"You're staying here." My voice remained firm as I picked up the small tattered backpack and flung it over my shoulders.

"No."

I halted, staring into her blue eyes and wrinkled brow. It was very faint, but I thought I could almost see the slight etch of the scar that marred her right eye from that accident all those years ago. I wondered if she noticed it, or if it faded along with the memories. I could only hope for the latter.

"Clay…" I tried to reason with her but was immediately cut short.

"No!" She crossed her arms. "I'm coming! Dad said to stick together, so I'm coming!"

A soft sigh escaped my lips.

She was right, of course. But every inch of me felt that this shadow man was nothing but trouble. But ultimately, I gave in.

"Alright, fine." I bended slightly and grabbed her by the shoulders. "But you have to promise to run as quick as you can if things go wrong, okay?"

She pouted her lip and stuck out her pinky.

"Fine. I promise"

I wrapped my digit around hers, and then immediately grabbed her hand.

"Let's go."

Again, I led us through the back alleys and dark corners, stopping only when I reached the alley across the street from the convenience store. The one that I… went to yesterday. I couldn't bring myself to say robbed. It sounded so vulgar and calloused when all I was trying to do was survive.

We waited.

And waited.

"Is he coming?" Clayra was sitting now against the alley wall, her knees tucked up next to her chin.

I furrowed my brow. Had I got it wrong? Was this not the place he meant?

I scoffed. It was all so ridiculous anyway. Why should I wait for a man who came out of nowhere, professing to have hidden knowledge.

"You know what, let's just go. I don't think he's…"

"Sorry for the delay." I turned around, all of a sudden coming face to face with the shadow man. He straightened his suit jacket. "I had a last little bit of… business… to attend to."

I instinctively backed up to cover Clayra and protect her from the man in front of us, but in silent defiance she wiggled her way out and stood next to me, side by side, her arms crossed to face him.

Sick of waiting, I immediately pressed for answers. "Who are you shadow man?"

He cocked his head slightly. "You know, I actually quite like that. Shadow Man. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" His smile scrunched up the scar on the side of his face, a grotesque picture that deeply contrasted the emotion he was trying to portray.

I squinted at him, gripping my sisters crossed arm slightly.

He cleared his throat. "No, but my name is the least important thing right now wouldn't you say?" He broke his gaze from us and looked across the street to the open convenience mart. "I'm assuming you know why I wanted to meet you here?"

"I'd assume it's because you saw me." I kept my voice low, projecting as much ferocity as I could.

"But it's so much more than that!" He whirled around to face us. "I had an epiphany my dear boy! A total and complete vision of what the future held, and it was splendid!"

I pursed my lips. He was speaking in nonsense.

"You see, I think we can help each other."

My head cocked back slightly at the suggestion.

"I am currently trying to rebuild an empire. And you my dear boy, with all your gifts and talents, I know will play a pivotal role."

"Why would I want to help you?"

He smirked.

"Why indeed." He walked deeper into the alley, shadow now covering part of his face. "Do you know, what happened… the day your father died?"

I swallowed, and I felt Clayra shift next to me.

"It…" I steadied my voice. "It was a villain attack on the freeway. It caused our car to wreck."

The shadow man stuck out his index finger pointedly. "But what exactly wrecked your car."

I thought back, remembering the crunched hood. What had happened?

"You see, my dear boy, it wasn't a villain at all."

"What do you mean?! Of course it was!" My sister revolted against the information.

The man clicked his tongue. "No no no. That day, a hero led a preemptive attack on a villain that was highly discouraged by every known agency, adamant it would be too dangerous. But he did it anyway, claiming to know best, and it cost the lives of many people, including your father."

"Lies!" Clay stomped her foot, stepping closer to the man in defiance. I grabbed her hand to pull her back.

The man grumbled a chuckle, before stifling what looked like a cough. When he composed himself, he held out a finger to stifle her outburst. "They say a picture is worth a thousand words."

He pulled a phone from his suite pocket, scrolling a few times before holding it out to us.

It was a news report.

"Urgent report. There is currently a villain being driven out across the freeway, chased by what looks like Pro-Hero Catamaran. Police are scrambling to shut down the overpass. Reports state that the villain was driven from his hideout in the Eastern district, where there were no police to barrier him out from the main city. Apparently, it was not a joint effort. There are so many people out now I… oh my God." The news caster stopped as the camera panned to the scene displaying before them. The hero lifted the dark purple blotted villain up above the freeway before throwing him down with all the force of a roaring tornado. The villain fell and crashed… directly on top of a yellow sedan.

My body quivered as I watched the yellow sedan flip up forcefully and crash down, rolling twice, three times before landing on its left side. The hood smashed.

I clenched my fists, digging holes into my palms.

The screams. The explosions as the battle raged down the freeway. It was all sounds I knew too well.

"Turn it off." My voice was cold and distant.

The shadow man clicked the phone to black and slid it once again in his pocket. "Do you see now?"

There were so many emotions welling up inside me. Anger. Despair. Confusion. What did it all mean? Why did that hero throw that villain down with so much force right onto the freeway? Wasn't he paying attention? Did Dad see what was happening? Did he choose to keep going anyway?

I was drawn from my endless questions as Clayra squeezed my hand.

"What do you want?" I asked pointedly.

"Just what I said!" He spread his arms wide. "I want to rebuild my empire, and I can only do that with you." He pointed to me and then shifted his finger slightly downward to Clay. "And you."

"What's she have to do with this?"

"I did my research you know. I like to know what I'm getting into." He clicked the heels of his shoes as he paced back and forth at the edge of the alley. "With your manipulation of your own flow of time, and her manipulation of the flow of the earth, combined with my own resources and cunning of course, we would be unstoppable" He paused looking directly at us. "All I want is to create a world where people like us. People who were robbed of everything by this society, get a chance to see it returned."

He slowly stepped forward. "Tell me this. How long do you think you and your sister can go hiding from child services? How long before you are dragged back there? How long can you live in that abandoned house, surviving solely on what you can steal from convenience stores?"

One more step. "What I am offering you, is the chance to be partner. A chance to break free from the confinements of a society who has treated you so poorly and to protect yourself… and your sister."

I swallowed. He was right. By all accounts it was only a matter of time before we were dragged back to the confines of that cold, cold house. And if I got caught stealing again, who knows what would happen to Clayra if I was sent away. It was a risk I couldn't take. Not when I promised to take care of her. And as much as my skin seemed to prick when the shadow man got closer, I couldn't ignore the truth of his words. Or the enticement of his promises.

I looked down to Clayra. Her small faded scar staring back up at me with those bright blue eyes.

"And we can leave any time we want to? No strings?"

He smiled, his long gruesome scar contorting once more. "No strings. Cross my heart, hope to die."

I gripped Clayra's hand, straightening my back. "Lead the way."