"Is that...?" The words dry up in my throat at the sight of the pale, lanky creature being dragged into the observation room.

"Fascinating, isn't it? A hundred milliamps and the thing is out cold." I feel Dr. Tabb's gaze shift to me. "I take it you don't see them inside that wall of yours, do you? Electrified palisades seem to work just as well."

"You're bringing it inside?" I force my tongue to work. "One of them almost killed us on the way here!" I feel my throat closing up, panic driving needles into my head. I felt safe in Perseca, but now they have let the enemy in.

"I don't like this." Luke's voice blankets me as he crosses the room to stand by my side, as if he could restore some of the crumbling ground beneath my footing. "They are adapting. Expanding their territory. Behaving differently. It is too dangerous to harbor one here."

Dr. Tabb whips out her pencil and scribbles furiously on her clipboard. "Different, how? Please elaborate."

Luke and I exchange a glance and I shrug nervously. He then explains how we stumbled upon a lone Skinwalker the night of the storm, and the encounter with them at the waterfall.

"They have never frequented that area in the past." Luke's fists are balled at his side. "Because of my mistake, we could have been killed."

I swallow. We almost were.

"Wait, back up," Dr. Tabb waves frantically. "How did you escape the cavern? You were cornered."

"I was," I interject. "The Skinwalker cut me off from Luke but—"

"Yes, yes! That's just it! Why would it do that? Why wouldn't it just go straight for the juicy meal right in front of it? Why the behavioral change?" Dr. Tabb punctuates her words with a tap on my nose with her eraser.

I have no answer, but it seems she already has it figured out. Her heels click as she strides to the window, watching as her colleagues lock the unconscious Skinwalker in the room, barred door sealing its fate.

"They are a social, communal species. Like the macaques, and just like we humans." Dr. Tabb is writing as she speaks, the scratch of her pencil gnawing on my frayed nerves. "They look out for one another. Which perfectly explains its behavior in the cave."

Rhett turns to me, awe painting his face. "By putting itself between you and Luke, it was protecting you... because you share DNA, they recognize you as one of their own."

My ears are ringing.

I am one of them.

Before I can gather the letters and words to form a coherent reply, the room is filled with a deafening SCREEEECH!

The Skinwalker is awake. And it is angry. Unnaturally long fingers slap against the glass wall as if it could knock through it. Its mouth, lined with razor-sharp teeth, is unhinged in a solemn wail.

Heart lurching, I stumble backward, nearly tripping over Luke. The monster just keeps banging on the wall and howling and it's too much for me. I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my ears with my hands, hoping, praying that it will stop. That it's not real. Over and over and over I recite the words in my head.

The feeling of warm arms engulfing me fractures my inner panic. I reluctantly crack an eye open to see that I am swiftly being led out of the room by none other than Luke, Rhett following closely behind. Dr. Tabb does not join us.

I don't uncover my ears until we are outside surrounded by fresh air. Luke gently sits me down on a bench carved out of a pine log, his hands rubbing up and down my arms, the physical touch positively distracting. "Breathe, Sophie," he soothes.

I've been here before. This is not the first time Luke has talked me down from a panic attack. And just like last time, the pressure lifts from my chest and I am once again myself.

"I can't do it," I manage, my trembling voice not carrying far. "You can take my blood, I'll give you whatever you need, but I can't stay in there. I can't watch them... experiment."

Rhett kneels before me and takes my hand in his. "I'm sorry, Soph. I know it's terrifying. But thanks to you, we finally have a chance." He squeezes my fingers. "You don't have to participate in the trials if you don't want to, what you've done is enough."

But is it? Is it enough to find a cure? Enough to satisfy Summus Aspen in order to release Markee? Have I done enough to save Natio?

I can't think about it right now. Not so soon after having the wits scared out of me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just shut down," I croak, running my fingers in the thick grooves of the pine bark. Rhett stands and pulls me into a tight, warm hug.

"Don't ever be sorry for something like that, sis. We all have weakness."

I meet Luke's green gaze from over my brother's shoulder and my chest swells.

We all have weakness.

Rhett releases me with a sigh. "I have to get back to the lab. I'll let you know how it goes, okay?"

I watch as he retraces his steps and suppress a cringe, not sure if I want to know after all.

I look around for a distraction, gaze lighting on the trees, the sky, then settling on Luke. Suddenly, an irksome feeling grips me. I fervently wish I had no weaknesses, that there could be nothing else that has control over me. How shameful I feel at my own cowardice. I hate it, even now. I thought I had come so far, only it seems I haven't changed much at all.

"I want to show you something," Luke says, jolting me out of my rumination. I blink, realizing that I've been staring, and jump to follow him.

"I've spent some time in Perseca," he says, leading me down the sidewalk. "Over the last couple of years, my visits have gotten more frequent. Now I know why." Luke and I enter a building with bricks that are overgrown with thick, green ivy.

"Luke?" I call. I have to squint to see in the darkness—the lights are off and windows are shuttered closed.

Like a switch flipped, a click is heard and I am nearly blinded. Luke is standing next to a strange, noisy lamp casting shimmering light on me.

"Every time I go, I visit this place. Something about it... Well, I just wanted to share it with you."

Then, a man's voice is heard, echoing in the nearly-empty room. "You're Jamie Sullivan," the voice says, but I can't tell where it's coming from. "You have exactly one sweater. You like to look at your feet when you walk. And for fun, you like to tutor on the weekends."

A woman's voice replies, and that's when I turn to see my shadow on the wall between a girl and a boy. The picture moves, they voices continue, and I am struck with awe at the sight before me.

"Have you ever seen a movie?" Luke's voice rumbles from across the room.

It's a question so ridiculous, that for a brief, fleeting moment, I think I must be dreaming.

"I've only ever read about them," I murmur, transfixed on the images flashing across the wall. Herald doesn't spare resources for this kind of thing.

I feel myself sink into a plush, overstuffed sofa, eyes glued to the scenes as the two go about their lessons in an old-world type school. I feel Luke's weight sink into the cushions beside me as the boy and girl dance, look through a telescope. They laugh and they cry, and I feel myself slipping toward Luke, leaning toward him.

"It's like the wind. I can't see it, but I can feel it. I feel wonder and beauty. Joy. Love." The girl says, and I feel moisture drip down my cheek. I wipe it away swiftly, willing my eyes to dry up. The scenes take me on an emotional tidal wave, and by the time the movie is over, I am exhausted.

The light goes dim, and the projector stops, emitting a faint glow. I glance over at Luke, lounging on the sofa with a pillow under one arm. When did he put his arm around my shoulder? I think, but don't mention it. It's cozy here in the low light, and I am acutely aware of his nearness. I dread going back to the world with blood and needles, monsters and scientists.

"What she said about comets, and the stars. Have you ever seen one?" I ask, aching to prolong the moment. Luke meets my eye, and I swear something mischievous glints in those emerald gems. He stands, reaches out for my hand, and pulls me to my feet. Something about slipping my hand in his makes my insides rejoice, and I savor the touch as he leads me out of the theater and into the evening.

"Where are we going?" I ask, breathless, as we climb the stairs of another building six stories tall.

The joy on his face makes my heart throb. "You'll see. You're going to love it."