sweat on her brow ahroat looked tense, “Cass? What are you doing out here at this time of night?” She asked befng around, “You’ve been standing outside for the past ten minutes, e in if yoing to e in.”

  Cass froze at the door as Sonya turned around and walked inside, her movements a little stiff. She rubbed her shoulder and closed the door behind her, “Are you… okay?” She asked hesitantly.

  Sonya gnced over her shoulder and plucked a bottle of water off the ter, “Me? I’m fine,” She said and sipped the water, “Just thirsty, had to get out of bed to grab some,” She chuckled, “Fot to put in a bit about the ies,” She mumbled to herself as she took another sip, “Are you here to make your report?” She asked.

  Cass’ eyebrows shot up, ht, I was supposed to report in once she got back, I fot! Stupid! She must be ang-

  “I’m not mad that you waited, thank you for being patient, Cass,” Sonya said softly befesturing to the couch, “You o sit?” Cass shuddered but nodded, walking over and sitting on the plush surface. She pulled on her hair and looked down at her knees. In front of her, Sonya tilted her head a her bottle down, “Okay, what’s wrong? You look terrible.”

  “Anhtmare,” Cass admitted, sullen, “The same one.”

  Sonya nodded slowly, “I see,” She said and walked over, sitting dowo her. She shook her head and patted her p, “Just for a moment, okay?”

  Cass nodded and fell sideways into Sonya’s p. The woman stroked her hair and looked down at her, “Better?” Cass nodded again as gentle fingers ran rapturously through her hair. She tried to settle, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down as the woman’s glowing eyes watched her.

  Cass looked up at her for a moment before looking away, “I patrolled the grounds as you asked and followed Marc if he behaved suspiciously,” Cass finally said, “As you asked.”

  “And?” Sonya murmured, taking a sip from her water.

  “The day it happened,” She tensed, remembering the momentary terror that came with seeing her savior on s surrounded by violence. She tugged at her fingers and bit her lip. It had taken a lot of soothing from to get her to calm down, it wasn’t like she could go help without a portal anyway, “Three of her people tried to sneak in through the north woods, I killed them and disposed of the bodies as instructed,” Cass murmured.

  “Did they have abilities?” Sonya asked, starting to braid Cass’ hair.

  “Yes, at least rare, one epic probably. I hahem quickly, minimum noise,” Cass said with a sigh, her shoulders rexing a bit more.

  “Mm,” Sonya nodded, “And what about Marc?”

  “I followed him to the duhe camp is maintaining,” She said and frowned, “He touched it for a little while and seemed to i with the symbols on the pylons but didn’t do anything else, didn’t even go in,” She said thoughtfully, “Then he left.”

  Sonya looked troubled for a moment but didn’t say anything. Cass opened her mouth again when Sonya tilted her head and her eyes focused and unfocused. Cass had noticed that happened whe a call from someoh her abilities. “Yes?” Sonya said to whomever was oher end, “I’m fine,” She said with a ugh then frowned, hard, “You found some? Deal with them and double security at the new locatio everyone again and thhly,” She said with a clipped tone, murder in her voice. She paused at whatever the response was, “Thank you, Bckrazor,” She said and turned her attention back to Cass.

  “You said he touched the pylons?” Sonya asked.

  “Yes ma’am,” Cass murmured as Sonya resumed stroking her hair. It was so nice.

  “Well done,” Sonya praised her and Cass felt a glow in her chest, “Stick to the pn for now. Keep an eye on him but never, never engage. If there is one order I want you to follow without question, it’s that one,” Sonya said, “He is far more dangerous than he looks.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Cass repeated.

  Sonya leaned bad her seat, huffing out a breath, “I’ve gotta get back to the bed soon,” She said thoughtfully.

  Cass sat up, putting her hands on the coud looking up at Sonya, “ I stay here? Please?” She begged, “I just want to sleep through the night, I promise, I’ll leave before-”

  Sonya held up a finger and looked Cass in the eyes, “It’s three in the m, you aren’t getting up in two hours as tired as you are,” She corrected her before smiling a little sadly at her, “Cass, I indulge some of your uerpretation of sisterhood while wearing my mask,” She said patiently, “I let you rest your head in my p and be as good a big sister as I for you,” She leaned forward and put a tiny kiss on Cass’ forehead, “But I o draw the line now and theually, when you’re truly free, when you have closure. You’ll uand,” She said and stroked the side of Cass’ head.

  Cass’ eyes fell and her lip trembled. “I’m sorry, it’s just so different with you around, ma’am. I feel… light and my arms don’t hurt, and I don’t shake.”

  “That’s called happy,” Sonya said with a small ugh and pulled her hand away, “I hope you find other ways to be happy than just me, you do know that there are other people here you meet and bond with, right?” She asked.

  Cass bit her lip, “But-”

  Sonya tapped her nose, “I’ve seen that grumpy face of yours when I talk to them, they’re my students too, don’t be greedy,” Sonya said with a wag of her finger, “Give it a ce, talk to them, I know it might be hard to find things to talk about.”

  Cass gowards the door and imagined iing with the other aspirants. She felt like a fused teenager and not a grown woman. She ched her hands together. Even she could tell that Sonya thought what she was doing was silly. She closed her eyes and sighed, “What if they ask me about my sister?” Cass asked.

  Sonya raised an eyebrow, “First, that would be rude and you should tell them that,” Sonya said with a chuckle, “Sed, just be hohat she’s awful, that she was awful to you and you don’t want to talk about it,” Sonya said before hesitating and leaning back against the couch, “Cass, about your sister, actually. What she did, it ges things a little.”

  Cass looked over and blinked, “Huh?”

  Sonya pursed her lips before resting her arm on the armrest, tapping her manicured fingers, “The likelihood of a frontation with Liberty versus Heroes is getting increasingly likely and with her bringing you up at the press ferend asking me directly,” Sonya frowned, “You will be watched a bit more carefully by some of those ected with the ittee. There are quite a hat won’t trust you until your sister is dealt with.”

  Cass blinked and worked through it, sitting up straighter, “W-wait, but if heroes frohe rule say-”

  “No killing, right,” Sonya said ftly. “And if you somehow get involved in the fight and are seen killing your sister, you bet that not being a hero anymore will be the least of your worries.”

  Cass ched her fists, panic rising, “N-no! She has to-”

  Sonya held her finger up to her lips, “I know, Cassiopeia, I know what o happen. I have some ideas but they are going to take some work. For now focus on the camp and work traduating. I made sure to fudge the results of your questionnaire ahe groundwork for you to e to the New Yuild once all’s said and done. Your performance so far is great, but you o work on your social iion. Being a hero is a social job. Make friends.”

  Cass let out a relieved breath, of course Sonya, Ishtar, would already have a pn. She nodded slowly, “Whatever you ask, ma’am.”

  Sonya huffed out a breath through her nostrils and gave her a sad smile, she looked a little disappointed but didn’t say anything. Instead, she just reached up and pinched Cass’ cheek before pointing to the do to bed.”

  Cass got to her feet and bowed ohank you for… everything,” She said after a pause and hurried out, bato the hall.

  –

  Sonya watched the girl go and waited till the door shut before letting out a relieved breath aing to her feet. Her legs were already moving towards the small hall and the room before she could even think about it. The pulsion was strong. She could push it off long enough to take care of ies but she’d lioo long in the living room. At least it didn’t hurt or choke her. She gnced back over her shoulder at the door and shook her head, “Poor thing. Hang in there,” She murmured before slipping through the door and bato the bedroom.