My fries were cold and mushy by the time that I settled in Anna Ash's kitchen. It was my own fault really, for walking instead of driving. The burger was still good, and I took a bite of it as Anna settled into the chair opposite me.

"What's your name?"

"Catherine," I said, almost automatically. That name was more familiar to me now than my own. Strange that I'd become more accustomed to using it than Molly. With a pang, I realized that there was no one in my life who knew me, who really, truly knew me and used my name any longer.

"I still use your name, my host," Lasciel whispered. I swatted at her, as though she were an irksome fly, forgetting for a moment that she was non-corporal and that it accomplished absolutely nothing. For once, she seemed to understand what I wanted, and she disappeared from my sight, leaving behind her only a vague impression of smugness.

Fortunately, Anna Ash had busied herself heating her own leftovers. Apparently, I wasn't the only one up for a midnight snack. I gathered up a spoonful of Oreo shake and popped it in my mouth when Anna Ash returned with reheated Chinese food.

"So, Catherine, you've only been showing signs of magical ability for the last few months? How old are you?"

"Nineteen," I lied. I was doing a lot of that these days. I'd always thought of myself as a fundamentally honest person. Was this something that I'd always been capable of, or something that Lasciel was pushing me toward? Or pushing them toward, I should say. It was sometimes hard to fall asleep, thinking about what all she could be whispering to my subconscious while I was out. Every thought, every action was cast into doubt.

"It's a little late to be manifesting power, but not totally out of the question," Anna said, twirling Lo Mein around her fork.

"When should I have started manifesting it?"

"It varies." Anna shrugged. "For some, it can start as early as their preeteens. In others, they don't manifest even a minor talent until they hit twenty. The median age is fourteen or fifteen. Don't fret. Your ability is strong, from what I can tell."

I was right on the money then. Fourteen on the dot. Or was I? Had Lasciel given my magic a slight push? Without her intervention, would I have been able to accomplish all that I had? I took another chunk out of my burger to avoid speaking. I didn't trust my voice.

Anna continued on, apparently pleased that I was speaking to her. I hadn't said a word as she'd escorted me into her kitchen. "But even so, there are some things you should know, Catherine. I assume you're still in the dark about the goings on in the community. Do you even know what the White Council is?"

"No. Should I?" It sounded like something Lasciel should have informed me of. I had a sneaking suspicion she'd left that detail out for a reason.

Anna nodded gravely. "The White Council is a group of powerful wizards. They're the benchmark we're all measured against."

I wasn't sure how exactly I knew, but I could tell that fact disappointed Anna Ash. I wasn't sure why. She had magic, after all. That was more than a lot of people had. More than I'd ever expected to have. I still wasn't sure that it wasn't an ill-gotten gain from Lasciel.

"She's a hedge wizard," Lasciel sniffed.

I'd gotten used to responding to her aloud. I had my mouth half open before I realized that asking the question aloud would not be a good idea, and might be potentially offensive to Anna Ash.

"What's a hedge wizard?" I hissed to Lasciel, thinking it as loudly as I could. I still wasn't sure exactly how this connection worked, or how she seemed to know what I was thinking ninety percent of the time. Did that mean I was predictable, or that Lasciel had fixed herself in the center of my brain like an evil satellite?

"It's a term that's used to describe lesser practitioners. She'll never be white council material, and she knows it."

"But she has magic," I thought back.

"She has only enough power to be aware of the world, but not powerful enough to stop the threats she sees. Imagine being sent into battle with only a piddling little steak knife to defend yourself. Yes, its better than nothing, but wouldn't you rather have a sword?"

"Point."

I stuffed the burger in my half opened mouth and took another huge bite to avoid speaking to her. Anna Ash sighed and continued on as if I hadn't been staring at her like an open-mouthed idiot.

"The Senior Council is composed of seven members. They're a ruling body, of sorts. They make decisions and new ones are appointed when older members pass on. They control the wardens."

"Wardens?"

"Police, in a sense. They hunt down and bring in warlocks."

I was beginning to feel like a complete ignoramus, but I had to ask. "What's a warlock?"

Anna Ash smiled at me, as though I were a child. I didn't think she meant it to be patronizing, but it came off that way all the same. I bit off another chunk of burger. There wasn't enough burger left to restrain a waspish retort for long.

"I forget sometimes these things aren't common knowledge. I've been in the community for twenty-five years. A warlock is someone who violates one of the laws of magic. The wardens are dispatched to bring them to justice."

"Why?" I said through a mouthful of burger, well aware I was being rude, but not able to find it in myself to care. I swallowed and wiped my mouth free of ketchup. "I mean, they didn't know any better, most of them, right? Most justice systems would give them a slap on the wrist. Is there a supernatural equivalent to community service?"

Anna's face hardened, and she shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Warlocks are usually brought in and summarily executed. Sometimes without trial. And that's only if they aren't killed resisting arrest."

My grip loosened around my last bite of burger and it tumbled onto the wrapper pathetically. "What? You mean they just...they just kill kids like me if we break the rules? Even if we do it without knowing?"

"The White Council is foolish," Lasciel's whisper was full of scorn. "So much wasted potential…"

"You have to understand, Catherine," Anna said gently. "It sounds harsh, but it really is for their own good."

"How?" I snapped. "How the hell is that done for someone's own good? I mean, they made a mistake! It wasn't like they were trying to hurt anyone!"

My heart hammered against my ribcage and my stomach clenched. Blood pounded furiously behind my ears. It made absolutely no sense. The last time I could remember being this upset about the injustice of it all, I'd been ten, and I'd gone on a furious tirade against Sister Mary. What did she mean, everyone who hadn't accepted God went to hell? What about undiscovered people? What about people who had no knowledge? Why were they punished for ignorance?

My anger swelled and an almost electric buzz ran along my skin. Kids. Innocent kids, executed. Sometimes without a trial. My fingers twitched with the need to hit something. I wanted to scream at Anna Ash, even though it wasn't her fault.

Then the lightbulb above our heads erupted in a shower of sparks. Bits of glass rained down on us and the room was plunged into sudden darkness.

"Oh God," I panted. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright," Anna's voice was surprisingly calm, despite the fact I'd just blown out her light. "I've got a few candles underneath the sink. Stay put, and I'll get them."

"Do you have a broom? I can clean this up. I'm really sorry."

"It happens, Catherine. Calm down."

I sat in my chair, awash in guilt and residual anger. Of course what the White Council was doing wasn't right, but that didn't mean I needed to take it out on Anna Ash's apartment.

I watched her bustle about the apartment, placing fat candles at regular intervals, using a butane lighter to light each one. I remembered that Harry could do that with just a spell, and wondered if I might possibly be able to do the same.

Almost at once Lash was at my ear, offering possible incantations. I could see how easy the process would be in my head. It didn't even take a strong effort to do, light the veils I so routinely cast. I shook my head and tried to ignore her. I knew the knowledge would not come free. I couldn't get in the habit of relying on the Fallen.

When Anna Ash had finished, the apartment was lit by soft, flickering amber light. She gave me a rueful smile. "I'm not technically supposed to have them. It's in the lease, but I keep them around anyways. They're useful in ritual magic, and I rarely have anyone in my house powerful enough to require their use."

"Sorry," I muttered again.

"As I was saying," Anna continued, pointedly ignoring the apology. "The White Council rarely has a choice in such matters. Black magic is addictive, and mind-altering when used too much. Eventually it will compromise the user's judgement and lead to all host of evils. Sometimes children who are not taught will become dangers to themselves and others."

My ire began to rise again, but not at Anna Ash. That was why Lasciel had not warned me about the dangers of magic or the White Council's justice. She'd be searching for anything to gain a stronger foothold in my mind. Of course she wouldn't warn me. Why would she, when she could get me hooked on the gateway drug to evil?

"What are the rules?" I asked, new resolve creeping into my tone. I wasn't giving in and taking up that coin. I had to be hypervigilant if I was going to keep Lasciel from seducing me into it. The best way to fight her was by destroying my own ignorance.

"There are seven laws," Anna said, as if reciting a familiar story. "Not that lesser practitioners of the art such as myself have much of a chance to break them, even if we wanted to. Most members of the Ordo simply do not have the magical staying power."

"What are the laws?"

Anna began ticking down on her fingers. "First law. Thou shalt not kill. This forbids any wizard or practitioner from using magic to kill. Fairly straightforward. If you are forced to defend yourself, do not do so with magic if you can help it. If you kill, you will be brought before the council whether that was your intent or not. Thou shalt not transform others, second law. Also straightforward. It's difficult magic to accomplish anyways, so no one does it. You may transform yourself, but you cannot do it against the will of another. Thou shalt not invade the mind of another, third law. This one is fairly common, and the mistake most budding practitioners make. Invading the mind of another is harmful, in and of itself. The mind is a sacred place, and an indelicate hand can cause irreparable damage, even by accident. The fourth law goes hand in hand with the third. Thou shalt not enthrall another. You can make someone do your bidding by magic, but it will usually leave the mind so damaged the person is good for little else when you are through."

I flinched. "Who would do that?"

Anna Ash cocked her head. "Can you think of no reason? The road to hell is often paved with good intentions. I heard a story about a young man who enthralled his father to stop drinking. The abuse he'd suffered since he was nine stopped, and his parents salvaged their marriage. But the damage done to the father's mind gave him severe psychological issues that he will never completely escape. Not to mention the trauma the family suffered when the boy was executed."

I shuddered. I could only too easily picture myself doing the same. Would I have eventually tried it, if I were still living with Rosanna? It seemed so harmless put in that context. Weren't you just doing good?

"Thou shalt not reach past the borders of life, the fifth law. It forbids the practice of necromancy on human beings. The sixth law, thou shalt not swim against the currents of time, forbids mucking with time. The ramifications of such a thing would be too catastrophic to predict. And the seventh, thou shalt not open the outer gates, forbids the summoning of outsiders."

"Outsiders?"

For the first time since I'd met her, Anna Ash seemed frightened. Even under the warm glow of the candlelight she seemed to pale. "I don't know much about them, but we do know they're abominations. They exist outside the outer gate, and they are bent on the destruction of our world. They're evil, and hard to kill. Countless die every time one is summoned."

An image appeared before my eyes in sharp, painful detail. The creature was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was stooped, ugly, and moved in an ungainly fashion. Regardless of that, it was fast. Too fast. I heard Lasciel's familiar voice, but it was not speaking to me. It was in the distant, echoing timbre of memory.

Hellfire, she urged the frail, crone-like woman she inhabited. Summon hellfire! Do it now Lenore!

The thing came at them both with a feral roar, and an inhuman glint in its eyes. The memory ended with the crunch of bone and the horrifying sensation of teeth crushing her windpipe. Then Lasciel was spiraling downward, back into darkness and spinning away from the limp hand of Lenore, not seeing or hearing her host's grisly demise.

I squeezed my eyes tight shut. Anger that was not mine surged hot and fast through my body. Lasciel hated outsiders. My hands itched to do violence. The tang of metal flooded my mouth as I fought not to issue a bellow of rage and fling myself at the nearest threat.

"Calm your ass down," I hissed to Lasciel. "Do you want me to look crazy?"

"They are monsters," Lasciel insisted. Funny, that appellation coming from a creature whose whole purpose was to bring about the damnation of souls and the eventual end of the world.

"Are you alright?" Anna's hand covered mine momentarily, and she didn't seem that offended when I yanked it back. Raw as I was, I could feel a rush of concern that was not my own, or even Lasciel's. It took us both a minute to realize what we'd felt.

"Ah, so you're a sensitive," Lasciel mused, finally calming.

"A what?"

"I'll explain it later," Lasciel said, settling in the back of my mind. I could almost see her primly smoothing her skirt. "I believe you should answer Miss Ash."

"Fine," I said, taking a deep breath, answering them both. "I'll be fine. I'm just tired, I think. Would it be rude for me to dine and dash?"

"Not at all," Anna Ash said, and gave me a tentative smile. "I've kept you too long. You probably have work in the morning, and I'd hate to keep you from getting sleep."

Actually, I went to work whenever I damn well felt like it these days. As long as I checked in with Torelli and got the shipments in on the days they were expected, people mostly left me alone. But I nodded wearily, taking the easy out.

Anna walked me to the door and hesitated before she opened it for me. "I don't mean to push, but I think you could benefit from some magical training. It might help you channel your power, so you don't end up popping light bulbs. I'm sure you've been hell on the technology you've come into contact with."

"I've destroyed a television, a radio, and I have to use the manual treadmill or elliptical downstairs. I toasted the one in the corner."

Anna gave a weak chuckle. "I doubt it will come out of your deposit. I'm hosting the next meeting of the Ordo Lebes, a small circle of practitioners, on Saturday. Would you be interested in joining us?"

I barely had to think about it. "Yes, of course."

Anna smiled and opened the door for me. "That's wonderful. We meet at noon. I'll see you there. Goodnight, Miss Lenhardt."

"Goodnight, Miss Ash."

"Please, call me Anna," she insisted as I passed harmlessly through the ward that guarded her doorway.

"Alright then. Goodnight Anna."

"Do you really think that Cheetos is an appropriate offering when joining a group of hedge wizards?" Lasciel sniffed as I walked the few short feet down the hall to Anna Ash's door.

"Sorry, I'm fresh out of frogspawn, Lash. I'll be sure to stop at ye olde apothecary next time."

I knocked on the door and stood back to let Anna Ash open the door for me. It was my understanding that once I'd been given an invitation to enter a place, I could go in without fear of compromising my magic. However, Anna Ash had a ward guarding her door and I didn't want to find out what it did just yet. Lash had been trying to tell me how to dismantle it all morning.

"You really should enter with more grandeur," Lash reasoned. "You're more powerful than any of the attending practitioners. Why not make an impression?"

"Because it would be rude? And I'm pretty sure breaking and entering is still a crime. I'd rather not get arrested."

Anna Ash came to the door wearing a conservative blouse, a pair of faded blue jeans, and a smile. Her hair had been pulled away from her face by a plain black headband that blended almost seamlessly with her hair.

"Ah, Catherine, I'm so glad you could make it. Come in."

I stepped through, and the ward rippled over me harmlessly. To my growing magical perception the construct seemed like a wall made of legos. Undoubtedly hard, but it was brittle and full of cracks. Lash sniffed and said something about shoddy craftsmanship as we entered the kitchen. I saw to my delight that I was not the only one who thought junk food was an appropriate offering to bring to a meeting of practitioners. There were several two liters full of soda, assorted chips, and a tray laden with hot dogs. The only effort anyone had made to make the meal healthy was a bowl full of assorted fruit. I piled my plate high with food, preparing the hot dog New York style-blasphemy, I know-and followed Anna into her living room.

There were about twelve women total, eating off of TV trays, or on the floor. A small Yorkie was sniffing around hopefully for food.

"Toto, come back here," a plump middle-aged woman chided. I noted the medical bracelet on her wrist. Was he her service dog? Weren't they supposed to behave better than that?

The dog came trotting back to the woman, who picked him up. She turned to face me with a smile.

"Oh hello. It's nice to meet you, Miss Lenhardt."

I paused, frowning at her. "How did you-?"

"Know your name? Oh dear, I did it again didn't I?" The woman let out a nervous chuckle.

"It's alright, Abby," Anna said, smoothing a hand over the woman's shoulder. "Catherine, this is Abby. She's prescient."

"Impressive." I could almost feel Lasciel lean forward in interest.

"What does it mean?"

"Limited future sight. It's why she seems so off to you, I suppose. I doubt it is more than a second or two, but she's seeing possible futures before they happen."

"Why only a second or two?"

"Do you not understand the complexities of what can happen in just sixty seconds? Every second is a crossroads of likely outcomes, and if you could see every single one of them, you'd go mad."

When it was put that way, it made me a little dizzy to think about it. I'd be paralyzed by indecision. Which was the right future? Did I destroy one future by choosing another? Did I have any right to do that?

"It's nice to meet you too," Abby said, beaming at me even as I opened my mouth to speak. She paused, frowned. "Oh dear. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I assured her, squeezing past her into the room beyond.

I took a seat next to an athletic looking woman who wore only a purple leotard and athletic shorts. She looked Indian, and her long sleek hair had been pulled back into a tight bun. Her brown eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled at me. I thought she might only be a few years older than I was.

"Everyone, this is my neighbor and our newest visitor, Catherine Lenhardt," Anna said, introducing me to the room at large.

I waved at everyone, a little embarrassed that I'd chosen that moment to stuff the first bite of hot dog into my mouth. The girl next to me chuckled in hearty amusement at my plight. It reminded me of something Amanda or Daniel would have done. I had a sudden, unexpected pang of homesickness. What were the Jawas up to now? Saturdays were a hub of activity at the Carpenter house. Well, just about everyday was eventful when there were seven kids in the house, all of them at different ages and with different hobbies. With the summer winding down, I thought that the little ones might be getting their fill of the sprinklers before the weather shifted and it became too cold.

Anna grinned at me. "Since she's a little busy, I'll make the introductions. Catherine, you've already met Abby."

Abby waved heartily at me a few moments before Anna stopped speaking. In spite of myself, I couldn't help but smile back before I took another bite of hot dog. Abby, despite being a little scatterbrained, seemed nice and looked like someone's favorite grandma.

"This is Maria," she pointed out a short woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. "And beside her is Janine." The woman she pointed to looked like a librarian. She wore a pencil skirt, a fitted blouse, and wore thick glasses. Her eyes were warm behind them, though.

The next to be introduced was a woman named Pauline, who I learned worked a temp job for the time being. Their names blended together in my head, and I knew I'd need longer than a few hours to sort them all out. The girl sitting beside me was named Olivia, and she was a gymnast by trade. She offered me a firm handshake when she was introduced.

"Anna tells us you're a wizard," she said, eyes bright.

"I'm not," I said. "At least, I don't think so."

"Wizard-level power, if I'm reading her right," Anna corrected. "But she's not officially vetted by the White Council, Olivia. So she's a practitioner just like us."

It didn't seem to curb Olivia's enthusiasm. I felt my cheeks heat. Was I the subject of gossip among these people? I lowered my eyes to my plate and shoveled chips into my mouth to keep from answering my curious neighbor.

"So, um, what do you people do?" I asked when the heat in my cheeks died down.

"Usually when the Ordo meets, it's to perform large spells," Anna explained. "None of us are powerful enough to do it alone. "The wards on my apartment have been constructed on every apartment or home where it is feasible. We could also perform one on your apartment, if you'd like."

I didn't need Lasciel's snort of derision to determine my answer. "No thank you."

"If you insist. But today we're meeting to teach you the basics of magic. I know you can construct veils, which is a magic beyond most of us. So I doubt it will take you long to learn the rest."

I wasn't sure I had Anna's confidence. Making myself less visible seemed easy in comparison to some of the things that Harry could do. According to Lash, I'd never be throwing around fireballs or hurling people across a room with a gust of wind. I didn't have the magical stamina for it. Of course, I wasn't sure I could trust her assessment of my abilities, because she followed it up immediately by telling me that all those things could be possible if bolstered by hellfire, a gift I'd get from the true Lasciel if I summoned the coin.

Anna sat cross-legged on her own floor. Somehow I thought better of her for it. It was her house, and she could have forced any one of the other women to vacate their seat. Instead, she sat across from me and spread out a towel on the floor.

"Have you ever used a circle of power?" Anna asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. What does it do?"

"It keeps magical energies in or out, depending on what you need. For example, if you cast a circle, you can contain your own magic until the time it needs to be released. Or, if you are under attack from a creature from the nevernever, the circle would keep you safe from the creatures attack or influence."

"The what?" I asked. I was really beginning to feel like a massive dolt. Why hadn't I heard of any of this stuff before? My father was a Knight of the Cross. He'd dealt with all sorts of creepy-crawlies and things that went bump in the night. Shouldn't I be more aware of what was going on in the world?

"The nevernever," Anna said. "It's a world that exists alongside ours. The spirit world, most would call it, though ghosts and the like are not the only creatures that exists inside it. Opening a doorway into the nevernever is beyond my abilities, and not something I'd advise anyway. Too dangerous."

Lasciel was being oddly silent during my lessons. She'd been a little churlish about the Ordo since I'd met Anna Ash, insisting that she could teach me things that Miss Ash was not capable of. She hadn't liked my rebuttal. Anna Ash was not going to demand something in return for her knowledge, limited though it may have been.

I nodded slowly. "Okay. So, a circle of power is a barrier between me and the world. Got it. How do you do it?"

Anna Ash produced a large carton of salt and offered it to me. "You can make a circle out of just about anything. Most advise chalk, since it's easy to carry around and to smudge when you need to. However, since we're inside and I'll have to be cleaning up later, salt it is."

I took the carton from her and stood on the dark green towel she'd spread out on the floor. "So what am I aiming to do?"

"Nothing, at this point. I'd like you to practice gathering your will, and releasing it for the time being."

She flicked the lights off as an afterthought and gave me a sheepish smile. "Just in case. I've unplugged all unnecessary electronics."

The candles that had been set at odd intervals seemed much brighter in the ensuing darkness. I turned in a slow circle, letting the salt form a thin circle around me. When I was finished, I set it down at my feet. I felt foolish with all their eyes on me. What were they expecting me to do?

"Stop that," Lash chided me gently. "Your magic is contingent on your belief, in part. If you believe that you cannot do it, it will not happen."

"How am I supposed to believe that I'm a wizard, or practitioner, or whatever? This could all be a line you're feeding me!"

Lash sighed, and she was suddenly standing before me. She looked even more beautiful in the amber glow of the candles, if such a thing was possible. She grasped my chin in one dainty hand and forced me to look into her eyes. They were steely blue, and so hard that it made me want to avert my gaze.

"I have given you nothing but the strength you lacked in the moment. Your abilities are entirely your own. I would like to hone them, and augment them where I can, but I cannot produce something from nothing, Molly. Your magic is real, and I cannot take it from you."

I wanted to believe her. Ever since discovering I had the ability, I'd been hoping that it was legitimate. Some part of me still harbored a schoolgirl fantasy that perhaps one day I'd get the chance to learn from Harry. It was an impossibility with Lasciel in my head.

"You can do this," Lasciel said, releasing my chin.

I took an unsteady breath. "I can do this."

The power was there, when I reached for it. It was surprisingly easy to draw out of myself. I brought it forth, a crude, amorphous shape. In the darkness, the light that danced between my palms looked like a sparkler from the fourth of july. I smiled, in spite of myself.

"Now, release the power," Anna said.

I broke the circle and released the power in a rush of energy. To my surprise, the candles guttered violently, and papers stirred on the end tables. The closest woman to me, Pauline, had her hair ruffled by the wind that rushed out from me.

Anna clapped her hands. "Good, good! That was an excellent first attempt."

"Uncontrolled, though," Pauline said disapprovingly. "That would have fried everything in the apartment if you hadn't had the foresight to turn things off. She needs to localize it."

Anna gave the woman a stern look. "None of us were perfect when we began. It was contained to this room, and that's already an improvement."

By the time I left hours later, I probably weighed three extra pounds. Despite eating my fill, I was exhausted by everything that I'd been taught. I learned basic thaumaturgic ritual, how to use a focus, and the basic practices that the Ordo observed. Some of it was nonsensical, according to Lasciel. Wiccan practice had very little to do with actual magic. It was more of a crutch for the lesser of the practitioners. If you believed that the ritual helped, it would.

I was sent home with a book, gifted to me by Anna Ash. Elementary Magic by Ebenezer McCoy. Or, magic for dummies, as Lash put it.

"Sorry to put you on the spot," Anna said, half-supporting me down the hall as the rest of her guests filtered out of the apartment, chatting animatedly. They were planning an outing to McAnally's pub, and as the only one still under legal drinking age, I was not going.

"It's fine," I said. "That was the point, right? To teach me things."

Anna smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that we won't be able to keep up with you for long. I'd suggest finding a wizard to take you on as an apprentice when that day comes. I think you have the makings of a true wizard."

I hugged her on impulse. I hadn't heard sincere compliments in so long this relatively minor one had my eyes brimming with tears. Anna Ash hesitated but after a moment her arms wound around me in a gentle embrace. I buried my face in her shoulder, trying to hide the tears, and wishing that I didn't want my mom.

"Thank you," I sniffled. "For everything."

Anna released me and wiped away my tears in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture. "What are these for?"

"I'm just happy, is all," I lied. The truth was, I was sure this as was far as my magical education was ever going to go. The only wizard I'd ever heard of in the Chicago area was Harry Dresden, and that was out of the question, because of the coin. How could one bad decision screw up my life so badly?

"You're very welcome," Anna said, as I fumbled for my keys. "And you're always welcome to come over when I'm home, Catherine. If you ever need to talk."

"Sure," I said, knowing that I'd never take her up on her offer. There were too many secrets I had to keep. My monsters were too scary and strong to unleash on Anna Ash. So I offered her a smile.

"Thank you for the food," I said, and stepped inside my apartment, closing the door on the well-intentioned woman I could never trust.