Shaw flipped through the book as John drove them back to Connecticut. Harold had done some digging, following the same online path Root had, and found a newspaper article from the day after Root was born. It talked about a church just outside of their town that had exploded suddenly. The only person inside had been an old priest. He'd been dead before the explosion.
Despite the long hours and irregular sleep, the four of them were wide awake and focused on the final part of their adventure. John had driven the whole way, a six hour drive which meant they only had to stop once for gas. Harold was still deep in research, trying to learn about Greer and the magic. Lionel sat with him in the very back row, pouring through websites and scanned documents.
After getting the talisman, Shaw was able to read the magic book and see what Root had seen. She'd been right that it was neutral. The voices inside them were what made it good or bad. Shaw's magic, the instinct that had been guiding her this whole time, was quiet in her head, but she still felt it pulsing inside of her. It spread from her hands to the book and helped her turn the pages.
She found a page that showed a map of their town, the roads well-organized into a grid. It almost made her nostalgic. With the memory of her childhood restored, she remembered all the time she and Root had spent together, playing games and napping. She wanted to go back to that simpler time, when they'd been calm and happy.
It was never going to happen, though, and she knew it. After they killed Greer, and got Root back, they would still have to live with what they'd done. They'd killed people, been possessed, lost their parents. Shaw was willing to work on their relationship, and their lives. They didn't have to go back to high school, or stay in their town.
Maybe they could go to New York City and try to do some good. If they kept their magic, they could really help people. Or maybe they would just travel. Be selfish for once and explore the world. Root had more than enough money and she could always do her hacking thing and get them more. Shaw wouldn't put it past her. Whatever happened, they would be together. Shaw was sure of it.
Her instinct tugged at her hand and she turned another page. There was a drawing in red ink of Root in a cage. Shaw squinted down at it, the orange lights above the highway barely illuminating the book. Suddenly, the image moved, and Root's hand stretched through the bars, reaching for a man, for Greer. Shaw felt the rage burst from the page and she snapped the book shut with a thump.
That must be what Root meant, about the book telling her things that were happening or were going to happen. Shaw closed her eyes, bringing the picture up in her mind. Root was caged like an animal, trapped and angry. She let the cool-calm of her magic wash over her and tried to find Root out in the world.
Her magic brushed against heat, a bright red force that called to her. It was Root, still desperately trying to find her. They were close now, only a few miles away, and Shaw felt her body hum with energy. It wouldn't be easy to bring Root back from the edge of disaster. She was so wrapped up in her rage and sadness that Shaw wasn't sure she could reach her.
"We're almost there," John announced to the car. He took an exit, leading them around the curved road. "About ten minutes."
Shaw sighed and stuffed the book into Root's bag. "I don't think I'm any better prepared than I was six hours ago."
"Do we have a plan?" Harold asked from behind her. "I'm… not sure what use I'm going to be."
"You can keep watch," Shaw said, turning in her seat to look at him. "We'll go in first and make sure the coast is clear, and then you can guard the door. I guess just yell if someone comes."
He didn't look confident in her plan, but he nodded. "Alright. I guess I could be ready to call 911 for Root. If she needs a hospital."
Shaw gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and looked at Lionel. "If you're up for it, I'd like you as backup. I won't make you carry a gun again." She sighed, scratching her head. "Maybe I should just go in alone."
"Of course I'll go inside." Lionel patted her on the shoulder. "Root needs us, and we've got a magic person on our side now, too. Don't worry about me. Spies have to carry guns, so I might as well get used to it now."
A genuine smile crossed her face and she faced forward again. She kept remembering how lucky she was to have such dedicated friends. Lionel didn't even know her that well, and he barely knew Root at all, but he was willing to go into danger for them. They weren't even connected by magic.
John pulled the car into the church's parking lot, turning the lights off before they could shine into the windows. It was almost seven in the morning, and the sun was already in the sky. It was a nice summer day, no clouds in the sky and a light breeze making the trees around them sway. It seemed wrong that this was happening so early in the morning, on so beautiful a morning.
It was hard to believe they'd only been gone a day or so. They'd left Monday night and now it was Wednesday morning. Shaw felt like a year had passed since she'd been home. The town was still in the early hour, quiet as always. Opening the door, she climbed out of the car, looking around.
She'd never been to this church. Well, she hadn't been to this church since she was a year old, but the memory was hazy and she didn't count it. Who would have thought that seventeen years later, she'd be coming back to undo what had been done to her? What had been done to Root?
The boys got out of the car, too, groaning as they stretched. John walked to her, stopping at her side and looking up at the church. It looked just like any other building, the pointed ceiling and metal cross the only things that signified it was a church. He was waiting for her to lead them, but she wasn't sure she knew what to do. Her magic was telling her to go inside, pulling at her like a magnet toward Root.
"Get your guns," Shaw told him. "Safeties off. We need to kill Greer before Root does."
He nodded and took a step away before hesitating. "Do you need a gun?"
Snorting, she raised a hand and clenched her fist. Blood red lightning danced over her hand, crackling loudly as it twisted and split. "I am a gun."
"That makes me feel a little better."
He turned to the car and Shaw focused on her hand and the magic that surrounded it. There was a thought tickling the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite reach it. Her instinct yanked her hand forward, the lightning shooting from her fingertips toward the ground. It etched dotted lines into the faded asphalt, forming a square.
The lightning dispersed and Shaw squatted in front of what her magic had done. It looked like the symbol she'd drawn around Samaritan during Root's first ritual. Her hands had painted it automatically then, too. At the time, she'd thought it was some sort of ward, like a circle of salt around a summoning circle. Now, she realized it was her own magic, a protection sigil, and it was inside of Root.
"What's that?" Lionel asked. He bent down beside her. "Some kind of target?"
"No," Shaw breathed, running her hand over the scorch marks. Quiet magic filled her mind and she realized something. "It's me. The watcher. The guardian."
He frowned at her. "But the box is empty."
"I know." She smiled at him, tapping the center of the square. "She's gone right now, but I'm going to get her back."
Standing, Shaw started toward the church, not waiting to see if the boys were following her. Root was waiting for her and at the end of the day, that was the only thing she cared about. The wooden doors opened easily when she pushed them and she stepped inside the church where she was born.
Her eyes immediately landed on Root, trapped in a small cage set onto the altar. It wasn't even tall enough for her to stand, and she crouched, her hands wrapped around the metal bars. The first thing Shaw noticed was her skin. It was all red now, magic like smoke coming off her body. She looked otherworldly, a red mist pretending to be human. Her eyes snapped to Shaw when she entered.
The church was plain with the clean sterility of a rebuilt public building. White walls with large, clear windows surrounded them and a high, vaulted ceiling towered above. There was no stained glass, no statues or decoration, just bare walls and windows overlooking the chaos within. Shaw felt watched in the almost-empty space.
Greer stood between them, just out of Root's reach. He watched calmly as Shaw and the boys walked down the aisle, his hands clasped behind his back and face schooled into a bored expression. When they were halfway through the church, he raised a hand and two guards appeared from behind support pillars.
Before Shaw could blink, two shots rang out and they fell to the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes from Root's, but she saw Lionel and John lowering their guns in her peripheral vision. Their quick action surprised Greer, and his casual veneer cracked.
"Well, well," he said, smiling. "I shouldn't have underestimated you. After all, you made it this far, didn't you?"
"Let her go." Shaw took a step forward, hands clenched at her sides. Power swirled around her, the air shimmering. "Let her go, or I will kill you."
He chuckled, infuriatingly arrogant. "Kill me, and she dies. Look at her." He shifted, gesturing to Root's spectral form. "She can't handle all this. She needs help."
"That's what I'm here to do," Shaw told him. She watched as Root's eyes swirled, still defined in the mess of light. "I was born for this. To protect her. And I'm going to."
"You were born for nothing," he sneered. He moved toward her and the boys lifted their guns again, both aiming for his chest. Raising an eyebrow, he stepped backward again. "You were a mistake, Sameen. I was impatient and it was my undoing. Root is my success story. You're unnecessary."
He spoke like his words were hurtful, but Shaw just smiled. Whatever her own emotional limitations were, she knew that she was born out of love. Her parents had gotten pregnant by chance, and they had loved her for her whole life. Until Greer had killed them. Shaw had them with her now, in her magic, and in her choices. Greer couldn't take that away from her.
"Root," Shaw said, moving forward slowly. "I'm here. We're going to help you."
Growling, Root only bared her teeth. She didn't show any sign that she'd heard Shaw. Her confidence flagged, and Shaw took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. Greer moved, stepping between her and Root, breaking their eye contact. The world dimmed, and anger welled up inside her at the interruption. This wasn't about him.
This wasn't about him, she thought again. Her hands relaxed at her side and she stopped her approach. They'd been thinking about this all wrong. Killing Greer was just a step in the process; it wasn't the end goal. Greer was just a power-hungry man who'd put a series of events in motion. He might have started it all, but it wasn't his to finish.
The story had always been about Root and Shaw. They were born in the same place, for the same purpose, two halves of a whole. They'd come back together, fallen in love, and set out to rescue each other. Root had given Shaw a purpose, a direction, a plan, and now Shaw was going to give her a future, an anchor.
Alicia had been right. Root was dangerous, but that was only because she had to be. She'd had bad parents, bad luck, a bad life. She was flying apart because there was nothing to hold on to. Shaw gritted her teeth, glaring at Greer. That was going to end today. That voice in her head was going to disappear for good, and Shaw was going to force Root to see, really see, that Shaw was there to stay. Root wasn't alone.
"Root," Shaw said, staring into Greer's eyes, "I know you can hear me."
"She can't, Sameen." Greer gave her a slimy smile. "I'm afraid she's practically gone. I'm just waiting for her to fully dissipate and I can retrieve the heart inside her."
Shaw ignored him. "You were right. You should kill him. He's not worth saving and, at this point, what do we have left to lose? Get your revenge."
Root's hands stretched out from the bars, grasping at Greer's head. He was still too far from her, standing on the top set before the dias, too low for Root to reach. Taking a deep breath, Shaw raised her hands, palms facing him. He glanced at them, looking worried for the first time.
"If you can," Shaw said, gathering her magic in her hands, "put some of it inside him. If he wants it so bad, let him have it."
She shoved her magic forward like a wall, pushing it into Greer and forcing him backward. He stumbled up the steps to the dais, and against the cage. Root wrapped her arms around him, one hand covering his face, the other pressed to his chest. She closed her eyes.
The bright red power that swirled around her rushed to fill him, like air to a vacuum. It illuminated his veins as it went until he shone so bright it was painful to look at. John and Lionel dropped their guns to cover their eyes and turn away. The light made the whole church glow as it bounced off the walls and windows.
Shaw couldn't tear her eyes from Root. Even as her magic killed someone, Root was beautiful. It should be terrifying, and monstrous, but Shaw didn't feel scared. She didn't feel anything as Root destroyed Greer from the inside out except the small feeling of love she'd always felt. Steady and unaffected, Shaw was perfect for loving Root, for loving wildness and disorder. It was what she would never be.
The light inside Greer began to dim, his veins turning black and his body burnt. Root looked more human now. Her skin was still red, but the magic wasn't pouring out of her anymore. She was contained again, no longer overflowing. Her eyes opened, meeting Shaw's.
"That's enough," Shaw breathed, holding a hand up. "He's dead."
Root's eyes flicked between Greer's lifeless body and Shaw, taking in the new situation. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice stuck in her throat. Pulling her arms back into the cage, she let Greer drop to the floor like the nothing he was. Licking her lips, she gripped the bars with white knuckles.
"It's ok." Shaw took a few careful steps forward, holding her hands up like she had the last time they were together, like she was corralling an animal. "You did it. You killed him. Your parents are avenged. Mine, too, and Hanna."
"I'm sorry," she croaked. "I'm not strong enough."
"Yes, you are." Shaw shrugged, smiling softly. "You're stronger than anyone I've ever met. Smarter, braver. You're my hero, Root. I love you."
Eyes flashing, she slammed herself against the cage, white teeth bared in a snarl. "Don't talk to me like I'm a child."
Sighing, Shaw nodded. "I don't mean to." She took the first step up toward the dais. "I don't think of you as a child. You're a grown woman, Root. A kid couldn't have done all this. I couldn't have."
"I don't need anyone." Root licked her lips, glancing at the boys. "I don't need help."
"Do you want help?"
Root hesitated, looking at Shaw again. She watched as Shaw stepped up to the dais, only a few feet away now. "Do I… want help?"
"Just because you don't need help, doesn't mean you can't ask for it." Shaw smiled as kindly as she could, lowering her arms. "You asked me to remind you that you love me, too. I know you do. I don't doubt it for a second. You just need to find it again."
"I can't." Root tried to stand, her back colliding with the top of her cage. "It hurts so much."
Walking to the cage, Shaw put her hands over Root's, feeling the tension as she gripped the bars. "I don't know that much about feelings, Root, but I don't think they're supposed to hurt. Just… focus on me. On us."
Staring at her with wide eyes, Root vibrated in place. "What am I supposed to do with all of this?" she whispered. "I killed two people. I'm dying, Sameen. It's tearing me apart and I can't stop it. I'm so tired. Can't I just let go?"
"Don't you fucking dare." Shaw reached into the cage, taking Root's face in her hands. "I came all this way to save you and if you die, it will have been for nothing. Please, Root, trust me. Trust me to be here for you and care for you."
"I'm too dangerous. I could hurt you. Hurt everyone."
"You wouldn't do that. You love me, and the boys. Share this burden with me and we can protect them. Protect each other."
Root slumped, dropping to sit at the bottom of the cage. For a moment, Shaw could ignore the red skin and empty eyes and see her best friend in front of her. She could remember that they were just kids, trying their best to be together.
"Do we have to go back to school?" Root tried to joke. "Physics doesn't really apply to me anymore."
Shaw snorted, feeling her heart start to race. "Fuck high school. Let's go do some damage in the big city."
"Ok, Sameen." Root smiled at her and Shaw could feel the anger starting to leave her. "I guess I did what I set out to do. My magic is happy about that."
"It better be. I'm glad it's satisfied."
"I wouldn't say that," Root mumbled. "It's still really angry. It still wants me to explode, but I… I remember a little bit better, I think." She smiled slightly. "Company Ink. Thanks for trusting me, and letting me kill Greer."
"Yeah," Shaw breathed. "Of course." She brushed her thumbs over Root's cheeks, feeling the warm light from inside her. "Do you trust me now?"
Root smiled, making Shaw's heart beat faster. Her magic pounded in her chest and Root's smile disappeared, eyebrows drawing down. "Do you have magic?" she asked, leaning forward.
Shaw nodded. "Yeah, I got the talisman. I can use my power now, too. You're not the only one."
Root shifted back onto her feet, wisps of smoke flowing off of her. She pulled her face out of Shaw's hands and pressed herself against the far side of the cage. "You didn't think I could do it."
"What?" Shaw pulled her hands out of the cage. "That's not true."
"You thought you'd have to save me. That I was helpless." Root growled, her magic coming off her like solar flares. "I almost fell for it. My magic told me it was a lie, but I was trying to believe you. You don't trust me. You don't love me. You think I'm weak and you're going to leave me like everyone else!"
She screamed, the sound echoing through the church and rattling the windows. The bars of her cage shattered and Shaw dropped to the floor, covering her head with her arms as the metal flew around like shrapnel. A large crash made her look up again, and she saw a hole in the ceiling of the church, Root visible through it.
Shaw leapt upwards, following her through the hole into the morning sky. Root seemed as bright as the sun, her red light streaming off of her in waves. It didn't hurt to be close to her, and Shaw moved forward through the air toward her. Root's eyes swirled constantly now, forming dizzying patterns.
She didn't say anything to Shaw, just watched her with those unsteady eyes. Taking a deep breath, Shaw scrambled for something to say, some way to reach Root through the haze. She looked down to where Greer lay dead.
"Root," she started, "don't let the magic take you over. If it gets you, it wins."
"It's got me," Root told her, snarling. "There's hardly any 'me' left to win."
"Well, then fight back! You're stronger than it is. You can beat it."
"How do you know?" Root cried. Her hair flowed around her shoulders in the breeze of her magic and she held her arms out wide. "I'm nothing! I have no family, no future, no control. I'm just falling into nothingness. I'm worth nothing."
Shaw moved closer to Root again. She wasn't sure how long she could stay in the air, and Root had a lot more practice with magic than she did. Her instinct wasn't as strong as the voice in Root's head. Pushing her hair from her face, Shaw tried again.
"You do have a family. You have me, and the boys. We're here for you." Shaw sighed. "You've got more money than I do, but I can get a job. Harold is rich as hell; he'd help us."
"Our parents are buried here." Root gestured to the cemetery behind the church. "They were here all along. Right under our feet in an unmarked grave. That's where we'll end up, too. Here. Unknown."
Shaw clenched her fists. There had to be some way to get that voice out of Root's head. She wouldn't be able to see logic until she was herself again. "I'm going to die on a beach, in a foreign country, when I'm old. Hopefully, you'll be there, too."
Root's arms dropped back to her side, her eyelashes fluttering. "You want to grow old with me?"
"Obviously," Shaw snorted. "I don't travel clear across the world and put magical hearts inside my body for just anyone. I love you, and you love me, too."
"Do you care that I've killed people?"
"I killed two guards back in Pennsylvania," Shaw answered. "We're even. Although, your kills were way cooler. I just shot them."
Root smiled, the swirling of her eyes slowing down. "Why should I trust you when you don't trust me?"
"I trust you," Shaw corrected her. She shrugged. "I've trusted you this whole time. It's your magic I don't trust. You got the wild heart and I got the… calm heart." Shaw thought about what she said, wondering again if it was possible to share the burden. "Root, we share this magic, half and half, right?"
"Yes." The light around Root pulsed and she grabbed her head, groaning in pain. "It's so angry, Sam. It hurts so much. I'm so tired."
"Then trust me," Shaw said, moving forward again. She put her hands on Root's shoulders, running them down her arms. "I didn't get this magic to challenge you. I'm here to help you, because I'm your family. Remember how easy it was to fall in love? You made it so easy to make friends and fit in. I wanted to participate because you were participating. I think I helped you, too. You needed someone to be there for you, someone to stay in that house with you and be with you when you needed to be alone, but not lonely. Let me be your anchor, Root. You can run wild and make big plans, and I'll make sure your feet stay on the ground."
"What if it's not real?" Root sounded so small now, but her eyes had stopped swirling. "What if we only feel this way because of the magic? What if I lose the magic and I lose you, too. I'll have no one."
Shaw smiled, knocking her knuckles against Root's head. "Hey, voice," Shaw said, looking into Root's eyes. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Root almost smiled. "The magic didn't make you bad at flirting, or good at math. It didn't make us like the same arcade games, or the same action movies. Harold and John liked you way before the magic, and you've somehow won Lionel over, too. I like you for a million reasons, and only a couple of them are how hot you are when you're angry."
Root barked a laugh, finally smiling. Her magic was still shooting off of her, swirling around them. The sun had fully risen now, outlining Root against the sky. She looked like she was on fire, red and orange from the lights around her. She closed her eyes.
"It's still so hard to listen to you." Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes. The red was gone, and her familiar brown eyes blinked at Shaw. "I love you. Of course, I do."
"Do you trust me?" Shaw asked. "It's important."
Root nodded. "What do we need to do?"
"I need your heart," Shaw answered softly. She moved Root away from her and waved a hand over her chest. "Your magic heart. I need it."
The red light pulsed through Root, her eyes filling with red again. Shaw let the magic take her. She'd seen Root, really seen her again, and now she was ready to do what had to be done. That secondhand anger rushed against her body, demanding entrance, but Shaw just let it wash over her.
As quick as she could, she threw her arm forward, pushing her hand into Root's chest and wrapping her fingers around the burning heart inside. It protested as she tried to pull it out, burning her and sending white hot pain up her arm. She couldn't get her hand free, the heart trying its hardest to stay in place.
Two hands wrapped around her wrist and pulled, helping her. Shaw met Root's empty red eyes as they both worked to get the painful, raging heart out from inside of her. Taking a deep breath, Shaw closed her eyes, finding the familiar quiet place inside her chest. Like she had twice before, she used her magic to yank her hand from Root's chest.
Root fell limp, and Shaw caught her with her free arm before she could fall back down to the ground. Carefully, the heart in her hand still burning, she lowered them down, back into the church. Once they were inside, she looked at the altar, surprised to see the boys quickly sweeping away the splinters of metal Root had left behind.
When she was standing on solid ground again, John and Lionel took Root from her, laying her on the altar. Shaw stood beside it, Root's heart clutched in her hand. Easily, like slipping her hand underwater, Shaw took her own magic heart out of her chest. It seemed impossibly light compared to the weight of Root's, but they were the same size, one bright red and pulsing angrily and one dark red and calm.
Holding them both over Root, Shaw closed her eyes, trying to find the power inside herself to split the hearts in half. Slowly letting them go, she reached out with her magic, wrapping it around the hearts to keep them in place. She imagined a scalpel, confidently held in a surgeon's hand, finding the center line of each heart.
She pulled the magic scalpel down, slicing each crystal heart in half. Opening her eyes again, she found four halves in front of her, two light and two dark. Looking them over, she watched as they moved, pairing themselves to form new hearts, with one light half and one dark half. As they merged together again, their lights changed, turning a single rose red.
Shaw took the two hearts again, trying to decide if she should put hers in first or Root's. Deciding to do her own first, she wondered what this would do to her emotions. Would it make her feel them like Root did? Or amplify them? Shaw knew that she was the way she should be, and hoped that only her magic would change.
Glancing over at the boys, Shaw smiled at their shocked faces. "If I go crazy," she told them, "shoot me."
"What?" Lionel gasped. He took a step forward, but John grabbed his arm. "That's not-"
"I will." John nodded to her, his face solemn and kind. "I will."
She nodded back at him in thanks, and turned to look at her new heart. Swallowing hard, she tapped the heart against her chest. It slid in with some resistance, and she pushed until her fingers pressed against her shirt. For a moment, nothing happened and then an electric thrill raced through her body, making her gasp.
This must be what it felt like to get struck by lightning, or tazed. The pain-pleasure filled her body, every hair standing as she shivered and vibrated. She could feel her magic like she never had before. It pulsed inside her, swirled around her brain, and filled her lungs. Her body started to calm, and she settled again, the world returning around her.
Panting, she looked around, trying to see if anything was different. She felt the same, still calm and quiet inside. She could just feel her magic tugging at her edges and giving her energy. Turning to the boys, she grinned.
"I'm still me," she breathed, relieved. "Not crazy."
"Your eyes are normal again," Harold told her. He looked down at Root. "Is she going to be ok?"
Root lay on the altar, drained of color. With her magic heart gone, so was her light and she was dim and grey. Shaw remembered the ritual they'd done in Norway, seeing Root lay dead on the floor. Once she'd put the heart in her chest, she'd come back to life. Hopefully, the same would happen now.
Shaw placed the second heart on Root's chest, pushing on it lightly. It went in easily, without the struggle of the first time. They held their breaths, waiting for painful seconds as nothing happened. Then, Root gasped, her eyes flying open and back arching off the altar. Her skin blushed a healthy pink, her brown eyes flicking around like she was dreaming.
Root sat up suddenly, looking around, panicked. When she saw Shaw, she flung herself forward, wrapping her arms around Shaw's shoulders. Instinctively, Shaw held held her close, burying her face into Root's hair as she sobbed against Shaw's skin.
"I'm so sorry!" Root cried against her. "I was so angry and I thought I was going to lose you forever."
Shaw just inhaled the smell of Root's hair, and let herself be calmed by the familiarity and closeness. For weeks, she'd wanted to hold Root like this. For three painful days, she thought it was never going to happen again. For all her bravado, Shaw knew that she could lose Root to all this. Now, she had her back, and even if they were different in ways they didn't even know, they were going to work together.
"It's ok," Shaw sighed happily. "I'm here." She pulled away looking into Root's eyes. "You're here, too." Root nodded and Shaw gestured behind her. "The boys are here, too."
Root turned around and launched herself at John. "That's twice now you've saved my life, John. Go put yourself in danger so I can save you back."
He laughed and gave her a tight squeeze. "I think we're done with danger for now."
"Good." She pressed a kiss to his cheek and climbed off the altar. Walking to Harold, she ruffled his hair and gave him a hug, too. "Thank you."
"Of course."
Turning to Lionel, Root held her arms out. "Lionel! Thank you!"
"You're not going to shoot fireballs at me, or anything, are you?" He squinted nervously as she moved in to hug him. "You're all clammy."
"Oh, shut up," Shaw snorted. "She was possessed, and then dead. Her body's been through some shit."
"Speaking of," Root said, swaying on her feet. Lionel wrapped his arms around her, holding her up despite his complaints. "I'm so tired."
John scooped her up, holding her carefully in his arms. "Go to sleep. We'll take you home."
Shaw glanced up at the hole in the ceiling above them. This is where she was born, and reborn today. She wasn't much of a believer, and the magic wasn't really a god, but she couldn't help but feel like it was all some twist of fate. Their parents had all worked together, and they'd all become friends. She and Root could probably have been enemies in another life.
It had worked out for the best, though. She'd somehow fallen in love with Root, and somehow convinced Root to trust her today. They were going to have a lot to work on; she didn't think this was a perfect fairytale ending, but Root was alive and not coming apart at the seams anymore and that was the best outcome they could hope for.
"Ready?" John asked her, Root dozing off against his chest.
She nodded and started down the dais steps. Her magic tugged at her forcefully, practically pointing an arrow to the floor. Looking around, Shaw spotted a door set into the wall. She turned to Lionel.
"Come with me."
He followed her to the door, taking his second gun from his belt. Shaw opened the door and led him down a set of dark stairs. Holding a hand up, she let light surround it, guiding the way like a torch. At the bottom of the stairs was a small room, bars forming a wall like a prison cell. She spread the light, filling the room.
In the cell were Alicia and Nathan, Harold's parents, and two people she'd never seen before. The man looked up at her and she recognized John in his face. She put her hands on her hips.
"Well, shit," she snorted. "I thought you guys were dead for sure."
Alicia hurried to the bars of the cage. "Sameen? What are you doing here? You have to go! It's not safe."
Shaw waved a hand in the air, cutting her off. "Yeah, yeah. It's dealt with. Root's not crazy possessed anymore. We split the magic, so it's like two copies, half as powerful. John and Harold are here, too. I'll let you out for a reunion." She put her hand on the locked iron door and let her power fill the lock. It unlocked it easily and the door swung open. Shaw grinned at Lionel. "How's that for spy shit?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he ran to Alicia, hugging her tightly. Shaw realized that this was an emotional moment, and stopped trying to talk. She turned awkwardly and jogged up the stairs back to the main sanctuary. She smiled at John and Harold.
"I have a gift. For all your effort."
She saw Harold's eyes light up and stepped aside to let his parents run past. They hugged him, pressing kisses to his face. John's parents went to him, holding him as best they could around Root. An arm draped over Shaw's shoulder and she looked up to see Nathan smiling at her.
"We're sorry for keeping this from you. We were just trying to keep you safe."
She sniffed. "Thanks, but we kept ourselves safe. Root's stronger than you know."
"Well," he sighed, "I suppose that's true. Let's get everyone home." He patted her shoulder. "You're welcome to keep living with us while you finish high school."
Snorting, Shaw shrugged his arm off. "I'm not finishing high school. I've got fucking magic."
She walked to John, moving his parents aside to get Root. Taking her from him carefully, Shaw started for the door to the church, smiling as Root snuggled against her in her sleep. The adults could get the others home. Shaw was putting Root in the car and driving them back to Root's house. They were going to rest for as long as Root needed and then they were going to come up with a plan together.
Shaw still wanted out of this no-name town. She still wanted to travel and go to Disney World and figure out what she was going to do with her life on her own terms. Root wanted those things, too. She wanted adventure and new experiences. They were too big to have a tiny life. They were going to be great. Whatever that meant and wherever it happened, they were going to be ok.