Chapter 1

The girl peered out from a corner, her greasy brown hair falling in strands around her face. She checked the street, lined with empty cars, filled with the smell of rotting food from various stands throughout the city, then dashed across, ducking in between two buildings.

She ran quietly, aided by the cloth she had wrapped around her feet. For the past few weeks, ever since the gigantic building had appeared and all of the city dwellers had been abducted, she had spent all of her time moving about, trying to figure out what to do. She couldn't face off Talpa's entire army on her own.

Glancing surreptitiously down the next street, she saw a group of soldiers, clad in their green armor, marching down the road. Just a regular patrol, she decided. She waited for them to pass, then hurried out into the street, making her way to the next block. On the way, her foot hit a discarded, mangled bicycle lying in the street. She slowed and turned, watching them.

One turned and saw her instantly. He cried out and pointed, causing the other four to turn. With a great deal of clanks, they began to rush at her, their feet pounding on the asphalt.

She thought quickly. The next patrol would probably come down the adjoining street in a minute, give or take. Her heart pounding with a rush of adrenaline, she turned and ran down the street, drawing them away from where the next patrol would pass.

Then, unexpectedly, she heard a loud thump, then the sound of metal crumpling. She turned, her face betraying her surprise, and saw one of the five laying on top of a red Volvo, unmoving. The car was done for, the windshield and all the windows shattered, the top crushed. Between her and the rest of the soldiers stood four figures, clad is armor that was similar to what she'd been seeing a lot of lately. One was red, another green, and two blue, one light and the other much darker. A fifth one stood by the car, evidently the one who had dispatched the first soldier. As she watched, the orange one turned, grinning.

"Is this all the Dynasty has?"

"Don't get cocky," warned the green one. "You know this is nothing." The soldiers looked at each other, then lunged, each at a different one. A quick battle ensued, but the newcomers were easily the victors. The girl watched, her face impassive.

With the soldiers dispatched, the warriors left, one glancing briefly over his shoulder at her. She stood there for a moment, then turned and walked through the deserted city once more.

"We can't leave her," Cye argued, leaning against a building.

"Yeah, but she didn't even look afraid of those soldiers," Sage said, frowning.

"Not like they were a big deal," Kento said, grinning widely as he stretched his arms over his head.

Ryo frowned. "Cye's right, though. If she's just someone the Dynasty missed, we need to protect her. It's our job." He looked around the group, and, slowly, each agreed.

"But," Sage put in, looking uneasy, "If it is a trap… Maybe it'd be better to pretend that we're just citizens, too. At least until we can trust her."

"You mean never wear our armor?" Rowen asked, speaking for the first time. He glanced down at his protective suit.

"Just while we're around her," Sage said firmly.

Ryo nodded. "Okay. We'll hide our identities. Maybe she'll know anyway, if she is with the Dynasty. Even if she's not, we don't want her to give away our location in hopes of Talpa being merciful."

Kento snorted. "Fat chance."

Cye stretched out his arms. "That's what we'll do, then. Mia will be glad of some female company, at any rate."

Sage brushed his thick hair away from his face. "Let's go find her, then."

The girl wasn't sure how much time elapsed between the battle and the time she saw the boys approaching her. At first she tensed, thinking it was more of the Dynasty's soldiers, but she soon relaxed, standing warily.

"Hey!" one called out to her from a distance. She didn't answer, waiting. They walked right up to her, looking her up and down. "I'm Kento," one said. "These are Rowen, Cye, Ryo, and Sage," he said, gesturing to each of his friends. "We've been wandering around the city for a while… Need a place to stay? You look kind of rough."

She eyed him uneasily, not answering at first. "Don't worry," the one called Cye laughed. "We've got a couple others staying with us, too. A girl and a little boy. We're all the survivors we've found so far… Minus you, of course."

"So, what do you say?" Ryo asked, smiling at her.

She nodded briefly. "Great!" Kento exclaimed, looking cheerful. "So what's your name?"

"Daniella," she said, looking at each guy in turn, her green eyes betraying nothing. "Or Dani, if you want."

"Dani, then," Kento said, smiling. "Come on, we'll get you cleaned up."

They brought her to a nice home on the outskirts of the city, taking a yellow convertible they picked up off the street. The guys talked cheerfully, their T-shirts and jackets whipping around in the wind, but Dani said little, only shortly replying to a few questions. The five guys backed off, knowing this was a lot for her.

They entered the door to the smell of hamburgers cooking. "Mia, my hero!" Kento announced, running into the kitchen. Mia, laughing, came out, but stopped when she saw the Warriors out of their suits and the girl they brought with them.

"Hello," she said, looking at the dirty girl, who appeared to be about sixteen, a couple years younger than the guys. "I'm Mia."

"Dani," she replied.

"You hungry?"

Dani hesitated, but her clenched stomach wouldn't allow her to lie. "Yeah, a little," she admitted.

"Come on, then," Mia said heading back into the kitchen. "Then we can get you cleaned up." She looked at Ryo, searching for answers, but he just looked at her helplessly.

Dani ate quickly, starving. She watched each person, wondering who they really were. She doubted she could trust them – the Dynasty didn't leave people alone. There was no way these five guys and Mia could hide from his soldiers for this long. It was simply impossible. She couldn't help but be suspicious – it was possible that they were actually on Talpa's side. She'd have to be careful.

By the time she finished eating, Mia had dug up some clothes for her and showed her to the bathroom. "Once you get through, give me your old clothes… We may have to burn them."

Dani could accept that. She took a shower, lathering the grease from her hair. She hadn't had many chances to wash during the past few weeks – and it wasn't like she'd been out to impress Talpa's soldiers.

The clothes Mia gave her were too large, but the older girl had also provided her with a plain brown belt. Dani cinched it tightly around her waist and pulled the shirt down over the waistband. She gathered up her clothes and made sure she hadn't left a mess, then quietly opened the door and went back downstairs. Hearing voices from another room, she quietly walked that way.

"But why not tell her?" She heard Mia asking.

"Sage isn't sure she's trustworthy," Cye's voice said, sounding amused. "She could betray us."

Dani hesitated, but then stood quietly by the wall, away from the doorway.

"We're in a war here," Sage said, "and we haven't seen anybody else who escaped."

"Who are you?" A boy's voice asked from directly behind her. Stifling a shriek of surprise, she whirled, and was shocked to see a young boy in the middle of the hall, sitting on the back of a white tiger. The tiger was looking at her with what she could have sworn was suspicion. She heard people getting up in the other room, and soon the five teenagers and Mia were standing there.

"Dani," Ryo said, evidently surprised to see her standing there. "You okay?"

"Just, um, surprised," Dani said, flushing at having been caught outside the doorway. She tried to avoid looking at them, thinking quickly. It was quiet for a moment, then Mia stepped forward.

"Let me have those clothes, I'll take care of them," she said, taking them from Dani's arms. She nodded dumbly, chewing on her lip.

"Come on, Yuli, let's go play Frisbee," said Ryo, heading outside.

"Yeah!" exclaimed the child. "Come on, White Blaze!" He quickly followed Ryo.

"It's getting late," Rowen said. He glanced at Dani. "I'll show you to your room." She followed the boy, feeling the gazes of the others on her back.