Claire

Claire tried to pay attention to the lecture. She did. But. Well. It was really hard to focus on a lecture about ancient philosophers while she was trying to figure out if everything she knew about reality was wrong. If magic existed, what did that mean for science? For medicine?

Her phone vibrated. Claire excused herself to step into the hallway and check it.

There was a text from Dare, that the twins had sent out an SOS. He was checking it out, and taking Ryu with him. There was another text, from Jacob. Just “SOS.”

The teacher poked his head out the door.

“Everything okay, Ms. Alexander?” he asked.

“I'm not sure,” Claire waved her phone. “Got an emergency text from my friends. No details, just SOS.”

The teacher checked his watch. “There are ten minutes left in class. Go on and check on your friends, you'll be too distracted to think about Plato anyways. We have a quiz Monday, study chapters 7 and 8.”

Claire smiled. “Thank you, professor.”

He shrugged. “It's fine. And thank you for stepping out so politely, instead of taking that text in class. I appreciate it.”

Claire nodded and bolted for her car. The last time Jacob and Josh had sent out a message like that, their van had been set on fire and they'd been stranded in the middle of nowhere.

She didn't break any traffic laws reaching the twins' townhouse but she surely bent a few. Dare still beat her there, probably because he drove like a madman. She parked and jumped out of her car and ran to his side, skidding to a stop at the sight of the townhouse door.

There was a little glass window set high in the door. Someone had punched through it, and then kicked the door in.

“Burglary?” Dare suggested. “I tried calling the guys. No response. Should I go in?”

“No,” Ryu said. He pressed against the wall and reached out to tug both Claire and Dare alongside him. “If they haven't responded, it may be that they are hurt or captive. I'll scout the situation.”

“I am not letting you run in there with no idea what's happening. We should call the cops,” Claire said.

She expected Ryu to object to that, but he was nodding. “Yes. Call the police. Stay out here and await them.”

And then before she could agree, disagree, or say a word he was gone, slipped into the broken door so fast it was more like he vanished.

“Damn,” Dare muttered. He ran in after Ryu. Claire followed close on his heels, heart racing.

They ran into utter madness. Josh and Jacob were bound back to back in the middle of the living room, mouths gagged with duct tape. A massive, bald man wearing a black suit jacket and slacks stood over them, still holding the roll of duct tape. His back was to the door. There was a second man, this one even larger with shoulders that wouldn't fit through a standard door. His hair was brown and his suit strained at the seams as he turned to face Ryu. Both men had guns in their hands. The bald one's was pointed at Josh's temple. The other one pointed his almost casually at Dare.

Ryu stopped a short distance from the men. He glanced over his shoulder at Dare and Claire and waved them back. For some reason Claire didn't understand herself, she nodded and pressed her back to the wall by the door, holding Dare by the wrist to keep him from running in. She didn't think he'd try to rush a man armed with a gun but sometimes his bravery outshone his sense and she wouldn't lose him like that.

“Hey!” the big guy said. “It's you. Thought you'd run for the hills.”

Ryu lowered his head and stepped back a pace. His shoulders slumped and he locked his hands behind his back. “He sent you to collect me?”

“Yeah.” The big guy cracked his knuckles. “We don't want this to get messy, do we?”

“No,” Ryu said.

“So, how about your little friends there just take a seat on this fugly ass couch. And you just stand right there while I call the boss and tell him we found ya.”

Ryu glanced back at Claire and nodded slowly. He mouthed something, she couldn't quite follow. She thought he was asking her to trust him.

Claire went to sit on the couch. Which wasn't all that ugly. The gun stayed trained on Dare. She felt a little insulted. She also kept her hand tight around Dare's wrist. He was shaking. So was she.

The man pulled a phone from his pocket with his free, not gun holding, hand.

“If I come with you quietly,” Ryu spoke, “will you leave these children alone? They know nothing, there's no reason to harm them.”

“What? No!” Claire protested.

The bald one laughed. “Yeah right, freak. You know he won't want any witnesses hanging around to be loose ends later.” He looked over at Claire. “Sorry, Missy, hate to hurt a cute little thing like you but that's just the way it's gotta be.”

Claire glared at him. She was not a cute little thing, and if they were gonna kill her anyway she was gonna-

Apparently, she was going to sit right where she was and watch a slaughter.

Ryu moved, in the breath between the bald man's words and Claire's decision to act. He went from utterly petrified stillness to rapid, decisive movement. Claire blinked, and Ryu was suddenly right there in front of the bigger guy. One hand came up and grabbed the wrist holding the gun, the other jabbed up hard, the heel of his hand striking the man in the chin and jolting his head back at a sharp angle.

Ryu jerked and twisted the man's wrist, and the gun fell. Ryu caught it before it hit the ground and trained it on the man, who raised his hands. The bald one turned, only then realizing something was going on. The bald one turned his gun towards Ryu.

“You-you can't fight back,” the big guy stammered.

“Wrong,” Ryu said.

Then he twisted, ramming his elbow into the big one's gut, making him double over. The second he was low enough, Ryu's hand, still holding the gun, flashed out and punched the guy hard in the temple. He hit him again, Claire couldn't see exactly how, and with a grunt, the big guy crumpled to the ground.

Even while the big guy was falling, Ryu was moving. Good thing; the bald one fired the gun just as Ryu ducked aside. Claire bit back a scream, certain Ryu had to have been hit. If he was, it didn't slow him down any.

Ryu reached for the bald man's wrist, obviously attempting to disarm him, too. This guy held on to his weapon better. So, Ryu elbowed him in the gut, making him double over, and then punched him in the throat. The guy dropped the gun, and fell to his knees, choking. Ryu swung the weapon he still held around and pointed it at the man's temple.

“Stop!” Claire screamed.

Ryu froze.

“Lady,” Ryu wasn't even breathing hard, after battering two men twice his size to the ground. “They threatened you. They would kill you, and your friends.”

“I know. But. Don't. Please, don't.”

“Lady, you have only to command,” Ryu reminded her.

He did something to the gun she hoped involved the safety and stepped back. The big guy was still out; the bald one grabbed at his throat, and then fell over.

“Uh. Is... is he...”

“I did not destroy his windpipe, so no,” Ryu moved so that he could easily point his gun at either man. The second gun he considered, and then offered to Claire.

“Since you insist upon not killing them, we have only a few moments until they collect themselves. Will you guard them while I secure them?”

“I. Uh. Have no idea how to use a gun,” Claire admitted.

Ryu glanced at Dare, who shook his head slowly.

“I can tie them up, though. I mean there's duct tape right there.” Dare pointed.

“Very well. Lady? I promise not to harm these men. Perhaps you should tend to Josh and Jacob.”

“Yeah.”

Claire stood up, almost dragging Dare with her because she hadn't let go of his arm the whole time. He crossed the room and collected the discarded roll of duct tape, then went to the bald one, whose eyes were beginning to flutter.

“Lady,” Ryu spoke as Claire took maybe too wide a path past him to get to the brothers. “If they rouse and attempt harm to your friend, am I permitted to defend him?”

“Of course. Just. Um. Try wounding first?”

“Naturally.”

Claire knelt next to Jacob. He looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. There was a bruise darkening on the left side of his face, another on his chin, and one eye was beginning to swell. She leaned around to see that Josh was equally battered.

It was tempting, just a little, to rescind the order she'd given Ryu.

She removed the tape gagging each brother and moved to work their wrists free.

“Are you okay?” she asked probably the stupidest question available to her. It just kind of slipped out.

“They... they wanted him... they kept hitting us when he wouldn't... we wouldn't tell,” Josh stammered.

Ryu turned slightly, staring at him. “You... protected me?”

Jacob looked up at him, and then at the men, Dare was making a genuine attempt to turn into duct tape mummies. He seemed determined to use the entire roll.

“They were talking. About what their boss would let them do to him when they caught him.” Jacob snarled. “Claire, let him do it. Let him shoot them.”

“I... I can't. They're no threat now, that'd be murder.”

She was still shocked that he'd stopped. Just because she'd said to. Did he really believe he had no choice? What if... what if she ordered him to shoot? Would he do that?

He was watching her, now that Dare had secured the semi-conscious men. They weren't going anywhere. They could barely squirm. The bald one was trying.

“Who are these guys?” Dare asked, standing up and obeying Ryu's motion to move away from the men.

“They work for my former master,” Ryu explained. “I do not know their names.” He shrugged.

“That master thing again,” Dare muttered.

“I'll explain later,” Claire said, “Ryu. Um. What the hell? You can fight? Like... where did you learn how to move like that and...”

“You weren't really gonna shoot them, were you?” Josh asked, voice shaking.

Ryu looked from her to Josh, to the bound men. “I would have, had it been permitted.” He looked back up at Claire. “I apologize for causing you distress. I did say that one task of a familiar is to protect their master. Could I do that if I could not fight effectively?”

“Guess not,” Claire said. “Wait. One of them said... you can't fight back. What did he mean?”

“My former master ordered me not to fight them. And then allowed them to hurt me, as they pleased. As a reward, I suppose.” Ryu's voice had gone flat again, and his eyes, although directed towards her, stared off somewhere over her shoulder.

“What kind of sick freak rewards someone by letting them beat up on a teenager?” Dare growled.

“I'm not actually a teenager, though,” Ryu pointed out.

Claire was beginning to believe that might be true. She knew several martial artists in high school. Good ones, who competed in state and even national competitions. They couldn't have taken those two guys down that quickly, or that easily. And both men had guns, and it hadn't mattered to him. Ryu hadn't even hesitated, he just moved.

“That doesn't matter,” Dare said, “It's still sick.”

“Yeah,” Claire agreed. Because, yeah. That was sick.

“What are we gonna do?” Josh asked. “I mean. About them?”

He pointed to the bound men.

“I vote we let Ryu finish the job,” Jacob muttered.

Claire looked at Ryu. “Do you really want that?” she asked.

He stared at the men for a long time, and then rubbed his face with the hand not still holding a gun aimed at them. “No. Petty revenge isn't worth the trouble it will bring you.”

“I'm sorry,” Claire said. She wasn't sure what for, though.

“Don't be. I was angry. They threatened you, and hurt your friends. I shouldn't have been so... rash. Dead bodies are hard to explain to the authorities. I should have considered that.”

“Uh. Yeah. Also, murder is bad,” Dare said.

“Also that,” Ryu smirked, and Claire couldn't stop a giggle. Damn it, she only giggled when she was scared. It was a stupid reaction.

“So what do we do now?” Josh asked.

That was the question, wasn't it?