"And what if you'd been caught? You're sixteen now. They'd toss you in jail. Though, with a face like yours, they'd probably find is more beneficial to sell you as a slave. God, you're so irresponsible."

Here we go again, Izzy thought, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall of the alley. Not The Alley. It was just some random alley near the docks. I'm irresponsible. I'm childish. I need to grow up. I need to find a real job. Blah, blah, blah. Jeez, is this really the same girl I grew up with?

Quietly, Izzy inspected Eliza, who was too busy yelling to notice. Eliza used prefer sensible blue dresses when she had the choice. Now all she bothered to buy was red and frighteningly revealing. Though she still chipped in with the rest of the kids, a lot of Eliza's money went to the heavy makeup she always wore. The reddest lipstick she could find, and tons of eye makeup, but no matter how much she bought, Eliza's once sweet blue eyes now just looked sad. Even when she was yelling at Izzy. Which is what she normally did when they met.

"Alright, I get it, Eliza," Izzy snapped, interrupting her when Eliza had gotten to the part about Izzy being useless dead. "You won't be happy unless I'm a 'lady of the night' just like you." Izzy quickly covered her mouth. Oops. That last bit was supposed to have been an inside thought.

"No, Izzy," Eliza replied, seeming more angry than before. Probably because of that last bit. "You don't get it. You like to run around acting like a thief, because you think that's the best way to get what you need."

"Well, it is."

"Not when you're caught. And trust me, you will be caught, because thievery is illegal."

"At least it's not immoral."

"What definition of immoral are you using, Isabella?" Izzy flinched, and Eliza smirked. Gone were the days when those violet eyes could hold power over the quiet book worm. "My profession is both legal and supported by the government."

"The government? You mean our corrupt, out of control, rotten to the core dictatorship?"

"It's a monarchy," Eliza snapped, for a moment sounding like her old self, but that was gone in an instant. "Isabella, those kids depend on us. If you get dragged off for being a thief that just leaves Celino and me."

"So basically, that leaves them with nothing," Izzy growled, "because we never see you, and every bit of munny Celino makes goes to, eh, some side project." In truth, Celino was saving so he could propose to Eliza and get her off the street corners. No matter how unpleasant he treated Izzy now, she'd keep his secret. That's what friends did.

Eliza looked deeply offended, but she persevered, determined to have Izzy see things her way this time. "If that's true, then you're being even more irresponsible. Think of Owen and Maya, and Anita, and Kimiko, and Kitty. Alec would particularly be crushed to see you carted off somewhere else in the world." Eliza seemed amused at Izzy's confusion about the last statement and she used that to her advantage. "You need to set an example for them. Honest work. Real jobs. Some way for them to move on with their life and find a way off the street. Isabella, you can't play hero forever. You have to show them how they can save themselves."

She was still the smartest person I know, Izzy thought, sighing. Eliza was right. Everything Izzy did came down to being the hero. All the risks she took, every decision she made, it was to help her friends, but it also made her feel pretty good, too. Was that childish of her? Was Eliza right? Maybe it was time to find a real job, and stop running around playing hero.

Two things prevented Izzy from saying this out loud.

One was the smug look on Eliza's face.

The other was a terrified scream coming from the far side of the docks.

Both girls jumped, but Eliza quickly composed herself. "Tough customer. Happens sometimes."

"That was a girl's scream," Izzy said, peering out of the alley.

"Yeah, it can get a little rough at times, but she knew what she was getting into." Eliza leaned back against the alley wall, coolly examining her painted fingernails.

Izzy gave Eliza a shocked look. "How can you be so heartless?" she asked, but another scream prevented Eliza from answering. Shaking her head, Izzy turned and ran out of the alley.

"Izzy! Come back! You'll get yourself killed!"

"Maybe you're right!" Izzy called back, still running. "But I'd rather die as myself than become you!"

It was late at night. The few people Izzy passed didn't even react to the running girl or the screams. This world really was rotten. The screams came from an abandoned warehouse that should have been torn down long ago. Izzy pushed her way through the rusting doors and stumbled to a stop. Her brain took a few moments to process what here eyes were seeing.

A girl Izzy didn't recognize, about her own age, was cowering against the far wall. In front of her, nearly blocking Izzy's view, was a monster.

Massive, and purple, which was normally Izzy's favorite color, but at the moment it was sickening. The creature walked on four cleft hooves, slowly approaching the terrified girl. Gnarly yellow tusks stuck out on either side of its mouth and a single black horn jutted from its head. It tensed, ready to charge, and the girl was completely petrified with fear. Doing the only thing she could think of, Izzy grabbed a chunk of piping and hurled it at the monster, hitting it square in the back.

The monster roared, whipping around, giving Izzy a murderous look out of its yellow eyes. She caught sight of the broken heart emblem on its chest before it leapt at her. Izzy rolled out of the way, feeling its hot breath above her before she sprinted towards the girl.

"Come on!" she cried, pulling the girl to her feet. "We have to move." The monster charged again and Izzy shoved the girl out of the way, jumping in the opposite direction. Its head rammed against the metal wall of the warehouse, leaving it momentarily stunned. "Run!" Izzy yelled. The girl obeyed, racing to the exit and making it out moments before Izzy. Before she could get through the door, however, the monster bucked, striking Izzy with one of its back hooves and sending her flying through the air. She landed with a painful thud in a heap of old boxes.

Eliza was right, Izzy thought, struggling to get to her feet. I'm really going to end up dead.

When she stood, Izzy saw the creature sniffing around the door, like it was about to chase after the girl.

"Hey!" Izzy called, waving her arms. "Over here you big, stupid, ugly beast! Why don't you pick one someone your own size?" The monster looked over at her. As it approached, Izzy could swear it was laughing, but she held her ground, ready to jump away at the last minute. It didn't charge though, but kept moving slowly, learning from the last time. There was no getting out of this one.

Something felt heavy in Izzy's hand.

"What in the worlds?" She looked down and just about dropped the thing that would save her life. In her hand was a sword. Or a really big key. Or perhaps both. Izzy didn't have time to examine it, however, as the monster chose the moment of her distraction to charge.

Tapping into the training she'd done with Alex, Izzy swung the blade to defend herself. Despite the difference in size, when the creature touched the blade it roared like it had been burned. Izzy smiled. Looks like it's not over yet. Going on the offensive, Izzy charged, slashing the blade across the monster's face. It twisted to the side, trying to impale Izzy with one of its tusks, but she easily jumped out of the way.

"Wasn't able to do that before," Izzy commented when she realized how high and far she'd jumped. The monster looked around, unable to find her for a moment. When it got her in its sights it roared, rearing up on its hind legs, giving Izzy a nice shot at its underbelly. She didn't miss a beat, charging forward and bringing the blade down its belly, across the emblem on its chest. The monster seemed to shatter, leaving only a heart that floated up and faded away.

Izzy was stunned, trying to process exactly what just happened. She looked at the weapon in her hand for a long moment, wondering.