The only thing that kept me glued to my seat were the two clown guards behind the closed door.

In different circumstances, who knows what atrocities would have befallen dear Miss Noelle.

“You want Damian?” As soon as I got some alone time, I would have to practice my facial expressions in the mirror. It has become increasingly difficult to keep my signature smirk. “Why?”

Smile, Jude. Show off those beautiful, white teeth.

I must have been doing a great job at suppressing my emotions because Noelle did not seem to realize I was close to erupting.

“You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” she asked.

Felt what? The boiling jealousy inside of me?

“There’s a dormant force inside each of us.”

Yeah. We’ve already gone through that, thanks very much.

“Those of us who have awakened to our supernatural abilities possess the same trait,” Noelle continued, “Did you ever wonder why there aren't a lot of sorcerers left in the world?”

“Because once humans discover us, they ostracize or execute us,” I answered.

A memory I'd buried in the back of my head came crawling back.

Uncle Leonardo, Mom’s only sibling.

I had encountered him once, and it had not been a nice reunion. Mind you, Rhea had him dancing on the palm of her hand in less than two seconds.

I recalled hearing about Uncle Leonardo getting into a fight in a grocery store. Allegedly, he had tried to save a little girl from getting kidnapped, but it backfired on him.

Uncle Leonardo had triggered a powerful magical attack, which led to several bystanders - including the girl - to their deaths.

Long story short, everyone accused him of producing black magic, and being some spawn of Satan.

His trial barely lasted three days, though the jury was convinced he was guilty.

His sentence: death by lethal injection.

“A similar experience happened to one of my family members,” I explained to Noelle, “He was accused of being a mass murderer, and next thing I knew, it was the day of his funeral. The government is behind the injustice our clan faces, no?”

Noelle slammed her fists so hard on the desk, it wobbled dangerously under her weight.

“That’s what the elite sorcerers want you to hear,” she snarled, “They want you to fear and loathe the humans all at once. They want you to destroy your connection with them.”

“Then, what’s the real reason? Why has our kind declined so much over the years?”

I was all shades of confusion.

All my life, the people around me had told me humans were our enemies, that we should never get involved with them.

I had been forced to assimilate and hide if I ever came into contact with them. Try and act like them in public, but if it all came down to worse, hide behind my own origins. Pretend I was one of them.

Nevertheless, as I listened to Noelle speak, I realized that a lot of what my family told me did not line up.

If humans truly were our mortal enemies, and if they were the ones who killed my uncle, as well as millions of our kind, then where was the proof?

Why did I never hear of those legendary killing machines?

Sorcerers are said to be strong. A baby is supposedly ten times stronger than an average human. Therefore, how was it possible for them to corner us? How did they manage to wipe out most of us?

If humans weren't the ones causing our near extinction, then who - or what - was the cause?

Noelle Beilani had the answer.

“It's a virus,” she said, “In each of us, there is a virus that lingers inside our system. It is located in the pit of our aura and it expands every time we use our magic. You think your aura forms you, and that it is the core of your existence. I’m not going to lie, it is, but…”

Noelle trailed off, allowing me time to assess what she just revealed.

“But, it poisons our blood as well. It hurts us, Jude.”

She got up and began to unbutton her blouse.

“What the –” I covered my eyes in embarrassment, feeling my face flush, “I already told you I wasn’t interested in you!”

“Just open your eyes, you idiot!” Noelle snapped, “Look at me.”

Slowly, I peeked. She stood there, in her lace bra.

I almost lost my lunch.

Her body was covered with marks. Disgusting, jagged lines criss-crossed down her chest. Making if look as if it were in some form of early withering away.

As if her own skin was eating itself.

“The effects of the poison on my skin,” Noelle said, upon noticing my shock, “I have been taking antibiotics for years now, though it seems that it no longer slows down the procedure. Upon further research, my team has discovered that there is one ingredient missing in the antidote. One ingredient that may save the lives of many innocent people.”

I was beginning to understand where she was heading.

Now I understood why Mom and Dad valued Damian so much. Why they conserved him and did not cut him into pieces.

Now I understood why they had experimented with all of my previous friends, why they had lured them into traps, in the pretense that everything was fine.

Now I understood why they had studied Damian and Daphne, evaluating which one of the two would be a more suitable candidate.

Our world lied on Damian’s shoulders. Whomever he gave the ingredient of the antidote to would decide the fate of this world.

Both groups were fighting for their lives. Both of them tried to slow down the disease. Instead of working together, they fought to control and maintain Damian.

He was their pawn, but if they played their moves correctly, Damian would eventually advance as a powerful Queen.

Maybe that would explain why they hated me so much. Because the disease never affected me. Because whenever it tried to crawl up on me, I could rapidly slap it away.

I was immune to the very same poison that was annihilating my clan. My aura, the dark force in me, was not something who could kill me, in the long run.

I had already gotten out of control once. Daphne and Damian had walked in on me as my bloodlust got me to kill hundreds and hundreds of people who had gotten in my way. They had seen me for the dormant monster, the disease that lingered inside of me.

And all sorcerers had it. Except, in comparison to me, if they so much as used too much of it, it would be the end of them.

“So, if I understand this clearly,” I said, “The reason why you’re agreeing to help me is because you want him for your own personal gains.”

“Not for my own gains, Jude,” Noelle replied, “For the sake of all the innocent sorcerers. To let them know what the truth really is. That humans are not the ones responsible for our near extinction, but sorcerers themselves. What they don’t know is what will kill them. And Damian is the only one who can save us. He is our last hope.”

“What do you want from him?”

“His blood, Jude,” Noelle responded calmly, her green eyes cold and calculative, “We want the blood of the only half-human and half-demon left in this world.”

“And what if he refuses to offer some to you?” I asked, “What then?”

“Then, you will have one more enemy to add to your blacklist and I will take his blood by force, even if it means killing both of you in the process.”

I stared at her, taking in all the information she had bestowed upon me.

“Now, the real question is this,” she said, reaching out her hand, “Will you join my organization, Jude? Will you fight alongside us, help us as we strive to overcome this disease, and cease the tensions between sorcerers and regular humans?”

She was not giving me any alternative.

If I walked away from the Headquarters, I would have to fend off on my own. Spend my days running from fellow kin and risk getting caught by the police.

My love for Damian, and my determination to snatch him away from the claws of my family was unbeatable.

However, what could I say about myself?

What I had first assumed to be an act of severe courage and resolve, now seemed stupid.

I had been caged for as long as I could remember. I had managed to get away from my family, and found out that freedom was much more difficult than I had imagined. 

I was nothing but baby bird who had fallen out of its nest, who had no idea how grand nor how vast the world was.

I did not know how to properly interact with others, how to respect boundaries, how to be honest with my emotions and how to deal with issues.

I was vulnerable.

If Tony and Nicolas had not found me under that bridge, I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened to me.

Noelle wanted to become my comrade, yet she had clearly stated she could also become an enemy.

If I so much as failed my mission, she would be the first and only person who had the capacity to fight me until death took a toll on one of us.

The decision was not an easy one.

If I did not manage to put the demon in Damian back to sleep, if I failed...

It mattered not.

I already knew which side I would be fighting for and which one I would be putting myself against, if everything came crashing down.

After all, I had made him a promise. No matter what sort of monster he became, no matter the circumstances, I had chosen to never walk away from him.

I will save him, even if it costs me my life.

Noelle tapped her nails against the desk impatiently, waiting for my final decision.

I took a deep breath.

“I -”

A loud, screeching sound cut me off. I jumped out of my chair, shocked by the ear-shattering noise.

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

I looked over at Noelle, and her face appeared to be just as confused and worried as mine.

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

Red lights flashed across the rooms, while the clown guards burst through the doors, weapons in hands. They stood protectively in front of Noelle and me.

“What's going on?” Noelle overcame her initial reaction and quickly buttoned back her blouse, hiding her ghastly marks.

ALERT! ALERT! ALRET!

The clown guards escorted her and me downstairs, while sorcerers and creatures ran all around the Headquarters, weapons raised in perfect formations.

“An intruder has crossed the threshold between the toy store and the alternate passage!” A loud voice in a speaker said, “Everyone, get into your positions!”

Everyone quickly assembled themselves in their positions. Noelle and I joined Tony alongside an army of kids who did not look a day older than I did.

We braced ourselves for the arrival of the intruder.

Guns raised, bows drawn back and bombs ready to be launched, we crouched silently, waiting.

Finally, the person walked out of the tunnel.

They were of average height, with sandy-blond hair. Jeans, white sneakers, and a striped black-and-white T-shirt covered their frame.

The person did not appear to be the least bit concerned about their security, or of our presence.

They crossed their arms across their chest, a triumphant look on their face.

“Ah, so that's where you rats were hiding,” the dumbass said in an extremely bratty voice I did not fail to recognize.