2 HOURS AFTER 362 AND 5 MET AT THE CANDY BAR

"It was a very lovely ceremony, Miss Griswold." Jeff McKenzie said to the passenger in the green dress that reminded him so very much of a snake.

"Yes it was, you've raised a lovely daughter. I'm glad to be a part of the process that will help share your daughter with a lot of other people."

Despite her politely cheerful voice, Jeff gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles went as white as those blasted robes his daughter was wearing.

"Is everything okay, Dad?" Rachel asked because she knew in the back of her mind that everything was not okay. What she was putting her family through was wrong and selfish and everything else; her family would never be the same again. She felt the panic start to rise until her mother softly replied, "Everything is fine, Rachel, it's just a lot. You—you know we're going to miss you terribly. But we both know you're doing a good thing, don't we honey?"

Feeling calmer, Rachel looked at her dad for reassurance. He looked like he was about to say something, maybe not the right thing, when a shrill voice sounded from the back.

"Dad! We're getting ice cream after this, aren't we?" It was Harvey McKenzie, otherwise known as Number 363. He had to sit in the very back because Roberta had taken his usual spot in the passenger's side. He was not a happy camper tonight.

His parents had both made him go to that stupid ceremony at that stupid church while the rest of his sector was at Lime Ricky's Bar soaking up the glory from HIS epic defeat of Count Spankula. It wasn't fair.

Harvey McKenzie worked hard for that capture and had even used himself as live bait to catch the spank-happy vampire(his name was at the top of Spankula's list of naughty children). But does he get to go out for soda with his sector and celebrate his glory? No! So what if Sector W got the top-priority mission because of who his sister was? He did all the work, and now Spankula was on a transport to their Arctic Prison and Sonia and Lee were soaking up the glory. Meanwhile, he was going home from a stupid ceremony where once again his sister was the center of attention.

"We'll get your ice cream after we drop off Rachel, Harvey." his dad said flatly. On a normal day Harvey's brattiness was an annoyance, but tonight it was a welcome distraction. "Saved by the bell." Jeff thought, smiling to himself.

Everything about tonight made Harvey angry, from the way total strangers wouldn't stop fawning over Rachel to the way people came up to him just to say things like "Your sister is so brave" and "I bet you look up to your sister, don't you?" It was the Cadets Next Door all over again.

When Harvey went though basic KND training, Rachel had just been tagged Supreme Leader and not only did Number 60 go especially hard on him but everyone was asking about Rachel. "Hey Harvey, did you hear about how Number 362 fussed out 86?" "Hey Harvey, I bet you're proud to have Number 362 as a sister!"

Rachel this and Rachel that. Did Harvey even exist?

Still, though, he had to admit Rachel had advanced his career a lot. He was one of the youngest Sector leaders in the Kids Next Door's history and he had been getting all the good missions lately, even when there weren't that many missions to do in the first place. The thought had been turning in his head over and over again. What was going to happen when the lady in green took Rachel away? He curled up in the backseat and stared out the window.

Rachel kept saying he'd be fine. She told him that her successor would look out for him, and even if they didn't, Rachel assured Harvey that he had the skills to make it on his own. But he wasn't so sure if she was right or not. Harvey McKenzie was not a very popular operative, powerful, sure, but not very well liked. Sometimes he was convinced that even his own Sector didn't like him. Rachel had definitely set her little brother up for success. When she was gone, would he face sabotage? He stuck out his tongue at the stupid lady who gave his sister the white robes and a righteous death sentence.

Roberta, who tried to project herself as a model of gentility and kindness, looked back at Harvey and gave him a dirty look. Luckily for him, Rachel saw that look out of the corner of her eye and instantly gave Roberta a look that was ten times worse. If Roberta glared daggers, then Rachel dropped a nuclear bomb.

Roberta backed down. That was one thing about having her as his big sister. As long as Rachel McKenzie was around, you don't mess with her little brother...

Watching Rachel put Roberta in her place was giving Harvey a bad twisting feeling in his stomach. How many more times would she do that for him? For the rest of the ride he just tried to tune everything else out. He put on his headphones and turned on his favorite Yipper video game. Maybe if he could just play his game he could make himself stop thinking about those eyes and how they wouldn't be giving dirty looks for him anymore. Her voice wouldn't be quizzing him on 2x4 technology or Kids Next Door history so he would look good in front of the Kids Next Door Brass. He was going to have to try to comb the back of his head now, even if he could never get it just right, because his sister had the only hands he really trusted near him and now they would be a part of someone else. Rachel said that those hands would be a part of another girl who would walk the Moon Base's bridge again but Harvey, a cynical little boy at the best of times, scoffed at that idea privately.

A single tear fell on the screen of his console and he wiped it away. Maybe he could pretend he wasn't crying and he could make himself think his sister wasn't really going anywhere, it could just be just pretend…

He felt a jolt shake his seat when the mini van pulled into the hotel's main entrance. It was a massive luxury hotel where Rachel was supposed to stay the week for a tithe's retreat. It was supposed to be a retreat for the families as well as the tithes, so they could get used to them being gone. Harvey thought a week wasn't long enough to get used to being an only child.

They all got out of the car to say their goodbyes—except Harvey, who refused to unbuckle his seatbelt. He was in tears and he didn't want anyone to see him like this. Especially not the Supreme Leader...

Rachel climbed back into the car and sat down next to him so she could hug him. He pulled away and looked up at her with eyes that were already red from crying. He tried to act tough, stoic, maybe even try to convince her to stay, but all he actually got out was a shrill "Don't touch me!"

His sister blinked. It wasn't odd for him to say that(Harvey was infamous for not liking to be touched), but Rachel was usually the exception. She gave him a tiny smile that she hoped would comfort him.

"It's okay Harvey, I'll miss you too."

He sniffled and watched her get back out of the van. Either Rachel was trying to cover up her embarrassment in front of the other families (Harvey had screamed VERY loud) or she got the message. She was always good at knowing what was bothering him. He stared at the fancy spinning doors until she disappeared with a group of other kids in the stupid white pajamas.

What was left of the McKenzie family silently drove home on a late summer's evening. Harvey couldn't take it anymore. He kept his mouth shut and tried not to care, but he took off his headphones and talked for the first time since they left his sister at the hotel.

"Mom. Dad. You're not really going to let Rachel do it, are you?"

The two parents looked at each other and then looked at the back seat. Mad at them for abandoning Rachel ,(even if it was her idea) Harvey threw a shoe at the front seat. Normally they would have scolded him, but nobody answered and that scared him even more.

"Well?" Harvey asked, sniffling and shaking and trying not to cry.

"No son, no we're not. But me and your Mom think that it would be better if it was Rachel's choice. After this, if she's still wanting to visit a chop shop then we'll tell her no."

"Chop shop?" Harvey asked, still sniffling.

"What they call a Harvest Clinic."

Hailey McKenzie said flatly. She and her husband exchanged a glance. "Don't worry Harvey, your sister isn't going anywhere. Trust us. We know what we're doing." The two parents gave each other another knowing look.

Harvey smiled for the first time all day. Rachel was going to be okay. She was going home. He just had to wait. Harvey almost put his headphones back on, but his dad wasn't done.

"Now how about that ice cream? Rachel said you had a big day and deserve a treat for a job well done. I'm thinking triple scoops?"

It was gonna be okay.