I hated that I was doing this to everyone.

Shoving clothes into some old duffle bag, mixed with sheathed knives and handguns. I turned around to see Tessa at her bed, gently setting her stuffed rabbit into her bag like a setting a baby into a cradle. 

She always went slowly, gently, like it was the only way she didn’t completely panic when something happened.

She placed her picture frame in with her bunny—the one that held the only picture of the three of us: Her, Blake, and me.

My heart ached. She already lost her eldest brother and now she’s loosing her home—and just after discovering her ability.

Or supposedly, at least.

The tension from the Eternals after Tessa’s ability was released made me sense something else was going on that they weren’t telling us.

“Tess, could you speed up just a bit?” I asked her gently, grabbing her blanket and folding it before setting it in her bag. “We have to hurry so we don’t have to leave anything behind.”

Her big brown eyes met mine—the same eyes I saw on her first day alive, breathing, except now they’re older, more mature, and more scared.

She nodded, her curls from last nights’ braid bouncing the way Skylar’s do.

Then she continued to work silently and i followed her example. Counting my breaths to calm my heart beating in my chest.

I snatched my duffel and made my way down the hallway, my boots making the metal echo. I peeked into Eliot and river’s room, they were chatting quietly as they zipped up their bags.

Then I peeked into Skylar’s room, she had three bags lined up by her door.

“Hey.” She said quickly. “Do you remember where we put that crate? I need another place for food.”

I nodded in response. “It should be in the garage.”

She nodded and quickly darted down the stairs, her footsteps fading.

Then I checked on Ronan and Max’s room, expecting either everything to be perfectly done because of Max, or nothing to be done because of Ronan.

The second one was the winner but not in the chaotic, reckless way I anticipated.

When I walked in, Ronan’s stuff was spread out on the floor, Ronans eyes and expression blank as his roommate talked gently to him.

Clenched in his hand—Ronan held the one thing that he has to remember his parents. A tiny stuffed dragon. Red faded fabric with two stitched on button eyes. 

I hadn’t remembered the last time I saw that—but I remembered the first.

I had just snuck into Thornblade’s barracks with Skylar. The plan was simple on paper: Get Ronan out.

Things never go as planned with him though.

I expected a small, scared little kid who’d come running to us, begging for safety and solace.

Instead, we got a firecracker who was brainwashed to kill and was too stubborn for his own good.

We had snuck into the barracks first to grab his things. He barely had anything except a little pocket knife, and that dragon. Somehow he managed to keep it through all of the shit he’s gone through.

“Ronan, we have to hurry.” I murmured gently, kneeling down to his level. I didn’t realize how hard this must’ve been for him. He hasn’t even been with us a year but we promised this was his home. And now he had to leave.

Ronan’s eyes glossed but he pushed the tears back. I watched his walls go up right then and there.

His hands shook as he shoved the plush into his bag, then stood abruptly, wobbling slightly before snatching his hoodie and shoving that in. The anger and fear in his eyes was undeniable, but we didn’t have time for a therapy session.

I silently signaled for Max to keep an eye on him, the Sun Holder nodded then grabbed his own bag.

I looked at my watch. A little over half-an-hour left.

We had to get moving, time was moving too slow.

“Can you guys be ready in fifteen?” I yelled out to the warehouse. 

I heard a collection of groans and “yes”’s.

I nodded and headed downstairs to start loading the weapons.

~

Leaving the warehouse was harder than I thought.

None of us had seen our parents in a long time, nor our childhood homes. Yet leaving was never easier.

Ronan was quiet in a way that scared me more than his recklessness. Max quietly trailing behind him cautiously. 

Skylar shouldered bags of extra food and necessities, she seemed to be focusing on packing so she didn’t have to focus on the other shit.

Tessa gripped her bag tight, hands shaking slightly. 

River and Eliot stayed close, Eliot seemed more weary than usual which was worrying but I had no time to ask. River seemed okay—but I knew enough to tell that a storm was going on in his head.

I slung my own bag over my shoulder, slipping my earpiece into my ear and testing it. “Everyone ready?”

Everyone murmured something close to a yes.

I took a deep breath. Knowing we had to leave but hating that I was making them.

But we didn’t know what was coming next and didn’t need to take any chances with getting blown up.

We carefully walked the streets, I stayed in the lead, watching corners and signaling the others when to stop.

Once we entered the Ridges, I pushed open the sewer lid, shining my light in to make sure we didn’t have company, and listening to make sure a train wasn’t nearby.

I looked at the others, Ronan was curling in on himself, Max scanning all around—watching for danger. River gripped his knife too tightly, Eliot looked too calm. Skylar kept shifting her weight like her bags were too heavy. Tessa held her backpack to her chest like it was a weapon.

A breeze came by from the forest, the smell of trees mixed with the smell of monsters. 

“In we go.” I told them, throwing the crash pad onto the tracks before slipping into the hole.

I tucked and rolled as I landed on the pad that never seemed to do enough—I’d always have bruises after the landing but it was nothing.

I checked both ways before looking up to give River the all clear from above. I locked eyes with him, his usual humor was replaced with…defiance?

I thought he was adjusting to climb down. My heart sank in my stomach when he shut the lid of the sewer, sealing it shut.

“Hey!” I yelled. “River this isn’t funny! Open the damn hatch!”

Everyone else was out there. Ronan. Skylar. Tessa—gods Tessa.

I could hear arguing from outside, just faint because of how thick the cement was. Then all I could hear was gunshots, screams, and probably tasers?

Goddammit.

They’d been found.

I took a deep breath. I couldn’t let myself panic. I needed my mind clear to focus.

“Okay, Dec.” I muttered to myself. “You got this. Your crew is probably being taken to Thornblade’s dungeon. If they weren’t already shot dead, they’d be in there. Waiting for you to get them out.”

I tried not to think of the flaws in River’s plan as I walked the train tracks.

He left me roaming supposedly without patrol watching me. 

If he had wanted us dead he could’ve shot us all down before I even got down here.

But then again, I have no clue what he was planning. 

My gut twisted more with each step.

River. Our own River that we took in years ago after he had escaped Thornblade’s grip.

River, who was so good to all of us.

I tried to rationalize. Thinking: Maybe he closed the lid when he saw the patrol coming to save me? But he would have signaled me. Maybe he was forced to call us in? But River hates listening to authority.

Though, I didn’t think I knew anything about River anymore.

I sucked in a big breath and kept walking the tracks steadily. I didn’t have time for emotions when my whole family’s lives were at stake, and possibly the whole city’s.

We were going to figure this out. But first I had to stay calm, be the leader.

My team was counting on me.