I keep trying to make the parts longer, but I keep failing. Anyways, hope you like it. I love and appreciate x1000 all the reviews. :)

The sun was so blinding that the black words in my book were blazing red in my squinted eyes. I tried to shield them and simultaneously keep a firm grip on the page, but I was failing. The sun was growing warmer and I managed to keep my eyes open long enough to see that no clouds were in sight.

Brilliant.

I tried to focus a little more on the story, but it was no use. Words were doubling over and smearing and I was losing interest altogether.

I shut the book forcefully and slumped into the bench. There were people all around me who I was effectively blocking out until now. Their voices and screams began to rise, and I knew that it was lunch hour so the crowds would only be growing. I disliked being a in the center of a mass of people, but I stuck to mostly crowded areas these days. Less of a threat, at least.

My throat was dry as I walked behind a cluster of trees in the park that weren't inhabited by a picnicking family or hot employee. When I didn't see anyone glancing in my direction, I jumped.

It wasn't smart too get people involved in your daily routine, and I certainly didn't want to get anyone else hurt, so I went to a new café everyday to get my caffeine fix. It had become a new schedule for me to wake up, take a shower, jump around for a bit, get a cappuccino, and go to Griffin's.

In a life where normalcy seemed the farthest thing from attainable, it felt nice to have a stable pattern.

Today, I went to get coffee in Mexico. I knew a bit of Spanish, at least enough to get the point across. And that stash of pesos I had was really burning a hole in my pocket.

When I had finished my cup, I found an alley and jumped again, with renewed vigor.

Griffin's lair was empty when I got there. I had never been alone here for a very long time, except for the day when I fell asleep. It was weird to see the place Griffin-less, especially since he seemed to have problem with people invading his privacy.

I took a look around, realizing I had never taken a closer one before. There were pictures on the walls, and it only took me a moment to realize that these were Paladins.

I don't know why people would want to hurt others the way they hurt Jumpers. Griffin had been telling me more and more about them, but never once did it actually make sense to me. Maybe I just wanted to believe that everyone had some good in them, and that violence would only occur when provoked.

But they weren't provoked.

They killed. They killed with recklessness, without knowing who the person was, and only judging their actions on a simple ability they had.

And they thought we were the monsters?

Griffin hadn't told me what happened to him, but his attitude and demeanor left little to imagination. I knew they had hurt him. I knew that they probably took his family like they had taken mine, or he had to leave them because of what hunted him. Either way, Griffin's words no longer annoyed me. I knew that he was how he was for a reason, and I wasn't going to change him. But I wouldn't leave him either.

Dammit. I've grown some sort of attachment to that insensitive jerk.

"What are you doing?"

I smiled, turning away from the pictures and facing Griffin.

"Looking at your new victims," I said, walking over to him. "Where have you been?"

"My yoga class," he said sarcastically. "Where do you think?"

"Where were you this time?" I asked curiously, sitting down on the couch and ignoring his attitude.

"The jungle. Let's just say the lions won't be hungry for too long."

I nodded, but for some reason, I felt my stomach turn. Of course I wanted to fight the Paladins. Of course I wanted revenge. But I didn't know if I would be able to kill another person when the time came.

I felt a flash of nausea as I thought of Aunt Eileen.

She wasn't able to kill anyone either. I'm sure she didn't have much of an option.

And I only had two.

I could either kill or be killed.

"What planet are you on, Barbie?"

"Ella," my mouth corrected without thinking. "I was just...never mind."

"Well don't just sit there. We're wasting daylight."

I followed him slowly, and wondered if I was ever going to be who I was and be truly happy.


"You're good at defense, but you can only block for so long. You have to make hits, too." Griffin told me, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I do make hits." I protested.

"Not enough for it to count." He said, swinging at me again.

I jumped behind him and quickly hit his back and he stumbled, facing me with not fury, but slight pride.

"Nice one."

Griffin...paying a compliment? That was unheard of. I stopped for a moment in surprise, and suddenly I was on my back, sand breaking my fall.

"But not nice enough." Griffin said with a smirk.

I should have known that anything remotely nice coming out of his mouth would have a follow up.

"So, do you have a favorite color?" I asked, getting back to my feet.

"What the hell?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

We both walked to a rock to rest for a moment, and Griffin threw me a water bottle.

"I mean, I sort of think of you as this master Jumper. But not as a normal person. But you must have normal person tendencies. A favorite color, hobbies, perhaps?" I asked.

He looked at me like I was crazy, to which I just shrugged my shoulders.

"I just want to know who you are, Griffy." I said dramatically, grabbing his arm.

He jerked away and rolled his eyes, taking a sip of water.

"This isn't social hour, it's training." He said, pulling my arm back towards where we were standing before.

"Sorry, Master Sunshine." I said with a bow.

I felt good as we started again. This was going on our second week, and I was already in much better shape. I'd like to think my reflexes were better too, but no matter what I did, Griffin always managed to beat me.

It didn't help that it was always scalding hot here. I didn't work well in such conditions. Griffin assured me that I would be better for it, more ready for anything.

I think that's a bunch of crap, but whatever.

"Quicker, and protect your left side better. You favor the right." Griffin instructed.

He didn't jump as much when we were fighting, probably to give the illusion that it was an actual Paladin.

"Better, but still a little weak." Griffin commented as I blocked a blow coming for my left arm.

"Good, but you're too conscious of it. It should be second nature." He said, throwing a hit this time to my right and causing me to lose my train of thought.

I nearly fell over again, but regained my balance and tried to hit him, barely grazing his stomach before he counterattacked me.

"Good, but like I said, more hits."

I grumbled from frustration. I come from a long line of perfectionists, so although the criticism was constructive, it wasn't necessarily appreciated.

"I'm trying." I said exasperated.

"Well try harder." He said with clenched teeth.

"I am!" I exclaimed, swinging at him.

He dodged it, and I would have been alright with that if he didn't throw in that extra smirk, in the 'Ha, you're still not good enough' way.

God, sometimes he could make me angry.

"C'mon, is that the best you've got?" he asked.

I pursed my lips and felt the energy well up inside of me as I blocked a hit and immediately threw back one of my own.

Griffin looked shocked for a moment at my sudden outburst and before I knew it, he was on the ground, panting as he looked up at me through shielded eyes.

I knocked him over. I beat Griffin. I never thought that this situation would be reversed, but boy did it feel good.

He rose to his feet, raising one eyebrow at me.

"Didn't think you had it in you." He commented dryly.

I knew that was the most praise I'd be receiving from him, so I let it soak in.

"Same time tomorrow?" I asked, undoing my ponytail and letting my hair fall loose around my shoulders.

Griffin only nodded in response, and I watched him make his way back towards the lair slowly.

"Oh, and Barbie?" he asked.

I fought the urge to correct him and simply looked up.

"My favorite color is red. And I like video games."

As he turned around and disappeared from sight, all I could do was smile.