The long walk to Steel meant more time to think. Or... I could count my footsteps to torture myself some more. Nothing sucks more than being a teenager without a ride.

Speaking of teenagers...Were the stolen teenagers even at Steel? We planned to save the prisoners of Camp Allegan and Steel. Every runaway had different escape routes based on a specific direction. Some went north, others south, et cetera.

Steel wasn’t my first choice, but I would be lost without Spiderzilla’s map. The million-dollar question is, am I walking towards another trap? Spiderzilla intentionally poisoned me so what’s another crafty double-cross? Giving me up to the soldiers of Steel would screw me over twice, giving me over to the same group I tried to escape.

The sun beat down on me hard. The grass here had been burnt dry. I squinted under the hood of my red cape, away from roads of course. Hitchhiking wasn’t an option when going to Steel, where the military took over. There wasn’t a single person who would give a ride to a purple freak with a staff anyway. I shook my head.

It felt like a trap. Walking to my spider and soldier-filled doom scared me, my steps turned robotic. A year ago, my naive little sister, the little terror, had darted in front of a car before, staring into the headlights. The car swerved, narrowly missing her. It was my turn now.

Spiderzilla and her map, two magical weapons, Tengu and his fix... It happened all at once. The timing, the convenience, and the fact that I’m in one piece must mean something. Not to sound ungrateful, but where was all this when we were taken in prison? The sparkle on my newly repaired gem-tipped walking stick distracted me, and I marveled at my fortune for a moment. I need to find the significance of it all, and soon.