The motel that we stopped at is old and the wallpaper is peeling away from the wall in the bathroom. The steam is cloudy as I stare at myself in the mirror. I lost a lot of weight. My ribs are outlined through my skin, my eyes look like a raccoon and my hair is longer than it's ever been.

I have pulled on an old set of clothing from Adam's backpack. It was apparently too small for him, yet it feels like a tent on me. I sighed and pulled open the door.

I had spent a good minute looking at my scars. Only three, on my leg. They were so intricate and each one told a story. A person I failed to protect. Only seventeen, yet I had the weight of the loric race on my shoulders. I had already failed them and Lawrence. I wasn't going to fail anymore.

I stepped out of the washroom and watched Sam's dad, Malcolm and Sam on the phone. I heard the word mom mentioned and I decided it would probably be better if I waited outside.

I slipped outside and into the cold night. It was drizzling lightly outside and I relished in the feel of the cold water on my face. I walked along the deck and down the stairs, pacing along the highway as I waited. It had been so long since I had been outside.

Apparently, the mogadorian who came with Malcolm was most likely dead and had somehow gotten powers, which made me wonder more about Sam's question. Maybe it was possible that humans could get legacies. I couldn't see why not.

I pressed my hand to the metal wire and turned it to lorite. It was my only power (besides invasive dreams). Lorite control. It was the lamest power I could've gotten. I flicked a finger and the wire tied into a knot. A car drove by and I sucked the lorite in. Better not to get caught.

Silently, I shoved my hands into my pocket and continued back to the sketchy motel. I opened the door to the room. Malcolm and Sam were both no longer on the phone.

Malcolm looked up at me and I blinked. It was my choice what to do next. I was the leader, of the elders, and now these two humans.

"Right now, we should sleep." I addressed the elephant in the room. Everyone was clearly exhausted. Malcolm nodded.

"I agree. There is no point in doing anything if we don't have the energy to do so."

Sam turned and was about to turn off the television, which had been turned on in my absence, but instead he paused and pointed. "Do you recognize that symbol?"

I turned and looked, in jagged formation, in a field full of corn, the loric symbol for five had been cut. "So much for sleep."

I was standing in a room. I didn't know where I was. It was some lush apartment. Seven people and a beagle were sitting around in the living room. They were all arguing over something.

The boy with the blond hair spoke first. "We should go find Five. The scanner suggests that both the Guardian and Five are in the united states."

"Five is staying still for the time being. He can fly. No one can run through Los Angeles in a straight line, but the guardian is somewhere in South Carolina."

I walked up and waved my hand in front of the closest one's face. No reaction, but when I smacked the blonde girl's face, she blinked.

"What the..." She trailed off.

"Six? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Six said. "I could've sworn..."

"Get Five," I whispered. "Find him."

She blinked. "We need to get Five."

"What?" The boy across the table said. "Just a moment ago you were against it."

"I know, but something is telling me that this is a better option."

I nodded in agreement. With a jolt I realized, I was standing with the future Loric elders. The last of Lorien.

I must have shifted in my sleep, because out of nowhere, I was back in one of the two worst moments of my life. The other was the demolition of Lorien.

Lawrence, Tybalt and I were up in the mountains of Switzerland. The three of us had done a day trip up from where we were stationed in Manarola, Italy, to the endless expanse of snowy alps that formed the mountain I was running along.

I could feel the wind in my hair as Tybalt, in the form of a Lynx, and Lawrence chased after me. I jumped and ran up a tree, backflipping off of it and landing behind them.

"You have got to stop that." Lawrence scolded. He was only 34, very young for a loric cepan, but he looked the part of a middle-aged Italian earth father, from the combed black hair to the black eyes. Whenever people asked questions about our lack of physical similarities, he told the story that his wife-my mother-had died when I was young (which was true) and I looked like the reincarnation of her (which was also true).

I turned to run but was stopped as Tybalt jumped on me. I let out a groan of defeat as 50 pounds of pure muscle and fur stopped any farther motion. I was downed.

"Okay, Ty, off."

Tybalt jumped off and purred, licking my face affectionately. I turned and shot a blast at the tree, and I let out a shout as I misaimed and hit Lawrence. He toppled over onto his stomach.

"Lawrence!"

A group of hikers were climbing up the hill and paused to tip their various ball caps at us. Tybalt vanished down the hill, hiding.

"Can we ask for some directions? We are lost." The lead hiker placed a hand on his hip. I stood to hid Lawrence's body.

I smiled naively, just as Lawrence leaned up and shouted. "Jule! Back up! He's a mog!"

His hand shot up from his hip and he zapped me. I flipped head over heels and slammed onto the ground, and as my eyes blacked out, the last thing I saw was the barrel-shaped guy at the back grinning at me.

"Juliette, wake up." Sam shook my shoulder from where I was sleeping in the back seat. "I think we are almost here."

I had already been awake for a while. I just hadn't opened my eyes. My other useless power. I could watch other peoples lives. It was entertaining when trapped in prison, but a pain when I just wanted to sleep.

I ran my thumb over the rubber bouncy ball. It was glowing harshly, pulsing with light. I had charged it in my sleep. We skidded up to the parking lot to find that the lorics had gotten there first.

Another car was on the other side of the lot. A giant worm creature, obviously mogadorian, was chasing around two lorics. They were flying, the one on the others back. Two other girls stood on the ground, one with her arms above her head, a large storm forming.

I opened the door before the car even came to a complete stop and whipped my ball at the worm, the lorite expanding before it landed on the creature, the lorite popping and hissing on its skin, an explosive chemical reaction that distracted the creature long enough for them to get away.

A loud shot rang out and I turned to see Malcolm had climbed on top of the car and was wielding a sniper rifle. He had nailed the creature in the face. With the combination of my lorite and Malcolm's shot, it collapsed and dissolved into a pile of ash.

Sam began to help his dad off the top of the car and I watched in surprise as the storm girl took off running and hugged him. One of the two lorics who had been in the air ran up and hugged him as well. A beagle who I hadn't noticed before was having a freak out at Sam.

Instead of walking to the group, I walked towards the ash and nudged around with my shoe until I found my bouncy ball. I blew off any remaining ash and shoved it into the too big pocket of the pants.

Turning on my heel I walked back over. I paused for a moment, staring at the one garde, who was built like a barrel. His face was so familiar. It made me antsy. I don't know where I would have seen him.

"Who are you?" The one girl asked. I paused. She was another human. I could tell, she didn't have any lorite in her. If she had, I'd be able to take it. That was the point of my legacies. I was supposed to stop any rouge garde from taking over the planet.

"I'm Juliette."

"Are you loric?" This was the boy. There was a hesitation as everyone turned to stare at me. I reached a hand into my pocket and squeezed the ball, charging it.

I nodded. "I'm the Guardian."