The sun felt warm on my skin; the kind rays produced comfort as they fill my body with strength and energy as I fly. After a long day, this was all I needed. Saving the city gave me joy, helping people was rewarding, nevertheless, nothing compared to a tranquil fly back home.
I quickly landed inside my apartment through the window. I tied my hair quickly in a bun and took off the cape.
A low hum distracted me; My hand touched the back of my ear and I heard my favorite voice.
"Hey, Alex." My fingers went to the zipper of my boots. I managed to take one off when my sister's voice interrupted me.
"We need you, Supergirl."
Without blinking, I grabbed my cape, put my boot and the air and sun caressed my skin once again.
The trip to the DEO was easier every time. The entrance was crowded, military personnel and a van of SWAT adorned the area.
"Everything okay?" I asked landing on the sandy ground. Major Lane turned to me with a slight smile on her face.
"Kara, glad you're here. Love the new hair."
I remembered my bun. I giggled as I removed the hairband and my hair fell on my shoulders. "What's will all the security?"
"Go inside," She said with a shake of her head. "There's a lot to talk."
Quickly, I left Lucy outside and the screens of the lobby shinned on my face. Alex and Hank smiled at me, meaning this was their way to say hello.
"Supergirl." General Lane spoke first.
"Hello Sir, is everything okay?" My eyes quickly scanned the folders on top of the round table, I noticed all of them were about the same topic.
"Our data base is informing us that there might be a threat to our system." He said.
"Like a virus?" I asked, taking the liberty to grab one of the folders. "A hacker?"
"We're afraid so. For the past two weeks our system is detecting irregularities. Meaning there is a hacker trying to encrypt our code."
"What are they trying to take control of?"
"We believe the airport cameras, for now," He grabbed a file and slid it towards me. "Our system detects strong glitches in a range of two miles from the airport."
"Who are they trying to pass unnoticed?" I passed the page with the information and codes about the computer system, and found a picture attached with a paper clip on the top left corner.
"James Olsen."
There was a picture of a man, chocolate skin and muscular. My eyes skimmed the paper looking at his age, height, and description.
"Who is James Olsen?" Words slipped from my lips as I raised my voice.
"He is the second in charge of a women trafficking organization. In other words, he sells women to men. We are afraid he is trying to get to National City unnoticed."
"How much power he has if in his team there's a person who can hack FBI's and CIA's secure data base?"
"A lot of power, Mr. Olsen normally operates back at Opal City, this proves that he might want new merchandise from National City to export back to other cities."
"Is this all the information we have from Opal City Police Department?" I said as I look at Alex.
"Yeap, our hypothesis is that his customers are tired of the same merchandise." Alex's said as she turned around towards the screens. "Ashley Ferguson, eighteen, her dream was to become a runway model. She signed a contract for eight years to become a model. Turns out she was becoming property of a man."
"How this works?"
"They find the victims, from eighteen to twenty –five years old. Young girls desperate to become famous, or successful. First they attend to a simple casting, they take pictures of them and they speak about themselves. They sign a contract that promise them everything. What they don't know is that they use them as maids, and, even for sexual intercourse. In the end they always present them with something related to what they were there in the first place." Alex slid the contract toward me and I quickly read it. "Promising right?"
I noticed how the word sponsor was everywhere, making this the first thing they noticed while reading the contract. If they read it.
"They're telling them everything they want." I tried to hid how mad I was about this, especially in front of all these people, but I couldn't.
"What they don't know is that the sponsor that the contract mentions, is the person that owes them." Alex was annoyed as much as I was. She shook her head in disgust as she handed me more folders.
"How didn't I know about this, is 2016? Women trafficking?"
"Like I said Supergirl, this is Opal City matters. This is not how it used to be a hundredth years ago. They're public and go out to events, the woman made a choice to be entitled to this sponsors. After all, depending on how illegal this is, it was their choice. Is in a contract."
"I can't believe this." My body leaned forward to General Lane. "They are hiding the true meaning in this contract, I can see it." There were many people around me, the pressure of not losing my temper was heavy. "And now, this person wants to come to National City to get some fresh merchandise like we are some new grocery store."
"We are afraid that's what he wants." General Lane said. At this point, I was brainstorming. What was the right thing to do?
"It should be easy to catch this man, General Lane."
"I'm not doubting your skills, Supergirl, I'm afraid this man's lips are sealed." General Lane nodded to Hernandez, she pressed a button and the screens played a video.
I saw the man on the picture on the screens. He was being held by police, his face was nonchalant, he was very calmed and seemed tranquil with the situation.
"General Lane," My eyes travel back to the previous folder with Mr. Olsen's picture attached to it. "You said he was the second in command from this organization, who is the alfa here?"
"We don't have any records of her."
"Her?" My eyes widened, I felt sick a woman was behind all of this abuse.
"We believe her name is Catherine Grant. We don't know how she looks, her age or her characteristics. All we know is that her mother, who was previously in charge of this organization, passed the family business to her."
"Now she's trying to get new merchandise for her new business, here at National City." My heart raced when General Lane phone goes off. He excuses himself and answered the call. My senses acted spontaneously as I heard the voice coming from the phone.
'General Lane, the airport cameras have been encrypted, they were off for two minutes and forty –five seconds. We're trying to get access to the street cameras.'
He turns to me and my feet were quickly in the air. My fist pushed forward as my body gained speed. The air caressed my face as I scanned all the cars underneath me, looking for the man's description in them.
In a couple of seconds, I was in range of the airport. I stopped abruptly and scanned the area when I noticed a white van who was under the speed limit. My eyes saw through the metal exterior of the van finding the muscular man inside with three other men.
My fingers touched the back of my ear, as I descended with speed towards the van.
"Alex, white van on Dale street, I will stop them."
"Be careful, Supergirl, we're on our way."
I landed on the street in front of the van. The driver panicked and tried to speed towards the opposite side of the road. I smiled, because this driver clearly didn't know my powers.
Before he could even press the pedal harder, my fist punches the front of the van. The heavy material was now folded like clothes. The back of the van flew in the air and then hit the street with a loud sound.
The drivers face was pressed against the air bag as I walked and grasped the handle of the big sliding door. My anger couldn't control how delicate I opened the door that when I noticed James Olsen's face staring back at me, the handle was firm on my hand and the door layed next to me on the floor.
He smiled at me and my stomach felt hot. "Supergirl," He said with another charming smile. "You're taller in person."
He pulled a gun in front of me. I stood stiff and proud. Amazed at how uneducated they were of me.
"I'm running late for my meeting." He said.
I noticed how he pressed his finger on the trigger and instantly my eyes widened at what was coming towards me at full speed.
My face was covered in green dust; the Kryptonite sank into my pours faster than the speed of light. I felt how the Kryptonite attacked my metabolism immediately. Slowing it significantly.
My knees hit the pavement as I breathe in the powder. James shot another strong doses of Kryptonite straight to my chest. My sight was blurry; My senses were shutting down simultaneously.
My back hit the pavement and I saw him crossed over me and getting into a different car. I tried to gather the strength left that was quickly leaving my body to see what car he got into, but darkness covered my eyes and exhaustion took over me.
X.
My eye lids felt warm; my fingers were cold. Spontaneously, my senses reacted for myself. I heard a heartbeat a few meters away from me. I heard my own doubled on a beeping machine, voices back at the lobby of the DEO, conversations I didn't have the strength to pay attention to and the runny nose of someone crying.
"Alex," I whispered and her crying ceased.
Her hand quickly covered my cold fingers. "Kara, I thought I lost you." Her voice cracked, as she placed her other hand on my cheek. She kissed my forehead twice and chuckled. "What took you so long?"
My eyes adjusted to the yellow lamps on top of me. I blinked until my sister's face was clear. "I'm sorry."
"How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine, I'm just really tired." Alex moved the lamp up as she sat next to me. "How long was I asleep?"
"A week."
"A week!" My heart raced, I tried to get up and move out of that bed, but my muscles felt exhausted. I fell back and tried again, until Alex placed her hand on my shoulders and kept me down. "What about National City, Su- Supergirl!"
She placed her hand on my cheek. "We have everything under control, Hank is covering your duties." At the mention of this, my heart eased the pace. "He is strong and he can fly, people haven't noticed, for them, you still fly around National City."
I led out a deep, comforting breath. "Sorry it took this long, Alex."
"You're up now, that all that matters."
X.
The doorbell went off and I stood from the couch. I quickly put my glasses down my nose and furrowed my eyebrows. Behind the door, I saw the delivery guy with my extra cheese pizza in hand. In less than a second, my x-ray vision disappeared without me stopping it.
I opened my fist and closed it again. Something felt strange. I tried to dissipate the noise of the Game of Thrones playing on the TV, and listen behind my apartment walls and city but nothing happened. I tapped the floor and tried to float on the same area but I couldn't.
I walked slowly to the door and gripped the doorknob hard, harder than ever and my mouth felt dry when the round shape material stayed perfect without a bend. The doorbell ringed again and I jumped. I opened the door and the delivery guy smiled, and handled me the pizza. I paid, and smiled awkwardly at him. He grabbed the money and left.
The pizza was long forgotten on top of my kitchen counter, and I ran to get my phone. Alex picked up in the second ring and I took deep breaths to calm myself.
"Kara?" She said, her voice soothed my mind for a few seconds. "Kara, are you there?"
"Alex!"
"Are you okay? You sound a little-
"I lost my powers."
"You what?"
"I lost my powers, they're gone."
X.
The hologram of my mother told me that my powers should be back in a couple of days. Forty –eight hours have passed already and I felt more human than ever.
I hated it.
I have nothing else to watch on TV, I spent my time reading against the opened window to receive the fresh morning sun on my skin. I sipped an immune system boost Alex bought me. Thankfully, I am not sick; but sometimes I couldn't stand how terrible headaches felt.
I hated it.
The door opened and Alex walked in. She had a bag in her hands, probably full of medicine, and my mail in the other one.
"How are you feeling?"
"Human." I shrugged my shoulders.
"I completely understand you, sometimes I feel like that too." Alex kissed my head and handled me the mail.
I passed the WIFI and electricity bill. Then I saw a flyer and something deep in my gut told me it was bad news.
"You called work?" Alex asked.
"I have over two hundredth hours of vacation. Noonan's is a great company; it was no problem for me to take a couple of weeks off."
"Good and what about the-
"Alex, look at this."
Alex grabbed the piece of paper and cursed under her breath. "Is this more obvious?" She shook her head. "Your opportunity is here. We're looking for females, eighteen to twenty – five years old to help pursue their dream. We answer your questions and help you grow. Plan your future." Alex paced back and forth in front of me. "This is ridiculous!"
"Alex, I need to go to this audition."
"You are ridiculous!"
"Come on, this flyer is stupid enough for me to not go."
"Okay, please Rao, bring my sister her powers back because she is starting to think like humans."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help to smile. "Alex, don't be silly. Astra said my powers will be back any minute now. I am drinking this immune system thing, and I haven't gotten sick. What are the possibilities that they recognize me?"
"Rao, please help her." She placed the flyer in front of my face. "Look, I understand I want to help all the girls that will go to this casting, looking for a sponsor. I do. I get it, as Supergirl, I understand your purpose. Now, as Kara, I am worried. Hell I am." She handed me the pathetic flyer and she sat next to me. "This contract means that you have to attend some events with them, sleep in the same bed and sometimes participate in sexual intercourse. There is no way that I'll let I do this."
With my sister words digging my brain, she made me think this was the worst idea I ever had. Nevertheless, my mind was seeking for other solutions.
"Alex, if I get to know the alfa, via meetings or stuff, I will be able to destroy the whole organization. Save lives."
"Kara, I understand. Trust me, I do, it's just too risky."
"What if my powers come once I'm in? Do you really think someone will put a finger on me? Or even force me to have sex?"
"No, I definitely-
"Exactly! When I get my powers, I can simply fly off the window, or against a wall."
"Kara-
Everything that I was saying sounded so convincing. This didn't change the fact that my powers could be back tonight, or worse in a week. I started to get scared about this idea, but something deep inside makes me stronger, I know this was the right thing to do.
"What if your powers take longer?" She asked. Her tone low and concerned. I place my hand of top of hers and smiled.
"I'll be fine."
"You made your mind, right?"
"Don't ask me why I want to do this, it feels like the correct thing to do."
She sighed. "I'll put a GPS device on you!"
"Deal."
"And I'll talk to the DEO team and I'll have things that will help you defend yourself, until you get your powers back."
"Like what?" I asked full of confusion.
She unlocked her phone and called someone.
X.
"She's going to do what?" Hank asked.
"Come on, you just have to cover me for a couple of days." I tried to smile, hoping my eyes do the trick.
"This is extremely dangerous." Alex opened her eyes at me, agreeing with Hank. "But it could work." I fist bump his arm thanking him.
"Hank, if this works, we will not only end National's City women trafficking, but Opal's City. Maybe other cities as well." I said. "General Lane mentioned the alfa managed all of them, I get the alfa, the organization is over.
"I will be cautious; I can leave whenever I want. I'll keep you guys informed." My hand goes to Alex's shoulder and I hugged her.
"Please, be careful, Kara." My sister smiled at me and for a second I felt how worried she was. Hernandez walked towards us, Alex's sad eyes changed, as my sister's friend, placed a box in front of me.
Hernandez pulled a small machine from the box and pushed it hard on my neck.
"Whoa, what is that?" My hand covered the right side of my neck as I took a couple of steps back.
"The GPS, Kara, you promised." Alex's said crossing her arms.
"Fine." Hernandez walked to me. The machine beeped and left a sharp pain on my skin. I felt it all the way down my spine and I couldn't help but protest to the discomfort. "Ouch!"
"Come on, it didn't hurt." Hernandez said, with a small smile.
"Remember she's human, this is the first time she feels that kind of pain." Alex said mocking me.
"Well… it hurt." I rubbed the sore area as I look at the rest of the contents of the box. I noticed a perfume, an eye liner, lipstick and mascara. "What are those?" Curiosity made me forget about the pain on my neck.
"The lipstick has a strong dose of chloroform, immune to the one who wears it, powerful for the receptor. The mascara has a small USB port in the back connected to our computers and the eye liner is a huge smoke bomb." Hernandez said proudly. I removed the lid of the eye liner and drew a line on my wrist, astonished at how I will still be able to use it. "With the lid on, press hard and it will release the smoke." I inspected the USB on the mascara and quickly placed it back at its normal figure. "The lipstick, if I want someone to receive the effects as soon as possible, I might want to try to kiss them."
"On the lips?" I say avoiding my sister's glare.
"Yes, ma'am." Hernandez said. She hands me the crimson color lipstick and I inspected it before I put it back in the box.
"What about the perfume?"
"Oh, well, is just perfume. I thought you might like it." Hernandez said. All of us laughed at her words. I opened the small flask and smelled the fruity sweet fragrance.
"Thank you, I love it. Everything here is perfect, thank you!"
"Now let's hope they let you pass this make up and your powers comes soon." Alex's said hugging me from the side.
"I'll send information as soon as I can. Please inform General Lane of all of my activities."
"Be careful, Kara." Hank hugged me tight. "Don't worry about National City, I'll take care of it."
"I know you'll do a great job."
"Thank you."
Was the last thing I say, before my sister and I started walking out of the building straight to the car.
"Are you sure about this?" Alex asked.
"I am sure."
The ride to the theater downtown was quicker than I thought, almost as if I were flying there. My sister remained quiet, occasionally, she looked at me and held my hand. She was worried about me, and I couldn't help but to love her more.
I wonder if the outfit I had on was enough for them to cast me. The black silk material of my dress rest on top of my knees, as the white cardigan hugged my shoulders and arms. My hair was in a ponytail, my glasses rest comfortably on top of my nose.
Alex took the corner and park the car and that's when it hits me. This is a bad idea; I can't pull this. They will know I am Supergirl, and they'll hit me with more Kryptonite.
If two shots of that gun put me to sleep for a week, and vanished my powers for only Rao knows when, what kind of special gun they have for me. My heart raced, I might have to put my whole name in the contract, they'll seek for Alex and my family.
"Kara, listen to me." I was shaking now. Alex's hand was firm around mine. "You're panicking." I stared at her, because instead of her turning the car and driving back to my apartment, and order me to sip immune system juice and watch TV until my powers comes back, she is trying to calm me. She is telling me that I am panicking. Her eyes show I love, how she knows I'll be okay. "You got this, Supergirl." I filled my lungs with air. The smile of my sister was all I needed. It was the small push for me to get off that car and walk inside the building with flyer in hand.
She opened the door for me. Alex handed me the bag with my clothes in it and I hugged her. I thank Rao for not having super strength, because this was a hug I have never been able to give my sister.
"I love you." She said, her eyes watery. "Go get them."
My lips met her cheek and I hugged her one more time. "I love you, too!"
She waved, and I walk closer to the door and further from the car. There's one of the men I saw inside the white van with James Olsen standing next to the door. I noticed green light coming from the door frame.
"Kryptonite." I mumbled.
I turned back to look at Alex, she has the same expression from earlier. She knows why I turned back to look at her with urgency. She gulped visibly and waves at me. This was a reminder that the man, standing next to the door frame could see us.
I smiled back at her and gave one of my fakes smile to the man. He asked me for my flyer and motioned me to pass under the door frame. I turned back, waving goodbye to Alex as I take a couple of steps back and passed the Kryptonite. Her smile grew as she waved harder and I turned around.
My cellphone beeped, and I read a text.
You can do this, good luck. I love you!
The loud noise of the room almost gives me a headache. There's almost a hundredth young girls in here. An old lady handed me a clipboard with the contract that I have read almost twenty times. I signed it and gave it back to her. This only took me a couple of seconds, she's surprised at my quick reaction.
"What is your dream?" The lady's voice was raspy and sluggish.
"I'm sorry?" My surroundings distracted me. I quickly scanned every inch of the room. I tried to memorize every face, every detail.
"Your career, you forgot to put it in the contract." She handed me the clipboard one more time, as I checked art & photography. "Very good, we have a lot of sponsors in that area tonight, good luck." She left with my contract in hand.
The word sponsor engraved on my head. I wanted to vomit and probably burn every one of the staff with my laser eyes. Nevertheless, this wasn't the correct thing to do, and my powers were still on vacation.
Suddenly, my name appeared on one of the screens, followed by a room number. I noticed that all the females on the room have a blue wristband on. Maybe I was late and they are classified already to their sponsors.
On the way to the room two, I heard a conversation of two girls.
'My sponsor will have over two hundredth thousand dollars to fund me.'
'That's nothing, mine have over four hundredth and fifty thousand dollars.'
I stopped on my tracks to memorize the faces of the injudicious girls, if only they knew their sponsors bought them for that amount of money. I took a deep breath, I will help those girls and they don't have to live a miserable life.
I entered the room to find a round stage in the middle. It wasn't big probably five or six feet. My name appeared on the screen in front of me. The seating area was covered in red curtains. Every three seats, a long fabric divide them. There wasn't a light in between the curtains, but my eyes could detect two men sitting in each section.
Each section was divided by colors. Five colors in total. On top of every section there was a rectangular screen.
"Welcome, can you please tell us name and a small description of yourself." A voice sounded in the theater speakers.
I remembered in what situation I put myself into, so I smiled. Instantly, the rectangular screen of the yellow color changed to a five –digit number. The screen read fifteen thousand dollars.
I gripped my bag strongly in my fist. I probably looked ridiculous holding my bag in the middle of the stage, but that's the least of my worries, when I acknowledged the five colors are different sponsors; and that I was about to be auctioned like antiques.
I wanted to fight all of them right there, right now, with bag in hand; moreover, I remember my purpose here and I complied to play along.
My cheeks forced a smile as my lips pronounce my name. The red screen doubles the amount of money in the yellow screen. My heart sunk in fury to noticed that with only the mention of my name, my value was thirty thousand dollars.
I said that I worked at a coffee shop and I love art; that there's nothing like warm mornings. I said that the sun is my best friend and silence sometimes is not that bad.
I gazed at the blue screen and I decided to double that money. Make them pay, after all I am no ordinary girl.
Every time I smiled the screens went crazy. I told them about how I dreamt of seeing my work at the galleries, and how thrilled I would be if the famous critics write about me on the newspaper.
I stopped to think. Is this the material I want to give them? Is this Kara speaking of her real dreams? Or was this all lies, fake like I was, right here. I pushed my glasses back to the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath.
I dropped the bag on the stage and said just four words.
"I am very simple."
For a second I was not breathing. The numbers of the screens kept raising and raising. I stayed there, with the lights on my face and the continuous changing screens.
My human body was asking me to breathe. I grabbed my bag from the stage again and stared at the rectangular screen. The orange one says eight hundredth thousand dollars.
My eyes widened as I switch eyes from screen to screen. The digits keep going on and on and on.
Suddenly, the fifth screen placed a number. I had four colors fighting for me until the green color dropped an impossible amount of money. The screen read one million five hundredth dollars. One. Point. Five.
With this insane amount of money, the red, blue, yellow and orange screen went black. I decided that to cover my mouth and forge a surprised face was the correct expression for this indescribable feeling that I had.
I didn't know who to blame, my human senses or how distressed I was about this whole situation.
"Congratulation, that is the amount of money your sponsor will place on your future. Welcome!" Said the voice through the speakers.
The sluggish lady came back near the stage. She congratulates me and motioned me to follow the door. I wondered why no one gives me a blue wristband. Still I followed through the door.
Once out, the lobby was empty. Two of the men I saw in the van motioned to a door in the back. There was a limousine waiting there.
"For me?" I tried to be surprised with this whole situation. They nodded and I got in.
Crossed the limousine I saw his face.
James Olsen.
"You!" Words slipped from my lips. He frowned and tilted his head. "I, I mean You! My sponsor, I cannot thank you enough." His face softened with the compliments I was giving him.
"Is no problem, we are here to help you, of course if you let me help you." His charming smile was ridiculous. Wonder how many women fell for that pathetic yet simple smile.
"Of course, I'm Kara Danvers." I stretched my hand and flashed him a smile.
"I know that, nice to meet you." He smiled back and I quickly released his hand. "I need you to read all this papers, write me your bank account so we can transfer some money and we'll give you a place to live. We'll start as soon as you finish the papers."
"Thank you very much."
I grabbed the folder and pretended to read. There was nothing new or different from the papers that I read back at the DEO, the only difference is that in this paper, I was entitled to an apartment.
"Oh, no no, no. Don't read those now, enjoy the trip to your new place and we'll discuss that later." He smiled at me and goes back to type something in his phone.
I noticed how the limousine didn't cover the windows. Everything was opened, giving me the impression of what this was. They tried to keep me at ease.
The streets light reflected on the window. I knew exactly where I was going, I passed these streets every day. Every corner is familiar to me.
I cannot be more grateful of the artefacts the DEO provided for me. At this point I didn't know how I was going to be able to tolerate the man that worry my sister for a week and the man that made me realize what a headache was.
I feel disgusted by him, by his smile, by his voice. My heart raced, I told myself this was only temporary. That I'll gather all this information and help those people.
"We're here." He passed by me, getting off the limousine and offering his hand for my bag. I tell him that I'm okay and he motioned me towards the building door.
The building is one of the tallest of National City. The view was beautiful from every floor. Across the street there was a police station and three blocks down, was my workplace.
I smiled. Who would build this organization in front of a police station?
Clever.
James Olsen was waiting for me near the elevator, he pulled a key out of his pocket. He places the key in the top bottom of the elevator and smiled at me.
I was not surprised. This man just paid one point five million for me, and he is trying to impressed me with a penthouse key. I smiled and he smiled back.
The doors opened and he motioned me to walk in. I placed my bag next to the elevator as I observe my surroundings. The luxury of this penthouse was indescribable.
I focused on James Olsen, he walked to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"Do you like it?" He asked. His back was towards me, his voice loud.
"Yes, is very beautiful." I replied. I shrugged my shoulders; I was honest about this place. It had a beautiful touch only a classy woman could give.
"It is. Your sponsor will be here any minute now."
My thoughts stopped abruptly, as I repeated his exact words in my head.
"Oh," I managed to say. "I thought you… I thought that you were my sponsor."
My world stopped for a second. The elevator door behind me rang. The doors felt like they opened in slow motion. I felt my heart, beating fast inside my chest. My eyes traveled to the red pump shoes to the silky smooth legs. The black delicate texture of the high wasted skirt, to the stunning white blouse.
A black purse hanged from one forearm as I slowly raised my gaze. Her collar bone had a black simple necklace and her gold curls falls on swiftly on top of her shoulders.
I noticed she was smiling at me; her beautiful features became more projecting with her proximity. Her complexion looked smooth. The prominent click of her heels were louder as she walked closer to me.
Her perfume hit me like a rapid wind and for a second, I got lost in her honey eyes. She smiled at me but never offered her hand.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Cat Grant, your sponsor."