"Left! Left now!" Kasey screamed in Destery's ear as they blurred through the streets, whipping ladies' skirts forward and tossing off the men's hats. Horses bristled uncomfortably at their presence and Destery wondered briefly if one would break lose and attempt to kill them, too.

"I know: If you stopped holding onto me maybe I would be able to fly better," Destery suggested bitterly.

"You and I both know that I am the one with direction."

"And the one to get in the most accidents."

"Wall!" Kasey yanked on his socius' arm and pulled them into the sky, sparks of flames shooting out of their feet.

"The Ash Order will kill us if we are caught," Destery panted, staring down at the specks of people below them.

"My Illuminos says...that way," Kasey said, ignoring Destery's comment. It was more of a fact than a threat-nothing could stop them now.

"Mine, too," Destery added, looking at his gem that he had unattached from his belt and held in his hand.

"Shall we go?"

"We shall." The two dove through the sky like meteors, knowing full well that, unlike the phantom girl, they could be seen. But if they were fast enough, no one would be able to register what they had really witnessed.

"Any word from The Ash Order?" Destery yelled to Kasey over the howling wind. It was already sunset and they had not received any order.

"Nope," Kasey responded. "Wait, slow down. I think that is the place."

They both landed smoothly onto their feet, feeling black sand shiver off of them.

"Eesh. I will never get used to the ash," Kasey complained, swiping the remaining particles off of his shoulders.

"Is this it?" Destery looked up at a tall, white stoned building with shrubs crusted around the front with a few stone steps to the plain door. Above the door said: St. Austin's Children Housing.

"I am not getting anything," Destery's partner said, holding up his Illuminos.

"Maybe we passed it?"

"But I was sure it was here." Kasey began to spin slowly around, staring at the empty street and houses near.

"Kasey, I don't remem-"

"Shhh! Look! Up there," Kasey slapped one hand over Destery's face while he used the other to point at a shadow on top of the orphanage's slanted roof.

"Is that a person?"

"It is too big to be a bird." Kasey and Destery exchanged a wistful glance. Or is it?

Kasey began to walk towards the house when his partner grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I am going to talk to whatever is on that roof."

"But it is dangerous."

"Des," Kasey began, dubious, "we spent all day searching with our Illuminos and this might be our answer."

Destery hesitated.

"You want to know, don't you?"

"I do..."

"Then follow me."

They boosted into the air, skidding hard onto the top of the shingled roof.

"Where did he go?" Kasey asked, glancing around to see nothing but the two of them.

"He probably noticed we were here and left," Destery answered bitterly.

"Ignis Volucres," a smooth voice said from behind.

Kasey and Destery whipped around to see a tall lenient man standing gracefully at the edge of the roof.

"We are not-"

Kasey shut down his partner.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The man in black cocked his head sideways, as if he heard a noise coming from somewhere, and suddenly hopped off the roof.

"I knew it!" my partner shouted. "He's a Charcoal Volucris!"

"You don't know that," Destery cautioned.

"What else would he be? We have to go after him."

"Kase."

"What? You having second thoughts now? Destery," Kasey grabbed his friend by the shoulders, "do you really want to miss out on this opportunity?"

Kasey yanked away from him before Destery could answer that he really does want answers. Everyone wants answers at some point-even if they won't like them. But so many clues, so many answers have come their way, and Destery was afraid that they would never find the end.

...

Lydia was hearing voices now. As she lay on her bed restless, wondering if she made the right decision by waiting, she started hearing voices. They were no longer hers questioning, badgering, comforting her. These were other, unfamiliar, male voices.

And Lydia thought for a second that she had gone mad. First she could leave her body and now she was hearing voices?

Maybe it really was time for her to leave the orphanage. Then go to an insane asylum.

When Lydia dared to focus on the voices so the words would become comprehensible, she found herself more confused than ever.

"....What are you doing here?....Knew it! He's a Charcoal Volucris!"

Charcoal Volucris? Her ears perked up. What is a Charcoal Volucris?

"...know that," another voice cooed softly.

"What else could he be?...After him."

Lydia heard the voices continue conversing but it irritated her that she could not hear them without forcing herself to.

Lydia rolled out of bed and gently pried open her window, peeking up into the sky where the sounds were echoing from. But there was nothing. However, there was the roof.

Although she saw no one standing on it, Lydia knew they had to be there. Maybe it was because Lydia had a two-day deadline and she wanted to make the most out of the remaining days of the orphanage she had, or maybe it was because this is a rare opportunity of chancing upon some roof hoppers, that she decided to go examine the scene.

Lydia left her window open, worried that noise by closing it will draw attention, and snuck from her bedroom door.

It is dead silent in the orphanage as she crept down the hall. There is not a lamplight in sight and Lydia had to tiptoe her way down the soft staircase to keep from missing a step and rolling down the rest.

When she reached the front door, Lydia unlocked the top and bottom latch and pulled it open, letting in a gust of air.

It had become dark fast outside, but it seemed only half an hour ago when she was in Ms. Sweetnam's office, ready to be shipped off to who knows where.

Lydiana closed the door behind her and listened for the men on the top of her roof. But they were no longer there.

The orphan walked down the front steps and onto the sidewalk to get a full view of the house and find that they had disappeared. That or they never were there to begin with.

Dissatisfied, but too awake to willingly return to bed, Lydia chose for a casual stroll around the block. It's quiet and dark, except for the light of the full moon, and calming.

Lydiana really needed this type of setting for some peaceful thinking.

As she rounded the left corner, abandoning the orphanage in sight, she heard a voice mumble, "...ell us."

It was one of those voices on the roof!

Excited, she tiptoed her way closer towards the voice, but remained cloaked in the shadows as to not disturb the scene.

In the middle of the abandoned, gray cobbled street she saw three men. Two of them were young, dressed in uniform, holding something bright in their hands. The last was a tall, eerie adult who looked ready to go to a business meeting.

Mr. Fisherman? Lydia wondered, aghast. No, it could not be him. What would he be doing here at night with a couple of boys?

Maybe they are some of his children that he mentioned when attempting to adopt her today.

But as Lydia looked closer and observed the hostility, she began to doubt that theory.

"Our Illuminos recognizes you," the boy with black hair said, holding up a giant ruby glowing in the dark.

Illuminos? What is an Illuminos?

"I cannot recall you from anywhere," the adult answered bluntly. With his cool composure and his liquid voice, Lydia knew instantly that it truly was Mr. Fisherman.

"That is okay," the black haired boy smiled. "You do not need to."

On cue, the boy with him zoomed forward with impressive speed, so fast that sparks were flying off of his feet. He raised his hand, the one with the gem, and Lydia watched as it suddenly transformed into a long sword.

The boy attempted to slice Mr. Fisherman there and then, and Lydiana could not help but scream. The sound of a helpless girl's voice distracted the boy, giving Mr. Fisherman time to dodge the attack and knee the kid in the gut, sending him flying back to where he once stood.

"Lydiana? Is that you? Is it not past bedtime?" Mr. Fisherman asked, his eyes still focused on the young men.

The black haired boy charged forward, his two red daggers in his hands, and chucked one at Mr. Fisherman, who dodged it easily.

Who are these people? Lydia wondered in fascination and fear.

The dark haired partner jumped up and wiped his bloody mouth.

Lydia wanted to run, wanted to get help, but for whom? For her? Who can help her from these...things? Even if she had not snuck out of the orphanage tonight, Mr. Fisherman would have still come for her two days from now, and then what? If she said no, would he have left quietly, or would he have forced her to come with him?

Seeing how he is now, Lydia did not think that he took rejection kindly.

Distracted by her own thoughts, she did not see that Mr. Fisherman had thrown one of the boys in the air, their back crashing against her face and knocking her onto the ground.

"Ugh!"

"Sor...ry?" The boy rolled to his knees and turned around to face her and was just as stunned as she was at what he saw. "Ghost girl?"

Lydia could not say anything. The fact that the boy who chased her downtown was in a fight with the man who wants to adopt her was just too odd to be coincidental.

Suddenly, he grabbed her right wrist and yanked her to her feet. "You need to hide."

Her eyes widened at his touch. Hot, sticky, strong. "Hide? How?"

"You can turn into a ghost, yes? Disappear and run."

She laughed uneasily. "It does not work that way."

The strange boy glanced back at the battle between his friend and Mr. Fisherman. "Look, you need to get out of here."

Lydia turned her head in every direction. There was nowhere to hide, except for her room, which she was fairly certain Mr. Fisherman knew where to locate.

"I have nowhere to go."

He bit his lip, frustrated, and Lydia watched his caramel hair flop over half of his face. "Then we run."

Before she could reply he shouted, "Kase! Mora!"

His partner did not look back, just raised his hand in response, and blocked Mr. Fisherman from following after them as Lydia was dragged down the street.

"We have to hurry," he said.

"You're moving too fast!" Lydia cried. "Slow down!"

"We can't. If we do, he will catch up."

"Catch up? He is an old man! There-" The acquaintance of Lydia's pulled her into the air and crushed her into his iron strong arms and ran. But this time, put some actual speed into it.

Wind rushed past them and Lydia could only see blurs of shadows and shapes. She did not know if they passed people, if they passed houses, if they passed anything that could help protect Lydia from Mr. Fisherman.

For all she knew, this guy was just as bad as Mr. Fisherman and he was taking her to a hidden torture chamber.

Lydiana looked below her and saw small red hot sparks scatter off the ground.

"Are you really moving this fast?" she gaped.

But the runner did not answer. Instead, he came to a sudden halt, as if Lydia offended him, and turned to a wooden door of an abandoned apartment building ready for renovation.

He kicked it down and helped the damsel into the dusty, dank, rotting entrance hall. "Hide yourself anywhere here for as long as you can."

Lydia glanced around. "How will I know when it is safe for me to come out?"

"I suppose you cannot wait until it is dawn?"

"Dawn?" Lydia gaped. "Spend an entire night in here? I could die from diseases lurking in this place."

"Or you could die by the hands of that man we were fighting," he retorted.

She clamped her mouth shut and tightened her fists. "Who are you?"

Suddenly, there was a clatter as the wooden covered window next to the door smashed open and a man rolled inside.

The boy Lydia traveled with blocked her protectively until they saw who rose from the mountain of wood planks.

"Kasey!" Lydia's savior sighed, glancing around, "where is the Charcoal?"

"I lost him. But not for long," Kasey panted, wiping dust off of his face. "You got a little, um..."

Kasey's friend glanced down at himself, finding that he, too, was covered with black dust.

"Destery," Kasey clasped his right hand onto his friend's shoulder, "our Illuminos does not lie. We have to get him before he gets us."

"I know that," Destery agreed softly. "But what do we do with her?"

Kasey glanced over Destery's shoulder and appeared surprised, as if this was the first time he had noticed the girl before. To be truthful, she could not blame him. After all, he had been occupied with Mr. Fisherman.

But now that she had a close up look of Kasey's face, she could feel herself blush. His silky black hair was a mess, his face pink, and his curious blue eyes were ignited from the energy of fighting. He was an extremely attractive young man.

"My name is Kasey," he instantly smiled. "I am sincerely sorry to have met you during such an unfortunate situation. But even so, may I just say-"

"Kasey," Destery snapped, "this is not the place nor time."

"Right, um, we can hide her. I mean, you, if that is alright," Kasey offered the option to Lydia like she had a choice.

"One of us should stay down here. The other should make sure she hides safely," Destery suggested.

Kasey raised his hand when the latter was mentioned and Destery shrugged, clearly not caring on the matter as long as both were done.

"May I?" Kasey offered his arms to hold Lydia.

She looked up the rickety, ready to cave wooden spiral staircase and felt herself surrender to the help of these strangers. Should they abandon her in this place, she most certainly would never get out alive. And if she died, she would haunt them forever.

Kasey gently plucked Lydia into his arms and zipped up the staircase. Lydiana took one last glance down at Destery, who awaited Mr. Fisherman with heavy expectation.