The first time I'd seen the Royal family was during a parade in sector 5. People crowded between tall, dark office buildings, hiding in the shade. We gathered before the sun had risen and waited along the sidewalk to see the first headlights of their convoy. I was excited to see them, and it was an honor few people as poor as we got in Concordia.

My mother held me on her shoulders, gripping tightly to my ankles so I could see as high as possible without the fear of falling. I felt happy then, and my mother still held love in her eyes for me. The Royal parade came through one vehicle at a time, the Concordia's flag waving proudly on each car. Navy, gold, and olive bands behind a golden shield crested with a C. Their adornments glittered as rays of sunlight crept through any opening available to them.

I admired them, the Royal family, the military; I admired the whole system and wished I could be a part of it one day. My father was a miner, and my mother told me he died in an accident. However, the kids at school told me other things, that my dad was killed by the Pray: Monsters that hunted outside the walls. That being said, children have a terrible habit of trusting lunchroom talk over their parents.

I wanted to be like them, the protectors of our city. I yearned to fight, with some shred of hope that it would give me answers that I sought. Was I a fool, or just some misguided child? I suppose it didn't matter because all those aspirations drowned in the river with me. All my childish optimism was washed away in a single moment by breaking waves of realism.

"Which one are they in?" I asked my mom, lightly pressing my hands into the top of her head as if trying to push myself higher.

"They'll probably be toward the middle of the parade," she replied. Her voice was soft, but she carried the lingering weight of responsibility on her breath.

All my siblings had school activities that day, so my mother took me along to the parade. I wanted to participate in things like my older siblings but was never cleared to on my doctor's orders. So, I often stayed with my mother, to her seeming displeasure.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooommmmmmm.

The trucks rolled by single-file, accompanied by lines of military men with rifles slung over their shoulders. They had decorative navy uniforms only worn for ceremonies like this. At my age, the parade was a spectacle to behold. There was music, dancers in the street, and most importantly, parade floats. But, against all else, the stars of the show were the Royal family. They stood proudly on an elevated platform, waving to the people from the black of an inflated eagle. I remembered seeing four of them, the king and queen, their oldest son, and an officer I hadn't seen on television before. After all these years, now that man was sitting in front of me.

"So. Does someone want to explain what's going on?" I asked.

Heathcliff sat lazily in his seat, studying me. He rubbed his scruff with a gloved hand, then leaned forward toward me.

"Firstly, my name is Heathcliff. I work directly with the royal family."

"I know of you."

He leaned back, "knowing of me doesn't dismiss the need for introductions."

"Sorry," I responded, "I'm just confused as to why we're being allowed to talk at all."

Watts shot me cautious eyes, urging me to be careful myself. Heathcliff was the royal family's dog, sure, but logically that would make me his enemy. Yet, we'd been brought here to talk.

"Normally, I don't condone Dead Circus' activities," he stated, "however, in this particular incident, we find ourselves on common ground."

I shifted uncomfortably, doing my best to remain still. "Alright, explain the situation then."

"My issue is Rain. Recently, his antics while running the anti-cambion division of the military have caused some concerns within the Royal family."

For the first time, he'd piqued my interest. The royal family was at odds with the Concordian military? That'd be a first, as far as I was aware. The government had always gone to great lengths to ensure that their hierarchy seemed impenetrable. However, a chink in the expansive armor was now making itself apparent.

"Are you hiring us?"

"No," he affirmed, "just letting you know that I'll remain a neutral party in what is coming."

Heathcliff raised from the chair and fixed his shirt and belt. Cythe stayed close to him, nearly wrapping herself around his left arm.

"Care to explain what exactly is coming?"

"We aren't sure. That's why it's imperative to have more allies than enemies."

Heathcliff continued with Cythe toward the door. I was frustrated at the vague and ominous warning. I stood up and caught him by the sleeve, prompting Cythe to draw her nailgun on me. Watts jumped up to my side, and Heathcliff raised his hands for everyone to calm down.

"We'll help you if you help us get Eclaire back," I snapped.

Heathcliff shook me off and patted me on the shoulder before opening the door. On the other side, waiting for us, was a girl with sky blue hair in an olive school uniform and skirt. She tapped her foot with folded arms, glaring into Heathcliff with glowing green eyes. The girl looked a lot like Cythe, though her facial features seemed more mature, and her hair was much longer.

"Here she is, Heath. But she's going to need a doctor soon."

Eclaire knelt on the ground behind her, with roughly wrapped bandages covering the left side of her face. The dirty tan gauze seeped blood, and her skin beneath was sickly pale. Watts brushed past me, taking Eclaire into his arms. I stood still, unable to process what I was seeing. I held her eye in my pocket, but seeing her now on death's door put the horror into perspective.

"Thank you for retrieving her, Basil," Heathcliff responded.

So, that was the Basil that Cythe had mentioned earlier. The trio joined together, Basil and Cythe each taking one of Heathcliff's arms, leaving Watts and me with Eclaire. Basil and Cythe each activated their crown, and neon lines traced up to their necks and faces. Basil's glowed green in contrast to the pink emitted from Cythe, but other than that, it was the same. Cythe winked at me just before the three of them disappeared.

"We need to get Raust and Calico," I muttered.

Watts turned his attention from Eclaire to me, "where are they at the moment?"

"Outside the facility, by the service elevator. Take Eclaire and get out, I'll get those two."

Watts looked toward the floor, questioning my confidence in retrieving the other members of our team. It was my fault they were down here in the first place; I had to be the one to drag them out. Maybe, in a way, Rain was right about me. I often felt the need to be the savior to the destruction I caused in the first place. Regardless, my family needed help, and I was the most suited to the cause.

My family.

I felt a twinge in my chest. The ghost of Palm tugged at my pant leg, "When I grow up, I'll help you! You don't have to do it all on your own!"

But, you never got to grow up, did you?

My thoughts were interrupted by flashing red lights and a blaring alarm. It was the same as the day I got out, a lockdown alarm. Watts and I moved quickly through the hallway, splitting by the dorm corridor. He carried Eclaire the whole way, and she laid motionless in his arms. I stopped briefly by my old dorm room. The floors remained drenched in Rain's blood, but his body was nowhere to be found.

Shit. I'd been worried I hadn't been decisive enough. He might have had tried to crawl away, and someone had to trigger the alarm. It could've been one of Rain's men, but it seemed Watts and Cythe had handled most of them. Regardless, it wasn't something I could worry about at the moment. Raust and Calico were just outside the facility doors, and I needed to guide them back to the surface without the elevator.

By the time I arrived, they were gone. Only the sparking wires and untouched debris remained. I smelled oil, likely pooled beneath the rocks. Dozens of cables and pipes must have been compromised in the crash, and this service hall had become a ticking time bomb. I pushed on, but my adrenaline had worn down by now, and the sharp pain in my leg returned. I limped steadily, covering my face to try and avoid inhaling the dust and fumes.

"Calico! Raust!" I shouted between coughing fits.

The air around me was hazy, and my vision began to bob and sway. I thought about turning back, retreating after Watts, and hoping Calico had made it out with Raust. But, I'd done that before, and I couldn't leave my family again. The alarm continued, and the red flashes further hindered my deteriorating functions. It was sensory overload.

Calico, Raust, Rain, Watts, Eclaire, all of them rushed through my head. This was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission. But the image of Eclaire's wrapped head and Raust's crumpled leg flooded my thoughts. Calico's tears weighed heavy on me.

"Come back," she'd said. I didn't want that to be the last words I heard from her. No matter which of us did or didn't make it out, I didn't want those words to mean goodbye.

"Calico! Answer me, damn it! Where are you?"

Black, grey, haze, mist.

Damn.

I dipped down to one knee, and my brain tossed around like a football. I gripped the cracked tile floor, trying to inch myself forward bit by bit as much as I could. I dug my nails in, trying to muster the strength that was left, but it wasn't enough.

"Calico–" I hacked before blacking out completely.

Where had things gone wrong? From the moment I was born, it seemed everything was set up against me. Can people begin life with a determined downhill path? I wondered if I even believed in fate. If I did, that would mean that everything was predetermined and the cruelties cast upon me were unchangeable. Yet, If I didn't believe in fate, then Rain was right about me being the key to my own destruction.

Why didn't the kids tell me about the radio sooner? I could've moved us all long before the Jaegers showed up. Had I said something that caused their trust in me to waiver? No. It was likely just me. Ordell lost his faith in me, too, just days before our plan. I had a lengthy resume of people finding me unreliable and being unable to prove them wrong before they were gone forever. I had a long list of bodies to step over in my life, and that list was ever-growing.

"Come back."

Shut up.

"Come back."

I couldn't.

"Come back."

Wait. Calico told me to come back. Urged me to return to her. She never asked; she told me to.

I jerked up, tossing beads of sweat to the end of the bedsheets. I gripped the soft padding beneath me, panting as my vision adjusted to being awake. Through passing spots and blurs, I could see I was in a bedroom, though not one I was familiar with. I heard voices nearby through the walls. I glanced down to an IV drip in one arm and a blood drip tube in the other. In front of the bed was a monitor with my vitals displayed.

"How'd I get to the hospital?" I whispered.

I felt well enough to get up and move, but my uncertainty dissuaded me. The room didn't feel like a hospital but rather a hotel room with makeshift equipment. I couldn't remember much, only passing out in the service tunnel while looking for my team. My eyes darted, and panic began to set in. I hadn't found them, what happened?

The monitor began to beep as my heart rate spiked. Red and green lights illuminated before a flow of liquid from the IV injected itself into my veins. I felt myself lull into an artificial calm.

Shit, this must be morphine or something. Who's keeping me here? Are they helping?

The beeping grew louder as the dosage was administered. From outside the closed door, I could hear people rustling in response. I tried to pull the IV out, but it was too late. The medicine kicked in and dulled my movements, bringing me into a semi-lucid state.

"Is anyone there?"

The door handle rattled, and I would've yelled more if not for a sluggishness overtaking my tongue. The door swung open, and in walked a man wearing a doctor's coat, with a stethoscope slung over their shoulders. I felt myself slipping again, succumbing to the morphine I was being pumped with. But, before I lost consciousness, I saw him, a familiar face I never thought I'd see again.

"It's good to see you again, Sylas. It's been far too long."