.o Ghosts o.

Alyson POV

My hands were cold, which was strange considering I'd just run two miles. Glancing down, I was tempted to pull the ever-present leather off my skin. I hadn't taken off this pair since I'd stolen them down in Texas, right after Eva and Clara were taken. It seemed like a lifetime ago that the Circle fell and I was running alone. There had been so many nights of running away. Away from police, CIA, remains of the Circle, even the FBI found me for something. I was so sloppy, it was impossible to believe my brother couldn't find me.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention away from my gloved hands and focused on where I was going. Exactly where that was, I wasn't sure yet. There was no way I could go to our base when Gallagher was on high alert. Honestly, I was surprised no one was following me yet, though they might not have realized something was missing. I'm sure the people knocked out were their first priority, as was making sure no sensitive information or devices had been stolen. After that, they would check the rest of the girls, and they would find themselves one short. Then the girl on the roof would give a message. The girl I left alive.

For once I hadn't killed anybody, and that was the fact that I couldn't figure out.

The first time I killed someone, I had been fifteen. It was a test. No one believed that the little girls Mom was training in her spare time were trustworthy, skilled, or capable of anything except distractions and targets. Our job was to prove them wrong, and, though no one said it, Eva and I could see the threat for what it was. Either we prove we could clean up after ourselves, or they would clean us up. Eva and I could have gotten away fine, but we couldn't guarantee Clara could make it. So we made a choice, and that's something my goody-goody brother would never understand.

It had been simple enough to prove ourselves. We found someone that the Circle needed to disappear, and in three weeks, he was gone without a trace. The last known sighting of him was helping a girl find her sister in a mall. Who would ever suspect a teenage girl?

After that, we were the Circle's favorite attack dogs. They said the word, and we would obey, as long as we could keep Clara safe. Some people, like Zach or the rest of the heroes, might find it despicable, but what they will never understand is that only the strong can survive this world we run. You can either kill or be killed. Zach was stuck at Blackthorne, so we killed, and the Circle didn't have a problem with anything we did, as long as we cleaned up after ourselves.

Killing became second nature to Evelyn and me. Clara could never bring herself to harm a moth, but it never set us back. Nothing, not even my brother, stopped us from finishing a job.

So why didn't I finish this one?

Sighing, I kicked an old soda can out of my way. Looking around, I was surprised to see that I was in our old hiding spot, where we used to spy on Zach and the Gallagher Girl. It was dark, hidden behind an old line of weird shops. There was a view between buildings of the small park, the gazebo, and other odd small town things. Running my hand down the worn out brick, it was easy to remember how simple my life had been. Though at the time I thought I was the best agent ever. It used to be easy, helping Zach get information on Gallagher, particularly Cameron. Then he started changing, and it all went downhill.

My hand stilled, and I looked up to see my glove caught on an old nail, the black fabric pulled up slightly, showing the tender pink skin underneath. Biting my tongue, I pulled the glove back into its proper place and left the alley behind me. There was no need to acknowledge ghost from the past.

Clara was waiting for me in the narrow hallway when I made it back to our temporary base, her fingers drumming rapid rhythms on her thigh. She didn't say anything until I was right next to her, sliding into the drafty room.

"Did you kill her?" She followed me inside, her black hair falling into her eyes.

I tossed my gun on the table, keeping my gaze away from hers. "Who?"

Clara rolled her eyes and climbed onto the table, her motions flowing effortlessly as she hopped and pushed herself up into a standing position. She kicked the gun away from her, eyeing it warily. After a second she turned and looked down at me, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Why didn't you kill the girl on the roof?"

"I needed a messenger."

She shook her head. "No, you didn't. " Pushing her hair away from her face, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you lying to me?"

Sighing, I shoved her leg to the side. Instead of falling, she leaned forward and shifted her weight onto her hands, looking up to frown at me. Sometimes it was annoying how much balance she had. It was nearly impossible to knock her over. Leaning down to meddle with my boot, I muttered, "Where's Evelyn?"

"Halfway to D.C." Clara flipped, using her momentum to hop off the table, and stood next to me. She grabbed my arm. "You're the one who told her to go, so stop avoiding my question."

I pulled away from her. "I'm not avoiding the question, I just don't have an answer." It wasn't a lie. I didn't have an answer to either of her questions, mainly because I wasn't allowing myself to think about them. There wasn't any significance in the fact I let the girl on the roof live when I could have easily shoved her off the roof. The fact I hadn't let anyone in that kind of situation live in years.

Beneath the gloves, my hands tingled ever so slightly. I flicked my hands to rid them of the ghost ants crawling over them.

Clara tsked with her tongue, shaking her head slightly. The small smirk on her face was unnerving. The feeling of the hairs on the back of my neck rising sent a shiver creeping down my spine. I turned and scanned the room, my eyes trailing the worn out wood and rotting corners of the room.

"Have you done a bug sweep?"

"Nothing but mosquitos."

I bit my lip, glancing back at my cousin who was staring at me with an odd look in her eyes. It felt like she was laughing at me, or maybe waiting for me to realize something. I hated it.

"What do you want, Clara?"

She tilted her head to the side. "You're not killing."

"So?"

"So, the only time you don't kill is when Zach is with you."

It was sick how the mentioned of my brother affected me. My breathing hitched, as my shoulders tensed, then everything, for only a second, relaxed. Why should the person who abandoned me bring... Whatever that was. It shouldn't affect me. I took pride in my iced shell over my emotions. There was no way I would let a ghost of a once brother take them down.

"I fail to see how that's important."

Clara sighed and shook her head. "Of course you would." She glanced at me again before her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, lips forming a small, half-hearted smile.

"Are your hands giving you trouble?"

I looked down to see my hands fiddling with the ends of the gloves, the fingers coming loose and wrists pulled up my palms. Thinking about it, the tingling was back. Not that I was telling her that.

"No." My voice was harsher then I meant, but I couldn't bring myself to feel sorry.

"Liar," she snapped. The harshness of her normal, bell-like voice startling me. Clara crossed the floor to me in four steps and was twisting my arm at an unnatural angle before I could blink.

Feeling her tug at the glove, I took a step and reversed out positions. "I'm fine, Clara!"

She shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Ally, you haven't been fine since we were surrounded by the fire."

I released her arm, stepping back from her, but she kept talking.

"You're not killing. You're fiddling with your gloves again. No matter what you say, seeing Zach is helping you."

Ignoring the fracture I could feel forming in my shell, I scowled. "How are my hands being problematic helping me?"

Clara smiled slightly. "Because they remind you of Zach."

"He's the one who gave me these!" I held out my hands and pulled my right glove up my palm, revealing the pink, splotchy scars that I fought so hard to keep covered. "How is remembering this good for me?"

"It reminds you you're human," my cousin shrugged. Then she reached over and grabbed my wrist, pulling the glove off completely in one fluid motion. "It reminds you what happened. It reminds you that you need him. It reminds you what you two have. These are signs of it, Ally."

My throat was tight and burning, causing my voice to nearly crack as I pulled away, returning the glove to its proper place. "No," I whispered. "These are its ghost."

Zach POV

"You've been sloppy, Zach."

I scowled, stepping into the elevator. The walls were mirrored, showing disheveled hair, pale skin, and bags under my eyes in contrast to Joe's ever-present tan and five o'clock shadow.

Ignoring his judgment, I reached over and pressed the button for our room level. Honestly, it was a surprise he had waited this long to turn on 'mentor mode'. In the few days he'd been here, Joe had been nothing but civil, looking at the situation from an objective agent's standpoint. Part of me wondered if it was hard for him- looking at my sister like an enemy like I could never truly bring myself to.

Joe continued, "You should have eliminated this at the zoo."

This. Not Ally, not the people causing the problem. I should have eliminated the problem. He didn't want Alyson hurt any more than I did. "I know-" I tried, not wanting to hear how I'd messed up for the hundredth time.

"You shouldn't have let Cammie get into this," he talked over me, his voice growing quieter as well as sterner. For a second I felt sixteen again, being chastised for getting too close to the fire. What did he expect me to do? There was no way to keep Cammie from this, not with her stubbornness and my sister's persistence. I had admitted I'd messed up after the Circle fell. I'd let fear hold me back from finding Ally, from telling Cam, but recently there was nothing for me to do! How could I have kept this from happening without killing someone in the process? Joe didn't even blink as I this.

The doors opened, and Joe grabbed my arm, turning me towards him. The sadness in his eyes threw a wrench in my system. "You should have let me help." Then he let go and walked into the hall, leaving me to my thoughts.

He wasn't talking about recently. No, he was hurt I'd shut him out months ago, that I hadn't told him what had happened to Alyson. I sometimes forgot how much he actually cared for the girls, despite their tactics.

I chewed the inside of my cheek for a second, refusing to let myself feel anymore guilt. Guilt wasn't getting me anywhere. Neither was being afraid to do anything and waiting around. We needed to move before Alyson did something drastic. My throat tightened thinking about the possibilities of destruction my sister and Evelyn was capable of doing and the knowledge that Clara would follow them wherever they went.

The thought of my cousin being thrust into even more violence left bitterness in the back of my throat. I hadn't allowed myself to think of her since this entire conflict had begun, but recently my thoughts kept finding their way back to the petite girl. Jonas had been rambling over the possibilities and consequences of keeping our distance from ACE since the zoo incident. I could tell he was getting nervous about Clara, and I couldn't keep myself from worrying too. Her mind was fragile, and I wasn't sure how much my sister was taking that into consideration.

My chest was heavy as I made my way down the hall to the room. We needed to move, to find ACE, and even if Cam wasn't ready to trust me, we had to find Alyson before the situation got even more out of hand.

There were harsh whispers floating down the hall approaching our room. The door was open slightly, and I could just make out Cammie's voice. Her tone was hard, colder than normal. "-knew if we stayed here something bad would happen-"

"Well, knowing doesn't change that it's happening!" Macey's voice cut her off. "Maybe, if you hadn't been so caught up on your stupid boyfriend, this entire situation might have been avoided!"

"Calm down, Macey," Bex snapped. "It's not Cammie's fault."

Macey's voice rose in volume, almost a shout. "She's gone because we've done nothing but listen to his excuses and -"

I pushed open the door, worry twisting itself into a knot in my gut. Everyone was gathered around the two small couches in the middle of the room. Liz and Abby were sitting rigidly on the farthest couch, while Townsend stood behind them. Jonas was on the floor beside them. Cammie, Joe, and Bex were standing over a form on the opposite couch, their expressions ice cold. Bex's hand was gripping Macey's arm, while she stood, nearly shaking, directly over the form on the couch. Only a turf of black hair was visible.

I had to fight off a pang of guilt at the sight of Macey. She hadn't complained at all about her leg, I doubted she even thought about it, but I couldn't fight off the knowledge that my reluctance to take my sister down had gotten her shot. My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms. There wasn't time for guilt.

All eyes shot up to me as I stepped into the room. Cammie quickly looked away, but the others fixed me with a cross of glare and pity. I glanced at Joe, who shook his head slightly. "We've got some bad news."

My throat tightened. What had I missed in two minutes? Moving my attention to the person on the couch, my eyes widened.

Grant grinned up at me, though his eyes were dull. "Dude, you're in trouble," was all he said.

Before I could comprehend the reason Grant would be here, there was a screech, and something slammed into me. My head hit the ground with a snap, stars dancing in my vision. There were three different voices yelling. Something was ripping at my face and neck. Familiarity shot through me, but I shoved the memories and the girl on top of me away.

Macey snarled her eyes half filled with hatred and tears. Bex and Cammie wrapped their arms around her arms and waist, securing her.

"Macey, calm down!" Bex snapped. "It's not his fault."

She fought once more against their grips before blinking a few times, straightening, and crumbling into Cam's arms, her shoulders shaking. My heartbeat rammed my chest, thoughts racing to catch up with what was going on. Grant was here. Macey was crying, and it sounded like someone had been taken. The others seemed worried, but Macey was acting as if someone had died.

Realization spread through my thoughts. The scratches on my face stung as I looked up at Joe, then Townsend, my mouth dry. "Bianca?"

"She's gone." It was Abby who responded. She stood, making her way towards me. "Gallagher was attacked last night." She glanced at Grant before meeting my gaze again. "We contacted Rachel as soon as he told us the plan, but it was too late. ACE has her."

"Is she dead?" The voice was so ragged; it took me a second to realize it was Macey's. Cammie's arms were still on her arm, but she wasn't crying. There was steel in her gaze I couldn't make myself hold for long before dropping my eyes to the ground.

"I don't know." My voice refused to come out as anything but a whisper. "I don't think Alyson would simply kill her, but..." But she seemed to be escalating recently, and I'm not sure how desperate she is. I trailed off. That wouldn't go over well.

Grant sat up from his position on the couch. "Actually, I don't think Ally will kill anyone right now."

Joe turned his attention to him. "What do you mean?"

"She seems different... Drained, I guess." He looked from Jonas to me. "Eva was complaining that Alyson was refusing to attack us directly, and she's, I don't know, acting somewhat less like a vengeance-crazed psycho."

Cammie snorted. "Yes, because kidnapping someone is totally a step in the right direction."

"Well, from what I've heard, it is." My eyes shot towards Townsend. In all the commotion, I'd nearly forgotten he was here. I nearly winced at the fact I still needed to tell him about Alyson. "According to the limited information I've been given, these girls are prone to drastic behavior. If one is refusing to kill, it is possible her will to continue is breaking."

"That is not a common feat, Edward." Joe crossed his arms. "In most instances, our subjects would be escalating, not declining."

Joe didn't meet my stare, but I could see the tension in his jaw as he spoke of my sister. His friend's daughter. As much of a master Joe was of keeping his emotions in check, this had to be hard on him.

Grant nodded. "It seems strange that they haven't come after us more, honestly. If Ally wasn't going to kill us, Eva would. Especially after I..." He trailed off, clearing his throat and glancing at Jonas. Panic flickered through my head. What had Grant done while he was with them? In fact, I wasn't sure why he was here.

There was a few seconds silence in which the tension slowly faded and the steady pressure of a mission began to settle on everyone.

Townsend looked from me to Grant and Jonas. "Mind enlightening me to exactly how you three know so much about these girls?"

All eyes shot to me. My throat went dry, every breath feeling like sandpaper. I needed to tell him, but my brain wouldn't form the words. There was too much going on. I couldn't deal with another bombshell dropping in our group. Cammie wouldn't look at me for more than two seconds, and now Macey was blaming me for Bianca being taken. There wasn't much more our group could take. But I had lied enough. The sooner I told him the better.

A chime rang out through the room. More than one head snapped to Abby, who was staring at her phone, face paling.

"Abby," Cammie leaned closer, nearly on top of the woman. She took a glance at the phone before ripping it out of Abby's hand. "Mom?"

Joe instantly leaned closer to Cam, while Abby seemed to snap out of her hesitation and snatch the phone back from her niece. "Rachel, any leads?"

Everyone practically held their breath while Abby nodded and gave short replies for a few minutes. I should have been more invested in the conversation, but my focus was centered on Townsend.

I'd accepted our biological bond long ago, but we didn't act like a typical father and son, because when had anything in my life, especially family, ever been typical? We talked. We were civil, but there was hardly anything more. There were missions, the fact we lived on different continents, and the fact we hadn't known each other until I was sixteen. Joe had tried forcing us to bond, once locking us in a steel room which we simply escaped from and then our separate ways again.

This was different though. I was purposely avoiding my father and was failing miserably. It was one thing to keep a secret from someone when no one knew about it, but having Townsend be the only one here ignorant of my relationship to the girls was adding an extra tension that we couldn't afford.

Abby hung up the phone, snapping my attention back to the situation. I would find a time to tell Townsend he had a daughter as soon as possible.

"Well?" Bex asked the first to run out of patience. Behind her, Macey was staring at the phone as if it would tell her everything telepathically.

Abby turned to me, then glanced at Grant. "Apparently, your friends cornered a girl on the roof during the distraction."

My stomach twisted. She'd killed a girl. Bianca was being held hostage and a girl was dead because of me. I kept my gaze on Abby. I didn't want to see how the others were looking at me. Steeling my nerves, I forced myself to let go of the guilt. Alyson was doing this. I couldn't control how she dealt with things. All I could do was stop her.

"How old was she?" I looked at Jonas. He'd been so quiet I nearly forgotten he was there. Abby glanced at him before answering. "Fifteen." She looked at the three of us before saying, "She's not dead."

Relief flooded my head. Grant looked at me, his eyebrow raised to prove his point. I could understand what he meant now. Alyson had not left a witness in all the time I'd gone on missions with her. If she really had left someone alive, there was a good chance Bianca was alive too.

Abby turned to Joe. "Rachel wants us back at Gallagher to help with the debriefing and a little extra muscle."

Joe nodded, glancing first at Cammie then at me. "You sure you guys can handle this?"

Until recently, there would have been no doubt. Cammie and her friends would have felt insulted by him asking. Now, I could see the insecurity in their eyes. They honestly didn't know if they could handle this. It stung to know I was partially the cause. It wasn't right. These girls were anything but unprepared. They were the sole reason the world wasn't at war at that moment. "We'll be fine, Joe." I felt Cammie's gaze on the back of my head, but it was easier to avoid her eyes for now. There would be time for her to yell at me later.

Solomon glanced at me for a moment before looking over his shoulder. "Edward, go with them and make sure they don't do something stupid."

Translation: Go with them so Zach knows he's not off the hook and is forced to tell you about his twin sister.

Townsend nodded, his eyes annoyed. "Sure, Solomon, put me on babysitting duty."

Abby walked to the door and swung it open. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"