No matter how much Ava tossed and turned, she couldn’t fall asleep. She’d been staring off into space for over an hour, and cursed at Marc for how uncomfortable the mattress was. This room was nothing like the one back at home. The sheets were too crisp, the furniture too stiff, and all the colors were green and browns. The Council trapped her in a fake forest with bars over the window well.

Ava’s duffle bag laid on the floor after she threw it off the bed. Marc left it on her bed, while she froze her butt out in the snow. He still hadn’t come to see Ava, nor apologized for bringing her there. By now, he knew she was aware the gods and reapers were real, he had to. She was still pissed.

They told each other everything, and yet, he kept the gods and reapers a secret. And for what? Who knew. But this was an ultimate betrayal. No excuse would mend this ache in her heart. Maybe it’s time I stopped liking Marc. Her eyes grew wet from the thought. God, now isn’t the time to cry.

Ava had to concentrate on the twins. She couldn’t help imagining the worst. Horrific images flashed through her mind. She couldn’t just lay here and do nothing. She should be checking on the twins. She had to make sure they were okay.

She flung the covers off and unzipped the duffle bag. Goosebumps rose on her bare legs from the coolness of the basement. She pulled on some pants to warm them back up and a clean shirt and hoodie, and searched around inside the bag, looking for a weapon. Marc would never leave her vulnerable.

Ava found a sheath, hiding between the pile of clothes, smooth leather and slight curve, very familiar. It was her favorite knife. Thank the stars. Marc got her knife back from Darious, but this didn’t mean she forgave him.

There was a knock on her door before it opened. “I knew you’d be awake,” Gio said and zipped up his jacket. “Ready to go?”

“Go where?” She glanced down the hallway to the staircase. It was colder, darker with one dim light at the other end of the hall. Completely silent.

“To see the twins.” He flashed his wristwatch. The bright back-lighting forced her to squint. Blinding. It was almost the witching hour. “Marc’s at a meeting and Josh is still trying to get the barrier working, again. If you want to leave, now’s our chance.”

There was an eager spark in his eyes. Gio always loved sneaking around with the air of getting caught. Spy movies were his favorite genre. Ava shrugged, trying to appear like she didn’t care. But Gio saw through it. He always did. He knew his sister enough to know when she was bluffing.

“Dude, come on. Don’t tell me you aren’t at least somewhat worried about them.” Gio leaned in, his silky hair brushed Ava’s shoulder. “You were totally flirting with Mika earlier.”

“I was not flirting with him,” she snapped. Heat rose on her cheeks, anyway.

Gio snickered into his fist. This jerk was just messing with her. She punched his arm, making him laugh even harder. “Are we gonna go, or not? The clock is ticking.”

He rolled his eyes before taking her shoulder. They arrived in the twins’ living room. It was quiet and vacant. There were no nurses, no inkling of someone staying overnight. Ava rushed down the hall and opened the second to last door.

Startled, Amber jumped back from the bed and pressed the tablet against her chest. She was checking Sam’s vitals, pressing her stethoscope to his chest. Blonde braid hung over one shoulder and off her pink scrubs and medical jacket.

“Goodness, you scared me,” Amber said.

Whenever Amber and Leo worked together, they clashed. His edgy persona conflicted with her good girl vibe, yet out of all the Physician Assistants Ava had the pleasure of meeting, Amber was the best and brightest. Seeing her on duty eased away the stress.

Approaching, Ava asked, “How’s he doing?”

It took a minute for Amber to flick through the tablet, tapping numbers into the screen. They were shown all the health information she’d been inputting every half hour so far. “He’s been stable since we brought him here. Vitals have been normal.”

Gio asked for the tablet and read through it himself. “What about his wound? Is he doing any better? He had a blood transfusion earlier.”

“As a precaution, Dr. Valentino gave him a supplement for his earlier injury, and a sleep inhibitor, with a pain reliever additive to make his transition smoother,” Amber said.

Ava sighed with relief. Leave it to Leo to be efficient.

Her wristwatch went off, beeping once at a low volume. Amber took the tablet back from Gio and went to check on Mika. Ava would’ve followed, but something caught her eye. In the far-off corner of the room, where the window met the wall, there was a stained bed sheet smeared in fresh, vibrant colors, hiding pointy mounds of all shapes and sizes. Those had to be paintings. Mika said Sam loved to paint. Ava wondered if he ever painted Marc. Curiosity compelled her forward.

Gio took Ava’s shoulder. “Sam doesn’t let anyone see his paintings. He’ll be pissed if he finds out you sneaked a peek while he’s passed out.”

She crossed her arms, and smirked. “You’ve been awfully close to Sam since they arrived. Don’t tell me you have a crush on him.”

“Are you kidding me?” Gio strangled the air by his neck. “Unlike you, I like keeping my head on my shoulders.”

Ava scoffed. “Says the guy who’s been telling them all our secrets. I could end up dead thanks to you.”

He waved her off. “Dude, you could end up dead just for being my sister. So stop being so overdramatic.”

Gio stepped around the bed to watch Sam’s steady heart rate on the machine. The blue in Gio’s eyes intensified under the moonlight, grew brighter. It was easy to forget Ava was adopted. Easy to forget her own family wasn’t human.

There was a crash next door. And then a scream.

Gio and Ava looked at each other before anyone made a move. Ava was the first to run out of Sam’s room and towards Mika’s door. When it slid open, Amber stumbled out and crashed into Ava. Her eyes were wide, frantic, like Sam’s when they met the Reaper.

“He—he just woke up suddenly and started going mad. Swinging at me with the broken IV bottle. The medication was—was working. I don’t know how this happened.”

Ava ran her hands up and down Amber’s arms as she tried to calm down. The only downside to Amber was her lack of experience in a combat situation. Since she was a top-notch PA, she’s one of the few healthcare professionals on Earth lucky to be exempt from the UFE required duties. While some still volunteered for missions, most didn’t.

“It’s okay. Just take a deep breath. Yeah, just like that. Listen, I need you to go get Darious for me,” Ava said.

Amber shook her head in fury. “He isn’t here. He went home.”

You have to go to be kidding me. How could Darious just leave them in a time of crisis? And on their first day of transitioning, too? He had to be reporting to their grandparents, but couldn’t he wait until tomorrow?

“Then we get someone else then,” Gio says. “What about Josh or Marc?”

Right. Forget about Darious. “I’ll stay here and help Mika, while you guys go find them. And bring them back here. Understand?”

Amber feverishly nodded and ran towards the kitchen to snatch her coat off the counter. She disappeared in a matter of seconds, but Gio stayed by Ava’s side.

He caught her arm when she walked into the room. “There’s no way I’m letting you go in there by yourself. You could get hurt.”

“Or I could help,” Ava stood her ground. “I can’t teleport, so I’d only get in your way. Plus, you’ll find them quick. You know all our hangouts.”

He didn’t let up. “Gio, please let me go,” she pleaded. “I can’t just sit outside and act like he’s not in pain.”

Ava had always been stubborn since they were kids. Gio knew this, and it showed in the way he resigned. Reluctantly, he let her go. “Don’t die on me.”

He left before she could reply, knowing full well death was far from her mind.

The door locked behind Ava as she carefully walked through Mika’s room. Fresh blood drops trailed from the bed sheets to the bathroom. Glass shattered as she stepped closer, making her jump. Dammit, this guy better be fine or there will be hell to pay.

On the tips of her shoes, she carefully made her way over. The mirror was smashed in with millions of shards scattered across the tile flooring. There was blood dripping off the marble sink. He lost too much blood.

Ava walked in without caution, and found Mika shivering by the shower, curled into a fetal position. He squeezed his legs tighter to his chest with a blood soaked roll of plaster bundled around his hand.

When she stepped further in, her shoes crunched on the glass. Mika looked up. His hair was all over the place, hiding what expression he had. “Mika, it’s just me—Ava.”

“Wh—what are you doing here?” he asked, his voice an octave lower.

He wasn’t just transitioning, he was growing. Her professors once said your bones and skin stretched all at once. How it felt like someone broke your body piece by piece until the pain became a part of you. They said the pain was so horrific it drove the first generation mad before they knew what to do. Ava never experienced such a pain.

Mika squeezed himself closer as the distance shortened between them. Maroon blood dripped onto his gray hospital gown, staining them a shade so dark it appeared black. His knuckles were raw. “You’re bleeding. Let me see your hand.”

“I’m fine. Just go away.”

“Mika, come on.” She reached out for him. “At least let me check your wound.”

“I said go away!” He glared through the crack in his hair. It was longer, also growing from the change, but there wasn’t enough to hide what’s on display.

His Ama eyes.

They were nothing like Marc’s. Mika’s were unique in their own way, like watching a red-blue sun burn up gracefully under a splash of gold specks. They were starbursts.

“Your—your eyes are showing.” Picking up a piece of broken mirror, she handed it over. “Your Ama eyes are fully out in the open.”

Drops of blood seeped from his hand as he squeezed the jagged piece. He cursed under his breath. “What am I going to do? I can’t make them go away. Why can’t I make them go away?”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to worry about that right now. Just come back to bed.”

Ava tried taking his shoulder. Mika slapped her away. “You don’t understand. No one is supposed to see our eyes!”

“There’s only one PA and I’m sure you scared her off before she could see anything.”

“You are seeing them!”

“I’ve seen Marc’s. It’s no big deal. These things happen.”

“No big deal? I feel naked right now!” Mika wobbled to his feet and took hold of the towel rack. He approached the sharp petals beneath her shoes. “This is all your fault. We wouldn’t be on this horrible planet if it weren’t for you.”

She tightened her fists. “Well, I didn’t ask you to be my guardians.”

“As if we had a choice!”

“And you think I did?” This wasn’t the time to take out her anger on him. He wasn’t the one who made her this way. She took a deep breath to relax. “If you want to go, then just go. No one’s stopping you right now.”

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t mean it.”

Her hands directed him towards the doorway. “Yes, I do. I don’t need your help. So if you want to leave, then go right ahead. I don’t care and I won’t miss you.”

A void overcame his face as he looked her dead straight. It reminded her of the Reaper, and those cold, lifeless eyes. “You’re just like them,” he said with such malice.

What can make someone have such eyes?

That same feeling resurfaced again, the same one Ava had with Marc sometimes. This family was broken, and a part of her wanted to pull them back together, to how they once were. If she knew more information, then maybe it’d help.

“Who’s them?” Ava asked, but the quiet question left her mouth a little too late.

His hands suddenly shook, thrashing around. His back collided with the sink. “It hurts. It hurts. Make it stop. Make it stop! Brother!”

Through heavy breaths, Mika stared at the broken glass in his palm. Ava stepped closer, trying to snatch it out of his hands. “Mika what are you—stop!”

He stabbed the shard into his arm and dragged the point across his skin.

She barely stopped it in time before he could do any more damage, and chucked it to the tile. The glass shattered into a million red pieces. “Are you insane? What are you trying to accomplish with that!”

Rich blood oozed from his open wound. Ava used a towel to apply pressure. He didn’t push her away this time. Why did I give him that glass? I’m stupid. So stupid.

Tears rolled off his dirty cheeks as he used the sink for support. Drops fell on her shoulder. She checked the wound. The skin slowly repaired itself, creeping fast enough to seize the bleeding completely.

“Thank the stars, you’re healing,” Ava said.

Mika absently stared at the floor, mumbling in the Ama tongue, “It would be better if it didn’t. It would be better if I just…”

Her heart broke. He needed help. His emotions were still out of whack. This was bad—who knew what he might do next with that thinking.

Ava gently took his good arm over her shoulder and helped walk him out of the bathroom towards his bed. Blood covered the gray sheets, medical equipment laid broken on the mosaic tile, while a puddle of water formed around the IV pole. It was a complete mess.

Mika’s head slumped onto Ava’s. He was hotter than usual, which wasn’t a good sign. His body might try to fight the transition. “Come on. Let’s get you back into bed where you can rest. Sam would want you to rest and get better—”

Her shoe slipped on a stray shard of glass. A clatter rang through the room as they barely caught themselves. That was close. She hesitantly laughed and looked at Mika, to check on him, but he was staring at the floor.

The knife fell out of her pouch. You have got to be fucking kidding me!

Mika slipped off Ava’s shoulder, his hand dangled towards the knife as if he merely feigned the act when his eyes were a dead giveaway. She kicked the knife across the room and took his face so he’d focus all his attention on her. “No, Mika. Stop. Think about something else. Anything… Maybe a more painful time.”

He deeply chuckled, but it only made him groan in pain. “There was this one time where we fell off one of the farming islands and almost died. The trees broke our fall, and it hurt enough, we passed out, but that—that was nothing compared to this.”

Mika pushed Ava off and stumbled forward. Crap. She quickly stepped around him and snatched the knife. Mika stared her down. The wild look in his eyes was beast-like, angry to the point where his pants turned into a growls.

He disappeared. Arms grabbed her from behind. Holy shit sticks. Did he just teleport? How is that even possible? He should be unconscious on the floor by now!

Ava knocked Mika back with her elbow, but he was like a wild animal. His claws sank deeper in. He squeezed her upper arm as he tried to stay upright. “Give me the knife.”

When she didn’t respond, he squeezed harder, forcing out a cry. If he squeezed any tighter, her arm would snap in two. “Mika… it fucking hurts…”

The pain only got worse. She might pass out soon if she didn't act quickly.

Hot breath blew into her ear as he reached for her weapon. “Then give me the knife!”

“You seriously want it that bad? Well, then here you can have it!” With the blade flicked out, Ava rammed it into his thigh. Mika screamed, dropped her arm finally. Freedom was within reach. She staggered away, barely touching the wound, heart beat in her arm.

Where the hell is everyone? Why are they taking so long to get here!

Forget this. Ava threw in the towel. She should’ve known better. What part of her brain said it was possible to help Mika when he was Marc’s cousin. Of course he was just as strong as Marc. Super strength, that had to be it. Damn this family's genes.

She stumbled towards the door. Almost there. Mika popped up, blocking her. This guy had way too much energy to spare. She stumbled back in both exhaustion and fear. What is he going to do next?

“I hate you.” He gasped, trying to get his breathing under control. The knife was no longer in his leg, but on the floor in a pool of blood at the end of the bed. He finally came back to his senses. I should have stabbed him earlier.

Ava could handle talking. Talking was always a good distraction. Some courage came back as she smiled. “Yeah, we already established this.”

“I just don’t get it… any of this.” Mika followed her staggering footsteps.

“You don’t get what? How I’m trying to help you?”

He grabbed her sleeve and jerked her forward, inches from his raging starbursts. “Crap like that! You don’t want us here. You hate my very existence.”

That didn’t make sense. He had to be confusing her with someone else. She shook her head. “I don’t hate you. I said, I don’t like you. There’s a huge difference.”

His body trembled, gaze dropped to the floor. “Then why are you trying to help me?”

Why was Ava trying to help him? She kept saving him and protecting him. So far, it only caused her pain and gave her a headache. Mika was a distraction, extra baggage, and yet, when she saw him standing here all vulnerable and hopeless, she wanted to help.

“Because I was in your shoes once,” Ava said. “I know what it feels like when the world crashes down on your head and there’s nothing you can do. You always feel like you're drowning. And you think how easier it’d be to just end it all and fall into death’s arms.”

His eyes met Ava’s, and it finally felt like she was getting through to him. Mika waited to hear more, although she wasn’t sure what to tell him. Ava may act confident on the outside, but she was still fighting her own demons.

So she told him what she wished someone had told her long ago. “But then one day, I woke up and decided life was worthy of a second chance. Maybe even a third or a fourth chance because we’re not perfect. So we shouldn’t expect life to be perfect either.”

He let out a faint laugh before his eyes began drooping. He used too much energy from all that teleporting, but she couldn’t hold him up this time. She had no strength left to keep them both upright. This seriously sucked.

They collapsed to the floor. Her body ached, wound pressed into the cool tile, numbing it some but not erasing it. Mika rolled over onto his side and stared. They just kept staring at each other. What is he thinking about? Is the pain easing up?

If she had the strength, she’d knock more sense into him while he was down for the count, but that wouldn’t help. How was Ava supposed to help him? For the first time, in a long time, she felt helpless.

Mika moved his mouth, but it didn’t register with her brain. “What did you say?”

“Do you really not like me?” Mika asked.

He’s still worried about that? Typical, coming from a guy who called me a thorn in his side not too long ago. She could barely speak, moving anything was unbearable, but if she didn’t say anything, whatever relationship they had would worsen.

“Of course I do. I care more about you than you realize,” Ava said.

But that was the whole problem. She cared too much.

The throbbing only got worse when he took her hand. He burned and felt frail, but it connected them in a way she never thought possible with Mika. When she looked at him it was like looking at a reflection of herself.

A tear ran down Mika’s cheek. “Please… don’t tell… Darious…”

He passed out.

“Ava!” Marc stormed into the room. He picked her up, and his warmth wrapped her shivering bones. Finally she was safe and secure. Asleep.