"They're chasing us," I said, peeking out the back window of the van.

"I have a safe house a few cities over," Quintin said, "in Albany. It'll only be safe for so long, so we need to be quick."

"They're getting closer."

"We have a day to rest, pack, and plan."

"They got guns."

"What about her?" Hatchet asked, motioning to me. "Her face is all over the news."

"No one will be looking for her, not publicly anyways. The government would never let anyone know that one of the most wanted criminals in history escaped. It'd be an embarrassment."

"They're aiming," I said to no one in particular. "Should I put up a barrier?"

I called on my magic to make a watery green wall out of pure magic. It swirled and twisted in air, forming an odd shape to cover the back of the van.

"Yeah," Hatchet said, "but I meant wh-"

The shooting started. I could hear little 'plinks' every time a bullet ricocheted against the barrier. The people in the small black cars behind us pulled back inside the windows.

"Well, I think they learned their lesson."

"What the hell was that?" Heather yelled.

"I told you they were gonna shoot at us. It's not my fault you didn't listen."

"Take don the barrier," Heather commanded. "We don't need your magic."

"I think we all would've been dead if it wasn't for my magic."

She glared at me.

"Got it, coming down."

I waved my finger again and the sheet of green fell. Our pursuers saw it come down too. They leaned out the windows again and took aim.

"If we're not using magic, you should probably turn. And fast."

Grunting, Quintin obeyed, running the next red light passed honking cars and taking a sharp left. Gun shots sounded behind us as bullets hit other cars. One of the cars crashed into the wall while another kept going straight.

"We lost two of them," Heather said, kneeling besides me now. "Three more coming. Get ready. They're aiming again."

I ducked, pulling a thin vail of protective pure magic over myself. Shots were fired, ripping through the vans metal. On my left, Heather let out a small cry.

"What was that?" Mr. Grumpy Pants called.

"Nothing," Heather yelled back. "It was-"

"Heather was shot!" I yelled over her.

"Don't you interrupt me."

I crawled over to her. She was holding her shoulder where blood was oozing out.

"Heather was shot and she's bleeding!" I reported. I tried to pry her hands away from the injury, but she was stubborn. "Move your hand so I can heal you."

"Not in a million years, witch."

"Heather's hurt and she's bleeding all over the van and she won't let me heal her and she's being a butt!" I reported.

"Hecate," Hatchet called, "know how to shoot a gun?"

"I pull a trigger."

"Good enough. Take her gun, open the back and start shooting. Aim as best you can for the arms. I'm crawling back to help."

"Nuh-uh, no way, not happening. I've been shot before and it's not a pleasant experience. I'm not opening these door until I can magic up a barrier."

"We don't have time to argue, just do wh-"

"We don't have much of a choice here," Quintin said from the front. "Hecate, can you get rid of the cars?"

"Of course."

"Then do it."

Hatchet clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Just...just don't kill anyone."

"Roger that, captain sir!" I gave a mock salute.

I mock saluted him before peeking through the window again.

The three cars were coming up fast behind us. First things first, I pulled a hard barrier up.

Next, I focused on the front two cars. Tightening my right fist, I called on the air in the right's tire. My fingers extended, flattening my hand, and the two front tires popped. For the car on the left, I snapped the fingers of my left hand. The airbags jumped out from the dash board.

Both cars pulled to an immediate stop.

"Woohoo!" I yelled, pumping my fist in excitement. "I'm taking requests. What should I do to the-"

We made a sharp right turn. My head slammed against the wall.

"How bout a heads up next time!" Heather, who landed on me, yelled.

"Sorry!" Quintin yelled back. "They had us from the front. You think you can pull up one of those stone walls behind us?"

"Yep, yep!"

I dropped my hands before popping them up again. On the street, a wall of ground came up forty stories. No cars getting past that wall.

On the other hand, I could hear a helicopter buzzing above us.

"What can you do about that one?"

I snapped my fingers again, calling on a huge gust of air. I could hear it outside, howling through the choppers...choppers? Is that what you can those thing?

"Alright, Hecate, last thing. Can you do anything to disguise us?"

I smiled brighter than I already was. My hand touched vans inside. I called on my pure magic in me and channeled it into the vehicle. I imagined the car of my dreams, and old luxury car that I really didn't know the name of. Hey, what can I say? I'm a magician not a mechanic.

"Alrighty then. The outside of the car looks like an old luxury car. Looks like. Just...don't touch anything on the outside or the illusion'll break. Or crash. It'll definitely break if you crash. It's not any serious magic like changing the cars shape, per request of Heather. Kinda."

Quintin nodded from the front.

I turned to Heather. "Can I heal you now?"

"No."

"Aww."

---

"Wake up, Hecate," a familiarly pissy voice said.

"Morning, Heather," I said, popping my eyes open.

"It's midnight," she grumbled, opening the back doors. She slid out, purposely not using her left arm.

"Well a goodnight to you then." I jumped out behind her. "Motel Six," I read aloud. "Fancy."

Hatchet scoffed from where he was standing. "It's not like we had a lot of options."

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, I think you heard me wrong. I wasn't being sarcastic. I've slept in way worse places. Like dumpsters. Did you know dumpsters are readlly hard on your back? Cause they are. Never sleep in a dumpster if you have a choice. Or a -"

"Shut up," Quintin said, looking specifically at me. "Shut up, keep your head down, and wait outside. I already called ahead for the room so I'll be back in a minute with the keys. Heather and Hatchet, don't kill her."

"I'll try," they promised in unison.

Quintin walked inside while we waited in silence.

"You're not going to blab on about something?" Heather asked, holding her now bandaged arm.

"Well I can, but I figured you wanted me to be quiet."

"Really? What gave it away?"

"Just a guess."

Smiling, I turned to the old luxury car and snapped my fingers. The illusion shook and then crumbled, revealing a shot up white van.

"What do you think you're doing, Hecate?" Hatchet spit, alarmed.

"Dropping the illusion? Why?"

"What if someone was watching?"

"The front and side parking lots are empty, there's no cars coming on the street, and the lady inside's half asleep. We're okay."

Heather peeked inside while Hatchet checked the side parking lot.

"She's right. There's no one here."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," I said, waving my finger. "No slacking. Just kidding! It's okay, I got you."

I held my hands up towards the van again.

"What're you doing now?" Heather asked, a little alarmed.

"Erasing the evidence."

I threw my hands up in the air and the earth came with it. The gravel parking lot ground circled the van and then began crushing it. Metal bent and twisted under the weight of the earth until there was nothing left but dirt.

"Our guns we're in there," Hatchet said, looking at the ground in awe and amazement. "We don't have any guns."

"I can always make some-"

"No, it's fine. I'm sure we can steal more. Just...no more magic. I don't think I can take any more magic. Today. Or ever for that matter."

"Alright," Quintin said, walking out the door, "I got the keys. We only have a night to... What happened to the van?"

"It died tragically," I replied.

"Our guns were in there."

"I wouldn't bring it up," Hatchet said. "Just don't."

"Yeah, sure. Let's just get to our rooms before the anyone else sees us."

"Yes, Sir!" I replied, saluting.

---

Room number 321 wasn't that bad. I didn't see any roaches or rats or mice so it really couldn't be that bad.

"We'll need clothes," Quintin said. "And food and a new car. Something common. Hatchet. Why don't you go out and get them." He pulled a wallet from his poacket and passed it to Hatchet. "And maybe a first aid kit and guns. The rest of us will go over a plan."

Hatchet nodded, peeling off his gloves and the blue Black Hand jacket, and then left.

"Alright," he said, turning back to Heather who was leaning against the first bed and me who was jumping on the second. He let out a long sigh. "Hecate, how old are you?"

"Twenty. Why?"

"Just wondering. You said the same thing at court but I wasn't so sure."

He went over to Heather to check her bullet whole. On the way here, we'd wrapped it with some cloth cut from Quintin's under shirt. It was nearly bled through by now, but I think it'd just about stopped.

"I can heal her if you-"

Heather glared at me for the fiftieth time that night, not including the times she glared at my back.

"Okie-dokie then, no healing magic for you." I turned to Quintin, still jumping on the springy bed. "So Quintin, Quin, Commander Quin...Mr. Grumpy Pants."

"Quin."

"Okay then, Quin. Wanna tell me who we're tracking down?"

He let go of Heathers arm to look at me. "My brother."

"Okay."

"That's it? You don't wanna know anything else?"

"Well, knowing would be nice."

He sighed, again. "He was...is a... My mom and dad weren't and I'm not but he was, no is..." He took a deep breath. "He's a magician."

I smiled. "How nice."

"For you, maybe. Our parents weren't magicians and I'm not either but he...is. A few months back, he used his powers for the first time. Right out in front of everyone. They checked the rest of us for magic, but there wasn't any. They just took him."

"How old is he?" I asked, sitting down now.

"He turned seven last month."

"A late bloomer then. It happens. Aren't you're ages kinda far apart?"

"Yeah, twenty-four and seven. Our mom had me really early."

"Where is he?"

"They took him to a...a camp."

I scowled. "Nasty little places. Work you until near death. Oh, not that he'll die. I'm sure we'll get to him before anything bad happens."

That didn't seem to help.

"Last time I saw he was in Pittsburgh, but they've been moving him around."

"Alright. Let me make a call. I have some friends who could keep track of them for us."

He nodded. "We can use a payphone tomorrow morning. Right now, we really need a plan."

"Righty-o then. We can start by heading south."

"Who put you in charge?" Heather snarled.

"Well, Pittsburgh is south. I'm just saying."

"No," Quin interrupted, "she's right. That'd be the smartest way to head right now. If they move him south we can keep heading that way. If they move him north, even better. We'll intercept them on the way."

"What happens when we get there?" Heather asked. "We can't just go in guns blazing."

"Why not?" I asked. "That sounds like fun. Well, minus the guns part. How about magic blazing? No that sounded bad when I thought about it to."

"You're right," Quin answered, ignoring me. "We'll need to get in without being noticed."

"I can do that," I suggested. "But I'll need to use magic."

He nodded. "We'll need a miracle to pull this off."

"Well it's a good thing I'm a miracle worker."

"After that, one of us will have to find Xavier. Breaking out will be the hard part."

"What if, and this is just an idea, what if we have a prison break?" I suggested. "They won't find us in all the chaos. Especially in a place filled with magicians trying to escape."

"I don't know. That might turn a break out into a blood bath."

"Nah, I just gotta tell them to be careful not to kill anyone. Ooh, that means I gotta be the one to break them out though. Xavie'll probably be with them to, so we should all head in that direction."

"You think they'll listen to you?"

"Of course they will. I'm they're queen. They won't have anywhere to go if I didn't help them. They wouldn't be welcome anymore."

"And you're sure that'll work?"

"Yeppity-yep-yep. I'm one hundred percent positive. Okay, more like ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine ni-"

"Okay," Heather interrupted, "we get it. You trust the magical criminals."