Alec was waiting for him when he reached the gates. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown procedures, he couldn't approach the gates himself, but instead stood patiently as close as he could while the outsider was identified and verified by the Academy's security systems and permitted through the barrier. Then at last he was through, striding across the smooth stone ground and into the schoolyard.

"Hartley!"

The tall, dark-skinned man stopped and turned at the sound of his voice, his expression one of confusion. Then he saw Alec, waving him over, and turned towards him, a smile curling his lips.

"You got bigger," he observed, looking Alec up and down, mildly impressed.

Alec followed his gaze instinctively, surveying himself. It was true: it hadn't really sunk in until earlier that day when he had changed into his watersuit for Gym Class, but now, he had grown several inches taller, his once lean torso was ribbed with muscle, his jawline sharp and defined, with a streak of scruff above and around his lips, his dark brown hair a few inches longer.

"Yeah, I guess so." Alec grinned.

"I take it that means you're enjoying your stay?"

"For the most part. You know, except for when our teachers try to kill us during class," Alec said, grinning.

"Not fun, is it? Count yourself lucky you came here now, rather than back in the day. Anyway, I was actually going to come looking for you later. There's something we need to discuss. But right now I'm late for a meeting. I'll be down by your Dorm in about . . ." He checked his watch, the same brown leather one he had worn when he had first ushered Alec through the halls of Helix. "Thirty minutes. I want to hear everything."

He clapped Alec's shoulder and swept off in the direction of the main office, beyond which lay the Headmistress's quarters. As short as their interaction had been, it was nice to see him again, and Alec was sure that Hartley, large and stoic though he appeared, felt the same way.

"I remember that man," Javon said, as Alec returned to his position at the bench.

"Yeah, Hartley, he was the one who brought me to the Academy," Alec explained. "Took me on a helicopter ride."

"Why?" Maddison said. "Couldn't you have just taken the Hydraloop?"

"I'm sorry, I would have asked him that, only I didn't even know the Hydraloop existed back then. But, regardless, he said he wants to talk to me too. Unfortunately he has a meeting right now, but he'll be out to see me in a few."

"And what are you going to ask him?" Charlie asked, his expression skeptical. "The quickest way to South America?"

"Leave that to me," Alec said. "I'll let you guys know what happens. But for now, I suppose we should get back to our Dorms."

They gathered up their things and set off back down the path to the Dorms, along with the rest of the straggling students. Soon the Zeus Dorm came into view.

"Keep us posted," Anthony said, and he and Katrina broke away from the group. Next to leave were Charlie and Reya as they reached Poseidon. On the way to their Dorm, Alec was marshaling his thoughts, contemplating what he was going to say to Hartley. Or, more importantly, what he was going to ask.

"What do you think he has to tell you?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think your friend wants to talk to you about?" Javon repeated.

Alec shrugged. "I don't know. But I'll find out soon, I guess."

When the Hades Dorm finally came into view, they received quite a surprise to find someone else waiting at the door.

"The heck is he doing here?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. He spotted them before they reached, leaning against the white poplar with his arms folded.

"I've been looking for you," he said abruptly. "We need to talk."

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

In truth, he didn't seem to need it. When Alec had last seen him, Wildfire's hair had been lank and nearly as pale as Anthony and Katrina's. Now the locks were thick and wavy once more, the deep gold sheen creeping back into them, his face fuller, his build much firmer. He seemed almost as he had on the night he had fought Shadow Shifter.

"I've been bedridden long enough, I'm fine," Wildfire said gruffly. "And this isn't about me, it's about — I'm sorry, could you give us a moment?" he added to the other three, as if just realizing they were there. Maddison, Javon, and Ethan cast them both curious looks before trudging off into the Dorm. "As I was saying, this is about you," he continued. "I've been talking to Headmistress Lewis, and we agree on one thing: you should stay here for the long weekend."

"What?" Alec said incredulously. "That's not —"

Wildfire held up a hand. "Let me finish." He waited until Alec had settled, then went on, "It's for your own safety. The Villain Shadow Shifter has escaped from the Stormvault Penitentiary."

"Now you tell me!" Alec said angrily. He had spoken without thinking, and regretted the words the moment they'd escaped his mouth.

"Hey, we were trying to figure out what was best for —" Wildfire broke off abruptly, looking suspicious. "What do you mean, 'now you tell me'? Are you saying you already knew?"

"Oh, I," Alec stuttered, cursing his own foolishness. He sighed. There was no point in lying. "I heard a rumour," he said vaguely.

"And you didn't say anything?" Wildfire said incredulously.

"Oh, the irony," Alec said in a sardonic voice.

Wildfire breathed angrily through his nose. "Okay, fine, let's both drop it then. Point is, you're at risk if you leave the island. So, you have a choice to make. You either stay here — which is strongly advised, by both League and Academy councillors — or you return home, where you'll be guarded by League members until you're ready to get back to school, like your friend."

Neither option was good enough. He could not move to investigate the Temple with the others if he was grounded on the island or constantly under the unrelenting gaze of League members.

"Would there happen to be a third option, by any chance?" he said. "One where I can actually enjoy my vacation without being stuck here or glued to the side of some random Hero?"

"Sorry, but those are the only options you have," Wildfire said flatly. "Do you know how many times Shadow Shifter referred to you in prison? Zero. Which means the situation is much worse than we thought. Most Villains can be heard all through the prison, cackling about who they're going to kill the moment they get out and how gruesome they should do it.

"Of course, nothing of the sort had ever happened before now. But seeing as someone has actually managed to escape, we have to take this seriously. The fact that Shadow Shifter has never mentioned you once, despite you putting him in the Stormvault, is not a good sign. Your parents quite agree."

Alec sighed. "Fine. Who will I even be getting as my 'chaperones'?"

"The League Heads are in charge of that, not me," Wildfire said. "They'll be calling for you soon, so better get ready."

"Why are you even telling me this in the first place?" Alec asked.

"Just thought you should know. So you have more time to think about which choice you should make." Wildfire waved, then turned and strode away.

Grateful to be dismissed, Alec continued into the Dorm. As usual, Javon was seated around a table by the window — their table, as they'd come to think of it — and, Alec was slightly surprised to see, Maddison was sitting with him. Ethan and the rest of their roommates, however, were nowhere to be seen.

"So, what'd he say?" Javon asked, as Alec sat down next to them.

"Load of crock," Alec said bitterly. "Apparently, it's being 'advised' that I should stay on the island during the break following the breakout, and if I choose to leave, I'll be chaperoned the entire time."

"By the League?" Maddison asked, eyebrows knitted together.

Alec nodded.

"See, the Shadow Shifter situation is more serious than you thought!" Javon said, his voice oddly triumphant. Alec shot him a look. "Sorry, but see, I was right. Yeah, Shadow Shifter's supposed to be in hiding, but a Villain is a Villain, man. There's no way he wouldn't try to come after you, after what you did."

"I'm sorry I had the audacity to try to survive," Alec deadpanned.

"That's not what I meant," Javon said, exasperated. "I just —"

"Anyway," Maddison cut in impatiently. "Don't you see what this means? Regardless of which you choose, you wouldn't be able to come to the Temple with us."

Alec dropped his head onto his arms and let out an exasperated breath. "I know."

Javon, however, shifted uncomfortably, his eyes averted.

Alec straightened up, speaking with sudden sharpness. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That, that look just now."

"There wasn't a look."

"Yes, there was, you — you just did it again!" Alec said, pointing an accusatory finger at the other boy.

Javon sighed, deflating. "Okay . . . I was thinking . . . maybe it's for the best."

"What?" Alec demanded incredulously. "Just a few days ago, when I said that it wasn't worth it to try to sneak out of school again, who was it that told me that it was? 'Some' — as in you. Now you're telling me that it's for my own good that I'm being grounded?"

"That's different," Javon protested. "Sneaking out of school is one thing. The worst that could happen if you were caught is a detention. Maybe a suspension. An expulsion, if you were really unlucky. But this? You could die. Shadow Shifter literally wants to kill you!"

"I can handle myself." Alec's tone was dismissive.

"Against school bullies like Damon Messus, maybe. But against an actual Villain who's already mastered his powers, with years of experience fighting against the most skilled Superheroes, you can't. I'm not doubting your abilities, believe me: I've seen what you're capable of firsthand" — he gestured through the window down at the ruined playfield — "and sure you beat him once before, but he was caught off-guard.

"Now he knows what you're capable of too! Look at us, a few months ago we could barely take on a severely weakened Wildfire, and he wasn't even trying! I get that you're an Elemental, just like Wildfire and just like Shadow Shifter, but you've gotta understand that you and them are in completely different tiers."

Alec did not respond. He was staring at Javon, frowning, but as angry as he was, and though he would never admit it, he could see his point. Alec looked at Maddison.

"That what you think too?"

She sighed. "Not necessarily, but he makes an excellent point."

Alec was just thinking that his mood couldn't get any worse, when Jax the Prefect suddenly came striding over to their table. "Michaels, the Headmistress would like to see you in her office."

"Great," Alec grumbled when he had swept off. Wildfire had warned him this was coming, but it did not make it any easier. Sighing, he bid his friends goodbye and left.

He made his way through the empty schoolyard, wishing, for the first time since he had been there, that the rest of the students were outside as well. The noise and uncomfortable stares that would surely follow him would at least serve as a distraction to help him stave off his own uncomfortable thoughts. Instead, he was forced to stew in his unsavoury contemplation of Javon and Maddison's words while he walked. Minutes later he came up to Headmistress Lewis's office door, a shining slab of dark brown wood with the word "Headmistress" plastered across the front in gold letters. He rapped three times on the door, sharp and swift, and within seconds was met with an answering, "Come in."

Alec hesitated. Deep and firm and unquestionably male, the voice was not Mrs. Lewis's. Inwardly bewildered, though trying to appear cool and collected, Alec opened the door. Professor Wyatt, Head of the Hades Dorm and the speaker in question, stood on one side of the room. Beside him was Wildfire, similarly blonde and strong-jawed, yet Professor Wyatt was a few inches taller and leaner, and his blue eyes a shade darker.

Between them lay the Headmistress's splendid mahogany desk, behind which was seated Professor Lewis, dressed in an amethyst pantsuit and matching amethyst earrings. And on her right was Hartley.

All were silent as he entered the room, every pair of eyes trained upon him like a focused laser.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize —" Alec began, sure that he had interrupted something.

"No, no, you're right where you should be, Mr. Michaels," said the Headmistress warmly. "Please, come in."

Alec reluctantly closed the door, feeling as he had when he had shut the door to the warehouse where they had met Maddison's brother.

"This might come as a bit of a shock to you," Professor Lewis continued, in an oddly gentle tone; Alec knew immediately what was coming, and he glanced quickly at his squad leader. The moment their eyes met, Wildfire shook his head subtly. "But . . . I'm sure you will remember the Villain Shadow Shifter?"

"I — er — yes, I do," Alec said, feigning concern. "Why, what happened?"

"Well, following his capture by League members, he was imprisoned in the high-security establishment known as the Stormvault Penitentiary. Most unfortunately, he escaped a few nights ago."

Alec dropped his jaw, pretending as if this news was new to him.

Headmistress Lewis sighed. "Yes. We didn't receive confirmation until the morning after, three days ago. But we're sure of it. We are not certain whether he still carries a vendetta against you, but everything does point to that being the case. In that instance, we must take precautions to ensure your safety. Hence why you are here now. You have a choice to make here," she said, in that familiar businesslike tone. "You will either be allowed to remain here, at Helix, during the break. Or you may be permitted to return home if, and only if, you agree to remain in the custody of Hero League representatives throughout that period."

Alec was silent for a time, a genuine reaction, pondering his next move. All the points that they had made, which Javon had first voiced, were valid. But Alec was craving time with his parents, time away from the school and Heroics and back in his old life, and he wanted to visit the Temple with the others, to help decipher the mystery of the stolen item, none of which were possible given current conditions.

"Are those my only options?" he asked, avoiding Wildfire's eyes.

"They are," she said slowly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion behind her jewel-studded spectacles. "Professor Wyatt, Wildfire, your parents, and myself quite agree that these are the most desirable conditions for you."

He heaved a deep breath, thinking. There was nothing for it. If he had to make a choice, then. . . .

"All right," he said. "I'll choose the second option. I'll leave with a chaperone."

"Excellent," the Headmistress said briskly. "I shall put in a call to the Hero League, deliver the news —"

"But," Alec interrupted, "I have a few terms."

Headmistress Lewis paused and looked up, her face, like every other in the room, twisted into an expression of incredulity.

"Terms?" she said, peering at him over her glasses.

"Yes. Well, not really terms as it is a single term. I'll go with a chaperone, if I can choose who that chaperone will be."

"Are you serious?" Professor Wyatt said with a humourless laugh. "This is not up for debate, Alexander. The League Heads will choose which of their Patrons are capable enough to dispatch —"

"Hold on, Jacob," Lewis said, holding up a long, purple-nailed hand. He fell silent at once, but he stared at her, disbelieving. "What is it you have in mind?"

"I only need one chaperone," Alec said. "And I'd like that person to be Hartley."

Dead silence. The expressions on their faces were all of utter disbelief. Professor Wyatt's jaw had sunk to the floor. Hartley was staring at him, eyes wide with shock.

"Out of the question." Professor Wyatt had found his voice again, shooting a look at the Headmistress as if appealing for her support. "This situation, with no offense to Mr. Barrowman, is a sensitive one, and requires response from actual trained and certified members of the League. Mr. Barrowman is not qualified to embark on such a task."

"He was qualified enough to bring me to school," Alec said, concealing the rush of anger he felt at these words.

"A murderous psychopath wasn't trying to kill you then!"

"That's enough," Professor Lewis cut in sharply. She gave Alec a hard, piercing look, then said, "I would like to speak with Mr. Michaels alone. Gentlemen, if you could kindly wait outside."

But unlike the last time when they were in his office, Professor Wyatt did not immediately heed her words. He turned to her, all sense of professionalism dropped. "You can't seriously be considering this?"

"Outside, please, Mr. Wyatt," she said calmly, without looking at him. He ground his jaw, then swept out behind Hartley and Wildfire and the door swung closed behind them, leaving only Alec and Headmistress Lewis looking at each other.

"What are you hoping to accomplish?" she said abruptly.

"I don't know what you —"

She held up a hand for silence again. "Don't bother. I've worked with children of all ages for years, I have two of my own, I know when they're lying. Usually, I can also tell why. In this case, however, I confess myself nonplussed. Hartley, while a very capable worker and highly endeared friend of mine, will not be able to protect you if Shadow Shifter succeeds in locating you.

"I'm assuming you chose him for his familiarity? In which case, wouldn't a better choice have been your squad leader? Not only is he among the top performers of the League — barring recent events — he was there with you that night, was he not? You were the one who recommended he fall into the pyrostasis to alleviate the poison's effects, weren't you?"

"I was, yes." Alec nodded. "But that's not the reason I chose Hartley."

"And whatever this reason is, you're not going to tell me, are you." It was more of a statement than a question. She was smiling slightly. After a few seconds she sighed, pulled off her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "If I agree to this, it will be on my terms, not yours. Which will be that Hartley will make hourly check-ins with the League, and that at least one League Patron will be checking in at your home each day of the break."

"Of course," Alec said, unable to conceal the triumph he felt at this.

"Now," Professor Lewis went on, replacing her glasses. The sudden return of her businesslike tone told Alec what was coming next. "My offer."

He exhaled heavily, then said tersely, "I've been thinking about it."

"And?"

"And to be honest, I'm not that interested."

"Really?" She did not seem surprised. On the contrary, she looked amused. "Do tell."

"It just doesn't appeal to me the way it did back then."

"Mr. Michaels, I've told you before that this institution was established for the purpose of training young superhumans so that they can be integrated back into society without the risk of harming themselves or others. But there are reasons why we also teach things like Criminal Justice and Clothing and Textiles for example. It's because we work to raise not just superhumans, but superheroes. I don't believe I have asked you this before, but what would you like to do in the future?"

"Me? Oh, I — er —" He was flustered by the abruptness of the question. He had had plans for the future, of course, but the past few months had turned them all upsidedown. "I'm not sure," he said quietly.

"I looked into your records at your old school when we made the transfer," said Professor Lewis. "I see you're rather scientifically inclined. That will do tremendously during the next year, when you start new subjects. But do you think that you will return to your studies of Science when you've concluded your time at Helix, become a doctor, perhaps, or will you attempt to catch the League's eye like so many of your peers? In that case, it wouldn't hurt to be in a bit of a . . . brighter spotlight."

Alec did not respond. The words had caused him immense disquiet, but he didn't know why.

"Very well," Professor Lewis sighed. "I initially told you that you didn't have all the time in the world to make your decision. Well, that time is drawing to a close. I would like an answer — a final answer — when you return from your break. Since you'll be away from the island, you'll certainly have enough time to think."

Headmistress Lewis rose and strode around her desk to the door. She pulled it open and the three men came into view, all silent and staring in different directions down the corridor.

"Mr. Michaels, you are free to go. Hartley, it seems we have something to discuss."

Hartley seemed to understand at once. "Before we do, Ma'am, may I have a word with Alexander?"

She hesitated for a split second, then gestured for him to continue. Alec and Hartley strode away from the office in silence as Professor Lewis ushered Wildfire and Professor Wyatt back inside. The moment they had reached the serenity of the schoolyard, however, Hartley burst out, "What were you thinking?! Why on Earth would you take me over highly capable League professionals?"

"Because, contrary to what you people might think, I do plan to enjoy my vacation," Alec said calmly. "I could never have any fun with those stick-in-the-muds glued to my side. Besides, I thought you'd be happy."

But Hartley was not amused. "This isn't a joke, kid. If Shadow Shifter shows up —"

"Shadow Shifter won't be a problem, because I don't plan to stick around at home too long, anyway," Alec told him.

Hartley looked stunned. "What? Why not?"

"If Hero League members were spotted hanging around my place, it'd be obvious to any and all Villains nearby that something's up. I can't stay, or I'd be putting my folks in danger. Besides, I was planning to use my vacation for a little side trip with some friends."

Hartley's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What kind of 'side trip?'"

"I'll tell you later — but only if you promise you won't repeat a word of what you hear."

Hartley let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I have a funny feeling it's going to be illegal anyway, so it's probably best I don't know. I'm heading back to the meeting to hear the details, but afterwards, you're gonna tell me how school has been. It's the least you could do after getting me in the middle of this mess."