"I can't believe Shay messed up so badly!"

Cinder just quietly grabbed her backpack off the airport conveyor belt. Shay's plan was the only thing her step-dad would talk about on the way to China; he didn't know how much a room would cost now, he didn't know how his boss was going to take her appearance, and he didn't know how he was going to keep track of her and do the deal with the Chinese investors. It was becoming the final push for her to leave and find that gang.

"Sorry Sean," Cinder said for the millionth time that day.

Sean turned to say something to her, then saw the hollow but hurt look in her eyes.

"...It's okay, Cin," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, I-"

His cell phone rang, and it was as if she had never said anything. Cinder shouldered her pack and followed her blabbering step-father through the airport and outside to a cab, already putting her headphones in to block the noise of crowded streets.

******JP******

"Yes, I know she can't come into the conference room, Mr. Sherman," Sean was saying into his phone an hour later. "But I can't just leave her by herself for...uh-huh...ye-yes sir..."

Cinder shook her head from the bed closest to the wall. Their hotel room had cost them less than Sean had first thought and they had almost gotten all settled in, but now Sean had to go to an unschedualed meeting with his boss.

"Yes, sir, I understand," Sean sighed. "I'll be there in half an hour."

He hung up and sat on the bed beside her, running a hand through his hair.

"It's okay, Sean," Cinder said. "I can look after myself."

"I know, Cin," Sean said. "But I don't know how long the meeting's going to take, and-"

"I'll order some food and watch tv. It'll be fine, you can go."

The hesitation in Sean's eyes was thick, but he finally sighed.

"Okay, just...just lock the door and don't answer it unless it's me or someone bringing you food," he said, standing from the bed and grabbing his coat. "And check it first and make sure it doesn't look strange. And don't watch anything you're not supposed to."

"I got it, Sean, don't worry," Cinder assured him.

Her step-dad paused, his hand still on the collar of his jacket. He came over and kissed the top of Cinder's head.

"Stay safe, 'kay kiddo?" he said, ruffling her locks.

Cinder watched him leave with wide eyes. No one from Sean's family had shown her affection before. She had always just thought they hadn't liked her. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the strip of phone numbers from the flyer, then flipped it over for the address. Should she go? From what had just happened it might ruin Sean if she wasn't in the hotel when he returned. And her mother...she hadn't even thought of that.

She shook the thoughts away. Her mother wouldn't care that she was gone, and besides, this was to get away from her step-sisters. All the days where they did nothing but pound on her and make her feel worthless. She was getting away from them. Sean would just have to understand that. She went over to the dresser and pulled out her notebook; she hesitated, then flipped to an empty page and wrote a note to Sean. She signed it and tore it out, put it on the nightstand, then threw her notebook in her pack. She went to the door and paused, looking around the room one last time, then opened the door and left the hotel.

******JP******

She tucked her hair inside her hoodie and pulled up the hood, sinking into the seat of the taxi. The driver looked back at her suspiciously; he was a heavy set Chinese man with receeding black hair and remnants of his turkey (at least what she hoped was turkey) on his thick cheeks. His silk blue shirt and black pants were tight against his body.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his accent thick but his English perfect.

Cinder looked up at him in surprise, then pulled out the slip of paper with the address on it and gave it to him. He took one look at it and his suspicion grew.

"You aren't planning on robbing the place are you?" he asked, giving her the fish eye.

Cinder quickly shook her head.

"It's...it's my cousin's house," she whispered.

She realized how stupid that must have sounded when the driver HMPHed in disbelief. To her relief he still pulled out and seemed to head in that direction.

******JP******

"It was about that prophecy thing, wasn't it?"

Jack nodded and sank deeper into the couch, even though it wasn't about that. Stryker shook his head from the workbench as Entropy sat down beside Jack.

"I don't think you should worry about it," Stryker said, motioning for one of the Jack-bots to come over as he grabbed a wrench. "It's not like we know what the prophecy has to do with you anyway."

"I think that blue dragon is you." Jack said.

Stryker paused and stared at him.

"What makes you say that?" Entropy asked.

"'Cause he turns into snakes, you know?" Jack said with a shrug. "Maybe one of his forms is a dragon."

"I, uh, I don't think it's got anything to do with me, Jack," Stryker said. "I'm pretty sure snakes are my limits."

"Well, there is that one form-" Entropy started.

"But it's still a snake," Stryker said with a glower. "Last I checked I don't grow wings"

"I said I was sorry, Stryke. I won't try to bring it out again, just let it go."

Stryker started to say something, then stopped when he saw Jack slump farther into the couch, sensing another argument about to ensue. Stryker cleared his throat and started tinkering with the Jack-bot

"...You and Wuya weren't talking about the prophecy, though, were you?" he asked instead.

Jack shot up and turned to stare at him.

"How did you-" he started.

"Oh, come on. You didn't actually think we went downstairs, did you?"

"...But didn't you close the door?"

Entropy giggled.

"Yeah, we closed the door, but we didn't go into the basement," she said. "I'm surprised you guys didn't pick up on that."

"Oh...right I guess Mom wasn't in the room so she didn't sense you."

A smile slipped onto Jack's face.

"I'm going to have to put bells on you guys if you're going to keep sneaking around."

"The moment you do that is the moment I start waking you up with a blow horn," Stryker said with a smirk.

Jack grinned at the memory. Entropy snickered again as Stryker put the panel of the Jack-bot back on.

"I made it so this one will be able to take any of your ideas and transfer them into the other robots using their microchips," he said. "It'll save us a lot of time."

"Cool," Jack said, coming over to the bot. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Hey, I'm going to go grab those spray cans in the jet, okay? Be back in a sec."

Jack started pressing buttons on the updated bot as Entropy caught sight of something in the corner; she went over, pulled a sheet back, and gaped at the objects on the floor.

"...Jackie?" she asked.

"Uh-huh?" Jack answered.

He yelped when something slammed into the back of his head. He wipped around and looked down to find one of his cheerleader-bots' heads (Jenny, if he remembered correctly) staring up at him with blank red eyes. He picked it up, winced, and gave Entropy a sheepish smile. She merely put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him.

"It...uh...It was a very...very...bad idea?" he tried.

"Mmm-hmmm," Entropy mumbled with a teasing smirk. "Good answer."

Her eyes latched onto something behind him. Jack furrowed his brow, then turned and felt his eyes grow wide. Stryker was standing in the doorway holding the spray cans. Beside him was a girl who reached the edge of his chin; she was pale, stick thin, and looked a little ragged in her worn purple hoodie and tight black leggings, her black sneakers appearing to slip from her long baggy socks. She pulled her almost waist length out of her sweater and pushed it away from her deep blue eyes, which were wide as she stared at the female head in Jack's hand.

"Uh...h-hi..." the girl said. "I...uh...I hope I got the wrong house...'cause if that's what happens to people who don't make it...I'll leave..."