Syl felt Zack's hand pressing into her shoulder lightly and she opened her eyes. She'd slept most of the drive after leaving her foster uncle's house in Zack's stolen truck, but she was surprised they were in New Orleans already. Not that she had any idea about where it was or how long it would take to get there. She looked around for Grix as she belatedly realized she was no longer in the truck, but in a bed. She scanned her eyes around the unfamiliar room and looked to Zack for an explanation.

"Couldn't wake you up," he said. "This is my place." As he spoke his hands dismantled a 9mm, cleaning the various parts with a soft cloth. "Grix and Van will be here in a couple of hours. I decided to bring Grix to you instead of you to her. Besides, she has sector ID already. Are you hungry?"

Syl nodded as her eyes went over the sparse room, furnished with nothing more than a mattress, which she was laying on, a couple of chairs, a television, a table, and a radio. Various weapons, newspaper articles, photographs, and other documents were spread out on the table and counters. Two duffle bags sat a few feet away, one filled with Zack's clothes and one with her own. She reached for the latter, pulling out at least half the wardrobe her foster parents had bought her over the years, which wasn't much. She selected a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Bathroom's over there," Zack said, pointing with part of the gun. "Hot water takes a couple minutes to kick in, but feel free to use as much as you want." Syl stood up and followed his direction and closed herself in the bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the shower, standing under the icy water as it gradually heated up, not used to having hot water at all. She washed her hair and then stood there for a while, letting the water scour her skin. When she was finished she shut it off and reached for a towel, drying herself off, ignoring the red stains she left behind. She donned her clothes and found a toothbrush sitting on the counter, still in its packaging, as well as a new hairbrush. She brushed her teeth and took the hairbrush with her, returning to the other room and sitting in one of the chairs, studying the photographs. At school, at her foster parents', at McDonald's, at the park down the street from her house, at the library, and even at her foster uncles- Zack had a collection of photographs of her. There was a schematic of her uncle's house, her foster parents' house, and her school, an attendance form for Zack to start school the following day under the name of Michael Hanover, and a document from her social worker's office containing notes on her case. Syl wondered how long he'd been watching her.

Zack sat in the other chair, putting the last touches on his gun. He laid it down and looked at her. "I made food," he said, indicating the kitchenette that sat in the corner of the room. A bowl stood steaming on the counter, waiting for her. She went over and took a small bite of delicious stew, the vegetables and beef warming her quickly as she ate. She watched him rise and gather up the documents, bringing them over to the kitchenette. He poured some oil into a large pot and put it on the stove, waiting for it to heat up. "Move back a little," he ordered, and she obeyed as he struck a match and dropped it into the pot. Fire burst up, making Syl jump, and he dropped the documents into it. She watched the papers curl into ash and disintegrate one by one, oddly comforted by it. Zack fed everything into the fire except for the last picture, which he put carefully into a pocket in his duffle bag. Then he returned to the stove, turned off the element, and pulled up a chair beside her.

As he opened his mouth to speak, there was a loud knock at the door. Syl froze, afraid it would be the police or her social worker come to take her back. She watched Zack reach for his gun and then walk to the door, pulling it open. The gun dropped to his side as he opened the door widely, admitting two girls, one a little older than Syl and one a little younger. He closed the door behind them and locked it as the younger girl immediately approached Syl, the older one hanging back to speak with Zack.

"Syl," Grix said with a wide smile, leaning her arm on the counter next to her. Syl smiled at her and reached up to touch her brown hair, which was past Grix's chin and growing fast toward her shoulders. "I'm thinking of shaving it off again," Grix said jokingly. "Too much maintenance."

Syl's smile widened a little and she glanced back at Zack and Van, who were scowling at each other but not talking. Syl stood up and waited. Van looked over and smiled a half-smile which was not unkind, saying in a voice just short of sarcasm, "You gonna come hug me or not, Sylvie?"

After only a moment's hesitation Syl walked over to her sister and put her arms around her, holding her tightly. She felt Van tense slightly, as though she hadn't really expected Syl to do it, but after a moment her hand threaded through Syl's hair affectionately. Syl pulled back and then stepped back as Grix launched herself at Zack in an over-emphasized hug. Zack shoved her away, rolling his eyes.

"Grix is too hyper for her own damn good," he said. Syl forced a half-smile, but she felt uncomfortable, and leaned back against the wall, studying Van's shoes.

"It's your own fault," Grix said sarcastically. "You force me to ride in a car for six hours with Van. I'm a little stir-crazy."

"Fuck you," Van said.

"No, fuck your music," Grix answered. "What the hell is that shit called?" As Grix ranted at Van playfully, Syl retreated to the kitchenette again, pretending to be thirsty as she grabbed a glass and filled it with milk from Zack's fridge, sipping slowly.

She felt Zack move up behind her silently and turned her head slightly to look at him. "She'll calm down," he said. "She's just nervous about meeting you." He chuckled. "Does a good show of hiding it though, doesn't she?"

Syl half-smiled and then leaned back against the counter, using her foot to boost herself onto it. She winced slightly as that caused pain to course through her body, but she took a sip of her milk and said nothing, resting her eyes on a tree outside the window.

"Van and I are going to go have a conversation," Zack told her. "You'll be okay with Grix. I'll be back within the hour, alright?"

Syl gave a little nod of her head, turning back to Zack as she did so. Her eyes flickered for a moment from his face as she watched Grix flop on the bed, and Syl's body tensed. A moment later her little sister sat up and pulled back the blankets, the smile gone from her face instantly. Syl's heart starting beating faster, afraid she was going to get in trouble. Her knuckles tightened around the glass in her hands and her eyes fell from Zack's face in shame.

Zack reached out and grabbed the glass, keeping it from breaking it in her grip. "Syl, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice thick with concern.

Grix moved up behind Zack and put her hand on his shoulder. "You and Van need to go for that conversation," she said. "I've got to talk to Syl about some stuff." He made a face but complied, turning and leaving with Van. Grix moved to Syl and reached out a hand, tipping Syl's chin up. "Are you okay?" Syl nodded, sliding her eyes away from her sister. Grix ran her hand through Syl's hair and drew Syl's eyes back to her. "For the next little bit, we're going to play pretend," she said. "I'm going to be your doctor, not your little sister. I was medic at Manticore, I'm still medic out here. Anything you say to me or anything I figure out will stay between you and me, unless I have to tell Zack or Van."

Syl narrowed her eyes at that last statement, questioning Grix silently.

Grix inhaled a little bit as she thought about her answer. "If it's life-threatening or unit-threatening. That's the only reasons I'd tell." She smiled a little. "Does it hurt to sit?"

Syl didn't think she wanted to play the game, but she found herself nodding.

"Okay," Grix said, doing a mental checkmark in her head. "How long have you been going into heat?" Syl shrugged, trying to hide the confusion in her eyes. "It's okay," Grix said compassionately. "It happens to all the X5 females as far as we can tell. Feline reaction equivalent to an ordinary getting her period. It's normal for us." She tried a variation on the same question. "Have you gone into heat yet?" Syl nodded. "How many times?" Grix asked.

Syl forced herself to remember and count. She uncurled all the fingers on one hand except for the thumb slowly, holding it out to her sister.

"Four times?" Grix asked for clarification, and Syl nodded. Grix did quick math in her head. "So you started in 2010?" Again Syl nodded. Grix smiled softly. "You'll be safe now. Zack takes care of the girls that go into heat." Syl's head raised quickly at this, questioing Grix again with her eyes as to what she meant by that. "He either literally helps, he sends you to someone like Van or me to help you keep from doing anything... that kind of stuff. We're trying to figure out what else we can do but we don't have too many answers yet." Syl dropped her gaze to the floor once again.

Grix didn't let the silence hang for very long. "Are you still bleeding, Syl?" she asked. "It's okay that you are, I just need to know how long and if you still are." Syl shrugged, honestly not sure if the blood she could feel was old or new. Grix nodded. "Can we have you go into the bathroom and check for me?" she asked. Syl looked up into Grix's soft brown eyes and then slid off the counter. She went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. A few moments later, she emerged again, hanging in the doorway. She nodded.

Grix took a deep breath, adding another checkmark to her mental list. "How long has it been since you've had a seizure, Syl?" She shrugged. "Do you need some trypto?" Grix asked next. Syl looked at her blankly and Grix smiled. "Tryptophan. It's in milk and turkey, and it's the best stuff that we have to treat seizures. It doesn't stop them, but it curbs them pretty quickly. Do you want some?" Syl nodded and Grix reached into the bag she'd brought and pulled out a bottle of pills. She shook a couple into her hand and held them out to Syl with the glass of milk she'd poured earlier. Syl downed them and took a seat in one of Zack's chairs.

Grix smiled gently at her. "I'm going to need to take a look at you," she said, and Syl's entire body tense. "Hey," Grix said, walking over and crouching in front of Syl. "You're bleeding. I have to make sure you're okay."

Syl swallowed and looked at the floor. "I'll be fine."

"Honestly I think that's probably true," Grix said after a moment of gazing at her sister. Gingerly she reached out and covered Syl's hand with her own; meeting no resistance, she tightened her fingers around Syl's. "But I'm here to help. It's up to you, but if you let me then maybe I can make it not hurt so much. Okay?"

They locked eyes for a long moment and then Syl was crying, though she hadn't even felt the tears building. Grix put her arms around her sister and held her close. "Shh," she whispered, holding her tightly. "It's going to be okay now, shh." It took a few minutes for Syl to calm down, and then she allowed Grix into the bathroom with her to examine her. She gave her something to keep the blood off her clothes and handed her some pain medication. "Take two of these and call me in the morning," she said with a grin. Syl looked at her blankly so she shrugged, still smiling. "Movie cliche." Then she went back to her bag in the other room and pulled out a paper bag. She pulled out another small package and handed it to Syl. "Here, take one of these too," she said, and smiled at Syl. She downed the pill and held the package back out to Grix. "Keep it," she said. "Take the other one in two weeks."

Syl nodded and then returned to her seat, watching as Grix crossed the room to the bed, stripping it and placing the sheets, with Syl's towel, into a garbage bag for disposal. She rifled through Zack's things to find a fresh change of linen and made the bed again. "Tired?" she asked Syl, who nodded, the bed already looking very inviting. "Zack and Van will be back soon," she said. "But you can sleep for as long as you want." She pulled back the blanket for Syl. "Anyway, I was going to prescribe lots of rest and to keep off your feet anyway." She grinned. "So go ahead, I'll amuse myself by taking out all the clips in Zack's guns and hiding them around the room." Syl smiled a little and then climbed into the bed. She pulled the blanket tightly around herself and brought her knees up to her chest, closing her eyes.

* * *

Most of the lights were off when Syl opened her eyes, save for one in the corner at the table where Zack was busy packing up everything in the apartment and wiping it down as he went. Van was nearby doing the same, and Grix was sprawled on the floor fast asleep. Syl watched Zack scowl down at one of his handguns. "Where the fuck is my clip?"

Van glanced over at him. "Beats the hell out of me," she said with a shrug, going back to what she was doing. Syl saw one of Grix's eyes open momentarily as Zack moved to another gun. He studied it and then dropped it to the table, turning toward Grix. He reached out his foot and nudged her in the ribs.

Both her eyes opened this time and she smiled up at him innocently. "What?" she asked with a yawn. "Are we going now?"

"Where'd you put them?" he asked.

"Put what?" she asked, sitting up. "Your marbles? You've lost your marbles, Zack? How sad," she said, a look of genuine concern in her eyes.

Zack looked pissed but Syl couldn't suppress a giggle. She swallowed it almost immediately though, afraid he'd turn his anger on her, her smile fading. The other three X5s glanced in her direction. "Hey Zack," Grix asked, taking his attention away from Syl's obvious fear. "Want to see a magic trick?"

"Will it get me my clips?" he asked flatly.

Grix rolled her eyes. "Have you ever celebrated Easter, Zack?"

"Grix," Van warned.

"Bear with me," she said, holding up a hand to both her COs. "So this Easter thing, some spiritual hoo-hah... but the real shit behind it is that kids get candy. And there's like this bunny dude-"

"Grix," Zack growled.

She laughed. "Not done yet!" she protested. "Anyway, the bunny dude. He goes around to all these different houses and hides eggs. I am the clip bunny... and the magic trick-" She held her hand out. "Watch closely now." Syl watched curiously. "Now you see me," Grix continued, then blurred to the bathroom, barely missing Van's grab for her arm. She paused in the doorway. "Now you don't!" And the door closed behind her, the unmistakable click of the lock following a split-second later, her laughter only slightly muffled by the door.

"Goddammit, Grix," Zack said. "We're on a time schedule here!"

"Bah to your schedules!" Grix yelled back.

"I'm all done here," Van said, zipping up her duffle bag.

Zack nodded and finished putting his things away, then he turned to Syl. "Did you see where Grix put the clips?" he asked. Syl shook her head and Zack sighed heavily. "Alright," he said as Van crossed the room to the bathroom, picking the lock easily with a paperclip.

"Zack, trypto," she said, leaning down over Grix's convulsing form. Syl watch Zack grab a bottle from his bag and toss it to Van, who helped Grix swallow a few pills.

"We're moving out," Zack told Syl as he opened cupboards and drawers, retreiving the clips. "We'll get a couple of rooms at a motel." As he found his last clip, Van emerged from the bathroom with Grix, who looked a less cheerful but still had a small smile on her face.

"Nice trick, huh?" she said weakly to Syl, who smiled back at her and nodded. Zack grabbed the duffles and Van grabbed anything else of any value, and they left the apartment. Syl and Grix followed, Syl going with Zack to his truck as Van and Grix headed toward a honey-coloured sedan parked nearby.

"Meet you there," Van said with a wave over her shoulder to Zack as he and Syl got into the truck. Van pulled out first and Zack waited, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. He glanced over at Syl.

"Did you have fun with Grix?" he asked. Syl shrugged, playing with the knob on Zack's glove compartment. "So okay, we're getting two rooms, two beds to each. Who do you want to bunk with?"

Syl frowned for a moment in thought.

"Grix?" Zack asked; Syl smiled but shook her head. "Van?" he tried next, and her smile widened. "Okay," he said with a nod, pulling into the street and heading in a different direction than Van's car had gone. They drove in silence for a while before Zack spoke again. "Have you given any thought to what you want to do after this?" he asked. Syl shook her head immediately, shying back from him a little toward her door, not wanting to think about it at all. Zack took a deep breath and then reached over to her, touching her head gently, threading his fingers through her hair. Syl closed her eyes and relaxed a little, leaning into the touch.

The drive to the motel didn't take long, and Syl spotted Van's car in the parking lot as they entered. Zack had a reservation under Michael Hanover, and they were checked in quickly. Zack led her to the rooms, connected side-by-side, and laid her stuff at the end of one of the twin beds in the room that would be hers and Van's. "I think they said they were going to order food," Zack told her. "Hungry?" Syl nodded and they went next door to where Van and Grix were digging into cartons of takeout Chinese.

"Chopsticks?" Grix asked her siblings. "If you weren't so paranoid you would have gotten here before I ate all the rice, Zack," she said. She pushed a carton of sweet and sour chicken toward Syl and handed her a pair of chopsticks. "It's not the best, but it's pretty decent," she said with a smile.

"Van, you'll be bunking with Syl tonight," Zack told her.

Van pursed her lips and looked to Syl. "Can't wait," she said. "We'll have some riveting conversation, chiqueta, you and me." The comment was sarcastic but the way Van said it made it somehow affectionate, even friendly. Syl gave her a half-smile and ate her chicken quickly.

Grix flopped onto the couch and clicked on the television. "This is what I'm talking about," she said with a grin, gesturing Syl over. She sat next to her sister and watched her flip channels.

"I'm going to get provisions," Zack said to Van. "Check in with Tosh and Zane. Ben too if you wouldn't mind." At Van's nod, he left the motel room.

Syl jumped as Grix's elbow nudged her ribs gently. "They're in the same place," she said. At Syl's blank look, she continued, "The COs. It means hell has officially frozen over." Grix was wearing a wide grin, and then she settled on a music station and danced in her seat to the fast songs.

* * *

That night Syl awoke to voices, only slightly muffled through the thin motel walls. With her excellent hearing, she could make out every word. She and Grix had gone to bed hours ago in their respective rooms, but Zack and Van were still up next door, talking in soft voices near the bed where Grix laid asleep. The door joining the two motel rooms was slightly open, a slice of light filtering through and casting patterns on the wall opposite Syl. She pushed her blanket back silently, crossing the room to the door and hanging in the shadows, turning so she could get a view of her siblings. She could see Grix's sleeping form now, sprawled on the bed against the wall, one arm turned backwards and flung across the pillow, the other hanging slightly over the edge of the bed. Syl could hear her heavy breathing all the way from the door.

"She's had a hard time," Zack was saying.

Van nodded and then shrugged. "But that's nothing new."

"This time it is," Zack insisted.

"Because she's a girl?" Van asked.

Zack gave her a hard look. "Did you hear Grix's report on what happened?" he growled. "Or mine for that matter?"

"Realistically, Zack, I would expect all of our sisters to go through something like that at some point in their lives."

Syl watched Zack's expression flicker onto a genuine look of disbelief. "Not if I have any say in it," he protested, sounding almost offended.

Van shrugged. "Can't watch them all the time. They're scared little kids that go into heat. No one out here gets that, Zack, you know that. We only have two girls, there are still four out there we haven't found yet. Do you really think they all have steady understanding boyfriends to help them out? Or that they ever will?"

"Shut up," Zack snapped, running a hand through his hair and stopping at his barcode, scratching at it absently.

"Look," Van said, backing down a little. "We'll get Syl somewhere that's safe. I'm just saying, shit happens. We can lay down precautions all we want but these kids aren't all accounted for yet, and there's nothing we can do for the ones we haven't found."

Zack scowled. "Then we have to move faster," he said, sitting down on the end of his bed.

Van sighed. "Okay. Realistically, we've got Brin and Tinga, who we both know could blend in pretty well out here. And then Jondy and Max, who may or may not be together. Jondy looks like every fifth white kid in this country, and if Max is still with her they'll be looking out for one another. If not..." She shrugged, trailing off, then glanced back toward where Syl was still watching. Syl jumped backward away from the door, looking through the thinner crack between the hinges instead. Van reached a hand up and lowered her sunglasses slightly on her nose, then pushed them back up and turned to Zack. "I'm going to hit the sack," she said. Syl noiselessly withdrew from the door and climbed between the sheets, closing her eyes and feigning sleep.

She heard Zack let out a long breath before he said, "Fine. We're getting up at dawn." If there was any reply from Van it wasn't voiced, and Syl waited as she heard her door open wider and then shut quietly. She sensed Van leaning against the doorframe for a few moments, then her sister pushed away from it and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hear anything good?" she asked. Syl remained completely quiet, her eyes closed, her body limp, her breathing regular. Van reached out and gave her a gentle nudge in the ribs. "I know you're awake."

Syl opened her eyes and looked up at Van, not bothering to pretend to be sleepy.

"Pleading the fifth, huh?" Van asked with a half-smile. Syl reached up and pulled Van's sunglasses off her face. "Hey," Van protested, but didn't reach for them. Syl traced the outlines of the lenses in her hands, running her fingers along the edges. "You don't have to be scared you know," Van told her, laying down on top of the blankets next to Syl, who shrugged and kept her eyes on Van's reflection in the glasses.

There was a silence that was not at all uncomfortable; Syl moved a little closed to Van, so she could feel her warmth.

"You think I could get those back sometime soon?" Van asked. Syl shook her head, and Van pursed her lips, flickering her eyes up in a half-roll. Syl smiled and pressed her fingers into Van's lips. Her sister tensed slightly, surprised, but relaxed almost immediately. "What, you think that's funny?" she asked. And to Syl's nod she repeated the expression without meaning to. "It's supposed to be tough." Syl gave her a doubtful look and she scowled. "How much did you hear?" she asked, changing the subject.

Syl's smile faded and her body tensed. She dropped her eyes to the colour change from Van's maroon tank top to her rich brown skin to the peach bedspread and didn't answer the question, waiting for Van to get angry. She moved away again, shying from Van's disapproval. Van's hand touched against her head and she jumped, but her sister's fingers threaded through her hair gently, soothing out her fear. "Grix was listening in too, it's okay. It's part of your training to do that... I just want to know how much you heard."

Syl shook her head, insisting on her innocence.

Van chuckled. "I saw you listening. I'm not blind, even if the glasses make me seem that way." Caught in a lie, Syl glanced down at her hands and shrugged, not willing to admit she'd been listening. Van took a breath. "Look... if you don't think I understand what you've been through, you're wrong." Syl met her sister's eyes doubtfully, and Van tilted her head a little in acknowledgment. "Okay, so I don't really understand. But you know what I mean... it's not like I don't have sympathy or compassion or whatever the fuck it's called. I'm angry as hell about it and I'd give my life to make it so that never happened to you. I was just trying to make Zack see that there's a big chance you're not the only one of you girls who's been through this."

Syl swallowed and looked at her hands, not wanting to think about any of the rest of her family experiencing anything like she had. She wanted them all to be safe. Glancing up at Van with a sudden though, she filled her eyes with concern. After a moment's confusion, Van chuckled and ruffled Syl's hair affectionately. "Not me," she said. "I found out about heat the same time Zack did, if you get my drift." Syl's eyes fell back to her hands, feeling uncomfortable, not wanting to think about her older brother and sister like that. Van's hand moved from her hair to stroke soothingly against her barcode. Van's hand was soft and cool, and Syl couldn't stop her eyes from closing. She heard Van's smile in her voice as she said, "You're like me. Touch the barcode and I'm out cold." Syl opened her eyes again and reached up to touch the back of Van's, but her sister pushed her hand away gently. "Hey," she said, not unkindly. "Take my word for it, it works, alright?" Syl smiled at her and nodded, cuddling into Van's chest instead. Van tensed, then let out a long breath and lowered her arms to encircle Syl's back gingerly. "Go to sleep already," she said, kissing the top of Syl's head. Syl closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

Van was gone when Syl woke up to the loud sigh from Grix as she flopped onto the bed, startling Syl awake. "Zack is so fucking annoying," she said. Syl gave her a questioning look and she explained, "He won't let me sleep in. He insisted on getting up at dawn and working out. And he wanted me to fall in." She made a face. "So I dragged Van over and made her spar with him. Feel free to go back to sleep, I'm not going to be getting up for another couple of hours." Syl looked past her little sister to the clock on the bedside table- 6:43am. She pulled the pillow over her head and closed her eyes. "Here here," Grix said, following suit. She grinned at Syl under their pillows and Syl smiled back. She yawned and sat up, stretching. Grix sat up as well. "You're kidding me," she said. "You're actually going to get up? Are you crazy?" Syl put her feet over the side of the bed and Grix grabbed her arm. "Don't let them win," she said indignantly. "Then they'll think they're justified and I'll have to get up and I'm so tired. Please Syl." She made a pitiful expression, her eyes big and pleading, and Syl hesitated. "Please Sylvie?" she asked. Syl sat back down and Grix, triumphant, laid down again, closing her eyes. Syl waited until her sister was asleep and then got out of bed and went next door to the other room. Zack and Van were sparring, both of them with intensity in their eyes; Syl hung by the wall and watched for a bit, and when Van finally threw Zack to the floor and had him pinned, she stood up and started back toward the other room.

"Syl," Zack called her back as Van let him up, scooping up her sunglasses at the same time and putting them back on. "It's all right, we're done."

"I'll get Grix," Van said, heading for the bedroom. Syl grabbed her arm as she passed and shook her head. "What, did she give you the 'I'm a lazy punk-ass who doesn't want to get up' speech too?" Even through her sunglasses somehow Syl knew she was rolling her eyes. Then she disappeared into the other room, and Syl went to Zack.

"Hungry?" he asked, indicating a pot of something bubbling on the stove. Syl nodded and found a bowl, helping herself to some of the chili. She ate it quietly, watching as Van hauled Grix back into the room, still wrapped in the sheets, clinging to them defiantly.

"Van!" she yelled, drawing the vowel out whiningly as Van deposited her on the floor with a thump.

"There," she said with a smile. "Now we're all up." As Grix stood up and started heading for the bathroom Van reached out and closed her hand over the girl's head, turning her around. "Eat."

"Sleep," Grix answered.

"Eat," Van repeated, lowering her glasses a little. Grix let out a dramatic sigh and crossed the kitchen to where Syl was sitting. "Traitor," she whispered as she passed. For a moment Syl was hurt, then she realized it was a joke and smiled. Grix brightened when she saw the pot of hot chili, and got herself a bowl.

"Where's the tobasco sauce?" she asked.

"Don't have any," Zack answered.

Grix set her bowl down next to Syl's loudly. "Then drive your ass to the store and get me some, or I'm taking my ass right back to bed."

"Grix," Van said. "Eat."

"I can't eat chili without tobasco sauce," she protested. "It's a crime-"

"Knock it off," Zack warned.

"Fine. Give me the car keys."

"No," Zack answered. "Eat your food. We're moving out in an hour."

Grix sat down next to Syl and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where are we going now?"

"You're going home," Van answered as Grix turned and dug through the cupboards for something different to eat.

"So soon?" she asked. "But I was having such a fun family reunion."

"This isn't a reunion," Zack said. "It's an emergency and now it's done so you're going back to New Orleans."

"At least they have tabasco sauce there," she muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "And no bossy older siblings either."

"Grix," Van warned, her voice clear that this was the last time she was going to say it. Grix sighed and poured herself some cereal from a box in the cupboard, drowning it in milk.

She fell into the chair next to Syl and smiled sideways at her. "They usually crack when I get that annoying," she whispered. "Must be cause I'm out-numbered." Syl smiled back at her as she felt the chili burn her tongue.